lack of power

[tewbz]

right now im a sophomore in high school have been rowing for 3 years and doing fairly well. my problem is this, in the past 3 years since starting rowing I have continued to grow tall like I should be but I haven't gained any weight at all since I started high school at around 140 lbs and still weigh in at 139-140. my biggest problem is that I seem to be lacking the power to drop my 2k time much more. im thinking that is if I put on say 10lbs of muscle that it would help me take alot of time off my 2k. the reason that I think that power is the problem is that i have guys on my team that pull 2ks around 6:55 that I can beat on longer distances but they destroy me when it comes to low rate/high power and sprints. so, would putting on muscle help me? and if so can someone help me with a program to do so. I am going to ask the same question from my coach tomorrow. I Posted this on the uk site also.

[tewbz]

oh and just to tell you guys my signature is wrong im actualy 16.

[gregsmith01748]

I'm not an expert and there are others here who are, but I'll give you my opinion.

1. The best advice will come from your coach
2. I'd start by cranking up the intensity and shortening distance on sprint intervals. Do 20x100m or other intense short intervals on the erg. A lot of low pull and sprint speed comes from being able to rate up and that takes practice.
3. Do some reading about strength training. I think that Rippetoe has a couple of book that provide som constructive advice about sport specific strength training.
4. Check out the strength grainy chapter in Rowing Faster. The author includes guidelines on when strength might be your limiting factor based on performance in squats, deadlifts and bench rows.
5. Don't start working with weights without someone to watch your form. It's easy to hurt yourself doing the compound lifts that are most beneficial, and you'll regret the idea of weight training if it keeps you off the water with an injury.

Oh, and one more thing. Based on your height and weight, you might want to up your food intake (maybe a lot).

[tewbz]

I'm not an expert and there are others here who are, but I'll give you my opinion.

1. The best advice will come from your coach
2. I'd start by cranking up the intensity and shortening distance on sprint intervals. Do 20x100m or other intense short intervals on the erg. A lot of low pull and sprint speed comes from being able to rate up and that takes practice.
3. Do some reading about strength training. I think that Rippetoe has a couple of book that provide som constructive advice about sport specific strength training.
4. Check out the strength grainy chapter in Rowing Faster. The author includes guidelines on when strength might be your limiting factor based on performance in squats, deadlifts and bench rows.
5. Don't start working with weights without someone to watch your form. It's easy to hurt yourself doing the compound lifts that are most beneficial, and you'll regret the idea of weight training if it keeps you off the water with an injury.

Oh, and one more thing. Based on your height and weight, you might want to up your food intake (maybe a lot).

thanks for the advice, more sprint training is out of the question right now im not sure how i can really up my food intake much more either, i usualy eat around 3500 calories a day but will try to get it up more im also going to try to get in more protein. any other ideas would be welcome becuase i really need to drop my 2k this winter!

[JohnBove]

You'll probably get some differing views, but I think you're at a good age to hit the weights. I began weight training at around your age and it seemed at the time like a miracle. I got a lot stronger, my body got bigger, I was more explosive ... there was no down side. And I wouldn't worry much about sport-specific; you're young, you may be doing some other sport in a year. Get a good basic weight program and do it regularly. You can bang it out in an hour, three days a week, and you will definitely see results.

[Rockin Roland]

It's pretty hard to change your body type that you were born with. You will probably always be naturally thin/lean and at 16 won't get your full adult body until your 20 something. Until then, like others have mentioned, try and bulk up and gain power in the weight room. Followed by a lot of protein shakes. However that get's expensive and many protein supplements don't live up to their claims anyway. When I was your age I just mixed raw eggs, milk and Milo/Ovaltine in a blender and drank that after a workout. However in my 40s I discovered Creatine. I found that by increasing my Creatine intake(both in supplements and with foods that it's found naturally in) my power output increased dramatically. I started to smash all my erg PBs by lots.