We got this email from a customer who is returning to rowing. Her experience and our advice may help you.
Hi Marlene and Rebecca
Can you give me any tips on how to get started with the programme and how to build myself up from pottering around on the river to actual training? I’m 62 next week, was a successful heavyweight senior rower in the 1980s but always very inflexible and prone to back injuries. I taught myself how to scull a single in 1977 but only raced for the first time in August 2018. I won my first two races but the third regatta in mid June 2019 was a disaster, I felt really weak, lost by miles, and haven’t raced since.
I signed up to Faster Masters at the end of May 2020, full of good resolutions even though I wasn’t very fit. I gradually started back sculling in and built up my mileage so I am doing 10k to 11k in my single at what is probably Cat VI. When I have tried the faster rowing sessions I couldn’t get anywhere near the suggested stroke rates and found that very dispiriting. It’s very hard to track progress on our river because of the variable flow and wind conditions but my splits seem to be considerably higher than the times local women scullers my age achieved in a time trial I missed even though I have been sculling longer than any of them.
During lockdown I had no erg access and, even though I do now, I have eventually developed costochondritis every time I have used ergs for serious training since I returned to masters rowing in 2003 so I avoid them now. We can usually row here if the river isn’t in flood or it isn’t blowing a gale, as we don’t get frost or snow even though it isn’t very warm.
I live beside the boathouse and am retired so I have plenty of time and I thought I was going out five days a week but my husband reckons that it’s more like two or three days. I do reformer Pilates twice a week normally and am currently doing a video mat class as we have locked down again. I’ve started running once a week with a group and am actually enjoying it despite my asthma.
Maybe one of the documents set out how to build up to full race training from a low base, apologies if it does but I didn’t see it.
You are asking all the right questions.
What all returning rowers have to learn is that you aren't that girl in the 1980s any more.
You (and we) all need to learn what our mature bodies can cope with and how long we take to recover from any exercise stress. And that includes recovering from coughs and colds and other ailments too.
Start with 3 sessions on the water a week.
The three core sessions are marked on the programme with an asterisk.
Buy a heart rate monitor to wear in the boat and note when your HR rises because that's a sign you are getting tired.
Do the land training on non-water rowing days so you improve your strength and flexibility.
Do a daily waking Heart Rate Variability test as this will tell you how "recovered" you are from the prior day's training. There's an app called HRV4Training which you can use. [more information here from their blog https://www.hrv4training.com/blog ]
This will help you work out how much training to do as you mention running and pilates and your mat class as additional training sessions. That's at least 6 sessions a week although the pilates may not be aerobic, it still gives you a workout.
Be guided by how you feel
Build up the program based on how your body copes with the training load. If you start by doing 50% of the volume of each rowing water session and only do the 3 core sessions a week. Do that for 2 weeks.
Then add about 500m more each outing until you are comfortable and your HRV recovery scores are confirming that your fitness and recovery is tracking positively. Be confident that holding steady and not adding 500m more distance is fine. This is your body adapting to training again. And you can step back down if you are tired and only want to do a couple of kms on the water. Use it to practice technique - lots of stationary roll ups or pause rowing drills.
Use the erg and water interchangeably - so if the weather isn't good, you can erg even if you don't like it much.
I also suggest keeping a written training diary.
Note how energised you feel before the workout. What training you did. How tired (scores out of 5 or 10) you feel afterwards. That will help you with subjective gauge of your body and your mental approach to each workout. It is not a bad thing to cut a workout short if you are tired or it's not going well.
Be patient and kind to yourself!
And best wishes, let us know how you go after the first 4 weeks.
Rebecca and Marlene
Marlene and Rebecca talk about - Finding a coxswain - A new video tip - Have experienced masters rowers got an 'attitude' problem?
Finding a Masters Coxswain
Coxswains are essential to rowing eights and they are in short supply for masters rowers. Most of us find that we have to "grow our own" coxes - by that I mean recruit and train them up.
Frequently a cox will allow you to do a trainibg outing - you don't need them to be expert in coaching, just steering. And for getting out on the water that is a great first step.
Timestamps to the show
04:00 Subscribe to our newsletter https://fastermastersrowing.com/newsletter/ 05:30 A National Voice for Masters Rowers in New Zealand Join the Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/256708472122650/ 07:30 Finding a coxswain 12 week training program for 5k races https://fastermastersrowing.com/courses/head-racing-12-week-program/ Find someone's child - 8 years old or more. Teach them to steer. Adult coxswains - build a plank with a rowing seat to sit across the gunwales to sit above the boat. Get members to recruit their petite friends. Starting to teach coxing. Be comfortable with making compromises. We start by getting them steering first. And the commands for starting and stopping ONLY. Let them repeat the commands relayed by the stroke. Understand gentle steering. And hook the little fingers over the side of the boat - steer with your forefinger and thumb. Tape the midpoint of the steering wire - a visual reference. 15:00 Coaching the Coxswain book by Chelsea Dommert https://www.rowperfect.co.uk/product/coaching-the-coxwain-revised-edition-2/ Use the phrase "On Point" and create discipline in the cox to always do this. 17:30 Rent an expert coxswain from the local high school. Take care of your cox and pay their way. A talented cox even if they are heavy is better than an inexperienced one. 19:00 Some coxes don't want to cox grumpy old men. We recommend feeding them cake 21:00 Slow motion video tips. Use landscape not portrait. And check the slow motion playback on YouTube where you can go 2x and 3x slower. It makes it easier to see your rowing technique. 27:00 Port, Starboard or both? And which is dominant? Maoco Florann Elkins calls this bisweptual or ambidextrous. 32:00 Do rowers have an attitude problem? Consider the situation individually. If the coach says people don't want to be coached - find out what the rowers think too. Do you also get attitude from club junior coaches. Club culture matters. Learning the correct rowing etiquette is important for the culture of rowing. 42:00 If you don't want to learn - just go and row. but if you want to learn new habits then get coached. Use Slow Motion Video recording on your phone because it is much easier for people to see. n
Marlene-ism for masters rowers quote from Larry Gluckman
Bladework is defined as the skill of handling the oar or sculls.
Managing to control a 3-4 meter long stick with your hands is difficult - doubly so when you are sculling and have two to work with.
Bladework skills are acquired with practice and three key underlying concepts
Grip
Weight in the hand
Anticipating the next part of the stroke cycle
Rowing Grip controls the handle
A correct grip in rowing and sculling is comparable to the grip you'd use to hold a kitten or a small bird - light enough to allow the animal to feel secure in your grasp but not too tight so you strangle it and cause pain.
Mostly your grip is about controlling the handle and managing the mass of the oar using just the part which is in front of your body. This requires an understanding of how the principle of the fulcrum and a lever work. One centimetre vertical adjustment on your handle is 3-4 centimetres on the blade tip.
Weight in the hand controls height off the water
Using the fulcrum of the oarlock, your hand can affect how high or low the oar is above the water during the recovery and also how deep or shallow the oar is during the power / drive phase of the rowing stroke. The oar pivots around the oarlock and is designed so that a small amount of downward pressure on the handle can lift the oar spoon high over the water.
Teaching yourself how to "feel" the weight in the palm of your hand is a key bladework skill. It takes little effort and certainly will not exhaust your fitness, but it does mean you decide where the oar moves through the air. This is particularly important on windy days when a gust can blow the oar spoon when it's not being controlled by the athlete.
Anticipating the stroke cycle
As a cyclical movement, rowing and sculling should make it very easy for the athlete to prepare for each part of the stroke. Good bladework reflects this and you can see an athlete square long before the catch / placement at the start of the power / drive phase, You can see them extract the oar at the finish and press the handle down so the oar clears any waves and feathers high above the water surface.
Less skilful rowers slide forward into the catch position and only square after the seat has arrived and their body is at full compression. They fail to extract the oar by pressing down on the handle ( frequently cocking a wrist to feather) and you see them feather the oar partly under water.
Signs of good bladework
early square during recovery
oars high over the water during recovery (they could be square blades or feathered at that height)
blade close to the water surface just before the catch
only the blade covered during the drive / power phase
a "pile" of water in front of the spoon during the drive / power phase
light grip on the handle
(Sculling) feathering into the fingers
(Rowing) only inside hand turns the oar - outside hand wrist stays flat
Signs of poor bladework
oars drag the water at the finish
oars high above the water at the catch
shafts getting wet during the drive / power phase
the "pile" of water in front of the blade dissipates before the oar is extracted
feathering by cocking both wrists (sculling and rowing)
(Sculling) handle held with palm wrapped around the rubber grip during recovery
White knuckles on the recovery from a tight grip
The Faster Masters Rowing training program teaches drills and exercises to learn good bladework.
A reader asks
Hi I am unsure about membership. I already have your 3 month 1k training program. I am considering the heads program but unsure how having these two programs may be different from an individual membership. Am currently in Victoria Australia with doubts about any competition before Christmas. If there is it is likely to be heads racing in singles, not my preferred boat so a lot of time on the water is needed to get comfortable in the boat
I can see.the challenge here. Due to uncertainty in the rowing race calendar for masters rowers, it is hard for folks to prepare and to plan ahead.
The difference between 12 week program and a subscription
Faster Masters Rowing sells stand-alone programs which prepare you for 1k racing or Head racing in 12 weeks. These are designed for individuals or crews who have a single focus within a 3 month time horizon.
The 12 week 1k programme is a stand-alone on-water ONLY training plan. The 12 week Head Racing programme is similar, just focused on a different event length.
The subscription has more than just an on-water program - it includes land training, performance, technique, rowing lifestyle and a bonus
Their commitment to rowing is ongoing and that one event is just one of several points of focus during a single year
When you buy the individual membership you will get a monthly water training programme, a land training plan, PLUS 4 additional modules including technique, performance, rowing lifestyle and a bonus. When we write the water training programmes we include BOTH 1k and Head Racing plans so that you can use the one which is most relevant and suitable for your individual situation.
When you buy a subscription we include BOTH 1k and Head race training plans. You get both of them in any of our subscription plans - this means you can switch to the one most suitable for your race calendar at any time.
How we design Faster Masters Rowing training plans
When Marlene and Rebecca first conceived the business Faster Masters Rowing, we studied the rowing regatta calendar for masters rowers around the world.
What we found surprised us.
Our assumption that the seasons would be directly opposites in the Northern hemisphere and the Southern hemisphere was completely wrong. We thought that winter time in the south (April to October) would be head racing season and that the 1k side by side races would be in the southern summer. But that's not the case.
Australia has 1k races in April and May; New Zealand has 1k races in April and September; United States has 1k races in August; UK has 1k races in June and July. It is very concentrated.
And the long distance head races are similar.
Our solution
Every month we write an on-water training programme. For the months leading up to these regatta dates, we give subscribers 2 training programmes. One for 1k and one for head racing. You choose the one best suited to your timeline of regatta events.
Hey well done to Mary Mortimer from Putney Town Rowing Club in London, UK who won her age category at Weybridge Silver Sculls head race.
This month we are talking Head Racing - long distance rowing races with Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe. Timestamps to the show: 01:00 Head Racing - top tips. Own the river. Be aggressive from the start. Focus on your rhythm. 04:00 How to be a strong stern pair in an eight for head racing 07:39 Where and how do you make rhythm with soft knees moving through the transition 14:30 How to learn pace judgement. Do some time trials to learn what rate suits you. Consistent speed is the goal. 7 x 3 minutes with a 2 minute break. Pick a target rate and see if you can hold it throughout. 17:41 pay attention to your release timing if rating is a challenge 20:00 Free ebook on Head Racing for Masters 22:00 Mobility and flexibility - Technique as you age presentation. Shows the challenges for masters. 32:50 Congratulations to Gordon Williams, our first Faster Masters training program medallist. Gold at New Zealand Masters Championships in mens F 1x.
Gordon Williams is our very first medalist training on the Faster Masters programme. He won Mens F 1x at Lake Ruataniwha in New Zealand's South Island during September, beating a long-time winner into second place just before the line.
Gordon Williams M F1x Gold Medalist using Faster Masters Training Program
How the race went
Truth be told I rowed like a lumberjack for the last 15-20 strokes - no finesse at all. Carolyn Steele said to me after that the last 15-20 were “very ugly but seemed to be effective” LOL.
Bruce nearly caught me. I need to learn to keep my cool for that last 150m. Start & middle were well judged and no different to how we always try to race. Stayed close to the front 3 guys though intentionally marginally behind them until 250. Concentrated on staying at that 250 (rate 32 SPM) pace through to 600. Then just pushed for 250 by increasing leg drive and maintaining stroke rate at 31-32 SPM. Panicked through lack of oxygen going to my brain at 850 and started sprinting up to 37 SPM just before the line. Silly really given that I know from rowing the “Chris 500” at the lake, that I should stay at 32 and just lengthen as long as possible, pause longer on the back and force the leg drive harder. But I didn’t do that and should have. I know it cost me at least 1sec elapsed time and that would have been “free speed”.
From a training perspective it was all about practising to be ready to accept the pain and just keep going without quitting or letting that pain take over. You have to do the programmed “hard” work pieces on the water in training if you expect to be prepared and mentally strong enough to stay upright in the boat and sprinting at the end.
The Chris 500
[Gordon's double and pairs partner is Chris Brake - he likes to do a flat out race at the end of early morning outings on the last 500 meters to the boating dock - Gordon calls this the Chris 500.]
For me the best training preparation I did was the “Chris 500” when “racing” alongside the 4X and racing against Chris and Martha in their 2X. I know we cannot do that every outing of course! - But probably once per week - someone in the Swans (Gordon's club) is equally crazy enough to want to race me home to the pontoon.
Congratulations to Gordon - you're in OUR record books forever.
A view from the boat park to the finish line at Lake Ruataniwha
Gordon sent us these photos of the lake where the event was held - look it up - Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel. Seriously beautiful lake with its own back-story. It is part of a hydro-electric scheme and the engineer building it realised that it could easily be a rowing lake with some small depth modifications and straightening the bank out. So Max Smith ordered the changes and after they were done, he told his bosses that they had made a great recreational rowing race course.
He got fired for his pains.
And rowers in New Zealand got a wonderful race course in the middle of the South Island.
Lake Ruataniwha 2019 Masters Nationals
The Head of the Charles is 26 days away as I sit and write. Less than four weeks.
Somehow I found time to create a past history spreadsheet for my event. I used the last five years’ results to calculate the average winning time, the average top 5 finishers time, plus their corresponding benchmarks at Riverside, Weld, CBC.
I’ve filmed myself erging and rowing and sought technical advice. I’ve been reading the program resources on preparation, plus some extra Googling.
Yes, the rowing nerd has come out.
Training Update: Week 1 vs Week 2
Life caught up into the second week. This is why flexibility is so important. Usually I take Sundays off, but Thursday changed the plan. We think it’s important to foster a love of the outdoors in our son, but we live in suburbia. So once a week I try to do something outside with him. The hike lasted longer than I expected, followed by a two-year-old refusing to nap. Add to that an overall sense of fatigue, and Thursday ended up being my “off” day and I trained through the weekend.
Late summer flowers on our hike.
Now into week 2 of the Faster Masters 5k program, a few workouts have comparison data. I write all my indoor training sessions in a journal to monitor my progress.
There’s an anaerobic threshold workout I showed improvement in the last two of the three timed pieces. I wrote that I “felt better” although the last three minutes at a 28 got tough. That’s what you’d expect as your body adapts.
Another comparable workout was a long, steady state recovery-style piece. Unfortunately, this week’s session totaled 500 meters shorter than Week 1. I’m not concerned about it. This workout was done at home; I noted I stopped more than before. Next house must have a dog door.
Taking Thursday as a rest changed the remaining workout schedule, with lots of flip-flopping to fit the weekend plans. I did a different workout on the water. This technical focused workout is definitely what I needed. I love the challenge of square blade rowing. I need to work on keeping my chest lifted at the catch. When I thought about it, the boat set better and the screen proved it gives better numbers.
The spouse and the kid helped me get some technique video. Unfortunately it was during my warm-up and not after my workout.
Consistently, I noted more fatigue this week. Less sleep combined more physical and mental struggles. Lucky, training is a long game. Seven days shorter than a week ago, but still a long game.
I’m starting the third week feeling drained, but optimistic. I think I will see more growth this week. Two weeks to push hard and make a final effort to build more endurance and strength before the taper begins.
Track my progress training for the Head of the Charles:
I am writing to ask a few questions about the "Faster Masters Program". My partner and I have been rowing a pair and double for a couple of seasons here. We belong to a small masters club, however, we have no coach. We have picked up some coaching during the past two seasons but it has been inconsistent. We competed in the US Masters in 2016 and the Canadian Henley in 2018, but feel we could improve with some consistent coaching. As such your new program appealed to us after our initial reading of its content. We do have a few questions:
We are both 70+ and thus would like to know if your program would be geared to rowers of our age?
MR: Yes the program is specifically geared to masters and in our program guidelines we do tell how to adapt the program better for your needs if you want to. We also have an athlete's forum for training questions and support tickets through the website for specific questions you may have.
We sweep and scull, would the program be geared to both?
MR: Yes, each training program workout specifies for small boats and for big boats in the session
The crew program mentions video analysis, would we take the video?
MR: You would send us the video clip, someone can shoot it from the shore or a launch.
We are considering signing on for the month of July. Could you give us a preview of what the July program would include?
MR: The contents of July will be posted on the 1st of July one training and strength program will start the preparation for the fall head races and the other will focus on Masters Nationals in August. So which program you would like to choose will depend on what you are training for. You can see an example of what is in the June and July program on the website and click “Expand All” for the complete list of topics live right now. The content changes on a monthly basis. There will be a new training and strength program and new videos, drill, and articles for each module.
View Module Content - click expand all
Is payment by the month and can we use a credit card? Would the fee cover both of us and would the info for the month be forwarded to both our email addresses? Would we both fill out the online registration?
MR: The subscriptions is month by month. Because it is a recurring subscription you need to have a PayPal account using a credit card, the way that the program is set up is through PayPal. You can register a credit card with PayPal but it is easier to set up the account first then just sign in to it when you enroll in a faster masters program. You will have one login and password to your account and you both use that to sign in. You need to sign in to access the programs. You can however download the programs to your home computer for reference. You only need to sign up with one PayPal account for your crew and yes the fee covers both of you. If you prefer to each have an individual membership you can do that as well but it does not include some of the specific crew drills or the video analysis. You create ONE login which all crew members will share.
Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe discuss food and nutrition for rowers and how to practice racing starts.
Nutrition - from Nancy Clark's seminar
"Sports Nutrition: Clarifying the confusion about what's best to eat". The link below is to the 5th edition of Nancy's classic book. Rowing Chat has an affiliate link code. A more recent edition will publish on 20th July 2019.
Practicing Racing Starts
Start with 3 strokes
Build up to 10s
Ensure you include starts in your race warmup
Set a target race rate you want to hit - and make sure you do it
Practice the first 3 strokes - they are slower than you think.
Before doing starts in training - do some power strokes to get in the mindset of working hard.
We have started a new subscription training programme service - get monthly training and technique advice for masters.
In June's Faster Masters Rowing training program you will get Training Program for May/June Peak and also August/September peak; Video on practicing racing starts for 1k racing; Video on body mobility - starting with the ankle.
Got a program already? Get our monthly magazine
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