Category: Q&A

Q&A Training & Nutrition

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I am not sure if this is a stupid question to ask but … will my performance improve if I actually start eating well?? I eat not so great foods, small amounts of fruits and basically no vegetables. If I really eat better will it help me improve? I already have an erg time in the top girls, so I am not really bothered by it unless 1, I start getting worse and other girls getting better, or 2, it’s really going to help me with my performance. I came to you as you are great at giving advice!!

Not stupid at all. This is actually a really good question that at some point I think all high school rowers ask themselves.

Related: What do you eat before you row? Why do you prefer coxing?

Short answer: The improvement you see to your rowing performance is indirect. Where you’ll really see improvements will be in your overall health and fitness, which will then lead to additional gains that can improve your rowing stamina, strength, etc.

Long answer: Your body needs healthy foods to run efficiently. If you eat unhealthy stuff, you’re most likely not getting the nutrients you need, you’re probably tired and sluggish, your energy levels are low, and you have an unnecessary layer of fat on you that you otherwise wouldn’t have. The last one is the biggest thing that people tend to be aware of when they’re exercising and wondering why they still don’t see any muscle. The phrase “abs are made in the gym but revealed in the kitchen” is so true. You can exercise and workout all you want, but unless you’re eating a healthy diet, no one is ever going to see all the work you’ve been putting in. Maintaining a healthy diet helps you last longer during practice or races and recover faster from them, as well as helping to increase your muscle mass. If you’re eating foods low in nutrients, you’re not getting any of those benefits. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, etc. are essential parts of a rower’s (or any athlete’s) diet, so adding them into yours can only help you.

Related: So this might sound funny but why am I always hungry?I I’m a high school girl and I began rowing about a year ago so while I have my general bearings, I’m still learning something new about the sport everyday and I was just curious. Ever since I’ve started rowing I’ve noticed that I have a much bigger appetite than when I participated in other sports. Is it just cause I’m a growing teenager or is this every rower?

Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight is about 70% what you eat and 30% how much you exercise. If you replaced the not-so-good food you eat with healthier options, think about how the gains you would make. Last longer, recover faster, build more muscle…if you’re one of the top rowers now, who’s to say that with a little diet tweaking you wouldn’t be THE top rower? Your diet is definitely not something to get complacent over, so don’t assume that swapping out a candy bar for an apple won’t make a difference. You should be aware of what you’re eating and how it impacts your performance, both positively and negatively. If the other girls start getting better and you get worse, that has little to do with your diet. That’s more about strength gains and technique adjustments. Having something not-so-great is OK every once in awhile but not all the time. Cliche as the phrase has become, moderation is key.

Ergs High School Novice Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

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I am a novice girl rower (14) for a competitive East Coast team, and my erg scores are kind of random. My 5k and 2k erg scores are in the top five normally but when we do a 10k (my first was 2:11) I come in first every single time by a lot. This wouldn’t be a problem but my coach always tells me that I need to use the power from the 10k in the other pieces. I really have no idea what changes in the 10k and as much as I’ve tried I can’t figure out how to do it and my coach is stressing me out.

Talk to your coach. Coaches can be really terrible at explaining what they mean when they say something like this and don’t tend to realize how much it stresses their athletes out. Explain to him that you don’t understand what he means and it’s frustrating you so you’re hoping he can clarify it for you.

Related: Hi, I feel like my endurance is decent, 10K is fine, etc. but my sprinting for a 2K race is worrying me (I started in August). I don’t know how to make it brilliant and I also struggle to get the full power out of my legs (or what it seems like to me).

I kind of understand what he’s saying about using the power from one piece for another, but 10ks and 2ks are like apples and oranges. It’s hard to compare the two because how the body approaches to them is so different.

Coxing Q&A

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I’ve only been coxing for three years but I feel like it has changed my voice .. .do you feel like that? Like, I feel like I can’t hit as many high notes when I sing in the car (haha) or is there something I’m doing wrong?? I lose my voice easily in races now, especially during the spring when we have like 3 races in a day. What can I do about this? Should I change the way I cox?

YES. I felt the same way when I was in high school. I’ve only completely lost my voice twice and neither came directly from crew, although I don’t think coxing helped. I did notice, and still do occasionally, that I can’t hit the same notes when I sing in the car. I don’t think it’s anything we do wrong, per se, I think it’s more so that over the years we’ve inflicted little bits of damage on our voices from all the yelling and tonal changes, which has led to minute changes in how we talk, sing, etc.

When I was in high school we were a big enough team that we were able to everyone in multiple races which was awesome, but for the coxswains – between heats, semis, and finals – by the end of the day we were lucky to still be able to talk. I have a naturally loud voice that, for the most part, seems fairly indestructible but whenever the weather was bad (cold, windy, rainy) my throat would always hurt a lot more than when the weather was nice.

One of the things that I started doing midway through high school was instead of “yelling”, I started projecting, meaning instead of using JUST my voice, I started using my diaphragm and core to make myself louder. That’s another reason why I really recommend coxswains do core exercises with the rowers during the winter … it helps our voices, odd as it may seem. When you’re on the water though, if your abs are on fire at the end of a piece or a race, you’ll know you’ve done it right. You know when you’re yelling you can kind of “feel it” in your throat? That’s why coxswains lose their voices. If you instead project from your core, you aren’t straight yelling as much, which gives your voice a break.

Make sure you drink lots of water so that your throat doesn’t get dry. I’ve never tried the hot water and honey trick that people tell you to do when you have a sore throat, but I’ve heard it works so that’s an option as well. When you’re not coxing, especially at races, try not to yell or unnecessarily raise your voice. Save the loud stuff for when you’re on the water.

Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

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Hi, I feel like my endurance is decent, 10K is fine, etc. but my sprinting for a 2K race is worrying me (I started in August). I don’t know how to make it brilliant and I also struggle to get the full power out of my legs (or what it seems like to me).

Sounds like a marathoner who decided they want to switch to the 100m dash. The best way to prepare for a sprint is to practice. If all you do is long steady state pieces, you’re conditioning your body to excel at those kinds of races. Throw in some 100m, 500m, 2ks, etc. and practice bringing the stroke rate up during those pieces. Don’t try and go straight from a 22 to a 34 though…if you’re not used to rowing at a high stroke rate like that, start slow and gradually bring it up. Start at one stroke rate for a few pieces and when you can hold that stroke rate without losing your form or getting tired while still maintaining a good split, bump it up two beats for the next few pieces. When you can hold that, take it up again. The number of beats you’ll be able to take it up will decrease the more conditioned you become and eventually you’ll hit a point where you physically can’t push it up anymore (similar to a plateau).

As far as getting full power out of your legs, it goes back to the marathoner vs. sprinter thing. The muscles in your body are made up of two types of fibers – slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers are responsible for slow muscle contractions and are considered to be “fatigue resistant”, meaning they can go for long periods of time before they start to get tired. Fast twitch fibers are the opposite. They contract quickly and become fatigued rapidly. Marathoners, who tend to run for long distances, have an abundance of slow twitch fibers in their systems. Sprinters, who run very fast for very short distances, have an abundance of fast twitch fibers. Rowers are the hybrid child of marathoners and sprinters, so our training programs have to adequately build up our slow twitch fibers and our fast twitch fibers.

For you, if your endurance is good but your sprinting isn’t, it sounds like you have a decent amount of slow twitch fibers but not enough fast twitch ones. To increase those, you’ll want to add things like plyometrics, specialized strength training, and short bursts on the erg (or the track) to your training program. The strength training you do, in terms of frequency, volume, exercises, etc., has to reflect the season you’re in – pre-season, in-season, post-season, and off-season (winter training for us). For rowers during winter training, we’re preparing for the spring sprint season, so your strength training should be strength-endurance based, i.e. circuit training. Then it will shift to strength (building up the main muscles used in rowing), followed by a shift towards power (Olympic lifts and plyometrics), and then finally to power-endurance (to prepare for head race season – low weights, high reps).

Coxing High School Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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So this might come out bitchy and trust me that is my very last intention, but I don’t like my cox. First, I should probably tell you that she and I are the “babies” of the varsity team, we’re the only sophomores, everyone else is a Jr. or Sr. We only have one other cox who is a senior but my cox is more skilled and is almost always placed in the top boat, as am I which is great ya know, power to the underclassmen, but I just really don’t respond well to her tone of voice/style etc. I’ve tried making suggestions b/c the last thing I would want to do is disrespect a teammate or insult her abilities but she really only implements the suggestions made by the older girls which peeves me to no end. I get the idea that she sometimes thinks she’s better than me which is also really frustrating especially b/c she messes up the workouts/stroke ratings/stoke count multiple times a practice. Not saying I’m perfect and or don’t mess up I just feel like I’m that kid in class who always has their hand raised but the teacher just never freaking calls on me. How do you think (from both a coach & teammates perspective) I should handle this?

My first thought was she’s taking the older girls’ suggestions because they’re more experienced, so she thinks they know more, whereas you and she are the same age so you probably wouldn’t know what you’re talking about in comparison (if that makes sense). My other thought is maybe she’s friends with the older girls and that’s why she listens to them. What’s your relationship like with her? If you’re not friends or you butt heads, she might ignore your suggestions out of spite.

Have you tried talking to her one-on-one regarding your suggestions? Part of what makes a coxswain “good” is the ability to take constructive criticism or suggestions from the boat (including from the rowers you don’t necessarily like) and implement it, even if means adjusting how we do things. Unless you flat out tell her she’s doing a terrible job, I don’t think that would be insulting or disrespectful to approach her and say what you’re thinking. Another approach would be talking to the senior coxswain and asking for her advice on what to do. As a coxswain, she might be able to talk to this girl and explain that you have to take into consideration the suggestions of everyone in the boat, regardless of your personal relationship or feelings about them.

What about your coach – have you tried talking to them about it? If it’s affecting your rowing and really bothering you, I’d have a conversation with them and ask for their advice on how to handle it. They might be able to give you something more substantial to work with since they know you and your coxswain (whereas I don’t). If you talked to her and she still didn’t respond to your suggestions, I would pull her aside and say the same thing that I’d say if I were talking to her coxswain-to-coxswain … regardless of how experienced or inexperienced a rower is or how you feel about them outside of the boat, if they say something’s not working for them, you have to look at yourself and see what you can do to improve. It does suck because we tend to be perfectionists who think what we’re doing is always right, but in the end we have to do what’s best for the boat. A coach doesn’t want a coxswain that ignores what her boat says because that gives the rowers minimal reason to listen to her, which leads to all sorts of drama and problems.

What is it specifically about her style or tone of voice that you don’t respond to? If you can think of the specifics, that will be a lot more helpful to your coach and coxswain that just saying “Oh, I don’t respond well to her”. This will at least give her something to work with whereas just saying you don’t respond to her style could be construed as “Oh, I just don’t like her and this is how I justify not listening to her” (which I doubt is what you do but that could be how she sees it).

If she’s always messing things up in practice, that’s also something your coach should know. That wastes time and the energy of the rowers, which is annoying all around. One thing coxswains often forget (I’m guilty of this sometimes too) is that rowers can count. Even though we’re counting for them, they still know their 1-2-3s. If they hear the coach say that you’re going to do 20 on, 10 off, etc. and you count 22 on, 9 off, etc., that’s going to piss them off. It makes them question if you’re paying attention, which can then lead to a whole other set of issues. If that’s part of the problem with your coxswain too, bring it up with your coach. They want the rowers focused on JUST the rowing, not on what the coxswain is (or isn’t) doing.

Coxing Q&A Training & Nutrition

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What do you eat before you row? Why do you prefer coxing?

Some good stuff to eat before practice is food that has a good balance of carbs and protein – a bagel with peanut butter or a PB sandwich, yogurt, a bar of some kind, a banana, etc. If you’re eating RIGHT before practice (like 30 minutes or less), stick to fruits and vegetables, stuff that is easily digestible. 2-3 hours beforehand (i.e. around lunch time) you can eat PB+breads … that stuff takes longer to digest so you don’t want it sitting in your stomach right when you get on the water. The carbs and stuff from that will give you a good energy boost when you get out there though.

Once you’re off the water make sure you drink some water, chocolate milk (it helps with muscle recovery), etc. After you finish rowing, if it’s been a hard workout and you’re like, physically dead, you’ll need to eat something high in carbs to replenish the glycogen in your system. You’ll also need to replenish the electrolytes you lost through sweating. If eating solid food makes you sick, try Gatorade or another high-card drink. You shouldn’t wait to eat after you get off the water. A few hours after you get off, try and eat a solid meal that’s fairly high in carbs so you can continue to replenish your system. Orange juice, pasta, raisins, bananas, and bagels are all good post-workout choices. Don’t forget about the protein too…chicken is a good addition to your post-workout dinners. Peanuts are a good snack for right when you get off too.

Part 2 of your question … why do I prefer coxing. Coxing to me is just as intense as rowing is but instead of it being physical, it’s mental. I love strategizing and coming up with race plans. I love all the pressure there is on the coxswains to execute everything perfectly. Rowers only have to worry about one thing – getting from point A to B as fast as possible. Coxswains are responsible for getting out on the water on time, going through warmups, making sure the boat understands the race plan, making sure they know what this call means and what that call means, getting to the line on time, getting the best point possible so you have to do minimal adjusting when the race starts, steering a straight course, etc. There’s SO much mentally that goes into coxing and that is what I love about it.

As much of a team sport as rowing an eight is, I really think of coxing as being an individual sport in itself. When I cox, I’m hypersensitive to everything that’s going on around me but at the same time, I’m in my own little bubble, almost inside my own head. In that split second before I make a call to adjust the rate, start the sprint, take a 10, etc. I go through 10 different scenarios in my head as to how it could play out, is this the right spot to do this, what if it doesn’t work, are our catches together, is this going to mess with our timing, can they pull this sprint off and walk from 2nd to 1st, etc. There’s SO much that I love about coxing but the mental aspect of it is definitely one of the greatest parts of being a coxswain.

How To Q&A

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Hey, I was wondering if you have any advice on oar painting. In the past all our team has done is just use regular spray paint over the old cracked paint job (obviously a mistake), but our coach has put me in charge of the repainting this year and I want to do it right. I’ve stared working on sanding down the blades but am unsure how to go about painting. Should we just use regular spray paint with a protective finish? I’ve read that some people use automotive paint.

It’s been awhile since I last painted any oars myself but I have a general idea of how it’s done so hopefully this helps. For paint, automotive paint is definitely the way to go. You can also use marine paint but automotive paint has more color choices.

1. Start with a low-grit sandpaper (180 is good) and sand the oars until ALL the shine is gone. Rinse the oar off and let it dry.

2. Prime the oars with a lacquer or enamel primer (lacquer works best but enamel is fine too) 2-3 times, letting it fully dry each time between coats.

3. After you’ve applied the last coat and let it dry, go over the oar with a high-grit sandpaper (400 is good), rinse, and let it dry. This will help the top coat adhere to the primer and create a stronger bond between the paints.

4. Once it’s dried, begin applying the topcoat. Make sure you use the same type of paint for the topcoat that you used for the primer – i.e. if the primer was lacquer, use a lacquer top coat. Add 3-5 layers of topcoat and make sure you let it dry fully in between each coat. After the final coat, let the oar dry for at least 8 hours (or overnight) before you start adding any designs.

5. Use painters tape and/or stencils to add your team’s design to the oar. Before you paint the design, lightly sand the area that you’ll be painting with the 400 grit sandpaper. If you’re adding multiple colors/layers to the design, let each layer dry before moving on to the next one.

6. Once you’ve completely finished painting, use a clear coat to seal in the color and design. This will also help protect the oar as well as give them a nice shine. Add 2-3 coats, letting each one dry in between.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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Advice from a coxes perspective would be great. I’ve been lucky enough to have the same cox for 2 years & he used to be amazing. Recently, it’s felt very much like he’s lost interest. He’s just in the boat, not part of the crew. He’s going through the motions. It makes it very hard to stay motivated, given everything else that’s crappy. He’s also coxing the elite men, maybe he sees them as his chance to win & we’re just the disorganized cranky old women he coxes sometimes. Should I call him on the change?

Ah, I know this feeling. Sometimes I recognize it right away and other times I don’t realize it until after the fact. It’s possible that you’re right – he identifies more strongly with the men and recognizes their competitiveness as a chance to really exercise his coxing muscles so that’s where he’s shifted his focus. I get that because I’ve been in similar situations.. If your crew really is the “disorganized cranky old women he coxes sometimes” then that’s most likely what’s going on. Guys coxing women is tough to begin with but the one consistency I’ve noticed with the few guys I’ve discussed it with is that when the rowers start typical “girl” drama, they get disinterested pretty fast.

I completely understand why it’s hard to stay motivated when your coxswain makes it obvious, either intentionally or unintentionally, that they don’t want to be there. As a crew, I think it’s well within your right to sit down and talk with him. I would hope you’d do the same for any rower displaying the same attitude. Ask him if he’s free for a boat meeting one day (ideally after practice or on a day when you’re not going on the water) and then make a short list of what you want to talk about. I find that boat meetings are much more effective when there’s a set agenda. Explain to him that you’ve noticed over the last few weeks/months that something has changed and he doesn’t seem as into the boat as he used to be. Avoid directly accusing him of liking the elite men better since you don’t actually know that’s the issue. First ask him if everything is ok – maybe school or work has been really hectic lately and he’s just been low on energy. Everybody’s been there so hopefully the crew can understand this. If he says everything is fine, then you can broach the subject of the elite men.

Explain that you’ve noticed that since he started coxing the elite men, he seems less interested in coxing your boat. Again, don’t be accusatory – state what you’ve seen and let him explain from there. Tell him that if that’s the case then it might be best for him to take some time and decide if he wants to continue coxing you guys. Explain that you’re happy that he’s coxing a crew that has such high potential but your focus is your boat and you need a coxswain who is just as invested in this crew as the rowers are. If he says he’s become disinterested or less motivated, ask him why. Be prepared that he might say it’s because of the crew, for whatever reason. Don’t be offended or defensive – take what he’s saying as an opportunity to improve and make some changes.

For me, I tend to lose interest really fast when I’m working with people who aren’t as invested, motivated, or “into” whatever it is we’re doing. If I can see that I’m putting in all this effort but they aren’t, why should I continue doing what I’m doing if I’m the only one doing it? Having coached a couple teams at the same time over the last few months, I’ve also noticed that when one team is at a 3 and another team is at an 8, my excitement, enthusiasm, and effort is naturally going to go to the team at an 8. I tend to notice this after the fact but now that it’s something I know, it’s helped me prepare for future coaching situations.

Like I said, I wouldn’t just look at him being a flake … look at the team and see if the attitudes of the rowers or the crew as a whole could have played a factor in his declining levels of interest. Coxswains need to feel motivated and inspired too so when it doesn’t feel like the rowers are giving 100% coxswains can interpret their role on the team as being pointless, which makes it really hard to get into practice.

Q&A Training & Nutrition

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Hi, I can’t erg due to feet injuries, so I was wondering what I should do for upper body/core workouts? I find stuff online but I can never stick with it.

It depends on the extent of your injuries. If you can’t erg I’m assuming putting any kind of pressure on your feet is out of the question. If you can handle doing planks and stuff like that then core routines are a perfect go-to. Have you tried something like the Nike Training Club app? If you can’t do anything with your feet, check out the arms, back, shoulders, and ab/core workouts. Gotta commit though – find something you like and stick with it.

College Q&A Recruiting

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I know a coxswain who just applied and got into UCLA. I heard that all she had to do on her application essays was write “athlete”. Does this ever happen? Or is it just like huge colleges if they really, really want you…

This sounds … unlikely. Admissions offices don’t care if you’re an athlete – yes, your coach can speak on your behalf and give his/her input on what you can bring to the team and to the university, but if the people reviewing your application don’t think that you’re a good fit academically, you won’t be accepted. I’m sure there are athletes that can get away with doing this but rowing is the last sport that I think it would happen in … and like I said, even if it does happen it’s gotta be a rare occurrence.

Simply writing “athlete” on your essays is a really gross display of arrogance in my opinion. Your grades matter, as does your ability to put pen to paper and demonstrate your critical thinking skills. Admissions essays are how the university gets to know you – it’s like an interview. It’s your opportunity to say “this is who I am and this is why you should accept me.” Would you walk into a place of business with a job application that just has the job title you want scrawled on it? I certainly hope not. Colleges “really, really want” students who are going to succeed in the classroom, get a degree, and go on to become successful citizens who make the university look good. Yes, they might be really excited that a 5-star recruit is applying there but they won’t be accepted simply on their athletic skills alone. Does it happen? On rare occasions, of course it does. Does that make it right? No.

I know this might sound like a naive plug for college but I promise it’s not. It’s coming from experience as someone who participated in D1 sports and as someone who worked with one of the countries most well-known D1 football teams (aka the exact type of people who you would think would just have to write “athlete” on their applications). Education matters and simply writing “athlete” undermines every person, athlete or not, who has ever taken the time to put down a thoughtful response.