The risks of abrupt changes of your training and surprising outcomes from practice lineups, rigging, and winter to summer transitions with guest Marlene Royle.
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Marlene sees these as a red flag for masters rowers. Her experience as a coach when racing season comes around was a trend from mid-summer on where their season got derailed. All were caused by quick changes, unfamiliar boats and doing a training session from another coach on top of their normal training. These are all avoidable.
Let your muscles and tendons adapt to different stresses like moving from an indoor rower to a boat. The difference between a sculling erg and a sweep boat is clear in movement patterns. All these abrupt changes resulted in injury to tendons or muscle strain. Rule of thumb for moving onto the water is to start at 50% volume in week one and build up to full training in the new mode over 4 weeks. You won't get as fit on the water initially as you did on the rowing machine so use this time for technique.
The temptation is to stop rowing your normal pattern and instead to "flex" and go with what you feel in the boat. This is an abrupt change in technique and not conducive to protecting your body. If you have a sensitive low back, then an unstable boat can cause a flare up. Common sense - think before you do. Common sense is not very common. For equipment make gradual changes.
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Ways to adjust your stroke to match the boat hull speed. Ways to move so efficiently that your body mass moves with the boat speed and improves your maximum boat velocity in rowing and sculling
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00:45 The boat velocity changes through the rowing stroke cycle and you can feel these changes as you row.
This is a measure of the difference between a skilful crew and less experienced athletes. When watching crews in a race you can see some crews just inch ahead of the others. Efficiency is a key to why the best crews do well - they use their power efficiently; they help the boat hull to move through the water with greater efficiency - how do they do this? They manage their body mass well.
Body mass is resistance to changes in velocity.
This matters because the entire boat is moving forwards all the time (even though you may think you go backwards and forwards on the slide). Because of the sliding seat, the boat hull doesn't travel level, the bow moves up and down through the stroke cycle.
Diagram of boat speed through the water
Maximum boat speed DOES NOT happen in the power phase. The point of maximum velocity is after the oars have come out of the water. [NOTE: not maximum acceleration as said in the video.] At this point you are transitioning onto the recovery (arms away / body rock forwards).
On a video filmed square off 90 degrees to the rowing boat - when the bow ball is at its highest point is when the athletes have moved closest to the stern (on the recovery) and the point of maximum acceleration is when the bow ball is lower and when the athlete is transitioning from the power phase onto the recovery phase.
The diagram shows the boat at low and high rates (right hand side). At higher rates the point of maximum acceleration is nearer to the catch on the recovery. The boat moves differently at high stroke rates from low stroke rates. Understanding and noticing the boat acceleration feeling and how your body moves are two things you can control. If you can learn how to feel the boat movements you can make refined adjustments to how you are rowing at race pace compared to steady lower rates.
We get good at efficiency at low rates because rowers do a lot of endurance training. Yet athletes who race want the effect of efficiency at race rates. Can we improve our agility and how we are moving with the hull and practice in training?
Periodised training plans do not include a lot of high rate work. What we can do to keep the boat skills of handling the oars and body mass at low and high rates?
These are key to learning the skills. Ways to move quickly and keep the handle speed in time with the boat. These can be spliced into endurance rows for short periods of time. This doesn't upset the physiological training effect. Try doing agility drills for 1 minute in every 10 minutes low rate rowing.
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Hear Becky Wilson for an in-depth review of the considerations for the masters athlete in terms of cardiac health.
In this episode you will learn
The questions answered during the presentation
Improve your rowing ratio while lifting in the gym.
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Lifting heavy has lots of benefits - today we'll talk about ratio. The contrast between the power phase and recovery phase. How to use this concept of ratio in strength training.
As we age we find our muscles and tendons don't have the same range and so our stride gets shorter. Strength training can help improve or maintain RoM. Weight lifting works in two planes - when you lift the weight and when you return it to the start point. Concentric muscle movements are shortening the muscle (as you lift). Eccentric muscle movements are lengthening the muscle (as you return the weight to the start). Eccentric muscle work can help improve your range of movement. Working on this part of the strength lift can use the rowing ratio as part of the movement.
The braking effect that you use as you control the weight in the eccentric lengthening muscle phase as you lower the weight down can enable you to have greater force production. When lifting heavy for few repetitions or using small muscles e.g. doing chin-ups against your body weight you may find the difference between the last successful lift and when you fail is large.
Do your first chin up
One way to improve your strength and do your first chin up is to start at the top of the lift with your chin over the bar (you may need a chair to step or jump up there). Then slowly lower yourself by straightening your arms doing just the eccentric part of the lift. Try a slow count of ten to complete the movement. You will gain strength more quickly by doing this slowly muscle lengthening under load.
When you've done this a few times, try doing one chin up - you probably can lift yourself up. Use approximately a 3:1 ratio in your lifting for big muscles - legs and back. And 2:1 for smaller muscles like arms. The more ratio you can manage the more you will be working the braking effect on the eccentric lift. You will do fewer repetitions using this method as you tire faster.
Consider a difficult lift like a squat using an olympic bar. Getting a deeper squat - to 90 degrees or to a deep squat position is challenging.
3x per week for 6 weeks.
Start each lift with an ultra-light load. This helps refamiliarise your muscles with the movement. Then add weight so that you keep good form. Try to do 3-5 sets of each lift each time you go to the gym.
11:30 Take your ratio training from the gym back into the boat.
Can you push the oar faster through the water so that you can take longer on the slide recovery? You should be able to increase your ratio thanks to your work in the gym.
A visual reference to aide adjustments to blade depth.
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00:45 Low technology solutions for rowing too deep.
The tape goes around the oar shaft so that when the oar is under the water at the correct depth and the handle is at the correct height for you to old. Mark exactly where the shaft is level with the water surface. You can do this where the oar shaft is wet if you do this carefully. Measure the spot, return the oars to land and transfer that measurement to all the other oars and put white tape on them too. While rowing you can look sideways at your oar to see if the white tape is going under the water and where in the stroke it goes too deep (and you can no longer see the tape).
Usually it's caused by the athlete holding the handle too high. Modern oar designs naturally sit at the correct depth. If you row 'over the barrel' the path of the handle is too high mid-stroke (and usually too low at the finish so your oar spoon washes out). The water is flat and so the path of the handle in the power phase should also be flat. At the catch if you take the catch by lifting your shoulders it can also cause the oar to go too deep. Tension in the hand grip also can cause the oar to go too deep. In sweep this is often the inside hand holding on too tightly.
- Backing down into the catch. Push the oars from the finish backing down and then leave the oar in the water and take the stroke. Go backwards and forwards gradually lengthening from half slide to full slide. This helps you to work out the correct handle height.
- Row in circles. One person row in sweep and look out at your oar as you row so you can see the depth. In sculling just row with one oar and get a friend to hold the boat steady.
- Half blade depth rowing. Row with only half the oar under the water - feel the depth by controlling the handle precisely with very small movements.
- The amount of power you put on can affect blade depth. So try alternating light and firm pressure strokes to help you work out depth.
As we age, compromises are part of how we adjust to rowing and sculling. Yet part of the fun of this is to go shopping for gadgets and gear! Let me be clear, you don't have to be old to get more gear - I know a famous rowing commentator who had a collection of row suits (Zooties / All in ones / Trou) that ran into the mid 30s. He claimed to have rowed for over 20 different clubs.
But gear isn't just fun and funky clothing (although maybe that's all you "need" to justify flexing your credit card. There are really helpful accessories which make rowing easier for those of us with physical compromises. Let's review a few
Shoes that fit - petite feet ladies have always suffered with club-supplied shoes. Now Unicorn Shoes has an adjustable shoe design using velcro as does RowFit; and the Active Tools shoes look like crocs and have a sliding clip to shorten the shoe. Taking this a step further and getting your own pair using a quick release system in the boat allows you to row with perfectly fitted shoes. BONT Rowing's quick release system and rowing shoes are priced to make switching your whole fleet very affordable. While The Shimano rowing dynamics system provide the highest quality fitments.
Hands and handles - Get a handle grip the right size for your hands from Croker Oars (4 sizes), or choose the Oarsom Potential overgrips to prevent blisters when your skin bunches up. Newly released soft grippy handles for those who suffer sweaty hands for sculls (My Row Grips),and the textured Stampfli grips. Maybe a simpler solution to blisters is a pair of rowing gloves made by Rowtex or The Crew Stop.
Backsides and Seats - finding a seat pad that gives you just enough comfort - from male / female hole spacings (EURow) to different heights (from 5mm to 30mm at RowPad) and jel squish softness (JL Racing) to raised pads to relieve pressure on your sit bones (Citius Remex ProW)
Eyes in the back of your head - literally not possible - but sadly the Hyndsight vision system is no longer in production - so there are other choices of mirrors to see behind you without twisting. The Coxmate mirror is a cheap option - it's large and on a bendable wire; newly released, the TriEye sunglasses with integrated mirrors for both left and right sides.
Visible Data displays - nearly everyone has a waterproof mobile phone and getting your boat speed and stroke rate on a large display (which you can read in bright sunlight) is straightforward using the Crew Nerd app (free trial available). Taking this a step further you can add a heads up display (HUD) inside your sunglasses from Engo Eyewear.
Note: some of these links are affiliates. We earn commissions if you purchase.
Faster Masters Rowing has an Athlete Assessment which sets out how to find your personal training zones. These enable you to work out most effectively because the intensity and pacing aligns to YOU, your fitness, your boat moving skill. Re-testing approximately every 6-8 weeks allows you to gauge your progress.
The testing spreadsheet is where you input your results. These give you an output of your 2k target pace.
The Athlete Assessment comes free with any subscription race training program.
It is in the Faster Five "Joining Bonus" lesson.
From your 2k target pace (calculated from the spreadsheet) divide this number by 2.
Then subtract 10 seconds if you are anaerobically strong based on your spreadsheet test results.
Subtract 12 seconds if you are aerobically strong based on your spreadsheet test results.
[It may be easier for a 500m split to convert it into seconds e.g. 1:52 is 60 seconds plus 52 seconds].
From your 2k target pace (calculated from the spreadsheet)
Add 7 seconds if you are aerobically strong or neutral (balanced) on your spreadsheet test results.
Add 8 seconds if you are aerobically weak on your spreadsheet test results.
When you did the testing, one of the tests is 1'. Use your results from this test as a starting point for your 1 minute race target split.
How watching videos of good rowing can help improve your technique.
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Parts of our brain get activated when watching movement. Researchers noticed monkeys' brains were firing when watching the researchers eat lunch - as if the monkeys were also eating.
Mirror neurons help you to understand and internalise actions, emotions and intentions. This is helpful when learning the subtleties of rowing timing points.
When I yawn the chances are you will too. This is your mirror neurons. Dr Laby from Sports Vision researched if you watch correct performances and see the technique being used. He noted that the video needs to be as close as possible to reality. This means you get best results watching at race stroke rates, not slow motion.
Try to create a race situation rather than a training row. You need both - understand the movement first and then be able to do it at stroke rates comparable to a race.
Find videos online to watch - they need to be good athletes, rowing well in high cadence high stroke rate situations. Check out MostynARC YouTube channel for Penny Chuter's video collection.
When a coach tells a story about rowing, your mirror neurons activate as you listen. They make you feel that you are experiencing what the coach describes. Neural coupling with the story teller.
First get the athletes to observe the task done well - demonstrate the task first yourself. This is more likely to trigger the mirror neurons as the athletes think themselves into what you're describing.
Then explain the action at the same time as demonstrating as a second stage.
Our Drills Compendium uses this method and adds written captions as well.
Real-time observation and real time skill correction improves skill acquisition.
The experts recommend peer-to-peer observation as a further stage. Teach observation and comparison to good technique - this also has a permission-based feedback structure allows the athletes to see if they are getting the movement right.
Looking backwards to go forwards: what rowing taught me about big tech and what big tech taught me about rowing with Matt Brittin.
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01:00 From schoolboy to the Olympics - from a family of ball sport heros. Matt was inspired by Martin Cross to row to a high level - he was his school teacher. Later he was President of his university club where he led the introduction of professional coaching.
Matt was running Google in Africa, Middle East and Europe for the past 10 years - he tells a lot of anecdotes about rowing. Steve Gunn (a harsh coach) taught how to take responsibility for what you are doing. Are you a piece of sh*t on the end of the oar? When the mindset is right but the self-appraisal was not. The things Matt learned at rowing were the human things - more useful than Business School, Consultancies and University. I wouldn't be where I am in the business world without the rowing lessons.
The unique side of rowing is that when I'm seat racing, I'm against you. When we are in the crew, I'm with you. Act like an owner at Google - take responsibility for what you're doing and win as a team. We collaborate hard - and sometimes a collaborative competitiveness gives a better outcome.
The start line of a Henley Royal Regatta final is where Matt felt the most intense pressure. Take confidence from the feeling of nerves and the adrenaline surge - this is a sign you are ready for a big performance. Get the attention off yourself - focus on the process is helpful. Know there is someone there who wants you to succeed.
Matt is a Henley steward - he marks the progress over recent years. Sir Steve Redgrave asked Matt to help the committee to plan a 10 year strategy. It looks unchanging yet it's always evolving. Three new womens quad scull events were announced - near parity in Open events and Womens events. Since 2015 every race has been on YouTube live and on demand.
You Win or You Learn.
It has been a joy and a recalibration too. The gains as you come back are lovely - rediscovering the joy. A lot is about remembering the feelings. How to balance training and travelling for work. How you manage your time at work is important. Matt blocks his diary to take kids to school twice a week - the most important time of the week. He does the same for rowing training.
The discipline when traveling of visiting the hotel gym. The more senior you get the more important it is to show up refreshed and feeling great - in good shape. Leaders need to be in the moment and to have time for staff. Matt is planning to mentor people in business, improve his sculling, and add rowing strength training this year.
Masters rowing is "running up the down escalator". It doesn't have to be the same each year - unlike younger rowing years. Choose something fun to plan for your future rowing.
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