Category: Indoor-Rowing

2k Erg Tips – Easy Tapering Plan

December 27, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Tapering for a 2k erg?

What do you do?

Maybe you take it easy for a couple of days, and erg light. Or you take a day off from all rowing and rest.

Or you might even have a secret tapering strategy that is guaranteed to leave you brimming with rowing energy and ready to pull hard. Your very own secret 2k erg test tip.

Whatever your strategy, for it to be effective, it must be timed perfectly.

Almost to the hour.

Here’s the secret 2k erging test tip of the day.

Most rowers don’t like taking time off. We feel as though we need to be always training even if it’s only an easy 20 minute erg. We feel that the more we train the better we become. And the more we deserve to row fast.

But the smart money is on the rowers who can judge exactly when to take some time off.

The best time to take a break from erging and rowing is 2 days out from the 2k test. Take 1 day completely away from training and erging. Take it easy and try to avoid stress.

But you must erg the following day to keep your muscles, technique and energy systems flowing. If you don’t exercise lightly the day before a 2k erg the chances are that you will feel sluggish and dull on race day.

Try it out:

Day 2 (2 days before 2k erg test) – No training. Absolute rest.

Day 1 (1 day before the 2k erg) – Light erg workout  for 20 – 30 minutes (include some race power 10’s  2 – 4 max)

Day 0(Race day) – Warm up well in advance of the 2k. (at least 60 minutes before hand) for 10 -15 minutes.

Then do your normal race warm up.

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2k Erg Test Meltdown – 5 Steps for a fast recovery

December 22, 2010 / / 2 Comments

So you go off hard. First stroke, second stroke, third… Harder, faster, harder. You’re pumped and blowing out all that nervous energy that’s been building up all day long.

You start to think “ok – it’s a 2k erg let’s see if I can settle down into a good strong rhythm”. Stick to my guns. Do what I planned.

But now at 1713 meters to go, you get that creeping feeling. All is not well deep inside the core of your engine.

NO!

Not today. Please…

You continue on rowing and try to ignore the fact that your legs feel weak and empty. You’re burning up inside and every stroke feels heavy and torturous.

You haven’t planned for this. What will you do?
 

Step # 1. Do Not Stop

This is often the first thing that comes into your head when you’re faced with a 2k erg test meltdown.
You just wanna let it go – it’s not your day and that is it. But whatever you do, please Do Not Stop. Because the next 4 steps, can and will, get you out of a deep hole and help you salvage something from the day.

Have you ever been in a situation where the difference between a good race and a bad one comes down to just 1 stroke? Not the last one, but somewhere out on the course like 743 meters from the finish line. Someplace obscure where you let it slip through your hands.

If you can hold on around that danger stroke and give yourself a chance to continue you can really learn big things about yourself. Almost anyone can do it when it’s easy – right? We’ll what about when it’s really, really hard?

This is the time where you earn that inner strength and confidence that can set you up for the rest of your rowing life. It’s what sets the great rowers apart from the good.
 

Step # 2. Back Off Immediately

Ok it’s only a 2k erg – a short distance with little time to mess around, but if you back off on the power and follow the next step you will save yourself a lot of pain and failure in the long run.

How much should you back off?

Well if you were aiming to pull even splits of say 1:40 for the middle 1000, you should go to 1:42 or 1:43. Back off enough so that you can recover.
 

Step# 3. Rate Higher

Immediately after backing off on the power you need to increase your rate. You need to keep it light. Keep the wheel spinning along. Take the load off your legs, back and arms. Stop muscling the handle like you want to choke it. Back off, rate higher.

And just spin it . . nice and lightly with a nice high tapping along rhythm.

If you were at 33, go up to 35.
 

Step # 4. Close Your Eyes

Relax your face and close your eyes. We rowers love to show how hard it is. There’s nothing like showing off our ‘I’m being tortured’ face right through a 2k erg.

Well in damage limitation mode you absolutely must quit being tense – immediately .
And close your eyes.

Why?

Because your mind plays tricks. When you’re in 2k erg test meltdown your body wants out and your mind will do everything it can to make it happen.

It will make 1:43 feel like 1:37.

So shut the windows, relax and don’t look out. Tap the wheel along with relaxed muscles and a nice, high light rate.

It will help your to blood flow. It will help you recover.

You just need to have patience. And faith.
 

Step # 5. You will come round.

Recovery will come, but when it does, Do NOT start muscling the handle back down to 1:40.

You need to nurse it back down, slowly and incrementally in time with your ability to absorb the extra work load. And don’t worry, it’s never too late. Even if your 2k average power target is still high you can always sprint like never you’ve never sprinted before – to the line. And yes, you can open you eyes again.

But you will only be capable of sprinting if you have followed the steps. And when it comes to the sprint make sure you don’t go too early. Do 40 seconds – max.

Make the sprint pay. Give it everything. Be angry. Be annoyed. And when you get to the finish line, be absolutely finished.
 

What if it doesn’t work?

It should work. It always will unless there’s something seriously wrong (like you are ill or something).Done correctly, you will recover and limit your losses.

Better than putting your head down and rowing yourself to a standstill.

Believe me. I’ve been there.

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Successful Rowers – 8 Personality Traits You Must Have

December 21, 2010 / / 3 Comments

But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep – Robert Frost (1874 – 1963)

1. Stubborn

“I will NOT give in! – No way…” Even in the face of an earth shattering storm, or a length down with 250 meters to go, or being told to go home – you’re not good enough. This is truly a magnificent  personality trait of all great rowers.

Think of times when you did something extraordinary, a time when you continued on into the storm when those all around you fell away.

You kept going, you persevered through night and day despite people firing negative shots at you from the shadows. You kept going despite them and despite… yourself.

And you got there. You stood on that podium, or on that erg room floor, victorious after a life altering, mentally ravaging battle. And you did not even flinch.
 

2. Optimist

Everyone loves an optimist – especially a realistic optimist. Great rowers have this personality trait in spades.

How many times have you been in a dark situation in your rowing or erging life when you stepped forward and offered yourself a glimmer of hope?

A small, instantly realisable task that you can set to work on and learn to row your way out of darkness. And then you cherish that optimism and nurture it and grow it into something tangible. And you row out into the light.
 

3. Obsessive

Do you think about rowing more than 7 times a day? Do you surf the web endlessly searching for new answers to age old rowing problems. Maybe you talk a lot about rowing and your friends do too? That’s ok. You’re probably a rowing obsessive – and that’s exactly what you need to be.

Most of your best ideas and discoveries will come when you occupy at the back of your mind, thoughts of rowing .

Opportunities will arise and new ways of looking at your rowing life will present themselves to you when you are alert and open.
 

4. Dreamer

Sports psychologists and self help gurus talk about visualisation. Which is just a fancy way of describing day dreaming.

I bet that you dream from time to time in broad daylight.

From winning the big race next summer to smashing your P.B. at the CRASH B’s to sitting in the stroke seat of the 2016 Olympic winning 8.

We all do it. Or maybe it’s more immediate dreams like pulling a big score on the erg at your next team workout and impressing your coach.

To be successful at rowing you must dream. And you must dream big – with emotion.

Think about how it will feel when you hit your goal, think of the details – little things like the sounds, smells, environment, the water conditions, air temperature…whatever. If you can dream well then chances are that one day, when your time comes, you’ll take it with both hands.
 

5. Honest

Most rowers have a degree of honesty about them that’s often difficult to come across in ordinary everyday life. Rowers live in the real world – the world of cold, hard early mornings and heavy training late in the evening.

Rowers live in a world where the old cliché (even though we don’t like it) ‘no pain, no gain’ rings cold, hard and true.

Always has, always will.

Be honest with yourself, in your training, in your racing, in your commitment and in who you are. And you will be rewarded with a great honesty back from rowing.
 

6. Realistic

Everyone knows a rowing nut that just keeps talking that they are going to do this and do that. You know the type – the guys who say they are going to be in the top 8 by next summer. It’s hard not to be sceptical of this kinda talk.

And you know what, every rowing group needs one.

But the best rowers are realistic. They know where they’re at and they know where they want to go. And most of the time they have a good plan on how they’re going to get there.

How do you square being realistic with dreaming? Well, most realistic dreamers have realistic dreams – goals that they someday can reach if they believe in hard work.
 

7. Judgemental

Have you rarely, if ever come across a rower who is not a good judge? Every day rowers must make big calls in the boat, on the erg, and in the gym about themselves and about others.

And when a rower is making those big calls they grow into wise, insightful, wonderful people.

Using intuition, experience, intelligence and reason they become like the Oracle at Delphi – a great symbol of ancient and revered knowledge.
 

8. Trustworthy

Imagine you had to go into a life and death battle. And you knew that your life depended on the work ethic, intelligence, bravery and trustworthiness of  the people you choose to go with you.

Who would you choose?

If you had to pick 3  – 5 people that you could honestly trust to fight-the-good-fight with, who would those people be?

You would choose the best rowers you know because they are the kind of people who will fight for you and with you right up to the end and beyond.

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Strapless Erging Will Fix Excessive Lay Back.

December 17, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Sit on the erg and pull a few light strokes without putting your feet into the straps.

Most who try this for the first time end up falling back off the seat as their feet rise from the foot plate. And Ergers who have excessive lie back usually end up on the floor!

    • The first secret to successful strapless Erging is timing. You must aim to finish your legs back and arm power phase at roughly the same time. When you do well, your natural lean back angle will be at about 2 o clock. When it is done very well, your chest and core open up and your shoulder blades almost pinch together at the finish. The upshot of this is that it allows your lungs to function very well.
    • Point your toes and straighten your legs. The second secret for successful strapless Erging is to keep pressure on the foot plate at all times – especially at the finish of the stroke.
    • When you first try this you will really feel as though you are cutting the power phase short by about a third. For while it will feel counter intuitive, but stick with it. I always begin my workouts with a couple of minutes warming up with strapless feet. And when I go back to normal feet, the difference is amazing.
    • Work on your core. Lots of excessive layback is caused by default – weak stomach muscles and core. Engage your core during the power phase to brace yourself and use it to prevent laying back excessively.

    Low Pull or High Pull?

    • If you Erg with a long lean back you must pull high because otherwise the handle would end up somewhere below your waist!
    • The most efficient path for the handle to travel from the start to the end of the power phase is in a straight line. And as level a handle as possible. Imagine looking at yourself from the side when you are on the erg. You can see the handle moving perfectly parallel to the floor around and around in a smooth cyclical rhythm.
    • More often than not the handle is drawn in too high. This is caused by too much arm pulling at the finish. If you have this problem, think about powering up early in the stroke and releasing the handle early towards the body in a smooth horizontal motion.

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    Best Shoes For Erg – 3 Every Erger Must Try

    December 14, 2010 / / 8 Comments

    It might be a surprise to know that when it comes to footwear for Erging the less cushioning the better. Many Ergers have their favourite shoe that they consider the best for Erging and decide on comfort. This normally means a pair of running shoes. While it’s fine for most erg workouts have you ever thought about the energy you could be losing through all that cushioning?

    The power you apply to the foot plate on the erg is crucial to the power you are can transfer through your body and on to the handle. But imagine if a small percentage of the power you apply was being absorbed in your shoes? This can add up over a long training session and cause a lot of your rowing power to be absorbed by the cushioning of your footwear.

    Cyclists and weightlifters wear flat stiff soled shoes with very little cushioning. There is good reason for this – to transfer power efficiently without any waste. Imagine trying to cycle a bike with a big pair of spongy shoes. It’s not difficult to see that there would be a delay and loss of efficiency in the transfer of your leg power to the pedals.

    Imagine an Olympic Weightlifter attempting to break the Olympic Record in the snatch. He squats down, grabs the bar and lifts. Before the weights even move off the ground his leg power must be transferred to his feet and levered off the ground.

    If he were wearing a pair of spongy well cushioned shoes what would you say are his chances of getting the weight over his head?

    But you and I when we are Erging are no different. The force applied on the footplate might be less but the loss in efficiency could cost us as much.

    Now we Ergers do need a little more flexibility so that we can slide up to the catch and the beginning of the rowing stroke without ankle discomfort. But it still doesn’t mean we need the protective cushioning of a running shoe designed for running. The shoes in a rowing boat don’t have much cushioning – just enough to make things comfortable. So why should Erging be any different?

    Here’s what I recommend are the best shoes for those big erg test days:
    1. Track shoes without the spikes
    2. Weightlifting shoes
    3. Sneakers without the insole
    4. Tennis or Squash Shoes

    Or alternatively there is the option of Erging without shoes or erg barefoot. Some Ergers find that this gives them more of a feel and a more efficient power phase. You could use a pair of socks to try prevent the discomfort of blisters, although there is little you can do about them. Like your hands, it will take some time to toughen them up.

    Erg training with just a pair of regular sneakers for training is fine, but to get the most out of your legs and transfer some great rowing power to the erg footplate for erg tests – think about trying out my recommendations.

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