The Sport of Rowing
Rowing can meet almost any need and interest. It is
a fun, active sport that offers a low-impact workout that exercises all of the
major muscle groups. Rowing improves overall body conditioning, gives you an
outlet to relieve stress, helps reduce blood pressure, and aids in weight loss.
It also is a sport requiring teamwork, and it includes many wonderful social
aspects.
When executed properly, the rowing stroke is a fairly safe motion, providing
little room for the serious injury often found in contact and high impact
sports. In rowing, it is important for you to combine fun, fitness, and safety.
Rowers should have adequate warm-ups, correct form, proper posture and
appropriate training.
If you choose crew, be aware that it is a team sport without individual glory.
Competitive rowing is extremely rigorous and is inappropriate for any one with
heart problems, asthma, back and neck problems, or certain other conditions.
Rowing requires endurance, strength and an ability to tolerate pain,
particularly in the last 500 meters of a race.
You are introduced to the sport gradually , with a slow increase in
the amount of training. This is starting in early January as voluntary
workouts, three times a week. By March, a high level of muscle development and
anaerobic conditioning will be required, and rowing workouts will resemble those
for middle distance runners with strength training. Workouts should include:
Ample time at the boathouse to prepare the
equipment
Stretching with gentle joint rotation
Stretching all the major muscle groups in your legs, back and arms
Warm-up runs or other exercises to get your heart rate elevated
Calisthenics and weight training
Rowing at steady intervals
Rowing short intervals at maximum effort with rest between pieces
Technique improvement drills
Long steady rowing intervals
Interval training at race length
Training on ergometers
Rowing is a vigorous exercise. Depending on your level of activity and your
weight, you can expect to burn:
Rowing/crew/competition: 709 to 1,035 calories per hour
Rowing stationary (light): 502 to 733 calories per hour
Rowing stationary (vigorous): 709 to 1,035 calories per hour
Rowing requires a unique mix of technique, power and endurance of both the
aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. This requires long hours of intense
training even though events only last 5-7 minutes. In March, training starts
on the water each day. In addition, rowers continue workout sessions 3-4 times
per week to develop strength and muscular endurance. Some rowers may also
include additional aerobic sessions such as cycling or running.
Blisters - More Than You Want to Know
Blisters happen. For help in callus formation and open blister protection/skin
drying ........Wet Tea bags. Hold tea bags in each hand over the blisters. Tea
Bags will sting at first (as liquid does with any blister). The tea seems to act
as a sort of anesthetic (the tannic acid) as well as hardener (especially for
that really tender first day of a blister rip). Do not wash or wipe hands after
application. Some staining will occur, but it will wash off eventually (sorry,
Jack). Once the new layer of skin has formed under the blister (few days), the
top hard skin can be carefully cut off by pinching the skin and cutting across
so you do not poke the scissors in the pocket, if it was huge-trim, and the
stone can be used to file the edges down (so you are not tempted to tear off any
extra pieces and cause more "trauma"). The best place to pop a blister is in the
opposite direction of the searing force. (Looking at your hand with finger tips
up, that place would be close to your fingers). That way the blisters are less
likely to pull open. If it does tear open, let the top layer dry (again tea
bags), and tape up your blisters until the day comes when you touch the area and
it doesn't make you squirm in pain. There are many nasty bugs that grow on oar
handles, in bodies of water, and even on your fellow rowers. It is best to keep
them protected. The main thing is to keep it protected in the early stages of
healing so that the new layers can form and form stronger. Also, for bad bloody
type blisters, Beta dine is a much better antimicrobial (peroxide is not) and
isn't as caustic as peroxide, or painful as peroxide and alcohol. However,
beta dine doesn't give you the great bubbling action of peroxide that everyone
loves to see.
Training & Nutrition Simplified
Before training: Make sure that body glycogen levels are high with a small
carbohydrate snack during the hour before training. Drink liquids to keep body
fluids high. Allow time for food to be digested before training:
3-4 hours (large meal)
2-3 hours (small meal)
1-2 hours (liquid or blended meal)
<1 hour (snack or carbohydrate meal)
During training: Take on carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose levels and
delay the onset of fatigue. This should be in the form of an energy drink like
GatorAde. Drink sufficient volumes to maintain body fluids.
After training: This is the most important time to replace carbohydrates.
Consume carbohydrates within 2 hours after exercise, followed by a high
carbohydrate meal after 2 hours, then at regular intervals thereafter. Consume
some protein also to speed recovery. Drink as necessary.
Competition Nutrition
To boost glycogen stores, maintain a high carbohydrate intake during the taper
period of training in the last few days before a major competition.
Eating a high carbohydrate meal 3-4 hours before competing improves performance
by maintaining blood glucose levels.
The pre-competition meal should be high in carbohydrate and low in fat, protein
and fiber so that it is easy to digest and not too bulky and filling.
Do not try anything new before a competition - either in terms of food types or
eating habits. Consume plenty of fluids along with the meal.
Allow plenty of time for digestion.
Do not eat any foods rich in simple sugars in the hour before training or a
race.
Conditioning & Competition Needs
1. UP YOUR FLUID INTAKE
2. Average fluid loss per hour of training:
3. Hot weather: Men - 8 cups/Women
- 6 cups
4. Cool weather: Men - 5 cups/Women
- 3 cups
How and when should you drink?
1. Do not sip: drink in gulps of water
2. 2 Hours Before Practice: 10-18 ounces
3. 15 Minutes Before Exercise: 8-16 ounces of water or sports drink
4. Every 15 Minutes During Exercise: 4-8 ounces of alternating water and
sports drinks
5. Post-exercise: 24 ounces of fluid
Cool fluids are more quickly absorbed than hot drinks. If a sweet drink is
preferred, the carbohydrate content should be less than 10%, so as not to delay
fluid emptying. It's important not to wait until you feel thirsty to replace
fluids. Thirst usually doesn't develop until 1-2% of body weight is lost through
dehydration, and performance can be adversely affected at a 2% loss!
Best choices: water, sports drinks like GatorAde, lemonade, fruit punch,
Kool-Aid,
HiC
Sports and Energy Drinks
These drinks contain easily digestible fuel in the form of carbohydrate
particles and are an ideal way of boosting your energy stores mid-row. There are
two main types to look out for, isotonic and hypotonic. Isotonic contain
particles of carbohydrate at the same concentration as your body's fluids so
that they are absorbed into the bloodstream at the same rate as water. Hypotonic
contain particles that are less concentrated than body fluid, which means that
they are more quickly absorbed by the body so that they can speed up the
re-hydration process.
2. CALORIE NEEDS
Minimum:
Current weight x 20 = number of calories for Women
Current weight x 25 = number of calories for Men
3. MEAL FREQUENCY
Small, more frequent meals will give you consistent energy and digest more
quickly to provide available fuel for your body. Think of eating 5 or more
snacks/meals per day every 3-4 hours during the regatta season.
Ensure body glycogen levels are high with a small carbohydrate snack during the
hour before training. Drink suitable liquids to keep body fluids high. Allow
time for food to be digested before training:
3-4 hours (large meal)
2-3 hours (small meal)
1-2 hours (liquid or blended meal)
<1 hour (snack or carbohydrate meal)
Do not eat any foods rich in simple sugars in the hour before training or a
race. They will reduce blood sugar levels in the short-term.
4. CARBOHYDRATE NEEDS
Carbohydrates are the best fuel for exercise!
Intense training depletes carbohydrate stores resulting in poor performance and
increase fatigue, so rowers need to consume carbohydrates with every meal
3 grams per pound body weight for 1 hour training
4 grams per pound body weight for 2 hours training
5 grams per body weight for 3 hours training
6 grams per body weight for 4+ hours training
Sources of Carbohydrates:
Bread, Bagels, English Muffins, Muffins, Pita, Tortillas, Rice, Pasta, Cereals,
Crackers, Pretzels, Cookies, Potatoes, Fruit, Fruit Juice, Candy, Popcorn,
Vegetables, Sports Drinks, Soda, Chips, Cereal bars
Need to Consume Before, During and after Workouts:
All meals should be 2/3 carbohydrate and 1/3 protein
DURING exercise: 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour OR pre-load when eating
during exercise is NOT possible.
5-10 ounces of sports drink every 15-20 minutes OR 2 sports gels per hour OR a
packet of honey works well.
AFTER exercise: Pop tarts, Cereal bar, Crackers, Pretzels, Dry Cereal, Bagels,
Graham Crackers, Fruit punch/drink, Chex Mix, Frozen Yogurt, Fruit Ice
5. PROTEIN NEEDS
A rower's body can't use more than 1 gram of protein per pound body weight
because it is not immediately available as an energy source for exercise.
However, it is important for recovery and to boost the immune system. Protein is
used as a means to build muscle and to provide energy - a prolonged inadequate
protein intake results in the body breaking down its own muscle tissue.
Protein sources are Chicken, Fish, Beef, Pork, Veal, Turkey, Eggs, Cheese, Milk,
Shellfish, Soy burgers, Dried beans, Nuts and Peanut butter
6. FAT REQUIREMENTS
Fat is an essential fuel source for endurance activity. Too much can cause
cramps and not enough can cause you to fatigue more quickly
Try to limit high fat food before and during exercise.
Foods to Limit Before and During Exercise:
Chips, French Fries, Pizza, Burgers, Ice Cream, Doughnuts, Chocolate, Nuts,
Peanut Butter, Fried Meats, Bologna, Salami, Pepperoni
7. PRE WORKOUT MEALS
There is no single ideal pre-event meal and it will vary with the individual
rower; you should try out as many different combination meals as possible in
training and see what works for you. The following general guidelines may be of
help:
Eat a small meal of no more than 500-800 calories about 2-3 hours before you
row, so your stomach has time to empty. Emphasize starch or "complex"
carbohydrate foods that are digested quickly and can boost glycogen supplies in
the working muscles. Avoid excessive intake of foods high in sugar, which may
cause stomach upset and may trigger reactive low blood sugar levels. A small
amount of protein should be eaten, but avoid fatty foods or those prepared in
fat. Fat takes longer than any type of food to leave the stomach. Avoid spicy
foods and those foods which tend to cause gas, such as beans, onions, peppers,
apples etc. Steer clear of caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola as
well as alcohol which can all promote dehydration. Fizzy drinks can cause
bloating.
7. RECOVERY FOODS: Refueling The Muscles
This is the most important time to replace carbohydrates. To maximize muscle
glycogen repletion between daily training sessions or competitive events and to
minimize fatigue during frequent bouts of intense rowing, carbohydrates should
be consumed after exercise. Equal amounts of both solid and liquid carbohydrate
feedings work well in influencing muscle glycogen replacement.
As an example, if a rower weighs 150 pounds, then they should consume 110 grams
of carbohydrates within two hours after rowing. What gives you that many
carbohydrates? A cup of raisins is surprisingly high at 115 grams. GatorAde
provides 70 grams, and breads and cereal bars range in the 30's.A piece of fruit
is around 40.
More on Nutrition
Rowers have very high energy and carbohydrate requirements to support training
loads and meet body weight and strength goals. All rowers need to work hard to
recover between training sessions. A high-energy, high-carbohydrate, nutrient
dense diet is required. Some rowers (particularly male heavyweights) struggle
with the shear volume of food they need to consume. Frequent snacks and use of
compact, energy dense foods or drinks such as juice, flavored milk, jam, honey,
bars and liquid meals is necessary to keep the volume of food manageable. Rowers
need to pay particular attention to recovery after training and organize
themselves to have high carbohydrate snacks on hand immediately after training
sessions are completed.
Rowers should go into each race with fluid and fuel stores topped up, and
feeling comfortable after the last meal. The challenge is to recover between
each day's sessions and to prepare for the next race. Generally a meal with
carbohydrates should be consumed 2-3 hours before a race. Suitable foods include
breakfast cereal, toast, muffins, sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, pasta with tomato
sauce and creamed rice. Some rowers need to take special care with pre-race
eating - it can be very uncomfortable to race with a full stomach. Low bulk
choices such as liquid meals and sports bars can be useful in these situations.
With much of the day tied up in preparation and the race itself, there is
usually little opportunity for rowers to meet their usual high-energy intake.
Consequently, some rowers find that they quickly lose weight over the course of
the competition. Rowers need to organize themselves to have nutritious food
supplies at their fingertips at all times. Take along a supply of cereal bars,
liquid meal supplements, sports bars, fruit bars, dried fruit, sandwiches,
yogurt, juice etc. Start your recovery after each race by consuming some of
these snack foods. Don't neglect fluid needs. You can be dehydrated from your
rowing, practices, or from sitting in the sun watching the competition.
Carbohydrate-containing fluids such as sports drinks are useful for topping up
both fluid and carbohydrate stores.
Girl's Workout
Stretching exercises prior to your workout.
2 Minutes - Regular Crunches
2 Minutes - Side Crunches (1 minute on each side)
1 Minute - Sitting Up and Twisting
1 Minute - Leg Lifts
2 Minutes - Lying Down Abs (heel of one foot on top of toes of other foot,
alternate feet after a minute)
1 Minute - Planks
1 Minute - 30 seconds of side planks for each side
2 Minutes - Superwomen
3 Sets of 10 Pushups
Boys Workout
Stretching exercises prior to your workout.
1 Minute - Leg lifts
1 Minute - Right over Left
1 Minute - Left over Right
1 Minute - Bicycles
1 Minute - Planks
1 Minute - Out Low in High
1 Minute - Out High in Low
1 Minute - Sit-ups
15 Seconds - 1/4 down
30 Seconds - 1/2 down
45 Seconds - 3/4 down
1 Minute - feet and shoulders off the ground
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