Favorite Training Sources

What do you use to guide your training?

Many people simply row. Like going for an evening walk or morning jog, getting on the rowing machine and just rowing is fine. Whether you do a planned workout or simply stay on the machine for a set time or distance, you are doing yourself good.

Some new rowers or non-rowers know someone with more experience. Someone like that can offer ideas for you to use for one row or a routine.

Some rowers hire a coach to guide them. Whether the coach provides sample workouts or a week-to-week routine, the expertise of the coach can help make your time on the rowing machine more productive for you, especially if it is targeted toward your goals.

Many rowers use books or online resources that offer workouts and routines and, selecting from those, apply what they have learned to their own routines.  You may find information on the websites offered by the two leading rowing machine manufacturers – Concept2 and WaterRower. You may have purchased Lisa Schlenker’s “75 Workouts” or Marlene Royle’s “Tip of the Blade” or Darryl Wilkinson’s “Indoor Rowing for Fitness and Competition.”  Another much-used resource is Mike Caviston’s online materials on the “Wolverine Plan.”

What resources do you use?

Body of Water

“The human body is a self-healing machine, and it doesn’t waste time. Skin is crushed or split or cut, and blood immediately rushes to the site, the red cells scabbing and knitting a fibrous matrix to bind the parted edges together, the white cells seeking out and destroying germs and pathogens below. The process is underway within minutes, and it lasts as many hours or days as are necessary to return the skin to its previous unbroken integrity. . . .” 

                                    Lee Child, The Affair, at 89 (Delacorte Press, 2011)

The water in our bodies (which makes up about two-thirds of our body weight, by the way), is something we honor mostly by ignoring it. We notice that we sweat. We drink water, and get thirsty again when we row. We are aware that our heart rates go up when we exercise, pumping blood more forcefully through the body. But we pay little attention to (and understand less about) what the water moving throughout our bodies does and how it affects our health.

Water functions in the body not just as a material that fills the skin to give us shape; as an active medium, it helps essential processes function effectively. Water in the blood carries red blood cells, delivering oxygen to the muscles. It also carries the many nutrients, hormones, toxins and waste chemicals either dissolved in plasma or other fluids or otherwise carried by the water and held in position by the water so that cell membranes and other interfaces in the body can work their magic to maintain healthy chemical balances.

Imagine the body as a physical structure. If a pipe or hose is blocked, the flow of water through it slows or stops and the functions that depend on the flow are affected. If a stream or aqueduct dries up, minerals may crystallize and harden. If flow is slow rather than rapid along a river bed or channel, chemicals may accumulate in sediments, such as next to dams or other obstructions. If the water level of a lake goes down, the shoreline dries up and the remainder of the lake may become a different environment.

If the action and inaction of water in the body can have effects like these examples, then heightened flow of bodily fluids during exercise may also enhance the healthy functioning of the body.  That is especially so if, in a body at rest, the flow of water in the body is less than complete, does not reach all extremities or does not move with the force or volume needed to promote optimum health. To have the water (blood, plasma, lymph) move with more velocity and volume can enable the body’s healthy processes to function more effectively.

Try it. And if you have input on ways to use the concept (body of water) to explain how exercise promotes good health, please contact me.

 

 

Repetitive Motion Injuries?

Occasionally, some people express concerns about the risk of injury from rowing. One key concern is back pain. Another example of complaints is repetitive motion injuries, such as tendonitis. Some people even assert that these are not possibilities one could have a concern about, but that they are definitely caused by rowing.

I disagree.  I disagree for two reasons.

First, logically, if the act of rowing caused these problems, every rower would have them. They do not. At a minimum, if rowing contributes to such problems, it must be only one factor.

Second, I disagree that rowing causes injuries such as these (aching back; tendonitis; etc.) because there are issues with the way people row (i.e., their approaches or even mistakes as to technique) that contribute. For example, if a rower forces the back on in a way that is not smooth or out of proportion to his or her fitness, it is not surprising if the back aches as a result. That is not a fair reason to blame rowing any more than someone twisting an ankle by stepping off a curb without looking is a reason to blame walking. In addition, there are numerous possible contributing factors with regard to back pain; and the presence of one of those in a rower does not provide an indication that the rowing is to blame but just the opposite - the rower must know himself or herself and proceed accordingly. Similarly, if a rower moves the wrists unnecessarily while rowing or grips the handle or pulls with the wrists bent instead of flat, each such mistake may put unnecessary pressure or strain on tendons in the wrist. Those mistakes are not inherent to rowing; they are mistakes that are correctible and avoidable. It is the mistakes of the rower that may result in pain or injury, not rowing itself.

The recent publication of "The Boys in the Boat" is a reminder to attend to this misconception.  Early in the book, the author erroneously attributes a number of possible injuries to rowing. It is simply not fair to the sport and is an indication of the problems we face when a non-rower attempts to describe the rigors of the sport.

Rowing can be very demanding. It does not put the rower at risk of injury, however, except due to errors and/or self-abuse by the rower.

That is my opinion. What do you think?

Rowing - High Impact without the Impact?

Experts are recognizing that older folks can benefit from high impact exercises.

The explanation is that people who exercise tend to have less joint-related problems than others.  See "Ask Well" column by Gretchen Reynolds, NYTimes, January 14, 2014.

Consider the rowing alternative. You get the full range use of joints, muscle demands from easy to strenuous, and yet you have no impact problems, no chance of slipping on ice or twisting an ankle on uneven pavement.

When you row, you have the benefits of both aerobic work and resistance training. The amount of resistance you experience will correspond to the amount of pressure you apply with your legs. It is that simple. Go for a long, aerobic row. Or do some short bursts of higher power at greater resistance. Or do some of both for a combined workout. All without getting off the machine!

New Age Mumbo Jumbo?

Moderate exercise is good for health. Regular exercise may be the closest thing to the fountain of youth. You can fight disease and the debilitating effects of aging with regular moderate exercise.

Are these legitimate statements or are they 'New Age mumbo jumbo'?

Find out for yourself.

  • If you try exercise and do not find the experience of breathing more deeply to be enjoyable, let me know.
  • If you row daily and do not find you improve in your strength and fitness, let me know.
  • If you do not believe that science and the medical profession consider these points to be well-established, start browsing online or go to the library and start checking,

But, most importantly, row now. Stretch now. Do some core work and other cross-training now. And enjoy feeling better, having more energy, experiencing better health, and looking forward to a longer and more vibrant life. Experience it for yourself.

(Is exercise a guarantee of better health or avoidance of disease or of living to be 90 or older? Of course not. Nothing is. But it is a factor. Ignore this factor at your peril; make use of it to your greater enjoyment and long life!)

You Are Beautiful

We need to get past the "I am out of shape and do not look good" excuse for not rowing.

I understand the concern about not fitting in if you are not as fit as someone else in a rowing class. But consider a different perspective.

That perspective is that the ones not rowing, not exercising, not getting the pulse up and the breath deeper are the ones to be avoided (or, at least, not to serve as role models). There is something inherently attractive about making the effort, showing up, and moving that you should consider. Allow it to trump your hesitation or concern about being new to the game.

Get on the rowing machine. Go to a rowing class. Join a learn to row group.

Just as smiling can make you feel better, getting out there and moving not only will make you feel better, it makes you beautiful!

Enjoy!

 

Be a Researcher for Health and Long Life

How many times have you seen a news article about the cost of health care for the elderly?

People want to live longer but do not want society to be saddled with unmanageable health care costs for everyone over 50 (or 60 (or 70) . . .).

Rarely do you see an article about the ways exercise helps us stay younger and healthier and live longer. There is information out there. The medical profession acknowledges the positive effects on longevity and reducing the incidence of disease that results from even a small amount of moderate exercise.

Be a researcher for health and long life. Exercise daily. Keep track of what you do, how you feel and how healthy you are. Be ready some day to share your results.

And, in the meantime, enjoy the feeling of breathing more deeply, having more energy, feeling stronger, sleeping better, and staying healthier.

Out of Breath?

            What does it mean to be “out of breath”?  The quarterback runs and returns to the huddle out of breath.  The grandparent wears a breathing tube because, otherwise, she is always out of breath.  I walk the eight flights of stairs to my office and stop because I am out of breath.  Mom won’t walk around the block with me because she does not like getting out of breath. 

            Being out of breath is more than a feeling; it is a condition of being winded and needing more oxygen than we have been getting.

            Is it bad to be out of breath, as most of us assume most of the time?  Is it to be avoided?

            Being out of breath may be a sign of a medical condition, a need or a problem.  The quarterback may need more fitness training (or just a few seconds to ‘catch his breath’).  The grandparent’s medical condition may have resulted in reduced lung efficiency resulting in the need for an oxygen supply to enrich the air she breathes.

            But in all of these cases, as in the case of my getting winded walking up stairs, the act of getting out of breath may not be a bad thing.  Getting winded may be the best way to improve our wind, reducing the tendency to get out of breath the next day.

            A random walk or occasional flight of stairs will not likely do much good.  But a daily walk can do wonders.  The body respond and, with regular (daily) stimulus, can substantially improve our fitness.  So get out of breath – every day – and look forward to doing it!

Exercise Works Magic

The Tuesday NYTimes (12/3/13) noted in an article by Gretchen Reynolds titled "A Holiday Glutton's Antidote" that daily exercise provides a benefit greater than burning calories. A study in England described in The Journal of Physiology showed that even if members of the study who exercised increased their caloric intake to account for the burned calories, those "who had exercised once a day . . .  were not similarly affected" as those in the study who did not exercise (for whom negative effects included problems with blood sugar, fat cells and genetic test results). And this was after only one week of having all participants over-eat.

Imagine what a daily row can do for your body's health and fitness. The ability of the human body to restore itself and to fight disease is amazing. Support it with exercise. Row today.

Age in Fitness vs. Years

Many people of all ages exercise because they enjoy doing it.  Increasingly, many of those same people also look to the health benefits of exercise.  Rowing is one of the best exercises for health purposes because it is non-impact (you are sitting down) and uses the whole body. 

Many people who were not previously either athletes or regular exercisers are taking up rowing.  It does not require experience or a high degree of coordination.  You can do it alone as well as in a class or with a group.  And you can do it at your own speed, using equipment that produces resistance in proportion to how hard you are working rather than requiring you to set a speed or turn a resistance nob on a treadmill or bike.  You can warm up and work hard or vary your pace whenever you wish without having to adjust settings.               

As more of us reach our more senior years (which, depending on your perspective, may be anywhere from over 40 to over 80 or 90), we experience a transition from living as if we are immortal to recognizing that there will be an end.  We notice an increasing tendency toward muscular weakness and a steeper burden to try to stay in shape.

But when we exercise as we age, we also notice positive health effects, from increased wind and energy to the many enhancements that explain why the medical community urges exercise for health and to delay aging.  (More on those topics another time.)

A week ago, the NYTimes published a one-page article in the Sunday Magazine on calculating your fitness age.  It noted that researchers at a Norwegian university developed a simple set of questions you can answer to help you assess your age in relation to your fitness (and as opposed to your chronological age in years).  To try it yourself, go to www.ntnu.edu/cerg/vo2max . 

What does this tell you about the effects of your exercise?

Rowing Every Day

I am often asked if I really row every day.  Here are my three answers:

1. Yes, at least I try to; I do not plan to exercise only 3 or 5 or even 6 days a week, but every day. 

2. No, but if you count the number of days I do double workouts, I average more than once a day. 

3. Sometimes I do other things and include little or no rowing.  I may lift weights and stretch, play basketball at noon, or run with my daughter when she is visiting, for example and on some of those days I do not also row. 

I hope that a second book, which I think of as RD2 - "A Row A Day for A Year," will serve as a more complete answer and as my challenge to you to try to row every day.  A training log that you will fill in, with a few chapters and other introductions to each months' entries, it is a book that, I hope, will inspire you to try to row daily and will help you gain from the effort so that, at the end of the year, you look back at it as a success.

In the meantime, please keep the feedback coming.  I hear from folks who used to do other sports/exercise and find they love to row.  I hear from people for whom daily exercise is the norm and their questions have to do with rowing longer, for example.  Someone urged me to speak out for rowing bikes.  You may have seen them on the road or online - see, for example, rowbike.com and rowingbike.com and a long set of photos of many types at

http://rowingbike.free.fr/.