Baz Moffat is the co-founder of the Well HQ, a community that promotes womens health in sport. She has a personal interest in pelvic health and is working to counter the mis-understandings about pelvic floor, bladder and bowel health.
This video is part of the Rowing Through Menopause webinar - Baz talks for 40 minutes (details below) and will teach you what we should know.
Use Discount Coupon MENO1524 to get 15% off the purchase price of Rowing Through Menopause.
An in-depth review of all the detail you should know about your pelvis.
Pelvic floor for rowing - what should your pelvic floor be able to do and what is 'normal'?
Bladder health - how often a day should you wee?
Bowel health - In mid-life we have a lot of stress hormones. If you don’t go to the bathroom regularly and excreting these hormones they get re-absorbed and stored around your middle as fat. That's why mid-life women struggle to lose weight if we are stressed / lack of sleep / constipated.
Strength and conditioning in mid life as part of looking after your pelvic floor.
How to "cue" your core to strengthen and align with your breathing, your diaphragm and pelvic floor
Baz Moffat - pelvic health expert
10:00 Baz Moffat from The Well HQ. Interest in pelvic floor but it was "medicalised" as a topic. And hadn't been re-interpreted into sport. The team at the Well includes an exercise physiologist and a general practitioner (family) doctor. 16:00 The "Caught Short" kit of period products for your club changing room
90% of women will leave a venue if her period starts and they don't have a product to use.
Baz Moffat, The Well HQ with her model pelvis.
Pelvic floor for rowing
18:30 pelvic health for rowing What is your pelvic floor? Its role is to hold everything up and keep you dry. Coughing, laughing, sneezing, jumping should not make you leak, wind or urea /faeces. Athletes have higher levels of dysfunction than the population. Upwards of 50% of masters rowers (women) have prolapse or stress incontinence issues. We have normalised this and it should not be so.
23:00 Kegle exercises are pelvic floor drills which are OK for starting. 26:00 It's taboo to mention because we are arrogant about our physicality. Prolapse is when the vaginal wall is not strong enough to hold up everything inside. Level 1 or 2 feels like a drag and can be fixed with pelvic floor exercises and pessaries to protect the vagina during exercise.
Bladder & Bowel Health
30:00 Bladders.
Most people don't know how many times a day they should go to the loo. You should be weeing 8-12 seconds around 5-8 times per day. Healthy habits - we lose collagen as we age and this can cause a floppy bladder so it doesn't retract. Go every 3 hours or so. Respond to the urge. Bladder irritants - sugar, caffeine, spices, cold temperatures, alcohol. We get more sensitive with age.
35:00 Bowel health - bowels are different from bladders. Excreting waste product includes hormones. In mid-life we have a lot of stress hormones. If you don't go to the loo they get re-absorbed and stored around your middle. Stress, lack of sleep and constipation mean you cannot lose weight. When you get the urge you have 15-20 minutes to go. People prefer to go at home. You should respond to the urge, not wait. As we age digestion slows. Lack of oestrogen and more progesterone make you more likely to be constipated. Complementary health therapies and naturopaths can help a lot. Sit on the toilet with your knees higher than your hips is helpful if you are constipated. Lean forward, relax and let go. Your menstrual cycle also affects your bowel health.
Strength and conditioning in midlife
43:00 Strength and conditioning in mid life Evidence is from age 30 women lose muscle strength, muscle mass and bone density. Counteract the rate of decline with exercise. Lifting technique matters - learn this first. Function and form are your limitations. Focus on the "big lifts" squat, bench pull, bench press and dead lift. Check you are breathing. We do not need to hold the breath in order to stabilise the core if we are lifting 10-40kgs. Use a flowing breath.
49:00 In the Faster Masters subscription training programs we focus on do-able exercises and things you can do at home.
52:00 Keep your core long and ensure your stomach doesn't puff out. What should coaches cue when a female athlete sits in a rowing boat? Do not tell her to "hold" her core. Breathing in and out should move both the diaphragm and the pelvic floor - holding the core stops this happening. Tell her to seek "length" because a long muscle is a strong muscle.
58:00 We have 3 arches in our body - feet, diaphragm and pelvic floor. All are needed.
Train Like a Woman webinar 8 December 2021- it's free and also recorded so sign up
Future Plans | Faster Masters Rowing Radio
Faster Masters future
- What we've done so far
- What we'd like to do in future
- Your ideas
Support this show with a donation https://fastermastersrowing.com/podcast
Timestamps
01:00 It's the holidays in USA so Rebecca is hosting solo today.
02.30 US Virtual Rowing convention - Masters Monday will feature Marlene and Rebecca talking on a Vision for the future of Masters Rowing. This link is to the schedule https://usrowcon2021.sched.com/
04:00 Coaching in a rowing tank
- what can you do inside a rowing tank with a group of beginners?
Sweep or sculling
Use the mirrors
Drills for technique
Recommend you stay square blades for beginners. -
Teach the timing points - watch the outside elbow (sweep) both elbows (Sculling) watch the slide.
Film the athletes
How to Film the athletes in a rowing tank so they can learn whether they're following accurately.
90 degree square off and 45 degree angle shots - advantages
Roll through the line of athletes and which to focus on and for how many strokes.
07:00 Faster Masters future -
we'd like you to be a part of our planning
- What we've done so far - Training programs; webinars (one off)
11:45 Rowers who don't want to race. Would you like a Faster Masters program which suits your goals (technique and skill rather than fitness workouts)?
12:40 What we'd like to do in future - new webinar topics. What would you like to learn?
- Your ideas - A program setting up your rigging, footstretchers and oarlock heights
- Menopause and Rowing
- Nutrition - how our needs change as we age and what we can do about it. Aging well.
13:300 Concierge service - book a 20 minute free meeting with us to answer your rowing questions. https://fastermastersrowing.com/concierge
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How to plan your rowing season
- when to peak
- how racing contributes to peak events
- winter / summer racing
- what to work on for fitness
You are gearing up for a big performance. When you peak you want to be as rested and prepared as possible.
The taper period is longer, if your training volume is high.
7-14 days before the big event to allow recovery and attain a fully rested state.
11:00 you can do 2 to 3 peaks per year.
In between you review the date of your last peak and when the next major event is.
Every race is NOT a peak.
Winter peak can be races or big erg events
Summer peak can be national championships
13:00 After a peak event you have to regenerate - physical and mental
Choose your calendar and find your events.
Look at intermediate events between the peaks too
Consider cross-training.
Catch up on home things and deferred activities when you are regenerating.
17:00 What to work on for fitness
Take the tempo down and do long endurance work less than 22 stroke rate.
Do your technique work to correct flaws.
Cross training can also help.
Get back into a routine to build strength - circuits and body weight work. Variety.
20:00 The Faster Masters Fitness assessment is 4 tests. Peak power, top end race tempo, anaerobic threshold, base fitness aerobic.
The proportional fitness of peak power impacts your results.
Base fitness tells us if your bottom of the fitness pyramid is wide or narrow. Helps manage intensities fro training and your recovery ability.
It takes about 3 years to build base fitness.
Newcomers should do cross training to get fitness on land. A light sweat - not out of breath. Up your intensity if you can (not too hard).
Keep it 'conversational' while you train.
Low intensity strengthens your cardiac muscles.
Use fat as your primary fuel.
29:00 doing multiple races in a day - like A/B races to try different lineups
Helps you define your race plan and try different race strategies
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Feet on the footboard | Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe.
- How the foot pressure changes through the rowing stroke.
- Drills to practice foot connection
Timestamps
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing.
We will be speaking at the US Rowing Convention (virtual) on An Inclusive Vision for the Future of Masters Rowing.
https://usrowing.org/sports/2021/9/29/2021-usrowing-convention.aspx
06:40 How the foot pressure changes through the rowing stroke.
The goal is to move the oar handle using the kinetic chain.
Pushing onto the heels during the power phase. The heel connection happens naturally.
If you push with quads to initiate then as you add the heels it transfers into the glutes.
15:00 Drills to practice foot connection
Focus on the last third of the drive - activate the heels and glutes
At the end of the drive phase, do you point your toes? or keep heels down?
Keeping the suspension and stying up through the drive is best.
19:00 Get the right size shoes - if your calves hit the deck.
Shoes and foot flexion during the drive phase are important. The carbon sole rowing shoe helps your foot perform better - allows your toes to spread as pressure comes onto the feet.
27:00 Bont Rowing offer - will be shared with everyone on our newsletter list this week
Head across to this link: https://shop.bontrowing.com/account/register?fastermaster (this link will redirect to AUD, USD or Euro depending on location)
- Create an account.
- Check email and verify account.
- Browse the range, select products and add to cart.
- Head to checkout and use account email. Discount of 15% will be automatically applied.
28:00 Feet on the erg - do they come away from the foot stretcher?
29:00 More Drills to practice foot connection
- Rowing quarter slide from the release. Try to stand up in your shoes
- Feet out rowing and square blades. Note where you lose pressure on your feet and try to move the timing closer to the finish.
- Timing the release off your foot pressure. when you lose connection, take the oar out of the water.
- Can you hold the foot pressure as you make the turn around the finish?
- Recovery when you start to square, make sure you ave a good connection with the foot stretcher
- Row one foot in the shoe and one out - are they different? Swap.
37:00 Caryn Davies recommended rowing on the erg feet out for all rates lower than 26.
Adjust the heel cup height - does it give you better contact?
Equal pressure on blade - feet - handle through the stroke
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The world went digital last year and rowing clubs pivoted. We moved online, virtual and row-from-home.
Let’s not lose the momentum. Now is the time to take full advantage of digital tools to run your rowing club – from collecting membership dues to crew lineups; from boat allocations to regatta availability, there are valuable tools to help you run the club which you need to know about.
Shortcut your learning about tools which will
– Save time
– Recruit
– Fundraise
– Run the club efficiently
– Deal with politics in the club
– Grow the club community
You will meet
– John Wojtkiewicz has been working professionally as a leader, coach and administrator in the competitive rowing community for over 25 years. He currently helps those seeking strategic and tactical help in growing their rowing organization via his consulting service, Madder Consulting. He also coaches the youth boys team at the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center (MAC Rowing) in Los Angeles, CA.
– Rebecca Caroe is an expert masters rowing coach, and three time rowing entrepreneur. She has served on rowing club management committees from her student club to her masters club. Rebecca enjoys finding new digital tools that could be useful for rowing.
After attending this webinar you will
– See the potential for digital tools for your club
– Know how communication can deal with club politics
Monday 22nd November 2021 (London GMT 8 pm; New York EST 3 pm; San Francisco PST 12 pm; Sydney 7 am 23rd Nov)
We are recording the webinar. Your ticket gives lifetime access to the recording and rigging charts.
PLUS bonus content for download
Digital tools checklist – 12 areas of rowing club management where digital tools can be used
Rowing Hashtags master list
Full slides
Rowing Club Management Software list
Choose a rowing camp that suits your needs | Faster Masters Rowing Radio
Timestamps
01:00 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing.
Doing race debriefs after a big event helps to decide future priorities.
06:00 Faster Five - Technique.
how to get set up properly in the boat - adjustments to make.
Going faster by not slowing down.
08:00 Developing new speed - improve what you already have.
Improve the quality - makes rowing more fun.
10:00 Do the basics really well.
Are you getting your blades off the water?
Rowing harder and maintain technique.
Rowing harder in difficult conditions.
Rowers have to maintain the same quality under conditions of fatigue and pressure.
You can always do drills stationary, even if you are tired.
16:30 Camps for rowing
A change is as good as a rest.
Reasons to go on camp.
Training - get a good block of hard work done.
New challenges - a new coach, new lineup, longer distance,
Crew Selections - get your lineups right for racing
Fitness - get fitter and stronger
17:50 Sweep or Sculling camp?
Single scull or team boats?
How much do you want to spend $$ and How much time away do you want?
Consider the time split between rowing and tourism - you can bring your non-rowing partner who can do wine tasting, another sport, cycling, walking.
Look at your local area - can you camp locally?
Or a weekend camp at your own club? Row twice on Saturday and Sunday.
You will learn a lot from a new coaching voice - their focus can be revealing. How they teach is important when making your choice. What is the coach's outlook?
26:00 Go on camp as part of your race preparation - book in a few days or a week ahead of a big regatta.
Camp as a retreat
Camp as travel
Camp for competition
29:00 Fine boats versus restricted boats versus clinker boats.
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Pausing at the finish technique - Faster Masters Rowing Radio - the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe.
It's become fashionable for crews to pause at the finish of the stroke with handles close to the body - more in sweep than sculling. Why do this? Is it effective?
01:30 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. HOCR results and congratulations to our winners 10:00 Ask Me Anything - Marlene and Rebecca answer your questions. Doing 2 races in one day. How much time do you have in between races? Dry clothes, eat immediately, hydrate and fuel. Rest if you can. Zone out in your car and listen to music or read. Set an alarm. Plan any changes to your race plan for race #2 Take a snack in the boat in a plastic bag.
18:00 Paused finish.
I don't coach this but it's not necessarily wrong. Look at the athletes and crew you have - what works for them? Drew Ginn had a quicker recovery and high skills for catch timing when he started doing the paused finish. 20:30 Focus on the follow through position. Finish the cycle at arms/body away. Be aware of a 1x versus a crew boat and can you all do this technique?
28:00 Simultaneous versus sequential drive. Try both and video yourself before deciding. Get the drive time to 0.8 seconds. There is a lot of room to do legs, back and arms Stay effective - don't reach too far or lay back too much Racing starts - you may want simultaneous for more power. 33:00 Opening the knees at the catch. Is this flexibility, structural in your hip socket and femur? Look at your foot stretcher and heel to top of seat measurement - match your erg. Angle of the foot stretcher Take a nerf ball or water bottle or buy an elastic and hold between your legs as you row as a reminder. Glute medius may need muscle strengthening Check the shoe position width in the boat compared to the erg.
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Leg to back connection to make stroke power in rowing
- Faster Masters Rowing Radio - the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe.
Support this show with a donation https://fastermastersrowing.com/podcast
Timestamps
02:15 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. Rigging inaccuracies around the pins.
07:00 The Caught Short Kit for female athletes who menstruate - Help yourself to pads and tampons. Can you make one for your club?
10:00 Legs to Back Connection
The power of the legs has to be connected to the oar handle.
Leg drive must directly move the oar handle.
If you drive and don't move the handle = shooting the slide.
If you move the handle and don't move the legs = no power
Feel Pressure on your hands and feet - check for yourself.
Often described as the hardest part of the rowing stroke to train.
14:00 How does the kinetic chain link? This is how you are connected together. The biomechanics of how the body moves and flexes.
The levers of bones connect through the joints.
Ligaments connect bones to bones.
Tendons connect muscles to bones.
There are 2 types of kinetic chain in exercise sport
The open kinetic chain - where the limb is free and not fixed to an object
The closed kinetic chain - where the limb is connected to the ground or something firm
18:00 Rowing is a closed kinetic chain you are working off the oar handle, foot plate and the oar in the water.
21:00 Training glutes
- as you drive off the catch it's the quads that activate first and as your heels go down you will add in your glutes.
Gluteal amnesia - it can be hard to activate the glutes as we age.
Strong glutes support your lower back.
23:40 Train your glutes by practicing isometrically. Squeeze them when standing, driving, sitting. To load your body weight in the boat you have got to use your glutes.
Be aware of them being strong and activated as you row.
27:00 Drills to train glutes
- keep pressure on the foot stretcher in the last third of the leg drive.
Glute bridges
Side squats
Fire Hydrants (this is funny.... check out the comments on the video at this point)
Hungarian split squats
Use exercise bands
Lunges
30:00 Timing the switch from legs to back in the power phase.
When the blade is loaded - notice if this varies.
Feel the blade is or is not stable in the water.
Handle pressure stays continuous and horizontal through the stroke.
If the body comes in too early you can lift the handle and the blade goes deep as a consequence.
Exaggeration exercises - try swinging the back early or later.
Make the back swing more dynamic
Arms and body only rowing to isolate the swing.
Check your force curve on the erg.
Back swing adds length to your stroke.
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Mark Wilson and Jim Dietz share insider tips for how to line up your boat at EVERY turn, EVERY bridge, EVERY dock including the warm up, Chute and start line for the Head of the Charles Regatta Steering Guide - for scullers (1x, 2x).
Mark and Jim run All American Rowing Camp. You can buy their in person coaching on the Charles River .
Faster Masters sells training programs for head racing - scroll down for more detail.
Timestamps
01:30 If you are coming to race for the first time and don't know the course, this will help you. 03:50 Be 100% on the day. You need this... to all line up when you race. Only the weather is variable! 05:30 The warm up line - Mark and Jim recommend you boat from the Falls launch area and row the whole 4,700 meters course down to the start including the Basin. This is the way to steer the right line through the warm up. Time yourself through the warm up from Falls to the start the day before. It is narrow at Elliot Bridge - stay close to the bank. Listen to marshals. This area is the most busy in the whole warm up. 08:50 the Buoys are not permanently on the bottom of the river. They can move. So check them out during your warm up. 10:00 Know the race number and event ahead of yours. 11:30 Powerhouse stretch is a good place for a warm up burst of 10 or 20 strokes. 13:40 If the Basin is blowing - time your arrival to minimise time waiting. Line up with even or odd number crews. 16:50 The Chute and Start line. Start your speed coach earlier than teh line 18:30 Video of the Start under the Boston University Bridge 20:00 Mile 1 - The green buoys by Magazine Beach - how to steer this 21:30 Powerhouse stretch - look out for a wind change as you pass Riverside. And come into the stretch decide early if you are going for the Centre or Cambridge arch based on traffic from other boats. 22:30 Mile 2 - The most tricky part is going into Weeks footbridge. If you took the Cambridge arch, the turn is more gentle here. Look to port coming into Weeks the buoy line is gradual. Look every 3rd stroke. Stay as close as you can. Make a sharp turn by sowing down into the bridge. It's a narrow bridge you can turn under the bridge. Do a pressure 20 coming out of weeks - don't be surprised. 30:00 Anderson Bridge is the start of your fatigue. The wind may change here. Be aware. Weeks to Anderson - going in look on your left for the bridge abutment. The turn at Anderson is as steep as Weeks. Look for the White Condominium after Anderson heading towards Cambridge. 32:30 The blue line is the turn line - it's gradual. Look to your right - oars on the buoys - as close as you can. Look every 3rd stroke. 33:30 There is passing going on here.... If you are a slower crew, you know to give way. Let them pass... Then go back to your shorter line. 35:00 Do your research on the scullers around you. If they are local they will know the course. Follow their puddles. 36:00 The last bridge is Elliot Street. the Cambridge into Elliot turn is quite sharp. Know how close you can cut in. Look at your right and beware the BBN Dock. There are 3 buoys after.... then row as close to the trees as you can without hitting them. 39:00 The last 60 strokes. Go straight after the trees. The Boardwalk on the Boston shore - that's the last 20 strokes. After the finish line keep paddling - get out of the way for following crews. It's a privilege to race here - do your home work. 42:00 Practice as often as you can at race speed. Boats handle differently at race speeds.
Faster Masters Rowing sells training programs for head racing - we have a specific HOCR plan - It's included in the Monthly Subscription programs - Individual, Crew and Club.
Training Programs for Head of the Charles
the Head of the Charles Program is included free in Faster Masters Monthly Subscription plans for Individual, Crew and Club. Starting from August prior to the October race.
Timestamps
01:30 This Past Week - what we do to advocate for masters rowing. We hosted a Rigging webinar.
13:00 Tapering - the purpose of the taper is recovery.
Get to the start line raring to go.
14:55 Super compensation system in your body.
The amount you taper for a 6 day week training program.
7 to 8 days out the training volume reduces to half. The frequency of training does not change.
17:00 Mental preparation for the race
Repair your boat
Sharpening technique - practice what you are good at. Build confidence.
Race Plan
Dinner the night before 6 pm, no social media the night before.
21:00 Pre race Checklist
This episode also covers head race checklists https://fastermastersrowing.com/planning-your-fall-rowing-season/
Plan for the unexpected to happen
Don't want to have to make decisions in a fluster.
23:00 If you are the person who is always 5 minutes late.....
25:00 Socialise after the event, not before the race.?
Be prepared, specify what you need to be best prepared.
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