Rebecca and Marlene discuss:
- How does cross training fit in? Pluses and cautions
- Force curves - common observations
- Listener Calls
06:00 This Past Week - what we've been doing to advocate for Masters Rowing
Marlene's coaching correspondence included an athlete who was under-performing and concerned about making progress. What time of day do you train? A busy schedule means you aren't getting enough sleep. You're tired. No wonder you're under-performing.
Book Recommendation The New Toughness Training for Sports James E. Loehr
https://amzn.to/3qDrMUf
Try to add 1 hour sleep a night so you get 7 not 6 hours. Take rest days during the week and do strength training.
Have a snack at work 3-4 pm and train at 5 pm when you get home. Then have a lighter dinner and eat a little later so you can get to bed by 11 pm not 12.30 am.
Rebecca's participating in the Pembroke Virtual Regatta doing 1100 meters four days in a row.
16:00 Scrimmage organisers if you would like to get a checklist ebook on how to organise, get in touch and we'll publish.
One Sporting World launch auction fund raiser for mental health - it's live now
https://m.facebook.com/events/445557209931337
The Magic Wand survey - What is the #1 thing you want/need as a masters rower?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/595853370615544/permalink/1618329025034635
21:00 Force Curve Analysis - common observations.
Last third of the drive is not symmetrical on the force curve - you are losing drive suspension
First part of the curve is very sharp - you are kicking the catch
Include strength training - is it just aerobic or is it everything?
Strength is important - it sustains muscle mass and protein stimulus for both men and women
We don't insist you do cross training. Does it fit in your schedule? Variety helps alleviate boredom.
Be careful - if it isn't something you do regularly - the shock to your body can be tough bringing tissue fatigue and possible injury.
36:00 Listener calls - we want to know new topics you'd like to hear on the podcast.
Send a text message to us +64 22 647 3993
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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
- Erg racing mental approach
- Guest: Claudia Pace from Sagamore Rowing Club talking about running a club masters program
- Should you scull or sweep first?
06:00 This past week. Mitzi Nicoletti medalled twice at Denver Indoor Sprints.
A nice testimonial - Marlene Royle & Will Ruth
"Just listened to your Science of Rowing podcast as I’m getting ready for my cold long-SLOW-distance trail run. I think one reason you both are such great coaches for masters (and ancient) athletes is that you don’t just say "do it this way" but are open to conversations about technique and training. Not all, but most masters rowers I know are smart, analytical, and questioning. They need to bring their brains, not just bodies, into the coaching relationship. I spend lots of time around and with college rowers and I’m always surprised that they are so comfortable remaining so ignorant of our sport: they express little interest in learning the reasons behind technique or training or rigging or history etc. Most seem satisfied just doing what their coaches tell them to do. Way different for most masters rowers I know."
To understand ask "why" three times to fully understand.
Running a Scrimmage Regatta - checklist for organisers
15:00 Sweep or sculling first - which would you choose for a new rower. Sculling is better developmentally and a single is your "private coach".
23:00 Sagamore Rowing Association special guest Claudia Pace
A third of our members chose to join Faster Masters Rowing club program in November. We like to work on our own things and use zoom. The group's interests are not homogeneous. Everyone found their performance improved significantly. People have been more "applied" in virtual situation .
29:00 Everyone comes to the club with a different skill level. The program suits divergent goals. We do a monthly coaching call for team leaders.
33:00 How to persuade the Board / Committee to go with Faster Masters training program?
It's a good way to keep members engaged. Important to offer something over winter. We priced it out per person and made the fee accessible for everyone.
36:30 Figure out what level you can afford to do. Need a viable number of people. We walked through the program with Marlene and explained it to members. We agreed to do a trial for the winter and since then we've decided to extend it over summer.
If you don't have a coach and can't afford to hire a coach it's a good alternative to having in-person coaching.
41:00 The additional content each month really sold us. You can get out of the program whatever you want. Nobody says it is too hard and I can't do it. It is challenging.
45:00 Mental approach to ergs. There is no excuse and so do not vocalise. Be very well rested. if you are going to tolerate pain you must be rested. Helps to deal with the mental side of the discomfort.
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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
- The Science of coaching masters athletes
- Erg Inspiration - how to make it fun
04:15 This past week we are supporting masters rowing around the world by:
- attending the Rowing Canada conference coastal rowing course
- Marlene was interviewed on the Science of Rowing with Will Ruth - details below
- listening to James Leath on intentional coaching
https://unleashtheathlete.mykajabi.com/
- Running a scrimmage regatta locally for masters
- Reviewing the "new masters" status for post-novice rowers before they become age group racers
10:30 Erg inspiration when you get depressed looking at the rowing machine
- make it fun. Ear buds, play list; podcast
- Groundhog day
14:00 Training programme for the Head of the Yarra - use the Faster Masters programme if you haven't got time to write a programme. Masters like to know workouts in advance because they like energy planning, time planning and consistency helps.
18:00 Rowing in 6s in an eight. What is the purpose of the exercise? If you want a stable platform, or a drill for the best chance to execute the drill, being stable is good.
When a pair drops out - have an agreed way to hold your oar when you change pairs; also an agreed way to join in the rowing; also an agreed way to hold the oar to stabilise the boat (against your knees or arms outstretched with upward pressure).
Discuss whether you want a "soft set" or a "firm set" in the drill and what the crew should do.
It's important to keep the handle pressure upwards (so the blade is flat on the water) to set the boat.
Facebook discussion
https://www.facebook.com/groups/595853370615544/permalink/1606787526188785/
24:15 The Science of Rowing - Marlene video interview with Will Ruth
[To get the video link, please join our newsletter]
The research article (Nova Scotia) is about coaching masters looking at Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness. The athletes who got coached experienced high relatedness and also greater frustration with autonomy.
To improve your coaching outcomes we need to ask if the psychological needs of the athletes being met?
Perceptions of masters are no different between the group who is coached and those with not much coaching. The sense of belonging is directly related to the amount of coaching the athlete receives.
40:00 Groups in your rowing club - how to enable a range of groups to form, un-form and meanwhile still keep the club stable.
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Marlene and Rebecca talk about
- Weight loss and diet quality
- Naming your erg and your boat
06:00 This Past Week - what we've been doing to advance Masters Rowing.
Marlene has been at the Rowing Canada conference gaining a certification on coaching coastal rowing from Guin Batten.
Rebecca investigates introducing a new racing classification "New Masters" in New Zealand; and also explains how to get an eights group training together in your club.
15:00 Naming your erg - Have you named your rowing machine?
http://bit.ly/2MozjY7
Marlene's first van Deusen single scull was called Finse - the tallest mountain in Norway.
We discussed Sobakevich from Gogol's novel, Dead Souls.
22:00 Weight loss and diet quality. Since Christmas how much weight have you lost?
Changing diet habits is key. What improves diet quality?
- less sugar
- less refined foods (is there a wholegrain version?; is there a fresh version?)
- made at home means fewer preservatives
- boost your vegetables, fruits and high quality proteins.
Your brain likes "crunch" texture
Are you really hungry? Change soda to selzer water (sparkling water) - try to eat your calories not drink them.
Good habits
- small plate
- chew
- portion control
Rebecca and Marlene both use My Fitness Pal app for logging what you eat.
The World's Healthiest Foods book by George Mateljan
https://amzn.to/3cpmw2h
35:00 Plan your week - remove decisions from the moment by planning ahead.
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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
- Synching schedules. It's the hardest thing for a masters group to figure out.
- Injuries outside training
Anything that prevents you doing a full training load. And so a strained muscle, a stiff lower back or a hand blister can be part of you failing to complete a training session successfully.
Clearly there are scales and grades of injury - a blister is not the same as a broken leg!
Masters do not get injured more than younger athletes, but we are more likely to be adversely affected for longer and to take longer to return to full training.
Take injuries seriously - training on an injury usually makes it worse, not better.
05:00 This past week - Marlene is a nordic ski coach; she guested on The Science of rowing podcast and will be studying coastal rowing coaching at the Rowing Canada Aviron conference with Guin Batten.
Rebecca has been reviewing the novice masters status in New Zealand and seeking a rule of racing change. You get the behaviours your tolerate in your club.
15:00 Ways to align your crew schedule. Review your lineups, the number of people in your group and seek regular days.
Cliques in clubs can rip clubs apart. Good leadership is essential.
22:00 No wasted water time. This is something we value a lot.
23:30 Marlene has seen a huge increase in injuries from our athletes. when you get injured you have to heal the injury, rehabilitate it and then progress back to training.
These are non-rowing injuries and were caused by carelessness on land. Your body is fragile. It doesn't take much to derail your training.
Accidental injuries when you are in a fatigued state your tissue is fatigued.
26:50 The further you lean away from your body to pick up your boat it puts you at risk of injury. This is relate to poor judgement.
Be mindful of how you move your body.
34:00 The United Nations list of
Craftsbury Common is one of these heritage sites - the Trouble with Harry movie was filmed there.
35:00 Mike asks are there any good videos that can explain all the basics to a never/never rower - someone who has never sculled before?
Rebecca uses these two videos in slow motion for her beginner class. There's no commentary so you can overlay your own interpretation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=882yriTw1VA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQMaxr-gxp0
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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
- Goodbye to all that
- Review of the year & forward plans
02:00 Head of the Fish trophy
07:00 Rowing From 2020 Virtual Regatta - enter by 3 January on Regatta Central
09:00 Review of the year. We went weekly during Lockdown. Marlene's favorite topic - setting up a home gym. It's important to keep up strength training twice a week. TRX straps and kettle bells, physio ball, elastic bands.
https://fastermastersrowing.com/the-perfect-home-rowing-gym/
Free training program for home rowing during Covid19 lockdown
https://fastermastersrowing.com/register/home-rowing-training-during-covid-19/
12:00 Rebecca's favourite topic - hip mobility for masters - a regular reminder of what to do. How to improve rock over and getting the handle past your knees. Separate stable body from moving up the slide.
https://fastermastersrowing.com/hip-mobility-for-masters/
15:00 What's coming up for Faster Masters? During the past year we have added 3x subscribers to the podcast and 2x the number of customers for our training programs.
18:00 Recovery is as important as training. After the workout you recover and adapt to the load. This is the OTHER training category (recovery) you get into shape after the workout.
20:00 Resilience - do the things to manage stress levels. Sleep and eating right matters.
22:00 Curling my toes reduced stability in the boat.
24:00 Virtual races and the ability to practice mental training. Stay in touch with challenges will help regular competitors.
27:00 Look around to check where the rock island is.
32:00 Electing a team captain for masters. Liaison between the athletes and the coach. What do they do? Outings, lineups, safety tests, regattas? First define the job.
Our next podcast episode will be on 14th January 2021.
See you all on the other side.
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Rowers need to have strong fingers to control the oars. Our expert coaches, Marlene and Rebecca, explain
We got this question
Could you recommend some exercises to improve finger and forearm strength? My fingers and forearms often tire from trying to feather correctly without using my wrists,
First it pays to check you have got the basics correct in your equipment and the technique you use to turn the oar (feathering and squaring).
19:00 If you have osteoarthritis - don't push yourself into inflammation and swelling with your rowing practice. Don't use your thumb to apply internal pressure on the oarlock either if you have osteoarthritis.
20:00 How tight should you hold the handles? As if you're holding a kitten, puppy or a small bird - Firmly enough so the animal doesn't struggle, not so tight that you crush it..
23:00 If your forearms wake you up at night feeling restless. You should stretch them.
Do the "Karate Chop" drill on the recovery and Open Palm Sculling drill.
26:00 Trigger finger syndrome can be developed from rowing. The anular ligaments get pulled and swelling happens in the tendons.
28:00 How to train for both speed and endurance simultaneously. If you are doing CRASH-Bs erg race in March and enter the 30 minute and the 500m sprint event.
Follow the Faster Masters Rowing training plan first and foremost - pick the 1k racing plan. If you have extra time include a 40 minute low intensity row or aerobic cross training session.
32:30 Keep the group together - over the holidays stay in touch with your crew mates and become accountability partners. Community matters in masters rowing.
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Being the best rower you can be involves having good flexibility and mobility in your body.
As we age, our flexibility typically reduces. Understand your personal range of movement and how each part of your body is used in the rowing stroke.
Our 10 exercise functional movement assessment for masters rowers will show you where you can improve and how it affects your rowing and sculling.
Marlene and Rebecca host Faster Masters Rowing Radio where having a rowing coach only makes you better, following a program gives you a true pathway to becoming a confident sculler who is respected by your peers. Become the athlete you want to row with.
- difference between exercising and training
- functional movement screening for masters
05:00 Early warning that November 24 there will be a podcast about Transitioning to Winter Training - ONLY newsletter subscribers will be able to watch this episode. Please subscribe to get the link emailed to you.
These 10 drills allow you to test your own body and its ability to move in a way compatible with rowing and sculling.
Use these exercises to identify your physical limitations
https://www.row2k.com/features/5323/Functional-Movement-Screening-for-Masters-Rowers/
11:30 Podcast feedback - You Cannot Coach Yourself - Marlene declares that Faster Masters are very aware of the "reality for many masters" with regard to coaching, availability of club support and video assessment.
One of the reasons we set up Faster Masters is dealing with the reality of masters training alone - it is very common. This is why masters like to come to camps because they can network with others.
We recommend you ask your club coach if you can buy a private lesson.
17:00 Coach rowing alongside you is very similar to what you get from a remote coaching video feedback. I'm surprised more people don't take advantage of video review services. They give great insight.
23:00 Tanya from Australia gives her feedback on the Faster Masters programme. Marlene reminds us that Faster Masters programs are designed to prevent under-training and over-training. Both damage your performance.
27:00 Exercising versus training. Keeping things "interesting" and setting challenges in the program is key. Have one objective in mind. Your personal time trial, for example - it should be a performance element. Programs are DESIGNED to add stresses and recovery period. They train the different physiological systems which you are developing as you row.
33:00 Marlene follows Dr Steven Seiler in the low intensity and high volume approach to training.
Technique
Concentration
Focus
Use your training to improve your skill in these 3 areas. Rebeca recommends a drill to help you learn how to improve your skills.
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Rebecca and Marlene go on a rant in this week's podcast - predictably they are feeling taken for granted.
01:00 the Head of the Charles interactive map of competitors
06:00 Virtual races coming up
10:00 Newsletter subscription - if you listen, please join us. Yes, we give you free rowing advice and our "payment" request from you is that you join the newsletter.
12:15 We want feedback from you, our listeners.
What are your opinions on investing in rowing training programmes? Why do you like free rowing advice?
You pay to travel to regattas, to camps, to race... and some people won't pay for a training programme. Why?
16:00 Many rowers read books for knowledge. Compared to having a coach this is curious as the coach is a bridge between knowledge and actual practice. By reading do you get better skills in your boat?
22:00 Explanation of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere parallel rowing seasons and how the programmes take account of this. The 1k and 5k head racing programs. The training cycles align with races.
25:00 Free rowing advice on the internet - how does that affect your improvement and your coaching? If you are serious about improving your programme should be written to understand your needs by someone who knows masters rowers.The difference between training for improvement or an event versus training for fitness,
29:45 Faster Masters is a business selling paid rowing training programmes. There's a hierarchy of services affordable for most people.
35:00 Tell us more about what you want from Faster Masters.
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Marlene and Rebecca discuss
Staying mindful is all about keeping your brain focused on what you are doing in the present moment.
The concept of mindfulness lends itself to learning the rowing stroke. Thinking about what you are doing so that your movements are careful and controlled will help you to learn correct rowing technique and improve sculling faults and rowing errors.
05:00 Sacro-Iliac joint dysfunction - has anyone got this from rowing? It’s a sliding joint in the pelvic area. When it does not glide smoothly it is dysfunctional. Quadratus lumorum or QL is tight this gives back pain and is sometimes a sign of SI dysfunction. Flexing forward is harder like putting on your socks.
10:00 If you are prone to it how do you sit? Is it favouring one side or are you tight on one side of your back?
13:00 Returning after injury. If you were competitive a long time ago, we have learned a lot since 30 years ago about athletic bodies and masters older athletes. How long were you out of training? The rule of thumb for returning. Same amount of injury time is the time it takes to come back. You can never see do too much easy rowing training. Be careful you don’t lose your form
16:45 Off water training - mobility and stretching, strength training. Keep a training diary and count your minutes total per week training. Add 500 meters per session. Your body adapts at a cellular level. 10-15% more per week in minutes. Use the Faster Five as a template for learning and improving your rowing
21:00 Isometric work such as seated hold, contract muscles, hold and relax the calf muscles and glutes is helpful. You can reduce inflammation with Omega 3s in your diet and aspirin.
25:00 Mindful practice - perfect practice makes perfect. So many things can lower your stress and help you get better technically.
Drills for technical improvement and low intensity workouts
- row in circles
- slow motion rowing
- shadow rowing
- row in double and take turns to do 30 strokes each then 30 strokes together.
When you are really fatigued you cna get into a dysfunctional stroke patterns and you are best to stop before you get tired.
32:00 Dr Stacy Sims interview with Rebecca on RowingChat link is below. Marlene recommends tart cherry juice which also stimulates melatonin as a sleep aid.
https://rowing.chat/dr-stacy-sims-sporting-women-are-not-small-men/
What Stacy says about menopause and training at 39 minutes in.
Research in menopausal women - peri menopause where you get more oestrogen dominance is the 4 years prior affects your body composition where biggest changes happen.Many epigenetic changes happen. First reduce long slow distance work and emphasise heavy resistance training and increase higher intensity work and plyometrics. Glucose control and when lean mass development and recovery when they flatline or the ratios of each change, you need an alternative to stress. You have to challenge the body post menopause - the longer you go the slower you become. Use the stressors from exercise and specific nutrition dosing to get what oestrogen and progesterone hormones used to do for you.
ROAR. How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Unique Female Physiology for Optimum Performance, Great Health, and a Strong, Lean Body for Life
https://amzn.to/3dKQbSb Amazon affiliate link
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