During my last row I was able to get my heart to beat consistently under 130, but the speed was far from Thomas’ sustained 6 miles per hour for 70 minutes. My speed was more in the 4.5 miles/hr range. Now if I use a lot more power (160BPM) I only get another mile per hour in speed. I have been thinking a lot about this lately and I think it’s fair to say:
A) I am in better shape now than 3 months ago (OK, it should not come as a surprise)and my heart beat is dropping.
B) I am lacking lots in technique because I have to increase the effort a lot for just a small increment in speed.
Let me be more specific about point B. I have read about rowing faster, I have been watching YouTube about rowing, and I have been listing to people about rowing, and it has become very clear, but to no surprise, that it is difficult to row fast. I am not talking about competitive fast or big muscles fast, but efficient fast. I can only compare this with cross country skiing, where I could outrun most people while smoking a pack of Marlboro’s. I was fast not because I was in good shape, but because I could ski very efficiently. I had and have a good cross country technique. So short of jumping on a plane to Florida spending thousands of dollars in rowing camps, how can I achieve my goal of becoming a more efficient rower and therefore a faster rower? Does anybody of you long time rowers dare to step forward with your opinion?
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One of the things I love about this sport is that efficiency and technique are key. Jay is a good person to talk to about this, he alsways works on his technique and he's been rowing for 25 years!
ReplyDeleteMy technique gets better each season (this is season 5). I work on different parts in different rows, rythm, posture, balance, catch, release, pressure on the drive, feling the boat run etc etc and so forth.
A few weeks ago I spent two weeks on a Maine lake rowing in flat water, great opportunity to work on technique. I worked on a clean release. One day I took my GPS to measure the effect. When I rowed with a clean release I was a full MPH faster! I rowed two miles at 7-7.5 MPH, fastest I ever rowed!
We have some great rowers in the club. Ask Emily, Jay, Stephanie or Thomas to come out and watch you row. It is so much easier to watch someone else's stroke than to see your own.
While I agree with Paul says about seeking out the great rowers in the club, I wish to offer another alternative. That would be to change your focus. For instance, for me it's not about speed but more about "zen". This zone we speak of has a different meaning for each of us. My journey on the water has less about how fast I get there but the meditative release I receive from the rythmic cycle of oars, the condition of the environment I row in, and the spiritual connection to event. This for me is a classic example of letting go, enjoying the presence moment of life. By all means Jon, become an efficient rower and chase the speed, but to quote Lance Armstrong. " It's not all about the bike"
ReplyDelete2 weeks to get the blogs out...
ReplyDelete8/21 Saturday morning newbie row
I was a bit nervous before my first solo row, but I needn't have been...Gail, Pal, Sarah, and Steve helped Julie and I (newbies extreme) get into the water almost effortlessly. Sarah, bless her, stayed with us the entire time as we braved the waters adjacent to shore. It was relaxing and great fun! I can't wait to do it again.
Now if I can just get the stroke down. Any advice from the group? I seem to pull harder with my dominant side. How do I fix that?