Nosmo wrote:It is well known that the USrowing age adjustments are advantageous for older rowers. They are about 20% higher then they should be.
Yes.
And even if these standards were adjusted to the present facts, for accidental and incidental reasons (life style, diet, competing personal, social, and economic pressures, level of commitment, injury, illness, etc.), these present facts underestimate the physical capacities of some older rowers, too, I think.
For instance, supposedly, the average 60s rower now has lost half of their youthful full body power.
That's just neglect.
I haven't lost _any_ of my youthful full-body power.
None at all.
Formulas for calaculating average loss of aerobic capacity, or things like maxHR, with age, can also be wildly off.
According to these forumulas, my maxHR should be 160 bpm, but it is still 190 bpm.
To this point, rowing in the older age divisions has been dominated by mildly committed, experienced, former Olympic-level rowers who have let themselves decline physically but have tried to compensate for their weakened physical capacities and reduced training with technique.
There is no need to assume the steep physical decline and reduced training.
These things are accidental, incidental, not necessary.
Elements of boat speed (in order of importance):
(1) Physical capacities
(2) Training
(3) Technique
(4) Equipment
(5) Rigging
ranger
Rich Cureton M 72 5'11" 165 lbs. 2K pbs: 6:27.5 (hwt), 6:28 (lwt)
