What's the best way to include strength training?

[gregsmith01748]

I am a run of the mill 53 year old male open weight rower.

I have been following a reasonably polarized training plan for the past couple of years, but not doing any strength or resistance training.

In most weeks, I do 6 training sessions with a total training time of about 7 hours (of actual logged rowing time). Generally 3 days of LSD endurance training (~15km OTW or ~20km OTE) and 3 sessions that are higher intensity. Depending on the time of year, these sessions will vary between longer distance head race type training or shorter sprinty type training. When you include the warmup and cool down training time of these sessions with the LSD stuff, about 80% of my training time is low intensity and 20% is high intensity.

I am interested in changing my routine to include strength training. I am mainly interested in injury prevention and increasing power in the boat, but I am concerned about the negative effect it might have on aerobic fitness.

I am looking for any advice that the esteemed members of this forum can provide about the best way to do this. One key factor is that I am not willing to increase the total number of sessions or total time allocated for training.

Here are my specific questions:
- How many strength training sessions per week?
- Should I continue strength training through the racing season?
- What should I reduce to make room for strength training sessions?
- Low reps or high reps?
- Weights before aerobic training or visa versa?

Anyone have any example training plans for masters rowers that include strength training (that you have experience with?)

Thanks in advance.

[hjs]

The guys who do serious strenghttraining are relative focussed on the shorter work. They do relative heavy work. This does not work well with lots of aerobic work.

For 2k and up pure strenght is not that important, for general strenght and balance it is.

You don,t need a lot of time, short sessions with a few basic exercises work well. If you keep the reps relative high. 12 / 20 its pretty easy to do them, with not overly much skill or injury risk. You can combine it every way you want. Only serious time trials or stuff should not be done with weights done before.

Its a bit with 20% of the effort 80% of the max result can be reached. 2/3 session a week is plenty. Work every bodypart 3 times in 2 weeks.

All year round, around races lighter and less. Find something that works for you, the guys I know including myself all have their own way of doing things. Everybody is different and has individual needs, strenghts and risks.

[gregsmith01748]

You don,t need a lot of time, short sessions with a few basic exercises work well. If you keep the reps relative high. 12 / 20 its pretty easy to do them, with not overly much skill or injury risk. You can combine it every way you want.

So, 12 to 20 reps. How many sets?

[Shawn Baker]

Greg, if you want to get stronger it is not very complicated- you need to do relatively heavy compound movements consistently over a long period of time-twice a week should be sufficient- lower reps

[aussieluke]

Look into 'Easy Strength', 'Power to the People' and Dan John's 40 day program.

You can get stronger in 10-15 minutes a day without impacting your recover or rowing training at all.

[hjs]

You don,t need a lot of time, short sessions with a few basic exercises work well. If you keep the reps relative high. 12 / 20 its pretty easy to do them, with not overly much skill or injury risk. You can combine it every way you want.

So, 12 to 20 reps. How many sets?

Just a few, on feel

Most others will say low reps Greg, the point here is for low reps, you need heavy weights. No matter what rep range, you need enough intensity to work the whole muscle, so low reps means high weight, with lower weights you need to up the rep number to tire the muscles enough.

[skiffrace]

Are you naturally muscular and strong, and gain muscle easily?
If so, heavier weights and fewer reps will be more effective. Say 5 to 8 reps, 3 to 5 sets, 6 or 8 exercises that hit major muscle groups - always squats for legs, pull-ups for arms/back, bench press, military press and a few others.

OTOH, if your muscles are long and lanky, of the endurance type, more reps will be more effective - 12 to 20, as hjs said.

The distinction is important.
The exact same stimulus will have very different outcomes, depending on your physiqe.
I am in the latter category, For years I followed the standard (but wrong) advise "heavy weights for strength", and for years I was stuck in the plateau. Once I changed my plan (12 to 20 reps) I made real gains, both in strenght and muscle mass.

Even more interstingly... I gained more upper body muscle from my kayaking and cross country skiing than from lifting heavy weights, despite the fact that kayaking/xc-skiing are "low weight, many reps" type of activities.

2x per week is optimal, during the racing season maintenance phase you can switch to 1x week.

Weight lifting may not improve your rowing speed much (for that, you need to row), but will provide big benefits otherwise, mostly related to your overall health and fitness.

[aussieluke]

Most others will say low reps Greg, the point here is for low reps, you need heavy weights.

Not if you add high frequency. Low reps, low weight, same lifts 6-7 days a week.

If you try a program like the 40 day / Easy strength / PTTP it will feel so easy you'll think you're wasting your time. But a couple of weeks in you will suddenly get it. ...you're getting stronger but you're not tired or sore and you can still train your sport too.

[hjs]

Most others will say low reps Greg, the point here is for low reps, you need heavy weights.

Not if you add high frequency. Low reps, low weight, same lifts 6-7 days a week.

If you try a program like the 40 day / Easy strength / PTTP it will feel so easy you'll think you're wasting your time. But a couple of weeks in you will suddenly get it. ...you're getting stronger but you're not tired or sore and you can still train your sport too.

Low reps, low weights do nothing. Say you do 5 reps with a 20 rep max. Gets you nowhere.

The program you link is heigh weight in my book. Its stays away from faillier, but at times its still pretty (relative heavy). It works to single rep maxes after all.

[aussieluke]

Most others will say low reps Greg, the point here is for low reps, you need heavy weights.

Not if you add high frequency. Low reps, low weight, same lifts 6-7 days a week.

If you try a program like the 40 day / Easy strength / PTTP it will feel so easy you'll think you're wasting your time. But a couple of weeks in you will suddenly get it. ...you're getting stronger but you're not tired or sore and you can still train your sport too.

Low reps, low weights do nothing. Say you do 5 reps with a 20 rep max. Gets you nowhere.

The program you link is heigh weight in my book. Its stays away from faillier, but at times its still pretty (relative heavy). It works to single rep maxes after all.

The plans work in various ways. You could do 2 x 5 at the same weight (maybe 50-60% max) day after day for weeks in a handful of lifts.

Or follow the easy strength 'rule of 10' and rotate 5 x 2, 2x5, 3x3, 6x1, 5-3-2 etc ...but never going truly heavy.

These are not heavy loads that will impact other training. Yet whole point of the plan is to get athletes stronger while still allowing them to focus on their sport.

It's not about the weight, it's the frequency and developing neurological strength as well as muscular. But all the while you're getting stronger - until one day you're lifting heavy weights with the same low effort

[Anth_F]

Just start doing this full body workout with 30lb dumbbells (incorporating the techniques shown). Who needs heavy weights and barbells


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U68JKcCKY7E

[hjs]

The plans work in various ways. You could do 2 x 5 at the same weight (maybe 50-60% max) day after day for weeks in a handful of lifts.

Or follow the easy strength 'rule of 10' and rotate 5 x 2, 2x5, 3x3, 6x1, 5-3-2 etc ...but never going truly heavy.

These are not heavy loads that will impact other training. Yet whole point of the plan is to get athletes stronger while still allowing them to focus on their sport.

It's not about the weight, it's the frequency and developing neurological strength as well as muscular. But all the while you're getting stronger - until one day you're lifting heavy weights with the same low effort

Its not for nothing a 40 day program. If you keep on lifting 50/60% its not that program. Nothing against doing that, but its something different.

Minus is the almost daily training you have to. Most people need a gym, would cost a lot of time. A guy like Greg would to keep on rowing, so that would be a problem.

You are right that there is not much needed to get stronger from the beginning, or keep a decent enough level. But once beyond the beginners stage its different.
And no man very strong, lifts heavy weights "easy" just like no fast rower rows a fast 2k "easy"

And the whole point of recruting more fibers at once/neurological improvement only makes it more difficult, more instant work can be done with the same muscle. Ofcourse thats more effort, nothing easy about it.

[aussieluke]

The plans work in various ways. You could do 2 x 5 at the same weight (maybe 50-60% max) day after day for weeks in a handful of lifts.

Or follow the easy strength 'rule of 10' and rotate 5 x 2, 2x5, 3x3, 6x1, 5-3-2 etc ...but never going truly heavy.

These are not heavy loads that will impact other training. Yet whole point of the plan is to get athletes stronger while still allowing them to focus on their sport.

It's not about the weight, it's the frequency and developing neurological strength as well as muscular. But all the while you're getting stronger - until one day you're lifting heavy weights with the same low effort

Its not for nothing a 40 day program. If you keep on lifting 50/60% its not that program. Nothing against doing that, but its something different.

Minus is the almost daily training you have to. Most people need a gym, would cost a lot of time. A guy like Greg would to keep on rowing, so that would be a problem.

You are right that there is not much needed to get stronger from the beginning, or keep a decent enough level. But once beyond the beginners stage its different.
And no man very strong, lifts heavy weights "easy" just like no fast rower rows a fast 2k "easy"

And the whole point of recruting more fibers at once/neurological improvement only makes it more difficult, more instant work can be done with the same muscle. Ofcourse thats more effort, nothing easy about it.

With the 40 day program you would do the same thing every day (with the odd rest day) for upnto 40 days, then vary the lifts and start again.

Yes you have to lift almost every day, but it also doesn't take very long at all, there is no real warmup necessary, nor does it require much equipment.

If you can leave a barbell loaded and ready to go and have a pull-up bar and a kettlebell or two you could be done in 10 minutes.

Like steady state training - lift 'easy' and gently build strength over the long haul, then take 4-6 weeks to ramp it up with a standard 3x5 linear program or a couple of cycles of 5/3/1 etc once or twice a year.

[aussieluke]

Simple suggestion based on what I've mentioned above:

Kettlebell goblet squat 3 x 5 with some prying in the bottom position for a great stretch and warmup
2 x 5 Barbell deadlift with the bar raised on 4-6" blocks / trap bar deadlift. Bar loaded to bodyweight.
Single kettlebell press 3 x 1,2,3 ...alternated with
Chin-up 3 x 1,2,3
Pick up two kettlebells and walk with them. Either one long walk until you've had enough or several shorter walks.
Go and get on with your day.

Repeat 4-7 days a week. Add weight if you feel the need.

[hjs]

[quote="aussieluke] Done in 10 min


[/quote]

My gym universe.

Going to the gym 15 min.
Changing clothes 5

Training...

Shower/putting clothes on. 10
Going home 15

Thats 45 min alone, without any training yet.

Other stuff, warm up. I can,t just start lifting heavy.
People talk to me, why? Beats me, but it happens and I even talk back

Squat/barbels, not seldom in use, so I have wait a bit.

So 10 min. is simply not possible. It takes me between 90/120 min to take a gym trip.