rowing stronger Strength Training to Maximize Rowing Performance by will ruth

Transcription

1 rowing stronger Strength Training to Maximize Rowing Performance by will ruth

2 REVIEWS OF ROWING STRONGER Will s program filled the weight training gap that we had always downplayed and treated as an afterthought. Now that I have seen the results over the last two years, it s a shame we weren t working with him earlier! Biggest improvements have been in our beginning and ending sprints, as well as power moves over a 2k race. Guys have a deeper well of power to draw from and it hasn t come at the cost of aerobic capacity. Jack Marolich, Western Washington University Men s head coach (USA) Will s strength training program played a huge role in the improvements that I saw throughout my junior and senior years. During the first year on his training I saw an 8 second improvement on my 2k erg PR (concept 2) compared with a 3 second increase in the prior calendar year as well as notable improvements in my overall body strength, flexibility, and energy levels. Carl Smith, Western Washington University and Vesper Boat Club rower (USA, 2015), World University Games This is fantastic. This is the best lifting-for-rowing program handbook that I have ever seen, and is so incredibly helpful. I would definitely be able to write a program for myself, or my team, using this guide. I always wished something like this existed. I m so glad it finally does! Haley Yeager, University of Washington rower (2012), Atlanta Junior Rowing Association coach (USA) Really well laid out, the level of detail is extremely high but can also be understood by anyone with any range of knowledge on the subject. The arguments made are well-thought out and researched and provide solid alternatives to the traditional programme or at least a chance to alter some areas of training. All in all it was a very good and easy and informative read which I personally will use when in the gym. Harry Richardson, Tideway Scullers School Junior Rower (UK) Having worked on putting together a rowing specific programme for rowers, it has been difficult tracking down rowing specific exercises and even harder to get information for the masters weight training. This is a great resource for any trainer or rower to have. Jacqui Jones, REPS Level 3 Advanced Fitness Instructor, Marlow Rowing Club (UK) Rowing Stronger is packed with information relevant to rowing coaches and athletes. It clearly explains the nuts and bolts of how to effectively utilize block periodization to build a training program for rowing. Ruth draws parallels between the approach of many rowers to explain core strength training concepts. As a coach, it s impossible to ignore the implications for increased mobility and reduction in injury. Colin Heneghan, Dartmouth College rower (2012), Los Gatos Rowing Club coach (USA) ROWING STRONGER 1

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE TOP-DOWN ENDURANCE APPROACH INJURY PREVENTION TERMS AND DEFINITIONS OLYMPIC LIFTS MALE/FEMALE TRAINING DIFFERENCES APPLYING BLOCK PERIODIZATION TO YOUR TRAINING HOW TO WRITE A PERIODIZED PROGRAM HEAD RACING: THE 6-10K ROWER LIGHTWEIGHTS AND OVERTRAINING SYNDROME EXERCISE SELECTION AND INJURY PREVENTION COXSWAINS MASTERS YOUTH TRAINING EXERCISE GUIDE AND SPECIFIC EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION BIBLIOGRAPHY ABOUT THE AUTHOR Copyright 2015 by Will Ruth All rights reserved Illustrations by Eamon Smith and Sami Prouty. Cover art by Ben Rodford. Book design by Lyndsey Nuckols. ROWING STRONGER 2

4 INTRODUCTION Rowing, unique among Olympic sports, requires both strength and endurance yet most training programs focus on the latter. Balanced, progressive strength training delivers power to the rowing stroke and protects the athlete from injury. As a coach, I have seen many mistakes in strength training, from mimicking the programs of elite rowers to trying to train athletes like bodybuilders and powerlifters. I wrote this manual with the goal of creating a comprehensive guide to strength training for rowing that would help a reader learn how Strength endurance to put strength training principles to training without adequate work without spending hours sifting strength only means you through multiple incomplete books, are getting better at being websites, and articles. The simplest weak. effective method of periodization for strength training is the block periodization system. There are many forms - Ed McNeely of periodization and many more systems for strength training, but this is the building block for programs that effectively integrate strength training ROWING STRONGER 3

5 into a comprehensive program for rowers. My goal in writing this manual is to provide a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the block periodization system and how to put them to work for an athlete or team. This is not a just add water program to follow blindly. You will learn how to program and adjust your training to suit your needs, individual situation, and equipment availability. The Top Down Approach will enable you to put the power in a power ten. The Top-Down Endurance Approach I believe in using the water, erg, or cross training to build the foundation of endurance while using the weight-room to build endurance from the top-down. The cardiovascular (CV) system develops faster than the muscular system, and is the foundation of endurance, while the muscular system takes longer to develop, but represents the ceiling of ultimate ability. The goal of the Top-Down approach is to improve the rower s maximum force potential to make the force required from one rowing stroke a smaller percentage of their maximum force, and thus easier to endure for longer time and distance. Let s assume that one stroke requires 300lbs (136kg) of force, about half of which will be produced by the legs, so one stroke would equate to roughly a 150lb squat [1]. The most common, though ineffective, way to increase rowing endurance at that intensity is by doing high-rep endurance sets of 20+ reps with 150lbs. By contrast, the goal of the top-down system would be to ROWING STRONGER 4

6 build high-end power from a junior rower s squat max of 175lbs (150=85% of 175) to a university rower with a max of 315lbs (now 150=47%), WHILE continuing endurance work on the water/erg via hundreds or thousands of strokes per week. Endurance and strength thus develop in parallel over months and years to produce a more effective rowing stroke. The Top-Down Approach is especially important with athletes who have a young training age. Training age doesn t refer to chronological age, but rather the years an athlete has trained a given activity. If a rower arrives at college and has rowed since high school, their rowing training age might be five, but their weight-training age might be zero or one if rowing has been their sole activity. Many rowers, especially high school and college rowers, have not had a structured and sufficiently supervised weight-training program. The absolute last thing a new trainee should do is a program of high-rep isolation exercise circuits. Not only does this approach fail to teach the rower how to use the body and muscles in a coordinated way that will transfer to rowing, but the high volume inherent in light endurance circuits can cause overuse injuries and muscular imbalances. Additionally, a rowing team can have heights ranging from 5 3 females to 6 8 males, and a generic commercial exercise machine is not built for this range of athletes. This exposes athletes to further risk of injury with ill-fitting and ineffective machines that place tension on vulnerable parts of joints, muscles, and bones. In addition to the physiological benefits of low-rep training compared to high-rep training (20+ reps), low-rep training allows an athlete to focus fully on executing every rep with proper form and power. Mental focus deteriorates in high-rep sets, which leads to ineffective low-effort training as well ROWING STRONGER 5

7 as potential for injury resulting from a breakdown in form. Performing powerful and accurate repetitions in the two-to-ten rep range yields the most benefit from each exercise, effectively and efficiently builds strength, and reduces the injury potential of longer, high-rep sets of 20+ reps. The Top-Down Approach also reduces another chronic risk for rowers and endurance athletes overtraining. Ask a rower what their typical week is like, and it ll be at least 12 hours on the water or on the erg, 2-4 high volume lifting sessions (if any weight-room training is done at all), and 1-2 road/stair run conditioning sessions thrown in. This is a lot of mileage on the ankles, knees, and hips. Sitting in a boat or on an erg for 12+ hours a week, running, cycling, and lifting weights for high reps also causes postural concerns for the midback and shoulders. All of this training is then combined with student or full-time employee responsibilities of sitting down and studying, working, and commuting. Added all up, injury or sickness commonly results in the overtrained athlete whose body is unable to recover from chronic or escalating stress. Overtraining can also have a detrimental effect on performance, causing lack of motivation to train, decreased cardiac output, higher resting heart rate, and even depression-like symptoms at the acute level [2]. ROWING STRONGER 6

8 Rather than flail away on machine circuits and high-rep endurance sets, this system of strength training uses faster, more efficient, safer, strength-focused sessions to target exercises to directly improve rowing performance as well as exercises to prevent injury. These sessions consist of back and front squats for the legs, deadlift variations for the posterior chain muscles, overhead pressing for the shoulders and mid-back, barbell and dumbbell rowing variations for the back muscles, and assistance exercises for injury prevention and muscular balance. Main work consists of strength or power work, using big compound muscle groups, to improve endurance over the long-term via the top-down strategy. Assistance work can then be used for secondary goals such as muscle size, strength, and injury prevention through isolation exercises for targeted muscle groups. Assistance work tends to focus on restoring the muscles that rowing fails to develop. There is much more detail on this in the Exercise Selection and Injury Prevention chapter, but lack of strength in the postural muscles is one of the main causes of the rowing hunchback internally rotated caveman shoulders and the turtleshell mid-back. Sweep rowing causes even greater imbalances by putting greater reliance on one side of the body. The muscles of the inside arm and the inside leg are commonly under-developed compared to the outside arm and leg. It is imperative that these imbalances are corrected to restore bilateral (left/right side) symmetry and avoid overuse injuries and complications later in life. One of the main benefits of a structured weight-training program is restoring balance to the muscular system by correcting bilateral asymmetries to prevent injury and maximize performance. ROWING STRONGER 7

9 The single most important reason to weight train is prevention of injury. Immediate performance improvement is a distant second. This is contrary to the beliefs of most, but does it matter how strong or how fast you are, or how great your endurance is, if you hurt too much to display it? What if you can out-run everyone on your team, but due to a shoulder injury, can t row in the big race? What if you have the best technique in the boat, but can t race or go 100% because of a hip injury? Weight-training can prevent muscular imbalances that lead to injury, which keeps athletes in the boat longer, providing more time to practice form and gain opportunities to improve in the sport, which can earn a longer, healthier, and more successful career. *Please note that all of the following information about programming will not help you if you cannot, or do not, perform the exercises correctly. If you do not have a coach or trainer working with you, I recommend at least a few introductory sessions with a qualified personal trainer to learn the basics of the exercises in this program. Performing free-weight exercises incorrectly can lead to injury or at least failure to fully reap the benefits of that exercise. It is of the utmost importance that all exercises are performed safely and correctly at all times. Do not sacrifice form for weight at any point in your training. None of the following is medical advice and it is recommended that you consult a medical professional before undergoing any physical training regimen. ROWING STRONGER 8

10 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Skim this section at your own risk. While it is possible to understand how to set up a program without knowing the following information, at least being familiar with the terms and definitions will help you be a more well-rounded coach or athlete. What follows is essentially a summary of the science of kinesiology combined with the state of the art in coaching and rowing experience. The information is as concise as it can practically be and necessary for complete understanding of the block periodization system. Ultimately, the more knowledge you have, the better you will be able to adapt the system to your individual needs. Periodization To periodize training simply means to focus on developing different qualities at different times of the year. Periodization can take many forms, the individual analysis of which is beyond the scope of this manual, but all forms revolve around the concept of not trying to do everything at once. For rowing, this means splitting training up into different blocks so that we work ROWING STRONGER 9

11 PEAK PERFORMANCE VOLUME INTENSITY COMPETITIVE PERFORMANCE PRE-COMPETITIVE PREPARATION REJUVENATION TIME on speed during the 2k race season, endurance and technique during the 6k race season, and then recovery and other general sport qualities during the off seasons. The purpose of periodization, and the advantage over trying to do everything at once -ization, is to put a greater focus on developing multiple necessary qualities for the sport to elicit a gradual overload that leads to greater performance. Simply put, focusing on developing one or two athletic qualities at a time rather than trying to train all qualities simultaneously will result in greater long-term athletic performance. The qualities manipulated when writing a periodized program are: Volume, Intensity, Frequency, and Specificity. ROWING STRONGER 10

12 Volume is the total amount of work performed in a given session or length of time. For weights, this can be calculated by sets (x) reps (x) weight. If one lifts 300 pounds for 3 sets of 10, the session volume is 9000 pounds. Intensity is the next variable. Generally, volume and intensity are inversely proportional--if volume is high, intensity is low, and vice versa. Intensity is the percentage of your 100% effort at which you are working during your training session. One 500-meter sprint, all-out, would be 100% intensity, but one might do four 500-meter sprints at 80% intensity. It is easier to define intensity in the weight-room, where 100% intensity is represented by the maximum amount of weight lifted through a given range of motion (ROM). If a parallel back squat 1-repetition maximum (1RM) is 200 pounds, 80% of that 1RM is 160 pounds. Fewer reps are possible as one gets closer to the 1RM, which is why volume and intensity are inversely proportional. Intensity can also be defined based on the Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE) scale for those activities that are more difficult to objectively measure. The RPE scale is a scale of 1-10 that estimates how much effort is exerted into a given exercise. Frequency is the amount of times in a given amount of time that a certain quality is trained. Weight-training frequency might be high in the off-season, but rowing frequency might be lower, while weight-training frequency ROWING STRONGER 11

13 might be lower in-season when rowing frequency is higher. Total training frequency can also refer to the number of times per week any sport activity is trained, be it weight-training, cross-training, or actual rowing and erging. In general, a program can maximize only two out of three of these variables at any one time. A program could be high volume and high frequency, but the intensity would have to be lower to allow for recovery. A program could have higher intensity and higher frequency, but total volume would have to be lower. A program that is too high in volume, intensity, AND frequency risks burnout or injury. Specificity is the final variable and is defined as how focused training is on the competitive sport. Specificity increases as the competitive season nears. If the competitive season is the 2k race season, specificity would be highest during the spring, focusing training on shorter distances, higher power, and refined technique at higher stroke rates, while doing very little cross-training. Specificity decreases sharply immediately following the competitive season. I highly recommend participating in another sport or activity during off-seasons, especially for the younger (high school age) athlete to develop a wide range of athletic qualities. For the collegiate or post-collegiate athlete, this period of low specificity might just mean doing other enjoyable activities or focusing more on cross-training through biking, running, or recreational sports. Below are some more terms and definitions useful for understanding core concepts of exercise science. Hypertrophy is muscle fiber size. While extreme hypertrophy exhibited ROWING STRONGER 12

14 by bodybuilders is not desired for rowing, increasing muscular bodyweight to a certain point can benefit rowing performance by increasing the amount of mass that can be pulled on the oar. Additionally, muscle fiber size is one of the most important indicators of maximum force potential. A bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, as long as the aerobic system can still power it. This additional bodyweight has to be accompanied by additional strength and aerobic to make the increase worthwhile. Higher volume hypertrophy training can also yield greater muscular endurance and is often referred to as base building. This is not to be confused with the high-rep endurance training typically seen in rowing programs. The hypertrophy rep range extends from 8-15 reps, not exceeding 20. The exercises used for hypertrophy training also tend to be simpler and bear less of an injury risk to allow for higher reps to be used. Volume Intensity Rest interval Example rep ranges reps per exercise 60-75% of 1rm 1-3 minutes 60%, 65%, 70%, 65% Strength is defined as maximal force production, largely dependent on Central Nervous System (CNS) adaptation and muscular coordination. Strength is relevant to rowing because greater strength leads to greater en- ROWING STRONGER 13

15 durance by decreasing the amount of muscular effort required to move an oar through the water. See the intro and Top-Down Endurance for a refresher on this concept. Volume Intensity Rest interval Example rep ranges reps per exercise 75-95% of 1RM 3-5 minutes 80%, 75%, 82%, 85%, 92% Power is the ability to rapidly exert force, largely dependent on CNS coordination and proportion of muscle fiber type (more fast-twitch fiber = more power). The difference between power and strength is the factor of time. Strength is simply the maximum amount of force, as in a maximal back squat. Power is the intersection of maximum force and minimum time, as in a vertical jump. Power is relevant to rowing as greater power will improve the rate at which force can be developed against the oar, decreasing the time between catch and leg drive. Note that rep ranges always stay low for power work to keep focus and explosive intent high for every rep. Crisp and explosive execution of every rep is crucial to power development. ROWING STRONGER 14

16 Volume Intensity Rest interval Example rep ranges reps per exercise 65-80% of 1RM 2-4 minutes 65%, 75% 70% Rest intervals are another important variable in program design. The basic reasoning for rest interval programming is that ATP (energy) needs to be regenerated in the system in order to fully express strength. It takes 3-4 minutes for ATP to regenerate, so rest intervals for strength training will typically be 3-4 minutes in between sets. This is less important for hypertrophy training, where the goal is to elicit muscular fatigue and full expression of strength is not a priority. Power follows the strength rest interval, although it can be reduced slightly as the intensity is typically lower and energy can regenerate faster. Strength Hypertrophy/base building Power 3-5 minutes of rest 1-3 minutes of rest 2-4 minutes of rest ROWING STRONGER 15

17 Aerobic conditioning is the cardiovascular (CV) system s ability to pump blood to muscles and organs, useful for low intensity and long duration exercising but also for muscular recovery in between sessions. A more effective CV system will get nutrients and oxygen to muscles more rapidly, allowing for greater session-to-session recovery. As rowing is a majority aerobic sport, the conditioning of the aerobic system is highly important to be able to race at full performance. Keep the aerobic training to the erg, boat, bicycle, and road runs though, not in the weight-room. Anaerobic conditioning is the ability of non-oxygenic energy systems to generate force repeatedly, useful for high intensity and short duration exercising. Very few sports are 100% aerobic or 100% anaerobic. On the continuum, rowing is majority aerobic, but the anaerobic system still contributes strongly and rowers tend to neglect the anaerobic system in training. Most sources have rowing as anywhere from 50-80% aerobic, but the starts and sprints are where the anaerobic power is really apparent. A 6k race will be more aerobic than a 2k, but is discussed at greater length in the Head Racing chapter [4]. The shortening phase of muscle action, usually the lifting phase of an exercise, is referred to as the concentric action. This is as opposed to the lengthening, usually lowering, phase of muscle action, which is the eccentric action. The general rule for weight training is a 2:1 eccentric-to-concentric ratio, so a two-count on the way down and a one-count on the way up. This is also referred to as tempo. Main Work is the primary work done in a training session, performed ROWING STRONGER 16

18 first before other exercises. Assistance Work is the secondary work done in a training session, performed after the main work. Fitness is defined in this manual as the ability to perform a certain task. In this case, fitness is how 2k race-ready the athlete is. Exercise notation: In this manual, I use the format (sets) x (% of 1RM). Thus, 3x8@70% would be read as 3 sets of 8 70% of 1RM. A rest interval will usually be added to this as well when relevant. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about strength training for rowing. What about Olympic lifts? I do not believe that the Olympic lifts are useful enough to rowing to merit the necessary amount of time spent teaching and practicing the lifts. This is not to say that the Olympic lifts are not useful, just that the amount of time that you have to spend practicing them in order to be proficient enough to benefit from them would be better spent squatting, deadlifting, and doing other power-developing exercises. The lone Olympic lift variant that I will use is a high pull, in which the athlete lifts the bar like a deadlift, then explosively accelerates when the bar reaches the knees, propelling the bar with hip power to mid-torso height. The major flaw with the Olympic lifts transferring to rowing is that the recovery phase of an Olympic lift is markedly different than that of a rowing stroke. The Olympic lifts rely on rapid extension from the hips followed by rapid deceleration to pull oneself under ROWING STRONGER 17

19 the bar before standing up with the weight. This is not a motion that is replicated in the boat. Rowing is also not a triple extension sport as the ankles and hips never reach full extension. The main purpose of the Olympic lifts is to develop explosive triple extension. The hips will extend to approximately 120 degrees at the layback stage, well short of the 180+ degrees of extension present in a clean or snatch. Are there separate weight-training programs for male and female rowers? No. The differences between males and females from a weight-training perspective are negligible and often anecdotal at best. The myth of female bulkiness resulting from weight-training has been sufficiently debunked by many scientific sources [5]. Strong legs, a strong back, and a healthy body are necessary to both male and female rowers. Because there is no difference in sport standards (2,000m is 2,000m no matter which reproductive system one is carrying), there is really no reason to program differently for male rowers and female rowers. What level of rower can benefit from Block Periodization? Any level of rower. The block periodization system is simply a way to organize training, so as you grow and develop as a rower, you can adapt and adjust this framework as necessary, all the way from novice to elite. However, the advice of coaches should be followed above all else as they know the ROWING STRONGER 18

20 athletes specific situation and requirements and have developed their own system over their career and experiences. As a coach, I know that no coach likes an athlete who thinks they know better and goes off-script behind their back, so stay on the coach s good side and follow their program or bring this manual to their attention and have an unemotional discussion. There are many different types of periodization and many ways to organize training, many of which can be effective when applied correctly. How strong is strong enough? Strength training can improve performance at any level of rowing. While there is a point of diminishing returns where more strength will only lead to marginal improvements in rowing ability, strength training has many more benefits than just maximum muscular output. At that point of diminishing returns, a very experienced athlete could deprioritize maximum strength training in favor of training specifically for injury prevention, strength maintenance, power output, and power endurance. ROWING STRONGER 19

21 APPLYING BLOCK PERIODIZATION TO YOUR TRAINING We will now discuss the nuts and bolts of how to manage the four variables of volume, intensity, frequency, and specificity as part of an annual program to elicit the greatest benefit from each. The purpose of this manual is not to provide a cookie-cutter list of exercises to complete mindlessly, but rather to teach you how to program and effectively train yourself. A thorough understanding of the four blocks of Block Periodization and what each of the blocks entail is essential to planning a training cycle. The Preparation Block The Preparation Block is characterized by higher volumes and lower intensities of work, with moderate frequency of training sessions. The purpose of this block is to build a base for greater work and effort to come, and to develop technique. In the prep block, specificity is low-to-moderate. This block is split into two phases, the General Prep and the Specific Prep. General Prep is the low specificity off-season, while Specific Prep is the mod- ROWING STRONGER 20

22 erate specificity distance season. For the 2k rower, General Prep would be summer off-season and Specific Prep fall 6k season. Moderate volume work at manageable intensities allows for plenty of opportunity to practice form, both on the water and in the weight-room, and improve bilateral symmetry. The long intervals of steady state rowing and cross-training work also increases the efficacy of the aerobic system to meet future demands. The Pre-Competitive Block The Pre-Competitive Block is characterized by less volume than the Prep Block, but higher intensities and higher frequency. The purpose of this block is to gradually transition from the preparatory block to the competitive block. In the Pre-Competitive block, volume is gradually decreased while intensity, frequency, and specificity are gradually increased. This describes the winter and early spring season for the 2k rower. A main focus of the Pre-Competitive block is power development. The goal is to take the strength and base developed in the Preparation phases and turn that into ROWING STRONGER 21

23 power. Now, more than ever, the concentric portion of every main work lift should be executed with full explosive intent, or as fast as you can move the load. The main work in this block tends to be explosive sets of low reps in the 55-70% range. The Competitive Block The Competitive Block is where it all comes together for the main race season. In this block, lower volume and higher intensities are used with lower weight-training frequency. In the first two blocks, weight-training frequency mirrored rowing frequency, but now, rowing and erging frequency will increase while weight-training frequency will decrease. The goal of weight-training during this block is to maintain the strength and power built during the Prep and Pre-Competitive blocks, if not improve it. It is possible to maintain muscular strength and power while lowering frequency as long as intensity is kept relatively high. There are many rowers who diligently train all off-season, then stop completely as soon as the season begins to focus entirely on rowing. These rowers are losing strength and power throughout the season, resulting in being weakest when it matters most late in the competitive season. What good is all the strength training if you arrive at the championship race in the most de-trained condition all year? Rather than taking three steps forward, then two steps back, program to take three steps forward and ZERO steps back to become a rower who is fast, strong, and ready for the championship races. ROWING STRONGER 22

24 Rejuvenation While this block is often included in the Prep phrase, I feel that it merits a greater emphasis and special attention in its very own block. Rest is crucial in a training plan, but is often overlooked or ignored. I have found this to be a particular problem with endurance athletes and rowers, who are usually workaholics. I do not give my athletes a structured program for 2-4 weeks following the last race of the competitive season, instead encouraging them to stay active through activities that they personally enjoy but may not get to do during the training year. This is referred to as active rest and can be anything from hiking and biking to frisbee golf and ping pong. It is essential that periodization include a physical and mental break from competitive sport to relax and heal. I guarantee that athletes will feel mentally and physically prepared to tackle the next off-season training block with the inclusion of this active rest block. You should now have a concise understanding of the individual demands of each block in a periodized program. The next issue is how to manage each of these blocks and to combine them together into an effective annual program. The key to optimizing benefit in a periodized program is maintaining qualities of each block as you build on to the next. When moving from one train- ROWING STRONGER 23

25 ing block to the next, do not abandon all elements of the previous training block. For example, keep some endurance work from Prep block in your Pre-Competitive and Competitive block, and do some high intensity and/ or power work during the Prep block. This is how qualities are maintained from each block to attain the systemic overload that is the ultimate goal of periodization. Although I refer to maintaining qualities, it may be better to think of it as a secondary focus. ROWING STRONGER 24

26 General Prep Block (summer) Weight-training (primary) focus: Base-building/hypertrophy Maintain (secondary focus): Strength Rowing focus: General aerobic conditioning Specific Prep Block (fall) Weight-training (primary) focus: Strength Maintain (secondary focus): Base-building/hypertrophy Rowing focus: Specific aerobic conditioning Pre-Competitive Block (winter) Weight-training (primary) focus: Power Maintain (secondary focus): Strength Rowing focus: Anaerobic conditioning Competitive Block (spring) Rowing focus: 2k performance Maintain (secondary focus): Power ROWING STRONGER 25

27 HOW TO WRITE A PERIODIZED PROGRAM The goal of Block Periodization is to develop and selectively maintain sport qualities while developing other necessary qualities to ultimately attain peak performance. This section will explain how to maintain each quality while shifting focus to the next. This is the essence of periodization and what can separate a champion rower from a runner-up. Step 1: Establish how many times a week you are willing and able to train, including weights, cross-training, and rowing sessions. Honesty is particularly important at this step, as this is the foundation around which you will base your training for the year. This number should be entirely realistic, not a goal or an optimistic number. Step 2: Decide how these training sessions will break down by category--sport specific (practice, rowing/erging), cross-training, and weight-training. The main concern when choosing from the below options is how weight-training fits into the rest of your schedule. There is little evidence that one is markedly better than another from a performance standpoint, so just select the most sustainable option. ROWING STRONGER 26

28 Step 3: Plan your training blocks around your sport practice. First, block out your seasons during which time you will have scheduled water or erg practice sessions. Fall: Start of fall season to last race of fall season Winter: Last race of fall season to first water practice of spring season Spring: First practice of spring season to last championship race Summer: Last championship race to start of fall season Next, mark any known races or other events in each block. Also include any holidays or other events that may preclude you from training normally. ROWING STRONGER 27

29 This is now the framework for your customized block periodization program. You have the Specific Preparation Block for fall season, the Pre-Competitive block for the winter season, the Competitive Block for the spring season, then the Immediate Off-Season and General Preparation Block for the summer off-season. See: Appendix, Example of an Annual Plan for year Step 4: Dedicate roughly 70-75% of your training to the focus of that block and roughly 25-30% to maintaining qualities from the previous block. This will be referred to as the 75/25 method from here on. If weight-training three times a week, roughly a third of each session is dedicated to maintaining previous qualities. If weight-training two or four times a week, roughly one quarter of each session is dedicated to maintenance. Note that all rep ranges listed are following a warm-up and progressively working up in weight. If an athlete s squat max is 275 and the workout listed is 1x5@87%, that athlete might do: 95x5, 135x5, 165x5, 185x5, 205x3, 225x3, 240x5 (final set, 87%). This achieves a proper warm-up to reduce injury risk, re-ingrain and practice the form of the lift, and perform better at the top set for the day. In the table below, I lay this out visually with suggested set and reps. Follow the appropriate rest intervals for each objective from the Terms and Definitions section. These are simply suggested methods for reaching the total number of reps per exercise according to the intensity parameters and I encourage you to come up with your own workouts. ROWING STRONGER 28

30 Block Focus Sets/Reps Maintenance Sets/Reps Notes General Hypertrophy Strength preparation Specific preparation Strength reps per exercise in the 60-75% intensity range. Etc reps per exercise in the 75-90% intensity range. Etc. Hypertrophy 5-25 reps per exercise in the 75-90% intensity range. Etc reps per exercise in the 60-75% intensity range. Etc. Strength work performed before hypertrophy work, even though it is the maintenance quality, to minimize injury risk from using heavy weights when fatigued. The volume and intensity of the strength work will be slightly decreased compared to when it is the focus quality. Because strength is the focus, assistance exercise volume or intensity may be decreased slightly. Precompetitive Power reps per exercise in the 65-80% intensity range. Etc. Strength reps per exercise in the 75-90% intensity range. Etc. Full explosive intent on each rep! I prefer to start with higher rep ranges on the strength maintenance work early in the block, gradually dropping the volume and increasing the intensity until close to the Competitive Block. This can be seen in the periodization picture in the last section with how volume drops as intensity increases. Early in this block I would suggest total reps for strength maintenance, while later in the block, ROWING STRONGER 29

31 Block Focus Sets/Reps Maintenance Sets/Reps Notes Competitive N/A Power 5-15 reps per exercise in the 65-85% intensity range. Etc. This block is different because strength improvement is less important than maintenance of qualities developed via weight-training. All of your weight-training would be low volume, concise, and focused on maintaining power and injury prevention. I have also had success with increasing load sets. With this method, the athlete would do 5-6 sets of 1 with increasing weight, starting with 70%, then 75%, 80%, and 2x1@85%. Step 5: Plan transitions between these training blocks. Even with the 75/25 method to maintain qualities between blocks, it is not recommended to move abruptly from one block to the next. I plan a one-totwo week transition block in between each block. This allows the athlete to adapt to the new focus and new intensity gradually, rather than all at once, which can cause excessive muscular soreness and fatigue and diminish effectiveness. Program a week of active rest in between blocks, depending on the difficulty of the training. I really like the athlete to come into each training block rested and aggressive, itching to train again, rather than worndown from the previous training block. This is also a convenient way to let ROWING STRONGER 30

32 the rower enjoy some time off while still benefiting development does the fall season end just before Thanksgiving? Take Thanksgiving week of active rest, plan a transition week just after Thanksgiving, then move into the Pre-Competitive block the week after that. During the transition periods, rather than 75/25, plan one-to-two weeks of roughly 50/50. 50% of the training will be similar to the prior training block, 50% will be training for the next block. Remember to follow the hierarchy of training rule from Terms and Definitions to organize the session power before strength, strength before hypertrophy to maximize benefit from each quality. When transitioning from the Prep Block base-building focus ROWING STRONGER 31

33 into the Pre-Competitive block of power development, the first half of the session is done with a power focus and the second half of the session for hypertrophy. Now you have a periodized annual program with four distinct training blocks, each of which has its own goal or objective that builds toward success in your competitive season, including transition blocks in place to move smoothly between training cycles. This alone is a more thorough approach to training than many of your competitors will be taking, but why stop here? Now, plan the competitive season race taper to go the next step further in maximizing weight-training benefit. Step 6: The Taper In rowing, competitive opportunities are fairly infrequent compared to other sports. Competitions require extra recovery and preparation, so training has to accommodate the racing schedule. In a sport with frequent competition, you have to be game ready The purpose of the taper for much of the week, which hampers is to maintain strength and long-term improvement. In rowing, power while allowing for you can program more complex and full recovery for race day. more extreme training cycles as long as you program tapers to facilitate pre-race recovery. While immediate performance may decrease during an especially difficult training cycle, a well-programmed taper cycle can vault performance beyond previous levels once fatigue is removed and full recovery can occur. Many athletes simply take time off from weight-training before competi- ROWING STRONGER 32

34 tions. In Rowing Faster, Ed McNeely claims that novices can benefit simply from 1-3 days off before a race because novices are still at the point where their form limits their speed, rather than their fitness. As rowers become more advanced, and form becomes more standard and less of a competitive limitation, more attention to the taper is required to deliver maximum race day results [6]. As mentioned earlier, an intermediate rower who simply takes time off through race season can result in that rower being weakest when it matters most. The purpose of the taper is to maintain strength and power while allowing for full recovery for race day. We do this through low volume, moderate intensity power work. It is essential when doing power training, but especially when doing low volume power training, that you execute each repetition with explosive intent, trying to move the bar as fast as you possibly can through the concentric range of motion. Treat light weights like heavy weights and heavy weights become light weights, is a common saying in weight-rooms. When planning a taper, we rely on the concept of residuals to get us to a competition strong and well recovered. Residuals are the prolonged effect of strength training that maintains muscular strength (not aerobic or anaerobic fitness though, those windows are much shorter) for up to 30 days, according to research [5]. According to this theory, if the athlete is highly proficient in the exercise and therefore does not suffer motor pattern breakdown, one could stop strength training entirely for 30 days, walk back into the weight room, and perform roughly at the weights at which they were capable of before. While it is unlikely that many athletes are proficient enough in each individual lift to truly accomplish this, the concept is highly useful ROWING STRONGER 33

35 for planning a taper. The main takeaway from the research on residuals is the suggestion to have a heavy weight-training session at least once every 30 days to just maintain muscular strength if one is highly proficient at the lift. I program the taper so that the athlete is never racing after more than 14 days away from an 85% intensity strength training session, and I refer to this as the residual timer. While 14 days is less than 30 days the research suggests is necessary, I prefer to program so that 21 days is the longest an athlete is away from an 85%+ intensity session. Work backwards from main race dates to program higher intensity (85% of 1RM) sessions as stimulus sessions to reset the residual timer, and lower intensity (65-70% of 1RM) power sessions as recovery sessions. Below is an example spring 2k schedule Week 3, Mar 14: Minor sprint race Week 4, Mar 28: Minor sprint race Week 5, April 4: Minor intercollegiate race Week 6, April 11: Local intercollegiate regatta Week 7, April 19: Conference Championship Week 8, April 25: Regional Championship Week 9, May 2: Major regional race ROWING STRONGER 34

36 Week 10, May 8: Major national race Week 12, May 23: National Championship For the purposes of the taper, ignore all races before April 19. Athletes should be able to perform well in minor early-season races with a small amount of fatigue. Remember, the main goal of strength training during the competitive season is simply to maintain power, so Competitive Block weight-training avoids overly difficult and fatiguing training. That said, performance is important in the regional and qualifying regattas after April 19, so extra recovery time is programmed for those races. Here is one way to plan the training weeks to accomplish this based off the example dates above: Weeks 1-6: Normal power maintenance of the Competitive Block Week 7: Low volume, power-only sessions, very limited assistance work (specific injury prevention only). The low intensity and low volume will facilitate recovery while performing the exercises will keep the motor patterns fresh to allow for return to a high intensity session with little decline in ability. Week 8: Low volume, power-only sessions, very limited assistance work (injury prevention only). Week 9: Recovery day on Monday, then hit a high intensity strength session on Tuesday 4/28. Before this point, there were exactly 14 days ROWING STRONGER 35

37 from any intensities over 85%. To avoid a decline in maximal strength, hit a heavy session here to re-start the residual timer. Week 10: Low volume, power-only sessions, very limited assistance work (injury prevention only). Week 11-12: Recovery/travel Monday and Tuesday, then hit one high intensity strength session on Thursday or Friday the 14th or 15th. This will be the final 85%+ session before the National Championship on May 23, re-starting the residual timer once again with no more than 14 days away from high intensity training. The week leading up to Nationals will either be travel or very easy, very low volume, very low intensity power-only sessions to facilitate full recovery. Again, the whole point of the taper is to keep the athlete just as strong as they were when they started the season, while allowing for recovery so that fatigue is no longer masking fitness. Thus, the athletes are faster and more powerful than when the season began because full recovery has taken place, no fatigue is present, and all of the hard rowing, sprint work, and technique improvements can pay off on race day. Ed McNeely suggests in Rowing Faster that a properly programmed taper can improve performance by 3-11% via nervous, muscular, and hormone system adaptations [6]. Some personal experimentation will be required to dial in exactly how you or your athletes will need to taper, as the process can vary by experience, training age, and training volume. ROWING STRONGER 36

38 McNeely provides a general guide for planning the taper below [6]: Training volume (hrs/week) Total taper duration days days days Note that the numbers are total taper duration. The longer the taper, the more gradual it can be. If training 15 hours a week, the taper could start 3 weeks out with a slight reduction in training volume, followed by another reduction the next week, then a final reduction the week before the race. It does not mean cut all training 21 days out and coast to race day. Now you know how to build the structure of a periodized training program, beginning with the General Preparation Block all the way to the championship races with transition blocks and tapers in between. We have built the foundation, walls, and rooms of our house and the only thing left is the windows and furniture the actual exercises. Once you understand how to program, exercise selection is essentially just a matter of sticking to the basics and tailoring the program to your individual needs and equipment availability. On the next page is the taper cycle that I used with a collegiate club team in The team lifted twice a week during this time and raced five ROWING STRONGER 37

39 times during the 7-week block. Note the strategically planned heavy workouts during the April 27 and May 11 weeks to maintain strength through the concept of residuals. One of these weeks was a regional regatta of minimal importance and the other was a week with no regattas. Workout A: Front Squat, Strict Overhead Press, Core circuit Workout B: High Pull, Deadlift, DB Press + Batwing, Shoulder Prehab + Biceps Workout C: Back Squat, Push Press, Core and Back circuit Workout D: Front Squat, Romanian Deadlift, DB Press + Batwing, Shoulder Prehab + Abs Remember that notification is sets x intensity, prescribed rest time. ROWING STRONGER 38

40 Week/Workout Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 and 4 Week 6, A 5x3@60%, 1-2 mins 5x3@70%, 1-2 mins Circuit, 4 rounds of 45s each exercise Regatta? Week 6, B 3x2@<135lbs, 1 min 5x2@65%, 2 mins 4x8 Yes (local) Week 7, C 5x3@60%, 2 mins 5x3@65%, 2 mins Circuit, 4 rounds Week 7, D 5x1@65%, 2 mins 3x5@60%, 1 min 2x8 Yes (Conference) Week 8, A 5x3@60%, 1-2 mins 5x3@70%, 1-2 mins Circuit, 3 rounds of 60s each exercise Week 8, B 3x2@<135lbs, 1 min 5x1@65%, 2 mins 3x8 Yes (Regional) Week 9, C 4x2@60, 65, 70, 75%, 2x1@80, 85%, 2 mins Week 9, D 2x1@65, 70%, 3x1@75%, 2 mins 6x2@60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85%, 2 mins 4x8 4x5@60%, 1 min 4x8 Yes (local) Week 10, A 4x2@60%, 1-2 mins 4x3@70%, 1-2 mins Circuit, 4 rounds of 60s each exercise Week 10, B 3x1@<135lbs, 1 min 5x1@65%, 2 mins 4x8 Yes (major) Week 11, C 4x2@60, 65, 60, 65%, 2x1@80, 85%, 2 mins Week 11, D 4x1@65, 70, 75, 80%, 2 mins 4x2@ 60, 65, 70, 75%, 2 mins 4x8 3x5@80% 4x8 No Week 12, A 5x1@60%, 1-2 mins 5x1@60%, 1-2 mins N/A Week 12, B Off (rest and travel) Yes (National) ROWING STRONGER 39

41 HEAD RACING: THE 6-10K ROWER I have provided most examples specific to the 2k-focused rower, but the periodization principles are the same for a rower whose competitive focus is longer distances. It is not recommended to have two in-season competitive blocks per year, so most rowers will choose one season to focus on. For those who focus on the longer distance races, aside from the length of race, there are few physiological differences between a 2k spring rower and a 6k+ fall rower and little to prevent an endurance rower from adapting the block periodization system to their training. Strong legs, strong back, and healthy body are still a priority in weight-training. Here are some tips and changes for adapting the method to a more endurance focus. Rather than following the fall-winter-spring-summer model of the spring rower, the model would likely be as follows for a fall head race rower: General Prep Block (winter) Weight-training (primary) focus: Base-building/hypertrophy Maintain (secondary focus): Strength ROWING STRONGER 40

42 Rowing focus: General aerobic conditioning Specific Prep Block (spring) Weight-training (primary) focus: Strength Maintain (secondary focus): Base-building/hypertrophy Rowing focus: Specific aerobic conditioning Pre-Competitive Block (summer) Weight-training (primary) focus: Power Maintain (secondary focus): Strength Rowing focus: Anaerobic conditioning Competitive Block (fall) Rowing focus: Race performance Maintain (secondary focus): Power The concepts of each block and transitions between blocks still applies just the same between 6k and 2k rowers, but distance athletes may wish to employ slightly lower volume of weight-training. Strength is most important in rowing at the start of the race and for the final sprint. In a head race, the importance of endurance increases and the importance of power decreases as the start and sprint are less important overall than in a 2k. Furthermore, because rowing training itself will be higher volume, weight-training for the endurance rower would focus more on strength and less on power ROWING STRONGER 41

43 compared to the 2k rower. The Pre-Competitive block would therefore be slightly more strength focused and slightly less power focused, concentrating more on the 75-85% intensity range and less on the 60-75% intensity range. This stays in accordance with the Top-Down endurance approach while adjusting weight-training to accommodate higher volume water and ergometer training. This concept is also commonly referred to as polarized training, which means spending a vast majority of training time at a sub-maximal intensity level, then performing the other portion of training at closer to maximal intensities above race pace. For the endurance rowers who might have a hard time making this mental shift from weight-room endurance training, consider this. How many strokes a week do you take in training preparing for a 6k+? If rowing training is so focused on longer pieces and endurance, exactly how many reps would you have to do in the weight-room to see carryover? With approximately 600 strokes in a 6k piece, do you do three sets of 200 in the weight-room to build endurance, or are sets of 50 enough? Or would it be more effective to train for strength in the weight-room to have a downstream effect on endurance and leave the water and the erg to developing endurance specific to your sport? The taper would also be shorter in length, since distance racing relies more ROWING STRONGER 42

44 on aerobic system endurance and less on anaerobic power than a 2k race does. Aerobic fitness has a much shorter residual than strength and is more fatigue-resistant, which means it can withstand greater training volumes and levels before seeing performance decrements. A taper for the endurance athlete should be no more than 14 days, and likely more like 5-7 days for the athlete training hours a week. Weight-training should be low-volume strength maintenance during the competitive season anyway, so this would simply mean scheduling the last strength-training session about 7-10 days before the major race, allowing strength to rebound for full recovery. ROWING STRONGER 43

45 LIGHTWEIGHTS AND OVERTRAINING SYNDROME There is a common misconception in many weight-class sports that lighter is always better. This is not always the case, especially for younger rowers. I would generally encourage a younger athlete, high school and early college-age, to row lightweight for no longer than it is comfortable to maintain that weight. At the point where calorie restriction and other weight-cutting measures are necessary, it may become detrimental to performance of both the short and long-term. Restricting calories below what is necessary to recover from strenuous exercise can lead to over-training. The most common and easiest to identify symptom is fatigue, present at rest and/or during workouts. Mood, irritation, altered sleep patterns, and even depression and decreased desire to compete and participate in sport are also possible symptoms. Further damaging to lightweights in particular, decreased appetite and decreased muscle mass are also possible results from overtraining. Physical symptoms include persistent muscular soreness, increased frequency of viral illnesses, and increased incidence of injuries [2]. There are two sides to the over-training issue. One side is very high train- ROWING STRONGER 44

46 ing volume and intensity. The other is insufficient recovery, usually through lack of sleep, lack of calories, or lack of adequate nutrition if a diet is unbalanced. It is often difficult to say when over-training symptoms result from truly training too much versus recovering too little, but one should be able to take an objective look at lifestyle and training to make a determination. Are you getting enough macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) and enough micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) each day? Are you sleeping at least 6-8 hours a night? If you are getting sufficient calories and sleep, then you may be training too much. Have you had at least two consecutive days off from any kind of training in the last eight weeks? Have you had a week off of structured training in the last 3-4 months? If that answer is no, you may just be training too much. Regular short periods of lighter training intensities and volumes are necessary to avoiding overtraining, especially in such a repetitive sport as rowing. I typically plan for a week off of structured training after each block, followed by a transition week for the next block, then starting the current block. Long-term caloric restriction can lead to over-training by failing to provide enough macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to recover from strenuous exercise year olds are also going through, or have recently gone through, puberty, which brings about a cascade of hormonal changes and often results in rapid growth. Restricting calories during this time frame can result in missing this window for rapid growth and leaving long-term potential on the table, as well as introducing possible health consequences. ROWING STRONGER 45

47 Additionally, maintaining a lighter bodyweight may decrease long-term potential. Through the top-down endurance approach, endurance at lighter intensities will also increase when maximum force potential (strength) is increased. If a lightweight athlete is avoiding strength training to avoid putting on muscle mass to avoid growing out of the lightweight class, maximum force potential is reduced and therefore peak endurance is as well. I think that it is absolutely detrimental to both long-term sport performance and health for youth or high school athletes to undergo caloric restriction to make a weight class. Unless the athlete can maintain lightweight class standing without calorie restriction, I would much rather see high school athletes take advantage of that prime growing window and go on to be healthy college rowers who reach their full potential. ROWING STRONGER 46

48 Here are a few additional notes for lightweight training. Aerobic fitness is more important than muscular hypertrophy. While lightweights will still want to develop some hypertrophy (greater muscle size yields greater power), priority will be put on aerobic fitness. Err on the low frequency side of weight-training in the Prep block and use that time to dial in the aerobic system. Peak power, the highest wattage you are capable of pulling, is highly important, so seek to maximize peak power training over pure strength training in Specific Prep as well as in the Pre-Competitive block. Peak power raises the ceiling for your performance and will make sustaining lower levels of power easier [15]. Peak power is also critical for starts and sprints. Further volume restriction may be necessary when cutting weight in the Competitive Block, but should be avoided unless absolutely necessary to maintain strength and power. Seek the minimum effective dose of volume to still maintain strength and peak power. Remember, strength training has many performance benefits beyond a faster race time. Like all rowers, lightweights who avoid strength training to maintain a weight class are likely to develop muscular imbalances that hinder performance and can cause immediate or long-term injury. Balanced muscle groups will make you a healthier rower, even if they don t contribute to immediate performance improvement. ROWING STRONGER 47

49 EXERCISE SELECTION AND INJURY PREVENTION As stated in the introduction, the single most important reason to weight train is prevention of injury. Short-term performance improvement is a distant second. Below is a table outlining areas of injury, likely causes of injury, likely solutions to that cause, and further notes. Please note that none of this is meant as medical advice and that you should seek the counsel of a medical professional if you suspect that you have an injury. It bears restating that all of the following information about programming will not help you if you cannot, or do not, perform the exercises correctly. If you do not have a coach or trainer working with you, I recommend at least a few introductory sessions with a qualified personal trainer to learn the basics of the exercises in this program. Performing freeweight exercises incorrectly can lead to injury or at least failure to fully reap the benefits of that exercise. It is of the utmost importance that all exercises are performed safely and correctly at all times. Do not sacrifice form for weight at any point in your training. ROWING STRONGER 48

50 Much like the Terms and Definitions section, the names of specific muscles and body parts may not be already in your vocabulary. I have done my best to explain their purpose and locations, but I recommend using resources such as Wikipedia and ExRx.net for great illustrations for muscle actions and basic anatomy. Additionally, the free exercise index on my website provides examples of most lifts mentioned below as well as mobility demonstrations. StrengthCoachWill Exercise Index Bodypart where pain and/or injury can occur Shoulders & Elbows Mid-back (thoracic spine) CLICK FOR VIDEO Upper-Back & Neck (Cervical Spine) Cause of pain/injury Solution Notes Overdeveloped internal rotators and underdeveloped external rotators Overdeveloped internal rotators and inflexible thoracic spine (kyphosis) Rounded thoracic spine can lead to forward head position resulting in neck pain Strengthen external rotators of the shoulder (posterior deltoid, teres minor, infraspinatus) and stretch/massage internal rotators (subscapularis, teres major, latissimus dorsi) Strengthen external rotators of the shoulder--posterior deltoid, teres minor, infraspinatus--and stretch/foam roll thoracic spine Strengthen external rotators of the shoulder--posterior deltoid, teres minor, infraspinatus--and stretch/foam roll thoracic spine. Pay attention to posture and avoid forward head position. Tight pectoralis muscles resulting from thoracic kyphosis can also affect shoulder health, potentially causing pain in the shoulder and upper arm Thoracic kyphosis can put pressure on intervertebral discs, potentially causing pain and herniation. Kyphosis also causes tight pectoral muscles, further worsening shoulder stability. Forward head position can put pressure on cervical intervertebral discs, potentially causing pain and herniation ROWING STRONGER 49

51 Bodypart where pain and/or injury can occur Glutes and low back (lumbar spine) CLICK FOR VIDEO Hip and knee CLICK FOR VIDEO Ankle CLICK FOR VIDEO Cause of pain/injury Solution Notes Tight/underdeveloped gluteal muscles and tight hip flexor muscles can cause anterior pelvic tilt, causing lumbar lordosis (swayback posture). Non-spinal low back problems tend to be the result of other problems in the glutes/hip. Overdeveloped quadriceps and underdeveloped gluteal and hamstring muscles can cause patellar tracking issues (knee pain) Tight calves and restricted ankle mobility shows up in the rower and in the boat as poor catch compression and often ankle/knee pain Stretch, foam roll, and strengthen gluteal muscles and piriformis, stretch and foam roll hip flexors (rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae), strengthen abdominal muscles Strengthen hamstrings and gluteal muscles, stretch hip flexors (rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae) Stretch and mobilize the calves and ankles. Strengthen the calves with single-leg calf raises with a 1-2 second hold at the top Anterior pelvic tilt can put pressure on lumbar intervertebral discs, potentially causing pain, herniation, sciatica and sciatica-like symptoms, and/or snapping hip syndrome Bilateral imbalances can cause uneven gait that results in hip, ankle, and even back pain. Hip flexor tightness is a major culprit of low back pain Often overlooked, some lacrosse/tennis ball rolling for the plantar fascia is also worth adding to a routine HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE ABOVE MUSCLE GROUPS Muscle group Individual muscle Exercise prescription Notes Shoulder external rotators Posterior deltoid, teres minor, infraspinatus Facepulls, cable/band external rotation, Y-W-T raises, seated dumbbell cleans, shoulder horn Higher rep ranges and strict control at all times ROWING STRONGER 50

52 Muscle group Individual muscle Exercise prescription Notes Pressing muscles Scapular retractors and depressors Other muscles of the mid-back Gluteal Muscles Quadriceps Abdominals Triceps brachii, pectoralis major, deltoids Rhomboids and middle trapezius, lower trapezius Trapezius, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus Rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, intermedius, and medialis oblique Rectus abdominis, abdominal obliques Compound exercises of overhead press, bench press, incline bench press, dumbbell press, isolation exercises of triceps extensions Scapular wall slides, facepulls, Dan John s batwings, strict row variations, YWT Raises Strict rows, chin/pullups, bench rows (or Seal rows), Batwings, inverted bodyweight rows, Pendlay rows Compound exercises of squat and deadlift and their variations, glute-ham raises, isolation exercises of bird dogs, pendulum hip extension, fire hydrants, hip thrusts, glute bridges Compound exercises of the squat (and variations), lunge or step-up, or split squat. Planks, Pallof presses, straight leg raises, any anti-extension abdominal exercises These muscles are underutilized in the sport of rowing and merit strengthening even without immediate postural concerns Strict control and attention to full range of motion at all times Rowers train the pulling muscles in strict style, with little torso movement, focusing on full range of motion and scapular retraction Glute activation circuit before lower body lifting consisting of isolation exercises to warm up and activate the muscles Rowing is quadriceps heavy, so I typically do not program quadriceps isolation work such as leg extensions Abdominal focus is maintaining upright posture when rowing, hence the focus on anti-extension or support exercises. Compound exercises will also work the abdominal muscles ROWING STRONGER 51

53 Following the hierarchy of training rule, each session will be organized from greatest stressor to least stressor. The easiest way to think about stressors is to go from uses many muscle groups, which would be a greater stressor, to uses few muscle groups, which would be the least stressor. For example, a lower body session for the General Prep Block using the suggested sets and reps from the previous section might look as such: Warm-up: Glute activation circuit Main work: Front Squat -- 5x5@75% w/ 3 mins rest Assistance work: Romanian Deadlift -- 4x10@70% w/ 2 mins rest Assistance work: Single-leg squat -- 4x10@70% w/ 2 mins rest Assistance work: Abdominal exercise paired with a shoulder external rotation exercise -- 4x15 w/ no rest The session begins with the most compound exercise, the front squat, which uses the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals, and upper-back muscles, and ends with the least compound exercise, an isolation exercise for shoulder external rotation. The session begins with strength work and is followed by hypertrophy work, according the rule of hierarchy for power-strength-hypertrophy. This is the basic template for all training sessions- -warm-up, 1-2 main work compound exercises for the focus/maintenance objective (depending on the block and if you are doing full body or upper/ lower sessions), 2-4 assistance exercises that support the main work or focus/maintenance objective, then 1-3 pre-habilitation exercises done for injury prevention. ROWING STRONGER 52

54 Using these parameters, a full body session from the Pre-Competitive Block might be: Warm-Up Main work #1: Deadlift 8x2@75% w/1 min rest Main work #2: Push Press 5x3@75% w/1 min rest Assistance work circuit (no rest) Romanian deadlift: 4x10 Dumbbell bench press: 4x10 Chest-supported row: 4x10 Assistance work: Face pull 4x12 w/1 min rest I encourage each coach or athlete to develop an exercise bank similar to the one I have provided above that reflects individual needs and equipment availability. I do not believe that a strength program can be successful without a barbell, array of weight plates, and a power rack or squat stands. Everything else can be performed with makeshift weights, body weight, or exercise bands. If dumbbells or cables are not available, I highly recommend investing in a pair of decent quality exercise bands of varying tensions. These bands can be used for all pulling, shoulder external rotation, triceps isolation, and abdominal exercises and are a cost-and-space effective option. The barbell, weights, and stand or rack, however, are not optional as they are necessary for safe and effective execution of compound exercises such as the squat, deadlift, and overhead press that are the foundation of the program. ROWING STRONGER 53

55 A few more notes on safety in the weight-room: A lifting belt is something many athletes choose to use, but many do not use the belt correctly. Use of lifting belts has nothing to do with safety. If an athlete knows how to use the belt properly, it can increase abdominal activation and allow them to lift a greater weight. However, many people do not use belts correctly. A lifting belt is by no means a requirement to lifting heavier weights, so if you are unsure of how to use one, either seek instruction or go without it. The mere presence of a lifting belt does not make an exercise any safer. Lifting belts exist to help the athlete lift more weight; proper technique is what helps the athlete lift safely [13]. Spotters should be used for just about every exercise in the weight-room. I operate on the rule that no athlete should ever get hurt in the weight-room, and spotters are a big part of sticking to that. Compound barbell exercises of the squat, bench press, incline press, and even the deadlift should be spotted by at least one partner. Hand-offs should be given on bench presses with clear communication to prevent the bar from slipping during transition from the rack to the athlete. I have seen athletes pass out on deadlifts and fall backwards, bringing the weight down on top of them. There should always be a spotter standing behind the lifter when deadlifting to prevent this. Safety collars should be used on every barbell lift, including warmups. Safety collars prevent plates from slipping on the barbell. Sudden shifts in weight balance can cause injury to the lifter and injury to nearby lifters if the plates slide off the barbell entirely. ROWING STRONGER 54

56 It should go without saying, but cell phone use in the weight-room should be minimized, and banned entirely for those spotting a lifter. Full attention and focus is required to maximize benefit and safety from weight-training. It is everyone s responsibility to make sure that the barbell is loaded correctly for the lifter. Many times, a miscommunication on plate loading can cause a bar to tip, which can cause injury to the lifter and those in the nearby area. Read more about making the weight-room work for you or your crew on StrengthCoachWill.com ROWING STRONGER 55

57 COXSWAINS On one hand, I would like to encourage coxswains to participate in weight-training workouts with the team to take advantage of the myriad benefits that strength training can provide. The weight-room can be a great opportunity to be more of a part of the team without having to maintain traditional responsibility roles, providing a refreshing change-of-pace from the usual practice hierarchy and allowing athletes to interact differently with teammates. Additionally, weight-training has physical benefits that are relevant to coxswains, namely, its ability to decrease fat weight even without dietary restriction [7]. It is much easier to regulate personal bodyweight through exercise and diet than just diet alone. On the other hand, I understand that differences between rowers and coxswains in competitive mindset, personal motivations, and individual relationships can create a distraction in the weight-room and detract from team climate. Not wanting to provide a blanket recommendation for what can be a sensitive team issue, I recommend a case-by-case basis with coxswains working out with rowers. It may work with some crews with the right combination of space, equipment, and personalities, but it may not with others. ROWING STRONGER 56

58 If a large weight-room with multiple power racks or platforms is available, the best way to start may be to have all the coxswains together at one station. This will allow coxswains to be proximal to, but not directly among, the rowers and will facilitate more coxswain-to-coxswain team bonding. From there, evaluate how comfortable the rowers and coxswains seem before integrating them further. If you are a coxswain and want to either participate in weight-training by yourself or with your rowers, there is no inherent need to change the program, but you should feel free to make changes based on the fact that you are not doing the same volume of water, erg, or road workouts as the rest of the team. Adjust as you feel comfortable. ROWING STRONGER 57

59 MASTER ROWERS Regardless of age, experience, and gender, strength training can improve performance and all-around fitness beyond a chosen sport or activity. Intelligently designed, consistent, progressive strength training is one of the most powerful tools to slow and in some cases, reverse, the inevitable physical changes that are a natural, biological process of aging. Strength gains are still fully possible, even after testosterone levels decline, via central nervous system (CNS) improvements [5]. Strength training will develop a more coordinated CNS, capable of directing more power to the muscles. Aerobic systems lose little with age, so the combination of the improved CNS, healthy muscular system, plus a robust aerobic base can power boats well into one s masters years. In fact, if you have relied solely on technique and aerobic training to this point in your career, the addition of intelligent and progressive strength training could unlock the door to new personal bests. It is vital for masters rowers to track or record training volume, on the water or erg as well as in the weight-room. Renowned rowing coach and masters rower Larry Gluckman says he tracks his heart rate while rowing ROWING STRONGER 58

60 as well as his weekly volume, and that each year his goal is to match last year s volume with a similar heart rate. If his heart rate is too high for the given volume, he makes a note and reduces volume for that workout [14]. A similar approach should be applied to the weight-room. Remember from the Terms and Definitions section that weight-room volume can be calculated by sets (x) reps (x) weight. In the example given earlier, if one lifts 300 pounds for 3 sets of 10, the volume for that exercise is 9000 pounds. There are online tools and Excel formulas that can make this tracking much easier. I recommend that every athlete use a workout notebook to record training sessions. In addition to recording the sets, reps, and weights of each workout, take note of soreness (scale of 1-10), amount of sleep (in hours), bodyweight, and perceived difficulty of session (scale of 1-10). This can help develop your approach as you fine-tune your training program. As a masters rower, what you may give up in recovery ability, you make up for with years of training experience, knowledge, consistency, and the wisdom to stick with a program. It is important to use your judgment and not push through acute pain and pay attention to any former injuries when strength training. Employ different variations of exercises or range-of-motion modifications before discarding an exercise completely. For example, elevated deadlifts or trap/hex-bar deadlifts, floor presses, dumbbell overhead presses, and single-leg squats are all viable substitutes if the conventional barbell version ROWING STRONGER 59

61 of the lift causes pain or injury. As with all athletes, proper and thorough instruction of the exercises is crucial to personal success, as is movement quality and mobility. If you have not strength trained before, or if it has been many years, I highly recommend working with a qualified and experienced personal trainer to develop a solid grounding in the basic lifts before proceeding with a program. Many times, performing the exercise correctly will alleviate pain caused by improper execution of the lift. Nearly every time I have coached an athlete who indicates pain with a certain lift, I find some way that they are performing the exercise incorrectly, provide the correction, and pain is alleviated. Recovery time is also a factor to be considered at greater importance for a masters rower than for a junior rower. It is a simple fact of life that the systemic stress of a heavy workout, weights or rowing, may take longer to recover from than in youth. This is particularly important during the taper, and the timing of the residual timer reset workouts. Unfortunately, there is no mathematical formula to find the exact amount of recovery time personally necessary for each rower, so like any age of athlete, documentation and adaptation is important to reap the full rewards. Additionally, you may find that you respond better to certain training variables than others. Some trainees are more sensitive to volume training, while others find volume easier to recover from than intensity. The answer to any problem is an understanding of basic programming methods (see: Terms and Definitions) combined with careful record keeping and willingness to adapt training as necessary. Stay flexible in your training and keep an eye on the big picture of the annual plan, rather than a short-term day-by-day plan. ROWING STRONGER 60

62 Finally, while the purpose of this manual is to make rowers stronger, faster, and more competitive, many masters rowers may also be interested in the long-term health benefits of strength training. In Strength Training Past 50, authors Westcott and Baechle provide a list of research-based benefits of strength training for older adults, including maintaining muscle mass and metabolic rate, increasing bone mineral density, increase glucose uptake and gastrointestinal transit speed, and increased full-range lower back strength [7]. While racing faster is certainly a more fun benefit of strength training, reduced risk of osteoporosis, improved body composition through better glucose uptake and digestion, and reduced risk of lower back injury and disease are all great advantages nonetheless. ROWING STRONGER 61

63 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUTH ROWING O n the other side of the equation from masters rower are youth rowers. Many young athletes and their parents are concerned about strength training and its effect on growth plates and other pubertal factors. There is a longer article detailing youth strength training on my website, but here are the basics. Research has shown that strength training can actually help prevent injuries resulting from other sports, and the myth of strength training stunting structural growth of children has been proven false [5, 8, 9, 10]. Any age is a good age. But there does seem to be something special about the time from about age 7 to 12. The nervous system is very plastic. The kids are very eager. It seems to be an ideal time to hard-wire strength gains and movement patterns. And if you structure a program right...it can be so much fun that it never occurs to the kids that they re getting quote-unquote strength training at all [8]. --Dr. Avery Faigenbaum, College of New Jersey According to Sport Health Journal, the rare case reports of epiphyseal ROWING STRONGER 62

64 [growth] plate fractures related to strength training are attributed to misusing equipment, lifting inappropriate amounts of weight, using improper technique, or training without qualified adult supervision [11]. As with all athletes, proper and thorough instruction of the exercises is crucial to personal success. Strength training, like all sports, does carry some inherent risk of injury so for those new to strength training, I highly recommend training with a qualified and experienced personal trainer to develop a solid grounding in the basic lifts before proceeding with a program. There are personal trainers who specialize with youths, as a different kind of instruction can be required with a 12 year-old than a college athlete. Many times, performing the exercise correctly will alleviate pain caused by improper execution of the lift (for example, squatting with too much forward translation of the knees), and proper form will certainly help avoid injuries resulting from improper execution. It is also very important to attempt to maximize enjoyment for youth trainees to build lifelong exercise habits. When I have worked with 7-12 year olds, I have included games and challenges as part of the workout to get them to buy-in to a session. Remember that what motivates a 7-12-year old youth is different than what motivates a 17, 21, or 44- year old, even if the activities performed are identical. Read more about youth training on StrengthCoachwill.com ROWING STRONGER 63

65 EXERCISE GUIDE There is a free exercise guide on my website, com, where you will find short video examples of basic exercise form. In the Rowperfect DVD companion to Rowing Stronger, there is an expanded version of this guide which includes video examples of common errors on the main lifts, a detailed video series for mobility for rowers, and footage from an actual training session with one of my rowers. No online video or resource can be truly comprehensive, so I greatly encourage you to seek personal training from a coach or qualified personal trainer before starting a weight-training program. The exercises included in the guide are: ROWING STRONGER 64

66 Squat: Bodyweight, goblet, front, back, and single-leg squat Back Squat ROWING STRONGER 65

67 Deadlift: Deficit, elevated, and conventional deadlift Deadlift ROWING STRONGER 66

68 Press: Push, strict, and dumbbell overhead press Overhead Press ROWING STRONGER 67

69 Bench Press: Incline, floor, dumbbell, and conventional bench press Bench Press ROWING STRONGER 68

70 Rows: Barbell, dumbbell, band, and chest-supported rows Barbell Row ROWING STRONGER 69

71 Detailed hip warm-up and mobility sequence ROWING STRONGER 70