Tag: erg

Ergs High School Novice Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 20, 2012

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.

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.

College Ergs High School How To Training & Nutrition

Training: 2k Test Strategy

By readyallrow December 16, 2012

A 2k test on the erg is one of the definitive physiological tests of our sport. It requires as much mental preparation as it does physical. Unlike a 6k where your endurance and mental strength are being tested, a 2k test analyzes both of those in addition to your power output and resistance of and resilience towards pain. This isn’t like going to the doctor to have a dislocated shoulder reset – it doesn’t hurt less if you don’t see it coming. It hurts more. Accepting the realization that your body is about to experience pain does a lot more for you than ignoring it.

There are infinite ways to pull a 2k and everyone’s strategy is different. Instead of reading this and thinking it is the definitive guide to developing your 2k game plan, use it as the framework to help build your own. Assuming you’ve all pulled a 2k before, you should know where you start to feel fatigued, where you start to hit that mental roadblock, and where you realize you need to go NOW. During races, coxswains use landmarks to help us call certain moves; the points I just listed are your landmarks.

The Start: 2000-1800m

Race plan: High 20 followed by 5-10 to lengthen out to your base pace

Go out of the gates hard here. Get your stroke rate where you want it within 2-3 strokes, making sure they’re controlled and not erratic. Know where your splits need to be and aim to get there within the first five to eight strokes. Take these first 10-15 strokes to get all the jitters out of your system – let the adrenaline take over.

As you go through strokes 14, 15, and 16 get ready to lengthen out. In 3, 2, 1, BOOM on this one – explosive press off the stretchers, control the slide on the recovery, drive it hard. Breathe. Get to your desired stroke rate within 2 strokes and pay attention to your split. Know what you need to be at, get there, and stay there.

At some point there will be a second where you think “I don’t feel THAT bad, I should bring my split down a little more.” Do not, under any circumstances, listen to your brain. Sabotage is the name of the game here and your brain is a master at it.

The Body: 1800-1300m

Race plan: Find your rhythm

This is where you’re going to start feeling the burn in your legs. The first 200m were largely anaerobic but that you’ve switched over to aerobic you’re gonna start feeling the lactic acid accumulation. Ignore it and focus on your splits. Concentration and consistency drives these 500m.

You’ll know you’re in trouble if your splits are sporadic and you find it hard to hold your desired number. If your split should be at a 1:48, make sure every stroke is focused on rowing a 1:48. When you get to 1500m, take a ten for … something. This is a good opportunity to check yourself and do one for form, rate, or power, if you want/need that boost to get yourself refocused on hitting your target splits.

The Pain Cave: 1300-700m

Race plan: Breathe, commit, attack

These are the worst 600m of a 2k. I like to break this part up into two smaller chunks: 1300-1000m and 1000-700m. This is where your brain is going to start saying “stop, I can’t do it, the tank’s empty, if I fake a heart attack maybe I can get out of this, wait – I don’t need to fake a heart attack, I think I’m actually having one”. Pieces are determined to be successful or not successful in this next stretch, so above anything else, your mental toughness has to prevail here.

A lot of times I’ve seen rowers get to this point and start feeling defeated by the number of meters left on the screen. They take a break from their split for a stroke or two and then it’s all over. There’s no coming back from those off strokes. You have to recognize that pulling a 1:46 is going to burn just as badly as a 1:48 so you might as well push through and stay on that 1:46.

When you get to the 1000m mark, take a 20. These next twenty strokes are for you to feel your body and what it’s still capable of. I like to call this “the attack”. Go hard like you did at the start without changing the stroke rate. Control your breathing and your body and push through these few hundred meters. When you see the meters get to triple digits, don’t get complacent. You made be halfway done but you still have another half to complete. If all is going well, you’re still holding the splits you had around the 1500m mark.

After you finish those 20 strokes, take 5 to lengthen back out. Try to maintain the same split and stroke rate while getting as much length as possible. For most people it’s entirely possible that they don’t even see the 900-700m chunk go by because they’re inside their own heads.

The Second Half: 700-500m

Race plan: (re)Focus and prepare to start shifting the rate up

This isn’t supposed to feel good, remember? The third 500m is typically the slowest part of the piece. You’re suffering hard right now and the physical aspect of the test is taking a backseat to the mental part. Remind yourself that pain is a good thing and that you can’t quit yet. Make a shift with the stroke rate and push your split down by a second. Drive through these 200m.

The Build: 500-350m

Race plan: 10 at 500m to recommit – no turning back

All eyes on the end now. Coaches really look at this last 500m to see whether or not you went faster here than during any other part of the piece. Maintaining your split here is important. Take a 10 or 20 at the 500m mark, but don’t push your split down and let it immediately come back up. If you push it down, keep it there.

Watch your stroke rate coming into 400m. Make sure you’re not losing control and letting it creep up as you approach the end of the piece. While you want to be giving everything you’ve got, you still want to be able to give a little bit extra at the very end, so it’s important to not release that extra burst of energy too soon.

Around 400, start to gradually push the split down while letting the stroke rate come up a beat or two. This shouldn’t occur all at once, instead over a gradual period of a couple strokes. Make the commitment to go and GO.

The Sprint: 350-0m

Race plan: Stay controlled at the higher rate and go balls to the wall to the end

This is it. The legs are going to be begging for the end of this piece but you have to fight through the pain and maintain your technique. I’ve heard of some rowers who sprint at half slide and exaggerate their upper bodies to give the legs a break, which makes absolutely NO sense since the smaller upper body muscles are no match for the larger muscles of the legs. Stay long with the legs and don’t shorten your stroke as you bring the stroke rate up at the end.

Some additional important things to remember:

Food

Eat something no later than one hour before your race. You can eat a regular meal 3-4 hours before your test because the digestive system will have done it’s job by the time you get on the erg, but as time ticks down your meals should get smaller to ensure it’s digested by the start of your piece. Don’t eat anything within an hour before your test because not only do you not want to get sick before, during, or after but you most especially do not want your stomach drawing blood away from where it’s needed most – your muscles.

Also, make sure you’re hydrated. Dehydration leads to cramps and there’s few things worse for a rower’s psyche than having to stop mid-2k because of a muscle cramp.

Warm up

Don’t skip the warm up. 20ish minutes before your test is about when you should begin getting ready on the erg. Before this you should do your normal dynamic warmup or stretching/rolling routine that you usually do before practice.

When your body feels loose, get on the erg. If your coach has a specific warmup for you to do before your test, do that. If not, it’s up to you what you do. Ideally you should row around 2/3 pressure for a few minutes before moving up to 3/4 pressure. Throw in a couple of practice starts, followed by 5 high strokes and 5 lengthening strokes to mimic your full starting pattern. Spend about 5 minutes rowing at steady state pressure with some “bursts” thrown in every minute.

Following the completion of the full warm up (and assuming you’ve timed in correctly), give yourself at least 30 seconds or so to just sit at your erg and get in the zone. Grab one more drink if you need it but don’t spend too much time just sitting otherwise your muscles will cool down and negate the time you just spent warming up.

Right before the start

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, sit up a little taller, and remind yourself that you are prepared for this. No negative thoughts, questioning, doubt, etc. is allowed.

Immediately after the test

Do not – I repeat, do NOT – make a big scene by flopping on the ground and lying there. The best thing you can do immediately following the test is keep moving. Don’t try getting off the erg right away and walking around though … the post-2k jelly leg syndrome can lead to some nasty injuries (fun fact, this is how I dislocated my knee).

It’s best to stay on the erg and row lightly for a few minutes to cool down so that the body can begin clearing all the metabolic waste from your system. The heart and liver will work to filter the lactate from the blood, which takes time, but the process is helped by keeping the body moving. If you don’t cool down and just let the lactate hang out, it can be a couple days before it’s fully cleared from your system, which means you’ll be in some serious pain.

You should do an active recovery that involves rowing around 40-50% for at least 5-10 minutes. Your coach should account for this if there aren’t enough ergs for everyone to do the test at once. Your muscles will use the majority of the lactate during the cool down, which will aid in helping clear it faster. When you’re tired you instinctively want to not do anything but after a hard erg piece it’s imperative that you keep moving and cool down. Just like the warm up, don’t skip this.

Coxswains

Let your coxswain know if you want them to cox you during your test. If you don’t want them to talk to you, don’t assume they know that and don’t get pissed at them if they try to cox you. They’re just doing their job. Make it clear that you don’t want any coxing but be polite about it. Sometimes coxswains can take a rower telling them not to cox them as that rower saying their coxing sucks, which most of the time isn’t true.

If you want them to cox you, talk to them well before your test (like, the day before) instead of waiting until 5 minutes before and telling them every spot you want them to give you a power 10. They won’t remember all of that. If you talk to them ahead of time, they can write down where you want to take a burst, where you want to start your sprint, what you want to be reminded of, etc. and then cox you through your piece without any hiccups.

Getting on the erg with a plan is much more beneficial than getting on and just pulling until the meters read zero. It all goes back to being prepared for the pain. Obviously I’m writing this from a coxswain’s perspective since this is usually how I approach 2ks but I think one of the best ways to come up with a strategy if you’re stumped on how to do, particularly if you’re a novice or haven’t done that many erg tests, it is to talk to a coxswain on your team. Ask them where, why, and what they do during a race. This will give you some insight into what they look for and why they think it’s important to make moves at certain points in the course.

Image via // @erikdresser

College Q&A Recruiting Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 15, 2012

I’m a junior in high school and I’m 5’11”. What kind of erg times should I strive for to be recruited by colleges? I’ve heard mix things like sub 8 and sub 7:30 – is there a lot of variation among schools and divisions? I’m one of the better rowers on my team but I don’t know what kinds of times other kids have from around the country. I just started rowing a little less than a year ago and my last 2k was an 8:10. Would I realistically be able to get my time down before college?

I think generally coaches from the top openweight programs are looking for times that are sub-7:30ish. Lightweight women should shoot for times that are sub-7:40 to 7:50ish.

It’s definitely possible to get your time down before college but you’ll have to work for it. It’s not all about erging harder either. In order to go harder, you’ve got to be stronger, which means lifting, doing cardio, core, etc. The seconds aren’t going to come off as quickly as they did when you first started rowing. It’s like trying to lose weight … at first it comes off fast, but the longer you workout, the amount of weight you lose decreases as your body becomes more fit. Ideally if you are looking to be recruited, you would have already started the process of researching programs and contacting coaches in the fall. When you do talk with them, keep open lines of communication throughout the year and update them on any PRs you may achieve between now and this time next year.

There is some variation between divisions due mostly to the differing levels of competitiveness. D1 schools are going to be a lot more strict about erg times whereas D3 schools might be more lenient. Most D3 programs are clubs, not varsity (and the ones that are varsity can’t offer athletes scholarships anyways), so the majority of people on the team don’t start rowing until they join. I think on the club team I coach now there is only one rower (of 35-40ish) who rowed in high school. There are most likely some subtle differences between what individual universities are looking for as far as erg times though but to find out what they are, you’d have to reach out to the coaches and ask. The Ivies, Washington, Cal, Stanford, etc. are all very strong programs that tend to attract rowers with exceptional times.

In terms of finding out times of other people in the country, there are a few ways to find out, all involving a decent amount of research on your end. The first is to ask. Talk with your current coach or any alumni rowers from your program who row(ed) in college. Your coach should have a general idea of what previous rowers in your program had if you can’t actually talk with any of them. Second, ask people on Reddit. The rowing community is pretty vast on there and most people are willing to share their times if/when asked (although this question gets asked a lot so search the sub before starting a new thread).

Third, go through sites like CollegeConfidential and beRecruited.com. CollegeConfidential isn’t limited to rowing, so you’ll have to search “rowing”, “erg times”, etc. in the forum to bring up specific results, but there are a lot of great questions and even more great answers on there. The vast amount of information can be overwhelming though. beRecruited.com is something you should consider looking into if you’re serious about being recruited.

Ergs Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 13, 2012

How do you stop competition over erg times from ruining a friendship?

Just … don’t?

The only real suggestion I can offer is that someone in has to be the bigger person and remove themselves from the situation entirely. Make it clear to the other person that erg times are separate from the friendship and wanting to pulling a better time than someone isn’t indicative of anything other than dedication to the team and motivation towards getting in the best boat possible. I would say that if these people were really friends they would be encouraging each other to get the best times they can instead of letting something silly tear them apart. In the grand scheme of things, i.e. life, erg scores aren’t important. It’s really not worth ruining a friendship over something so trivial.

Coxing Ergs Novice Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 11, 2012

Hello! I’m a novice coxswain and I’m still learning so I often ask my rowers exactly what they want to hear. When we erg often the varsity team helps cox them. I honestly feel like coxing ergs is kind of awkward and I am not the best at it (but I’m still learning). After asking one of my rowers what I can do to improve she told me that she didn’t like my coxing style and she preferred one of the varsity members. I am not able to cox like that – it doesn’t come naturally … what should I do?

It’s good that you ask your rowers what they want. Don’t be offended or take it personally if somebody says they don’t like your coxing style. Some rowers like to go into bubbles on the ergs and don’t want any coxing. Others prefer other people’s style. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad coxswain or anything. I would talk with the varsity coxswain that your rower likes and ask her for advice. Observe her (and the other coxswain’s) style when she’s with people on the ergs and take notes. It’s like putting together an outfit … everybody has their own style but we all draw inspiration from other people.

Don’t go into every erg piece thinking “this is awkward, I’m awkward, nobody likes my coxing … SHIT!”. Go into each piece and look at it as a new learning experience each time. Try and pick up some new tips when you watch the other coxswains and use that to help you come up with your own way of calling pieces. Practice on rowers (who don’t mind being coxed) and then get feedback from them when practice is over. Find out what worked, what didn’t, and what you can improve on, and then use all that information moving forward.

College Ergs Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 10, 2012

I am an openweight girl rower who is 5’9″. I really want to get recruited to college. What erg times should I have to even be considered? Thanks!!

Typically coaches are looking for times that are sub-7:30ish for heavy/open weight women but it varies amongst programs and divisions. You should ask the coaches you’re talking to what their expectations are. Keep in mind that erg times are important but they aren’t the only factor – they look at your physiological stats (height, weight, etc.), grades, etc. too.

Ergs High School Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 10, 2012

I’m entering my third rowing season this spring but at a different school than I rowed at last year. I come from a good boat at a very strong program but nobody takes me seriously and I want to do really well on my first erg test. The only thing is my old program did 1.5 tests and my new program does 2ks and I don’t know how I’m not going to die that last 500. Do you have any suggestions? I’m a 5’10” 155 lb girl with a 5:45 1.5k.

Before you do your first test I’d suggest doing a 2k or one of the 2k predictor workouts (like 8x500m) just to give yourself a baseline of where you are and what you can expect your time to be. This will also give you an idea of how far into that last 500 you start to really feel the fatigue. Practice, practice, practice – lame answer I know but trust me, you’ll feel a lot better if you’re prepared going into your first test vs. going in blind and not having any idea about what’s going to happen. Jot down some notes after each practice 2k … anything you notice will help you mentally prepare for the “real thing”. Where do you start to feel tired, where would be a good spot to start your sprint, when does the voice in your head tell you to quit because you’re too tired, how do you FEEL, etc. Try giving yourself power 10s, practice making a move at the 1000 meter mark, start building into the sprint at 350 to go, and then start sprinting with 250 to go. See how it goes, tweak it, and find what works for you. Build a “plan” for yourself to loosely follow during your test.

One of the things I liked doing in high school was doing longer pieces than what our races actually were. Instead of doing practice 1500m pieces before regattas, we’d do 2ks. Same with our erg tests – it was ALWAYS 2ks, never 1500s. This helped the rowers a lot because instead of succumbing to fatigue at the end of the race, they KNEW their bodies were prepared to go an extra 500m, so they had an extra 500m of “reserve fuel” already stored and ready to use. I’m convinced that that was a key part of why my team was so successful. It also helped them mentally too because even though they were exhausted like everyone else, they knew their bodies were capable of more than the other rowers we were racing against. That mental edge was HUGE. Make sense? Practice your straight 2k to get a guesstimate of your time and to practice when you’re going to make your moves, but also make sure you’re doing longer steady state pieces to start building up your mental and physical reserves.

If your 1500m time is 5:45, that’s roughly a 1:55 split, which means your 2k would be about a 7:40 … that’s pretty good. Try and hover around that split while you practice and see if you can finish in the 7:40ish range. Don’t settle for that though – if you’re feeling strong and know you can push that split down another second, try it. You’re not a novice and you’ve clearly already proven that you’re a strong rower if you were in a good boat with your previous program so just go do what you know how to do. Don’t try and beat the other girls times just to “prove” yourself. Focus on YOUR erg, YOUR piece, and YOUR time. Let your erg scores, your time on the water, your attitude, your leadership skills, and your commitment to the team speak for themselves.

How To Rowing Teammates & Coaches Training & Nutrition

How to Survive Winter Training: The light at the end of the tunnel

By readyallrow December 6, 2012

Previously: Rowers || Coxswains || Music + TV

Lately I’ve gotten a couple emails and questions about how to make it through the winter season mentally in tact so I figured that was enough to warrant its own post. I wrote this with those in mind whose teams aren’t doing anything organized over the winter but the more I wrote, the more I realized that this is really for everyone. There’s going to be a point during the winter when everyone is going to have that “blah” feeling, so even if you are lucky enough to have your coaches and teammates around you on a daily basis, this is for you too. I reference a lot of college-y stuff too – that’s just out of habit. This is most definitely for high schoolers, in addition to collegiate rowers. And coxswains, don’t think that this doesn’t apply to you either. Just because we aren’t necessarily following a training program like the rowers doesn’t mean we can’t still experience that drop in motivation over the winter.

What do you do when you’re on your own? When your team has closed up shop for the winter and your training is up to you? When your motivation is at an all time low because all you can see in front of you are four long months of erging, lifting, and the proverbial lack of light at the end of the tunnel…

You sit down and you think about three things. One, why did you join this sport? Two, what do you want to get out of it? Three, where do you want to be in five months when spring season is in full swing? Think about your answers. REALLY think about them. None of this “I joined because of my friends, I want to have fun and compete, I want to be on the podium” bullshit. That answer is OK for runners and swimmers and basketball players. No. YOU are a rower. You can’t be in this sport if you can’t come up with more complex, more REAL answers than that. THINK. What are you here for? Once you’ve answered those questions, look at yourself again. Think about the common thread between all three of your answers. It’s the same, no matter what your answer is or who you are or what team you row for or whether you’ve been rowing for three months or three years. Know what it is?

Hard. Fucking. Work.

You wouldn’t have joined this sport if you weren’t ready for the hours of commitment each day or the amount of physical exertion it required. You wouldn’t have joined this sport if you didn’t have goals and expectations for yourself. You wouldn’t be HERE right now, getting ready for spring season, if you didn’t want MORE. Hard work prepared you for it and hard work is going to get you through it. The work never stops. If you’ve lost your motivation, there comes a time when you realize you need to find it again if that hard work is going to continue. That time is now. I’ve gone through many periods of lost motivation over the last few years and each time I look back on those periods I realize that it comes down to three simple things:

Related: Words.

I don’t think I can do it, so why bother trying … I don’t know what I want, so do I even want anything … I have no direction, so what am I even doing all of this for…

For most people, I think these are the three main reasons why we lose our drive. With rowing, if you spent the fall season frustrated by your erg scores, splits, spot in the boat, etc. it can weigh on you and make you lose confidence in yourself. If your focus is all over the place to the point where everything is a blur, it’ll make you wonder if you really want anything at all. If you don’t know what you’re training for, it’s hard to get started because there isn’t anything tangible to latch your motivation onto (yet). Remember how I said there comes a time when you have to find your motivation again and that time is now? I mean it. That time is RIGHT fucking now. Look in the mirror and tell the person looking back at you to get their shit together. It’s time to get serious. It’s time to figure out what you want and how you’re going to get it.

Why did you join this sport?

You joined this sport because you wanted a challenge. Sure, the allure of a new sport was there but you were really in it for the adrenaline rush. That feeling of pushing your body to the brink, of knowing what the brink felt like. You stuck with it because you felt that adrenaline running through you when the official dropped the flag and you realized in that moment that you don’t ever want to NOT feel like this. You stuck with it because you know your body still has more to give, that you haven’t pushed yourself hard enough yet, that you can go harder.

What do you want to get out of it?

People start rowing with a lot of “wants”. They want to get in shape, they want to win … that’s fine. No sarcasm. It shows you have goals and like with life, it’s hard to move forward if you don’t know what you’re moving towards. As your rowing progresses, your goals are going to evolve. Like you, they’ll mature. They’ll go from “wanting to win” to “placing in the top 3 of the Grand Final at Dad Vails”, from “wanting to lose weight” to “increasing your squat PR by 45lbs by the end of the season”. You might not know what those goals are yet (which is why most people start to lose motivation when December rolls around) so you have to set new ones. It’s like New Year’s resolutions, except better, because you’ll actually stick to these.

Take some time and really think about what you want for yourself this year. Put your team and your boat aside for a moment and think about YOU. Grab a calendar for each month from now until the end of your season. Sit down and think about what your goals are and when you want to achieve them by. Goals can be ANYTHING – hence why they’re personal goals. Remember to make them tangible, relevant, and something that is genuinely attainable with the proper amount of work and commitment.

Now that you have that written down, think about how you’re going to attain each goal. What’s it going to take? What are you going to have to do over the next few months (potentially on your own with no outside motivation) to make sure those goals are met? Make a list and hang it and the calendar up somewhere where you are going to see it each day. I mean it – every day. A day should not go by over the next few months that you don’t see those two pieces of paper. As the days go by and you begin meeting your goals, cross them off.

As the season progresses, your goals might change or need to be modified. That’s OK. It’s not a sign of failure, AS LONG AS you aren’t changing them simply because you weren’t putting the effort in to meet the original ones. The goal of this goal-setting is to give yourself something to work WITH and something to work TOWARDS.

Where do you want to be once spring season is in full swing

This is a question that most people think there’s only one answer to – “I want to be on the dock in Worcester getting a Sprints medal.” Awesome, but no. Mentally, where do you want to be? You want to be in that place, that place that only athletes know. That place that is the most evil and beautiful combination of tranquility and intensity where you can feel yourself getting stronger, mentally and physically, as you start knocking down walls, brick by fucking brick.

Psychologically, you want to be 100% sure of the fact that you spent the entire winter busting your ass to get to where you are right now. You don’t want to get back on the water in March wishing you’d erged more over the winter or be about to seat race in April wishing you’d gone to those optional lifts – you want to KNOW that you did exactly what you needed to do and THEN some. Remember what I said about attitude? Prime example, right here. Your mentality is everything and the one you have when you wake up each morning can make or break you.

Now that you’ve got the “whys, whats, and wheres” figured out, it’s time to figure out the “whos”, “hows”, and “whens”. The “who” is that person that is going to be there to push you, to motivate you, to kick your ass when you can’t kick it yourself, to tell you that you deserve it, you want it, you’ve worked for it, and it’s yours to take. I am a firm believer in always being there for yourself before you’re there for anyone else, so the first person on your list of “who” should be you. Sometimes you’ve got to split yourself in two so that the part of you that wants to give up can be pushed by the part of you that has their eyes on the prize or so that the part of you that always knew you could do it can congratulate the part of you that just did it. Whoever comes next on your list is up to you. Parents, friends, teammates, siblings, coaches, mentors, teachers, significant others, etc. – it doesn’t matter who they are.

Next, the “hows”. How are you going to make it through the next five months? Through the next 5k? Through the next lifting session? Through the next run? Simple. One day, one stroke, one lift, and one step at a time. Don’t look at it as being the same day, stroke, lift, or step all the time … it’s one at a time. If you made it through the last one, you will make it through this one. Confidence and assurance in yourself will get you through winter training. Know how each part of your winter training is going to affect you when you’re in the boat. Those squats, deadlifts, leg presses, and jumpies? They’re all building up your leg muscles so you can explode off the stretchers at the top quarter of the slide.

Every time you do one of those exercises, think about that. When you do the second set that is 10lbs heavier than the first and you feel like you can’t get through one rep, let alone ten, think about the start of your race at NCAAs in May. Think about the final sprint against Harvard, Brown, and Washington at IRAs. Think about that move in the middle of a race, the one your coxswain saves for just the right moment. You want to build up as much strength as you can for THOSE moments. Don’t think about how sore you are from the bench pulls and pull ups you did yesterday – think about how happy you’re going to feel when you’re sore in May but you’ve got a medal around your neck to show for it. Remember, you’re stronger than you were yesterday, but not as strong as you will be tomorrow.

There are two outcomes to winter training, both relating to how you feel. You can either feel proud, encouraged, motivated, and strong or you can feel disappointed and “meh”. How much effort you put into training is going to effect how you feel when the winter season ends. We both know which one you should be aiming for, so … how are you going to go about getting there?

Finally, the “whens”. Finals, holidays, and life all get in the way of training if we let it. Don’t take that as saying rowing should be a higher priority than all of those – theoretically it shouldn’t but in reality, to some, it probably is. Priorities are good. It’s up to you to look at your schedule, look at your activities, etc. and figure out your order of priorities. Where does training fit in? Even if your coach doesn’t give you a set schedule for the winter, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one. One of the best ways to make sure you stick to your training is to schedule a specific time every single day when you’re going to erg, run, bike, lift, etc. Treat that block of time like you would class – you wouldn’t skip or schedule something during a lecture, so why would you do that during your scheduled practice period?

Now some of you are probably thinking, “um, hi, we’re in college – of course we’re going to skip class.” I know you are. I did. But think about this scenario for a second – the first few weeks of class are always boring and you don’t really learn much but then there are those few occasions where the midterm or the final rolls around and you’re thinking to yourself “DAMMIT. I should have gone to those first few lectures…”. Sure, you might end up doing OK on the exam but think about how much better you would have done if you’d gone to all 15 lectures instead of just 10. Your races are your exams, conference championships are your midterms, and NCAAs are your finals. Sure, you might do alright if you go to 30 winter training sessions, but imagine how much more you could have achieved if you’d gone to all 50. Make a schedule and stick to it. The benefit of winter training, especially on your own, is that the times are usually way less strict than they are during the fall and spring. Your coach might give you the workouts and say “do this on Monday, this on Tuesday, etc.” but on your own time. If you don’t want to wake up at 5:30am to go to the gym during the winter, then don’t. Doing so doesn’t mean you’re more committed just like not doing so doesn’t mean you’re less committed. Find a time that works for you and stick to it. That’s all that really matters.

You’re a rower, which means we can assume a lot of things about you. One is that you’re a team player. You’re someone’s teammate. Rowing is not an individual’s sport – you simply cannot be an individual and be a part of a crew. Even if you’re a sculler in a single, it can’t be done. Why? Because your team has goals. Your team wants to win the overall points trophy. Your team wants to be the first three time defending champion at Junior Nationals. That can’t be accomplished if even one person thinks about “me” instead of “us”.

If motivation for yourself is ever lacking , take a second and think about your team. Think about how your performance is going to directly effect the eight other people in your boat and the 54 other people on your team. Don’t be that teammate that slacks off and thinks they can get away with it by “pulling hard”. There’s one on every team and it doesn’t take long to figure out who it is.

Before you go on Christmas break, sit down with your boat or your team and figure out what the preliminary goals are for the spring. Look at past results from regattas and determine where you’re capable of placing this year. Set team goals for weight lifting (a 1RM squat average of 200lbs for the boat), 2ks (everyone under 7:35), etc. Add these goals to your calendar so you see them along with your own goals. Work towards them with the same intensity as you are your own and know that everyone else in your boat is working towards those same goals. They’re just as tired and sore as you are right now, but in five months, would you want to share the podium with someone who isn’t tired and sore? No. You are not nine individuals, you are ONE eight. Remember that.

Winter training is a psychological battleground to see who’s willing to put the effort in on the days when they don’t want to. It’s a test of discipline and doing what you know needs to be done when you don’t want to do it. You will make it through and you will be a stronger person when you make it to the other side. Keep your chin up – you got this.

Image via // @cuse_mrowing

Ergs Q&A

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 2, 2012

Hi, rowing question! Tomorrow I’ve got my first 4k with the varsity team at my school. Obvs it’s for time and the first 2k of it will be rate capped at a 24. How should I approach this piece (split and technique wise, because I’m not too worried, I know I’ll do my best) and what could I do to make it an overall great 4k? Thanks!

As far as how to approach it, go in with a plan. Write it down and look at it a few times before you start. It’s easiest if you break it into three parts – the start, the body, and the sprint.

Since the first half is capped, find that stroke rate in as few strokes as possible while going hard on the pressure. After 15-20 seconds, start to settle down into your pace, whatever you’ve decided that needs to be. Make sure it’s a MANAGEABLE split. Don’t be fooled by your body saying you can go harder…chances are if you listen to it, you’ll fly and die.

It’s OK after those first few seconds if your average split climbs up a little, just make sure you don’t let it come up too much. Say you start at a 2:00, I wouldn’t let it go above 2:05.

Holding your pace, make some pushes every so often like you would in a real race. At the 1500, 1000, 750, and 500 are all good spots to take a 10 or 20.

Coming into the last 500m, start thinking about your sprint. You’ll want to up your power a bit and bring your split down a second or two. Hold that split until the last 300m, take 5 to build into your sprint, and then GO. Make sure you’re still holding a 24, but going all at it with the power. Use your recovery time to wind up the legs and then power through each stroke until the end of the piece.

Watch your technique as you get more fatigued. If you don’t mind someone coxing you while you erg, have one of the coxswains give you a 10 or 20 or remind you to sit up at the finish as you get into the last 500m. Take a deep breath before you start and don’t focus on anyone or anything else except for YOU and YOUR monitor. When you finish, make sure you stay on the erg and paddle lightly for at least 5 minutes or so. Have a water bottle beside you so you can get a drink without having to get up.

Ergs How To Rowing Training & Nutrition

Question of the Day

By readyallrow December 2, 2012

Do you know any secret remedies for blisters? It’s the first week of winter conditioning and after only two practices I have killer blisters on my hands and ankles that I never got last year until later, and not as bad. I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong with my form or something, although I’m not quite sure that could be the problem.

I don’t know too many secret remedies but I do know some tried and true tricks to preventing and treating blisters.

Wash the erg/oar handles before and after practice. Even something as simple as a baby wipe is better than nothing. That’ll get rid of any nasty crap on there that can (and will) infect your blisters.

Loosen your grip. Death grips can cause more blisters than not having one that’s tight enough (that sounds dirty when I read it out loud…).

As painful as it will be, swab the blisters with hydrogen peroxide or wash it with really hot water and soap to clean out the area. Once that’s done and your skin is dry, put some Neosporin on it and cover with a band aid before you go to practice. Ideally you should repeat the process post-practice to get rid of any sweat and germs on your hands.

When you’re at home and just watching TV, sleeping, etc., let the skin breathe so that the blisters dry out. If you keep them covered with band aids and tape 24/7, that’ll trap moisture in there which will just make everything worse. Only put band aids on them when you have to. You can still put Neosporin on them, just don’t cover them up.

If you can tolerate it, try putting a little Vaseline on your hands or handle before you start practice. Put enough that it reduces the friction but not so much that your hands can’t get a good grip.

Good luck!! I hope they get better. At least your hands don’t look like this guy’s…