Jodi wrote:I'd love to hear Baz' thoughts on a breathing technique while doing sprints. I wasn't aware that there was a technique, but it makes sense since breathing while doing any sort of rigorous physical exercise is a challenge. I could just be speaking for myself though.
I'll check with the Concept II support guys about the PM3 issue.
Thanks Ron for the shout-out and the quote, "Home is the sailor, home from the sea". I've never heard that one before. My Dad would have liked it and agreed wholeheartedly.
And John P. I'd like to extend my welcome as well. I am fairly new myself and have nothing but positive things to say about this forum and those who frequent it. A great group of people, and a wonderful support network. You won't be disappointed.
Hi Jodi
Firstly, I am a big fan of short sprint work-outs. And the one you described will no doubt increase your speed, and another benefit is that working at this level has proven to be a very effective fat-burning aid (Crikey - I’m not suggesting you need that!).
From my reading on the subject it is all about increasing your anaerobic threshold. The body can only operate at this level for shorter periods, but it can be conditioned to lengthen it and I’ve put a link for you to have a look at.
I mentioned on Friday that I will be switching from longer endurance rows into much shorter sprint work. Endurance should be seen as the foundation for any training program, but working at, or close to, 100% of your heart-rate capacity as part of your program will increase your speed. If you want to go faster you need to train for that. If you haven’t already have a look at the Concept Rowing training manual on the Concept website, it is quite a comprehensive document and it has a number of pre-set programs in Chapter 5. I follow the 2,000m training program that runs through 26 weeks. It starts with endurance work, and moves into speed work later. I find this a very good and dynamic all-round program.
Breathing is an interesting one for rowers, as you are frequently compressing your diaphragm as you are trying to breathe. So what is useful is to strengthen the muscles you use for breathing to make the process more efficient. I use a device called ‘power breathe’ which is very simple, but effective. It isn’t about increasing lung capacity (it might though) and I can say that I have noticed a reasonable increase in performance over time. Getting oxygen around the body and especially into the legs is key to good performance. I’ve put a link to this also...
Good luck with it, and let me know how you get on... Cheers, BBB
http://www.concept2.com/us/training/adv ... eshold.asp
http://www.concept2.com.au/training/tra ... ining.aspx
http://concept2.co.uk/training/breathing