Sometimes athletes get very, very tired. Today we will talk about recovering from exhaustion and the power of napping.
01:00 Is it under recovery or over training?
Mike Spracklen described it as under-recovery. Marlene prefers this term because it affects your ability to train. You don't have to be fully recovered to train effectively. You feel on "high alert" all the time.
04:00 Six causes of exhaustion noted by Elizabeth Avery, sport nutritionist.
What's the reason? If your training has increased a lot recently, that could be a reason. You should be able to adapt to the new training load. Check your nutrition preferably post training.
06:00 There can be an accumulation of fatigue from session to session. After a heavy training day you may need an active rest day. How to balance your training. Emphasise quality over quantity.
07:45 Adapting to a new training load.
Going from 5 x per week to 6x per week. Is a 12% increase in training. Keep to a 5% increase. After a big jump you may feel OK for a day or two, but it will catch up with you.
As masters, your cause of exhaustion may not be rowing-related. It all kicks off the same cortisol hormones
10:00 What about naps?
Elliza McGrand naps heavily after a heavy training day. She asked the Masters Rowing International group if others had the same outcomes. Listen to your body and respect what it's telling you. Your best recovery method is sleep. People are different with naps - some do it every day.
Lie down and close your eyes. Set an alarm so you wake up in time. Bodily stimulation comes in through your eyes - rest your nervous system by closing your eyes.
13:00 What is restorative for you?
Some people find a daytime nap affects their night time sleep. If you don't tolerate daytime naps, find another thing that rests you. Cooking or gardening, yoga. what do you enjoy? Even walking for 10 minutes has a positive effect to your nervous system. As we age our bodies change - you may need naps now and not in the future.
15:00 Leaden legs can happen after a nap. A good way to revive is to wake up slowly, move slowly, do a bit of stretching, walk gently for a couple of minutes. Even 5 minutes of repetitive activity gives you the same dopamine hit as a workout. Rowing repetitive cycles are restorative activities to the nervous system.
There are many different types of masters training programs - for elite racers, for club racers, for fitness rowers, for return-to rowing.
In this episode understand the benefits of 'cross fit' versus the more traditional 'miles make champions' approach.
01:00 Types of training though year
01:30 The new "Spacer Placer" rowing Tool for pushing out spacer washers.
04:45 Types of training what is your goal? In a weekly cycle use a mix (polarised) low, high, medium pace intensity & strength training.
Different types of session you can choose.
Aerobic system stresses
HIIT is a very broad definition - it could be oxygen utilisation 4Ă—5' or a power 30" on 90" off.
07:30 Plan your training through the year.
Your 2 key days a week training and insert your low intensity a strength in between.
High performance racers - you can insert Cross fit only if the workout is inserted in the right place & right way for your goal.
09:00 Cross fit workouts are intense. Prepare to do it.
As a master how careful do you need to be? To do intervals and explosive work and not get injured, you need to be strong and ready to do the workout. The faster you do things the larger the injury risk.
Does this type of workout fit your needs and goals? Also remember to check out your instructors - are they experienced and qualified?
Testing - speed of repetition amount in a given time.
12:30 make the right choices of training type to fit into your overall training.
Sport science reviews how to train your body. A word of warning - if you do 2x HlIT sessions you can't spend that time in the boat too.
16.20 Racers' training needs.
Train three times per week. Aerobic work for one session and two endurance sessions with one at a higher intensity. How high that is depends on time of year.
Use AT tempo endurance closer to the racing season. Oxygen utilisation or 1K / 4- 5min pieces. Speed and power workouts are shorter and quicker.
What stroke rate you want to race at?
18.00 Fitness rowers don't need extremely high intensity intervals. How skillful are you in the boat?
30 stroke pieces if you want to. Aerobic work is for fitness - combined with strength work in the gym.
19:45 Strength stimulates muscle metabolism. At the end of the session do 6x 30" on / 90" off or 20" on / 40" off.
Power works at the end of a strength session. Combination workouts.
21:00 Return to rowing rule of thumb is to approach it gradually to build tolerance.
Take it easy. Focus on technique and efficiency. Ensure your posture and body positions are correct. Hinge through the hips not the back.
22:50 Keep it fun and interesting focus on drills and steady rowing Pick a theme for the da to keep the interest and focus aligned.
Balance is lost as we age. How can rowers learn balance - in the boat, in life and physical balance? How to balance a quad scull.
03:00 Balance as you age.
Typically it changes around age 50. There is a loss of muscle mass - it affects co-ordination like walking and neuro-muscular aspects like hearing and vision as well.
04:45 Balance can be trained and maintained. Keep your muscles in good condition. Notice changes in your balance.
05:30 standing balance - it's more challenging.
08:30 Sitting balance. Use a swiss ball /physio ball.
Sit with hips and knees at 90 degrees. Arms to side in a T position. Lift one leg and extend it.
Does it challenge your balance?
Get comfortable doing this. Then raise both legs off the floor.
11:14 Try a V-sit, sit on the floor raise legs as well as torso. Balance on sit-bones. Can you balance?
13:00 How to balance a quad scull.
17.00 'Transitioning land to boat - getting into the boat. One leg squats help train strength.
Also concentric & eccentric motion. Lowering your weight to sitting is a good progressive exercise.
21:00 Why a 2x is easier to balance than a single scull.
The boat is wider - it sits in the water with more surface area of the hull under the water. A narrow beam is more sensitive.
23:00 Tension kills boat speed
We need endurance training at low rate but golly it's boring. Learn some strategies to pass the time profitably investing in improving your performance and training consistency.
02:00 Low intensity sessions - how to approach them.
Common training mistake is to do the lower intensity session too hard. "Conversational level" workout - can you sing while rowing?
It trains your heart - it is beating slower and pumps more blood per heartbeat. A conditioning effect is lower morning heart rate as a result. This builds capillary density.
05:00 Goal is training consistency. Build a data set of your scores. Keep the training effect the same, even if you have to cut the workout shorter.
You become more fatigue resistant. Improve your recovery time between races in the summer because you're fitter from winter training.
09:30 Make technique corrections during your long erg workouts.
12:00 Choose a technical focus - every 5 minutes do one technical improvement for one minute. Repeat every 5 minutes.
14:00 Listen to audio books, podcasts while you work out. If you stop rowing during the session, it takes 3 minutes for the capillaries to start closing down. You could do a core exercise and re-start without losing the training effect.
A psychological break.
17:00 Rebecca counts strokes - chasing the average split number for your programmed workout. How many strokes to reduce the average by 0.1?
Consistency - in power, rate, technique and mental approach is your goal.
Concentration is a big element of racing - you can build up your concentration skill here and it will be beneficial.
Exercise with weights linked to lower risk of early death, study says.
Why we need MORE gym work as we age.
02:00 Weight lifting makes us stay healthier, longer. Being Active as well as doing weight lifting had 14% to lower risk of premature death. Other types of exercise were also included.
04:00 Mortality risk appears to be lowest for those adults who reported doing weightlifting. They had a 9% lower “all-cause mortality risk” Masters rowers are already active so staying strong gives greater quality of life. 06:00 How quickly can you walk across the street? A measure of ageing.
07:00 Thinner This Year book by Jen Sacheck - Muscle Nutrition specialist. It's a lifestyle book with great advice.
09:00 Muscle as the grand negotiator of body signals.
Stimulus must be constantly there to keep your muscles alive.
Muscles:-
13:00 Strategies that work for you. Work out at least twice a week with weights. You need recovery between sessions.
Get into shape BETWEEN not during sessions.
Joe de Leo suggests different off-season and on-season weight training.
16:00 when we row it's load bearing but that isn't that doing weights.
How about power strokes in the rowing boat? No - that's strength endurance. Rowing is repetitive and compared to a one Rep Max lift, one stroke is a low load Goal of strength training is to activate more muscle fibres to fire at the same time. We lose our slow twitch muscles as we age.
18.00 Other ways to increase resistance in your training:
23:30 kettle bells 25lb or 12kg are worth buying for your home gym. Bags with weights Nested dumb bell weights.
26:00 Strength training does not need a lot of time. Ideal rowing home gym.
Transitioning seasons to Winter / Summer is a key point in the training year for masters rowers. Key things to do and watch out for.
01:00 What are season transitions in rowing? When you have completed any training period there is a transition that follows. Give yourself some recovery time and down time.
03:50 What is base level training? Lower intensity for aerobic work. Include cross training. When changing activities - be careful to do this gradually. It is new for your muscles.
07:00 Beware gardening - any intense yard work can injure you. Stacking firewood - it's the unusual positions you get into when raking, chopping wood.
12:10 Getting back on the erg.
Workout I - do a ten minute warmup. 15 minutes continuous rowing + stretch 10 minutes continuous.
Week 2 move to 20 minutes continuous rowing + 10 minutes after the stretch.
Week 3 move to 2Ă—20 minutes
Week 4 do 30 minutes continuous. Then build up gradually towards 45 or 60 minutes rowing.
17:30 Do several weeks erging before doing a test of any type.
19:00 Things to work on for yourself.
Muscle imbalances, stiff hamstrings. Use our Functional Movement Assessment free course to get 10 physical tests for your personal mobility.
Is having self-compassion "giving up"?
01:00 Tune in to your feelings and know the 'big picture' of training. Be your own best friend - look out for yourself.
Energy fluctuates - what's your energy level? Sometimes the programmed workout doesn't align with your energy levels.
02:30 Most rowers are not lazy. Compassion is not the same as laziness.
Steven Seiler says masters do 200 - 250 workouts a year. If you take time out it will recharge your batteries and quality of life.
04:30 When tired, your judgement is impaired.
A fatigue state is not calm. If you miss one or two sessions, carry on training. If you miss more than a week, review your physical state and you may need to repeat the missed sessions, or build back gradually.
07:00 Learn to work hard in long training. A well designed plan will build up to this point. It can be scary the first time. Repeat workouts to get better at this session. Get confident. Give an honest effort.
10:00 Learn to watch puddle size.
Get grip on the water by picking up speed rowing one at a time or in pairs and join in the rest of the crew. Learn to move quicker to keep the grip on the water. Erg sessions teach you consistency and efficiency. Learn to row harder and increase the meters rowed.
Mental toughness. Keep your workouts challenging but not impossible.
14:30 Question about testing and drag factor on the erg. This load (gearing) should match the gearing of your boat.
23:00 Book of the month Warriors by Danielle Brittain - the team doctor for the South African Rowing Team and mother to four rowers reviewed by Jess di Carlo.
Dealing with foot cramps, forearm cramps & whiplash in the rowing boat.
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing
Running a sculling camp. Collecting post-regatta feedback - 10 things you did really well and 10 things you'd like to improve.
09:45 Cramps in the boat. First look at nutritional causes - your electrolyte balance of calcium, magnesium, potassium levels. Check your hydration as well. Check your muscles - are you gripping too hard?
12:15 Muscle goes into contraction in a cramp and does not want to unlock or release. Calcium aides this muscle release. Neurological release by contracting the opposite muscle. Reciprocal inhibition if you contract one muscle the antagonist muscle must relax. Foot cramps - lift up your toes to contract the top of your foot muscles to relieve in the arch of your foot.
15:10 Calf muscle cramps
Extend your leg and pull the toes towards you. Also use elastic bands. A Charley Horse is a common US name for a muscle cramp.
17:30 Hamstring cramps
Contract your quadricep hard to release. Extend your knee and straighten your leg. Lie on the floor and lift your leg up straight off the floor.
20:00 Forearm cramps - often caused by tension in the hand.
Frequently happens when you switch from sweep to scull or swap sides in sweep. Avoid cramps by getting into the rowing stroke rhythm and release your hands within the stroke. Let the handle move with your fingers. Keep the circulation going.
If you do get a forearm cramp, raise your arm and pump your fist open and closed. Must be above the height of your heart.
Marlene-ism "Let the oarlock be an oarlock". 25:30 Abductor muscle cramp This is probably caused by the glute medius. Squeeze a water bottle between your knees to release.
27:30 Whiplash - if you get this in the boat when looking around quickly it's hard to release.
Warm up the muscle, stretch it and massage it with your fist or fingers. Cold muscles are more susceptible to cramps.
30:00 Thixotropic ligaments and tendons. Getting cramp towards the end of an outing happens. Take a little cooked potato with salt, or electrolytes or a banana to prevent this.
33:00 Question: How to work with a squad of different skill levels. Develop your sculling ability - have a pathway to progress. What am I signing up for? Set outings for integration with more experienced people. Switch seats in crew boats.
38:30 Pontoons from Revolution Rowing give stability for singles and doubles, as do Wraptor Balance pontoons.
Rowing is a sport that rewards discipline. Book of the Month | Faster Masters Rowing Radio - the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Jess DiCarlo.
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. 03:05 Jess discussed her book choice
Rowing Through the Barbed Wire Fence – Rima Karaliene.
What it was like rowing in the Eastern Bloc from 1960s. 13:30 Privileges came with the elite sport team membership in Soviet Union.
27:20 We discussed the concept of discipline being connected to a goal to help you make decisions and create good habits.
Book Mental Discipline: The pursuit of peak performance by Mike Livingston
29:00 Rule followers are one type of discipline follower.
30:00 The 80/20 type people mean you are highly likely to be successful. To get the benefits of what you are trying to accomplish with your goals. Regular practice of discipline improves your skills.
33.00 Knowing yourself helps - do you need a team or a training partner?
Balancing a boat is easier with personal balance skills - core strength combines with boat handling skills.
Timestamps
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing.
04:14 The training program for August 2022 from Faster Masters
Training module - 1k program peak
5k program for Oct & November peak
HOCR specific program
Fitness is standalone 5 workouts for fat burning, endurance or strength endurance
Land training includes Balance Exercises in the gym
Benefits of having a rowing accountability partner
09:00 Body balance exercises
Supportive of our movements for ageing athletes
Balance is trainable over time.
11:00 The J-curve drill -Rebecca's favourite balance exercise in the boat
14:30 A basic pause drill at part of the cycle. Count One 1000, Two 1000 then go
Choose a point in the recovery to do it.. Marlene prefers arms and body away. It completes the acceleration phase.
Variations you can introduce
Do it at low speeds and low ratings but with good pressure
20:00 - Podcast offer for new supporters - make a podcast donation and want to get the video of the J-curve drill message us.
24:00 Body balance exercises standing
28:00 Single leg jump
29:30 A listener question from Bernie - balance getting into the boat - from a dock
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