height factor

[rsosa]

Hi a noob question.. im 1.74 m, do i have a chance in the water?
guess trying to be lightweight would be the answer, but there are people over 1.80 m in the LWT, plus my body is not that from a LWT, i mean, the complexity...
what is the average age for stop growing?
thx in advance

[Ray79]

Hi a noob question.. im 1.74 m, do i have a chance in the water?

Of course you do, not everyone who rows is a 6ft 6in Behemoth.

guess trying to be lightweight would be the answer, but there are people over 1.80 m in the LWT, plus my body is not that from a LWT, i mean, the complexity...

You are probably right about Lightweight, but dont let that stop you from trying out as a Heavyweight, it is important to be very fit and powerful as a rower first and foremost - then other factors come into play.

what is the average age for stop growing?
thx in advance

what age are you now? there is no definitive answer to this. People are all different, I for example didn't stop growing (height wise) til I was 23

[robhen]

Two of Australia's best rowers were short, Peter Antoinie and Steve Hawkins who combined to win the heavyweight double sculls at, I think at the 92 Olympics. Probably they were under 179cm. When I ever saw Peter race he fought like a low down mongrel dog and invariably won. He always kicked it home.

Peter was in the Australian team 17 out of 18 years. And very modest to boot.

"Its not the size of the dog its the size of the fight"

[rsosa]

thanks for the encouragement words, my father was a rower and the bastard is 1.85, my mother 1.74, guess genes do what they want sometimes...
im 24, so guess this will be my height unless i cut my legs or something
i rowed when i was 17 but had to quit for other reasons, loved the sport the year or so i did it, and always promised myself to come back, so here i am.
Own a model D and trying to get fit and increase the aerobic capacity
btw... i am running mornings (1 hour), rowing afternoons (following the weight loss program), are those compatible?
after some time will do some weighting, but under coach supervision (getting fit first)
cheers

[Ray79]

Well you have enthusiasm which is a bonus as rowing is a time consuming sport.

In my opinion if you want to row, you should row most of the time. Running is complementary for fitness, but it will not prepare you in the same way physiologically as more rowing will. But if you enjoy running then by all means continue - just be careful of your knees.

Hard luck with the old genetics too - my mum and dad are both 1.73m

[robhen]

I follow a similar program hence my main goal is to get out on the water, followed by pulling the erg then go for a jog

There is also the principle of specifitivty which states the best way to train for the sport is to do the sport. Running will make you a fast runner. Rowing training on the water makes you a faster rower.

My advice for you would be to concentrate on rowing using the Wolverine program posted on this forum. Do weights or strength training that closely resembles the rowing stroke if time permits. And if you have any time left over for any other training this would be the icing on the cake. I am sure you get the drift.

Finally, forget about genes. Persistence and perserverence are one of the keys to a successful life. My brother was a better rower than me at school and was in the top eight however I am easily a better athelete than he ever was. My motto is which you may find corny is "a saint is a sinner that kept on trying".

All the best.

[rsosa]

thanks for the tips and heads up on this...
i still need to lower fat so will keep on the diet and the weight loss program, thats why i thought of running as a complement, lets see what my knees have to say
Gave a quick read to the wolverine plan, it looks tough and strict, and i like that
cheers!