Winter Rowing Thoughts From Jay Paris

Hi all, In this muddy time of year, if southwest winds are gentle and warm, I think about finding a boat to take to a quiet river or lake to recapture the rowing spirit of last summer. On the other hand, when winds are screaming and cold rain is about, rowing couldn’t seem farther away. A news flash is that Paul Mazonson and son Jake drove to Phili and back a few weeks ago to pick up the soon-to-be Rock N Row boat trailer, which will give us additional access to rowing water and extend our season! Thanks Pauli! In talking to a few Rock N Rowers, it seemed like a good idea to start an email rally about winter training – ideas or actual strategies that club members use to stay lean and strong. To kick it off, I’ll share my own. My approach reflects my interest in doing some racing next year, as well as my age, at which point strength is easier to maintain than aerobic capacity (that’s why highly competitive weight lifters stay in the game into their Forties while swimmers and runners do not). So the key, I’ve discovered, to building aerobic capacity is consistency –five to six days a week of moderate exercise with only one hard day and one somewhat hard day in the mix. Steady state –getting into a heart rate zone of 70% of my max – light sweating but I can still talk – is my baseline. I also like to cross train. So I use a rowing machine two times a week but then add Pilates, weightlifting, the Stairmaster and jogging on other days to keep it as varied as possible (indoor exercise can get boring fast). On my hard day, I keep my heart rate at about 85% of my max (at age almost 61, my max is 170), usually alternating hard and easy pieces of two to four minutes in duration for 45 minutes to an hour. Exercising 6 times a week is hard to do but I find doing even a little every day is better f than, say, only two big, killer workouts on the weekend. Even a brisk half hour walk is good for the soul and seems to keep all parts lubricated. Stretching is also important but I am remiss more often than I should be. The question is, what are you doing and what tips can you share? On the inspirational rowing front, I came across this video clip of the Polish, three-time world quad champs, at a practice. Notice the soft catch and fast hands. The boat hardly lurches—the smoothest quad I’ve ever seen. And they are rowing hard, at about a 30, even though they make it look like a 24.
It’s how I want to row when I grow up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWtoUczoyaA&NR=1