Tag: weight

Coxing High School Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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So, I have been coxing for two years, and really enjoy races. However as it’s regatta season coming up, I need a bit of advice on race. How much do you want to be talking in races? My rowers said they want me talking constantly, but my coach advised not to because the rowers usually end up blocking it out. Also, do you have any calls you find really motivate your crew? I don’t want to just be reciting calls without them meaning anything but then I don’t know what to fill the gaps with. We have had loads of really successful coxes from our club so I’m under lots of pressure to be good! :/ Also, sorry I know this is a lot, but I am 5’3″ and weigh 105lbs, is this too big or heavy for a junior 14s coxie? Thanks a bunch, love this blog!

In terms of how much you should be talking, always go with what the rowers ask for. I talk pretty consistently when we’re racing or doing pieces because I don’t feel like there’s any reason why I shouldn’t be. If the rowers want/need you to always be talking, then that’s what I do. In my experience my crews have told me that even if they aren’t specifically processing some of what I’m saying, my voice and how I’m saying what I’m saying is what’s keeping them engaged and their focus in the boat.

Related: Interesting question: How often do you think a cox should talk during a race? I feel really awkward and useless if I stop talking for more than a few seconds, and when I rowed our cox would talk almost constantly during races. However, at a regatta briefing the other day the OU Captain of Coxes implied that coxes should only be talking every few strokes. I guess it depends on the standard and nature of the crew, but what do you think?

I really cringe when coaches tell coxswains how to do stuff like this because so often it comes from their own personal experience as a rower and is based off of what they didn’t like about their coxswain. That’s fine but … your experience isn’t everyone else’s. The same applies to me though too – what my crews have asked me to do might be different than what your crews want you to do.

The best thing you can do in situations like this is to take into consideration the advice you get from outside people (your coach, me, etc.) and then go straight to your rowers and say “Re: talking while racing, I’ve heard X and Y … which applies to us?” and find out straight from them what they want. Communication is key!

Related: I just read your post about intimidating your opponents, which is perhaps one of the greatest things I’ve seen, but I wanted to ask what are some of your favorite/most effective calls?

Regarding motivating calls, check out the post linked above. This is another spot where you should talk with your rowers and ask them what would really get them going during a race. Don’t over think it because the most effective calls are usually the simplest ones. Several of the recordings that coxswains have sent me lately have included really simple calls that just relate to their school/team, such as “Yea Tigers!”, “Go Big Red!”, “Here we go, Huskies!”, etc. When you’ve got time, scroll through all the coxswain recording posts and look at/listen to some of the calls I pointed out.

Related: Coxswain recordings

As far as your height/weight goes, you’re five pounds under the minimum of 110lbs – you’re fine. That’s probably the most common size for female coxswains so no, it’s not too big or too heavy.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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I’m over coxing weight by some, but I’ve been working on it and it is going down (healthily). My coaches know that I’m over and they aren’t putting me in good boats because of it (only thing). We have a race soon and I’m getting closer to 110. I know my coaches have issues with my weight but they haven’t brought it up with me, but I think they will soon. What should I say/do? And if they don’t, should I tell them if I’m at 110 or talk to them about my issue/what’s going on?

I think it’s really stupid to keep a coxswain out of a boat just because of their weight if they’re only a couple pounds over (a couple being five or less), especially if you’re in high school and especially since you’re close to the minimum, which most coaches apparently don’t know the definition of.

Related: What coaches look for in a coxswain

If they say something about it just be honest with them and let them know where you’re at now (do. not. lie. about your weight) and that you’ve been working on it. There’s not much more you can do (or that they can expect you to do) other than continue exercising and eating healthy. If they don’t say anything then whether or not it gets brought up is up to you.

Unless they’ve specifically said to you that the reason you’re not in any of the good boats is because of your weight, then I’d talk to them to figure out why you’re in the boats you’re in now and what you can/need to do in order to move up. If there’s a specific boat that you want to be coxing, tell them that your goal is to cox that boat for your upcoming race, that way they know that you’re actually striving to be in a certain boat and not just saying “I weigh 110lbs now, put me in a good boat!”.

Coxing Q&A Training & Nutrition

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Hi! I’m a high school women’s coxswain and I recently weighed myself for the first time in a while. I weigh 124 and I’m 5’3″. I know this is heavy for a women’s coxswain and I know that I didn’t weigh this much during the summer. I’ve decided that I want to lose about 7 pounds by monitoring what I eat more and doing a little more exercise. Do you know about how long that would take me? Also, if you could suggest some workouts I could do at home that are good for losing weight, it would really be appreciated. Thank you so much!

How long it takes depends on a lot of individual factors but if you loosely followed the “suggested” guideline of losing no more than 2lbs per week I’d say it’d take maybe a month, give or take a week. Workouts that get your heart rate up will be what you want to focus on so going for a 45-60 minute bike ride or run would be good. Just make sure that you’re making healthy choices with the foods you eat – working out isn’t going to make any difference if you’re still eating crappy food.

Also, don’t weigh yourself every day because you’re not going to notice a difference. The average person fluctuates +/- 2-5lbs every day so if you want to get an accurate idea of how much you’ve lost, try to only weigh yourself once every few days.

Coxing High School Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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Are there rules about coaches making coxswains weigh in to check their weight? Obviously coxswains need to weigh in at certain regattas to make weight. I remember someone telling me that it was against some rule to have coaches require coxswains to report their weight, but I forget where I heard that/if it is actually true.

As far as I know there isn’t a rule that says coaches can’t require coxswains to weigh in and report their weight. When done correctly, I don’t think this is a bad thing. It’s when coaches go on power trips with it and try to shame the coxswains (and rowers) for their weight that I start having issues with it. I think it’s good though because it keeps you accountable and helps the coaches keep an eye on everyone (ideally for safety and general well-being purposes).

College Coxing Q&A

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Hi. I’ve been rowing on my high school team for four years now and I’ve been considering continuing crew in college. However, my times aren’t good enough to be recruited and I’ve always wanted to cox. People have told me I would be good at coxing but my coach wants me to row for him. But my weight is an issue. I’m 5’3″ and weigh around 140. I don’t know if I can healthily get down to a weight to cox, so is it possible for me to cox men? Thanks!

Depends on where you go to school. If you go to a school with a club program you could probably row or cox because they’re typically more lax about the height/weight requirements since a lot of the people on the team are new to rowing or haven’t participated in sports before (thus they don’t have the typical rower’s build). I would agree with you that getting down to a healthy weight range to cox women is probably going to be tough so unless you’re at a club program where that’s not as big of an issue, I personally wouldn’t consider it an option.

As far as coxing men goes (at all IRA schools and probably 99% of the competitive clubs (men aren’t NCAA, remember)) , that’s also tough because like women’s teams, they typically want their coxswains to be as close to racing weight as possible for reasons I’ve discussed before (basically, no one wants to carry around more dead weight than they have to, which is understandable). If you’re 140lbs now, that’s 13-15lbs you’d have to lose. I can’t tell you if that’s healthy for you or not because I don’t know you but assuming you’re a senior now and start college in the fall … yea, you’ve got plenty of time if you wanted to go that route. It’s a lot of lifestyle changes though so make sure you take that into consideration.

(Quick edit because I forgot to include this before I posted this.) If you want to cox the guys this season, as in three months from now, I’d say it’s still possible but you’re giving yourself a bit more of a time limit, which can be some people’s downfall. If you want to cox in college you could always still row this season and then walk on to the team in the fall and say “I want to cox”. You don’t have to cox this season but the practice certainly wouldn’t hurt. If you’re not trying to be recruited though (that period is pretty much over now anyways, I think) then it doesn’t really matter what you choose to do. Just remember that if you try to cox the guys you’re giving yourself a very small window to get in the racing weight range.

As a general note to everyone reading, I want to throw out a clarification on coxswain weights and who you’re coxing for. I know I’ve said many times that if being or staying at 110lbs to cox for women is not feasible for you then coxing men is always an option because their minimum is 125lbs. I’m not backing down from that because I do think it’s a reasonable option. I don’t, however, want people to get the impression that you can just jump right into coxing men regardless of your weight because their minimum is higher than the women’s. Their minimum is higher because they’ve got to accommodate male coxswains who probably haven’t been 110lbs since 7th grade. That’s it.

However, if you’re thinking about coxing you have to understand that weight is an important and dare I say critical component of being a coxswain. It’s not the most important thing but it’s something that needs to be given the proper attention by everyone who’s considering coxing. There’s really no easy way to say this but please don’t just assume you can jump right into coxing guys if your normal body weight is 10, 15, 20+lbs over 125lbs. You’re going to be gently nudged or sometimes flat out told to lose weight depending on who you cox for. If you really want to cox that badly but are more than like, 130lbs, you need to start thinking about making some serious changes in order to get down to racing weight (in a healthy way) by the time the season rolls around.

Coxing Q&A

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Hi! I’m 5’4″ and about 120-123 pounds. I’ve coxed for eight years now and am fully aware that my talent is more than my weight, but I met with a trainer today and told him about what I do and he told me that I was “big” for a coxswain, since all the other coxswains he’d heard of apparently were like under 5 feet tall. It stung a little bit, and I’m already trying to get to like 115 for spring… is that too light?

Hi! I’m assuming your trainer isn’t a collegiate strength coach (I assume you’re in college?) or very knowledgeable about crew because that’s a pretty ignorant thing to say. If he is then shame on him. Out of all the coxswains I’ve known since I started crew, I’m the only one that was ever under 5’0″. The majority were in the 5’1″ to 5’5″ish range (although I’m betting there are coxswains who read this who fall outside that range) and about half of them were in the 100-115lbs range naturally. The other half consistently lost weight for racing season (which, for a few, caused its own set of issues) or said “screw that” and coxed for the men’s teams.

If you subscribe to the BMI theory then you’re in a healthy range regardless of whether you’re 115 or 123. I wouldn’t let one person’s comments bother or pressure you that much. Personally I don’t think 115lbs is too light. At the same time though it’s important to consider how your body might react to it.  Even though that’s only a difference of 5-8lbs, if you find you’re having a hard time losing it it’s probably because your body just doesn’t want to be that weight. I’m sure you know about the weight minimums and how it’s generally suggested that you be as close to them as possible, or as I like to say “in a common sense range”, so I won’t get into that. Plus, like you said, one’s talent is more than their weight.

College Coxing High School Q&A

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Hello! So I am currently a senior in high school and a coxswain for the varsity girls at my school. I would like to walk onto a team in college but the problem is I’m a little big for a coxswain (5’7″, 120-125 lbs). I know weight matters but is it totally unrealistic for me to cox in college? (I stopped rowing because of serious hip problems that are relatively unfixable.)

I don’t think it’s unrealistic at all to walk on – you’re the perfect size to cox for the men’s team, if your school has one. Their max is 125lbs for coxswains, regardless of whether they’re male or female. Height really isn’t that big of a deal (I feel like most male coxswains I know are in the 5’7″ to 5’10” range) so I wouldn’t really consider that a factor. If it’s something you’re really serious about doing, email the coach sometime in the spring to introduce yourself and say that you’re interested in walking on to the team in the fall. Sometimes they’ll have you come to practices with the recruited athletes right at the start of the season since you’ve already got some experience vs. waiting to start rowing with the novice walk-ons.

Coxing High School Q&A Teammates & Coaches Training & Nutrition

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Hello, I am a male HS senior coxswain who is 5’11”, 132lbs., and currently getting looks from several top level college coaches. Problem is, my HS coach says I am too heavy and I have been getting vibes that I may not be allowed to cox this spring due to my size. Compared to the other coxswains in my boathouse, I by far put my boat in the best position to win even despite my weight. I need to have a sit down conversation with the coaching staff to get things straight. I have a general idea of how to make my case to cox but I would like some more input. How would you suggest I approach this conversation? My boat is going to have our fastest season yet and I would like to spend my last HS year finishing what I started three years ago. Coxing is something I want to continue to do on a competitive level in college, so that makes things even more complicated. Also, as a collegiate coach yourself, and I don’t know if you can speak for the rest of the Cornell coaching staff, what is your philosophy about heavy coxswains? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.

You are tall for a coxswain … is getting down to 120lbs even possible for you, let alone healthy? That should be what your coaches are asking you rather than giving you vibes like they’re not gonna let you race.

Truthfully, I don’t think you need to say anything other than what you just said. You and your crew are poised to have your fastest season yet (give reasons why you believe this, don’t just say “we’re gonna be fast!” – how do you know this, what are you basing it on, etc.), you want to finish what you started, you’re being looked at by multiple top collegiate programs, etc. and then list a couple reasons as to why YOU are the coxswain that puts this boat in the best position to win. Remember, it’s not about talking the other coxswains down, it’s about talking yourself up.

In addition to that, emphasize the fact that you’re being recruited by these collegiate programs and let them know how not coxing your last season in high school could hurt that. Obviously you’re going to know where you’re going to school before the season starts (presumably) but that’s beside the point. Getting that practice time, race experience, etc. are all huge factors here.

As frustrating as the whole situation is, try not to let your feelings towards it cloud your judgment when you talk to your coach(es). Listen to what they have to say, stay level-headed when presenting your case, and regardless of what the final decision is remember that you’re still a part of the team and it’s still your responsibility to contribute in whatever way you can. It might not be in the way that you’d hope but there is still a boat that you can help go fast or a coxswain you can mentor. Regardless of how things turn out, put it behind you, and move forward. You’re a senior which means everyone on the team is looking to you (whether you realize it or not) to set the example. Your actions and attitude following their final decision (in your favor or not) will play a huge part in communicating to your teammates what the “standard” is for people on your team. Do you hold yourself to a high enough standard that you can accept the decision and move on or are you going to be that person that bitches, complains, and badmouths the coaches weeks/months after the fact?

I definitely can’t speak for the other coaches but I don’t have a problem with “heavy” coxswains as long as they’re within a “common sense” range above the minimum. By “common sense” I mean just that – knowing that they are physically dead weight and therefore should be the lightest athlete in the boat, coxswains should use their common sense when looking at their weight in relation to their respective minimums if they aren’t naturally under them. 15lbs over it isn’t common sense but 5lbs is. For me, I ‘d say 7-8lbs over the minimum is the upper limit of that range. If you’re coxing lightweights I would say that range shrinks to 3-5lbs because … you’re coxing lightweights. The logic there should be obvious. If the coxswain was toeing the line, I’d casually mention it just to get an idea of what their plan is to get to weight (do they even have a plan?) and ensure that they’re being safe/responsible when it comes to nutrition, exercise, etc.

Related: What would you do if you were a lightweight with a coxswain that’s actually heavier than the rowers? I don’t want to be rude about weight or anything but the mentality of it is just hard because we’re not big ourselves so the stationary person shouldn’t be bigger. Or am I just being a bitch?

If a coxswain was over that I’d talk with them, explain my thought process, assess what weight they could reasonably be at relative to the racing minimum (because not everyone can easily be 110lbs or 125lbs), and then come up with a plan with them (and/or put them in contact with the strength coach/team nutritionist) to help them get there within a practical period of time.

Related: Defining the role of the coxswain: What coaches look for in a coxswain

When compared to more legitimate things like actual abilities, yes, it’s still a factor but their weight is at the very bottom of the list of things I look at when giving input on coxswains. If I can see that they’re taking it seriously, working out regularly, and putting the effort in it’s a complete non-issue for me. If they’re not putting the effort in or taking it seriously, then it becomes a bigger thing to consider, although still relatively minor in comparison to everything else.

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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What would you do if you were a lightweight with a coxswain that’s actually heavier than the rowers? I don’t want to be rude about weight or anything but the mentality of it is just hard because we’re not big ourselves so the stationary person shouldn’t be bigger. Or am I just being a bitch?

No, you’re not being a bitch. Other people might think it’s a petty concern but I’m with you. Weight is a touchy subject but everyone has to be realistic and accept the fact that it’s part of the sport and part of being a coxswain or lightweight rower. Coxswains need to be cognizant of their weight, especially when they’re coxing lightweight crews, because it really doesn’t make sense to have someone who isn’t contributing to the boat’s movement weigh more than the people doing the actual work. It just doesn’t. There’s always been this unspoken rule that a coxswain shouldn’t weigh more than their lightest rower and I have to say that I agree with it.

It’s an awkward situation but it’s not really your or your teammates place to say anything. I totally get that she’s part of your boat and as such you’re going to have an opinion on the issue but you guys saying something will either a) cause a huge problem, b) come off as typical bitchy girl shit with some kind of hidden agenda, or c) just not be taken seriously. If you’re a freshman or sophomore, I wouldn’t worry about it too much because you’re just getting started with rowing so stuff like this isn’t as big a deal at that level but if you’re a junior, senior, or in college, it might be worth bringing up if you truly do think it’s an issue. If you all weigh 115lbs and she weighs 117lbs, yea she weighs more than you but not by anything incredibly substantial that it’s worth potentially igniting something over. If you all weigh 127lbs and she weighs 133lbs then yea, I can see why it’s an issue because that’s 23lbs over the minimum and about 15lbs (ish) over a reasonable “max” for a women’s coxswain.

The real problem is how to bring it up and who to bring it up to. To be honest, if I was coaching a crew that had an issue like this (or felt that it was an issue) I’d rather just have you come to me and say something rather than say something directly to the other person and then leave me to piece together the details and deal with the fallout. You kind of have to judge what your coach’s reaction would be before you do it though because, depending on their coaching style, your relationship with them, your coxswain’s relationship with them, etc., it could end up making you look … not good. Unless you are really good friends with your coxswain (and even then, a little bit…), I’d caution bringing the issue up with her yourself for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

College Coxing Q&A

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So I’ve always been a coxswain on a men’s team and I was recruited by men’s programs at various schools. The school I ended up having to choose (not my number one) only has a women’s program. I’m concerned because I’ve always been around a comfortable weight for a men’s coxswain, not a women’s. Any tips for making the switch with my weight? I’ve been really concerned about it.

Does your school have a club men’s team? Sometimes they aren’t as well “advertised” as women’s programs but it’s worth checking into if you haven’t already.

I’d talk to the coaches first and just say that you’ve always been naturally and comfortably around 120-125lbs, which has never been an issue because up until now you’ve been a men’s coxswain. Being 110lbs (or in that range) might not be reasonable or even possible for your body and coaches have to understand that. Don’t do anything drastic just to get super close to the minimum and don’t let anyone tell you that you need to be exactly 110lbs either. If you can be somewhere in the range of 115-117lbs, that should be fine.

Related: Despite my lack of experience, I think I’d make a pretty good cox. I’ve spent a lot of time as bow in quads, I was captain and generally a leader on my team, and I have a lot of experience with the sport that I believe will help me – I’ve rowed every type of boat, I’ve been in very winning and very losing crews, and I went from having horrible technique to one of the best on my team. When I went to a week-long summer camp as a cox I was quickly put in the top men’s boat and I got a lot of positive feedback from the coaches. I’m just worried that my weight combined with my lack of coxing experience will prevent me from making a good boat. What is your experience with the importance of weight and what can I do to get it down while still staying healthy? Thanks!

Like I said in that question from yesterday, find out what a healthy target is for you and just make simple changes to your diet and exercise routine. Doesn’t need to be anything drastic. In the fall there’s some leeway with weight for everyone – it doesn’t become something that anyone really starts thinking about until spring season rolls around – but you should still be aware of your goal and be consciously working towards it. If you get to a point where you’ve got nothing left to lose and you’re starting to feel some negative effects from it, talk with your coaches again. This shouldn’t be something you obsess over either, both now or when you’re at school.