Concept2 Forum

Do you believe that weight training helps with performance over two km trials? If you do - what do you do? Any resources?

any training will help you
suggested workouts:
bent over rows
squats
power cleans
deadlifts

Although many people believe strength training helps rowing performance, I can't remember ever seeing a study to show its effectiveness, and in fact, remember several that showed that it harmed performance.

It's not to say it never works in individual cases, but in general, you shouldn't lift, although I imagine strength training for the midsection might help avoid lower back pain.

I just read "Assault on Lake Casitas" a book by Brad Alan Lewis.

It's a true story of an Olympic rower. He did a lot of weight training.
I get the idea that all the elite rowers use weight lifting as a part of their training.

http://www.bradalanlewis.com/Assault%20 ... asitas.htm

Check out the pictures from CRASHB 2008, especially:
- world record holder Ralph Eckhart (40-49 HWT)
- Nik Fleming (30-39 hammer)
http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... a&start=30

If they dont lift weights, I'll eat my hat I did my cooldown at CRASHB sitting directly across from Nik, that guy is a MONSTER.

Here's a vid of Rob Waddell(Olympic gold, 2 world championships) rowing and doing squats when he visited the Iron Oarsman last year..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0JOq0HC ... re=related

Here's a vid of Matthew Pinsents (4 time Olympic Gold Medal) upper body workout:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/s ... 135814.stm

check out:
http://www.netfit.co.uk/fitness/tips/me ... cknell.htm
Q-"When do you train":
A-"8 a.m to 3 p.m daily for 7 days a week for 6 weeks, then a lay off."


I do squats, leg press, seated row and roman chair twice a week..

Weights help, just dont get hurt doing them
cheers

In Eddie Fletcher's "Suunto Indoor Rowing Training Guide", he describes one of Graham Benton's "tough" days and it included lifting sessions.

For my part I have been doing 2-3 lifting sessions in a week for the last three monthes All dumbbell work (not enough space for any more kit!) and takes about an hour:
5x10 squats (or cleans)
5x10 tricep extensions
5x10 shoulder press
5x10 bicep curls (or hammer curls)
5x10 one arm rows
5x10 bench press (or incline press)
5x10 flys
5x10 deadlifts
My kit:
Powerblock Elite 5-50# set. ( http://www.powerblock.com/blocks.html )
Body Solid FI bench ( http://www.bodysolid.com/Item.aspx?Item ... line+Bench )
While I am convinced lifting has helped bring down my erg times, more importantly it has added variety to my workouts and made them more sustainable over the long haul.

Some very good stuff in these two threads:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6152131

I used to weight train, mostly bend over rows and bench all the usual

But i didn`t get the same results as if i only just rowed on the erg

I don`t now if its just me or others has tried the same, if i train a lower pull i do some 1 min interval

Stephen Seiler questions the value of weight training for experienced rowers, but he offers key weight-training exercises and also describes how to use the erg to build rowing strength.

http://home.hia.no/~stephens/rowstre.htm

Elite rowers do lift, but I'm not sure they lift particularly heavy. A glance at Nik Fleming's training blog suggests he's a high-rep, low-weight man, at least at this point in his training. Tom Bohrer's training program includes lifting, and he has a cycle where the weights are heavy. It is not clear to me whether the lifting does more to maintain overall balance than to improve rowing-specific strength, especially for guys who are on the water (or erg) a lot.

By the way, Ralph Echkhart, the 40 yr German record holder, was a powerlifter or bodybuilder in a previous life.

Having used the erg to go from 260# to 185# in 7 months, then hold there for over a year, I've recently backed off of rowing quite a bit and have switched to weight training. Here's my 2-cents:

1) It depends on what you are trying to achieve. Although cross training is good, I think most people agree that the best way to get good at something is by doing that exact something. Also, it is hard to train to peak at multiple things at once. I read an article recently which explained how most triathletes cannot achieve their PB at all 3 components at the same time, and that invariably if they train to improve their running time, the swimming/riding times suffer, etc.

2) I think if you are stalling at rowing improvement, switching over to strength training may help for a while before going back to rowing (opinion)

In my case, I got down to 6'2" 185# and entered an indoor race this winter. I came in third for 40 y.o.+, but the guy who finished just ahead of me was huge! We were both wearing sleeveless shirts, and his shoulders, biceps, etc. were massive compared to me. People who saw me in shorts called me "giraffe legs." So, even though he "looked" better, I was able to keep with him in the race. But, not wanting to look scrawny anymore, I started lifting 3x / week (read New Rules of Lifting), and am already filling out a lot. The weights I can lift keep going up. Just now I went back to rowing on my non-lifting days, but doing HIIT (30s at 1:30 then 90s at 2:10, repeated 6-8 times). Even though I had a 3-month hiatus from the erg, I can still do the times I did 3 months ago, and my LP is lower.

My plan is to keep this up (3x/week lifting, 4x/week HIIT) until the fall, then start back on the UK training program for the winter 2k race. I'll have to let you know next Feb if the year of weight training builds enough strength to improve my 2k time (currently 6:53).

Tom