Best Ways To Improve Erg Scores?

[[old] caitlin.e]

So I just started rowing this year as a walk on on my university's rowing team. I have been frustrated lately because I feel like I put in a lot of work over break and have not improved as much as a lot of the girls who did much less. My initial goal was to make it into the top boat that gets to travel, but unless my erg times improve, that's not going to happen. I currently run about 15-20 miles a week outside of practice, weightlift 2x a week, and then obviously practice. I am 5'3" and around 130lbs, but don't row as a lightweight, I tend to be really competitive with the bigger girls on distance pieces, but my sprints are awful. My 2k is currently an 8:12, so I really need to get it down well below 8min. I am planning to start doing erg sprints at night after practice to try to bring my splits down, but I'm not sure what the best way to get faster sprinting is? Any help would be great! Thanks.

[[old] Xeno]

<!--QuoteBegin-caitlin.e+Feb 6 2006, 07:06 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(caitlin.e @ Feb 6 2006, 07:06 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->So I just started rowing this year as a walk on on my university's rowing team. I have been  frustrated lately because I feel like I put in a lot of work over break and have not improved as much as a lot of the girls who did much less. My initial goal was to make it into the top boat that gets to travel, but unless my erg times improve, that's not going to happen. I currently run about 15-20 miles a week outside of practice, weightlift 2x a week, and then obviously practice. I am 5'3" and around 130lbs, but don't row as a lightweight, I tend to be really competitive with the bigger girls on distance pieces, but my sprints are awful. My 2k is currently an 8:12, so I really need to get it down well below 8min. I am planning to start doing erg sprints at night after practice to try to bring my splits down, but I'm not sure what the best way to get faster sprinting is? Any help would be great! Thanks. <br /> </td></tr></table><br />S T O P<br /><br />You can not force it by doing sprints. Have you spoken to your coach about this? I believe that you might want to work on torque more than all out sprints. Sprints will fill you with acid and you have to be careful about over doing it. Where do you row and who is your coach? So you train more than the othes? It is possible that you lack mileage, but don't train harder than the others. Put in quality miles, with torque per stroke. Buy the book ROWING FASTER and train at your target heart rate.<br />XENO

[[old] Coach Gus]

I agree with Xeno and it's the same advice I have given others on the forum. Before you do any extra work talk to your coach and ask them what you can add to your workouts to help you. Us coaches love it when an athlete wants to work harder to get better. Your coach should be willing and able to identify what will best help you and give you a workout plan for the extra workouts. The worst thing to do is add the wrong kind of work and hurt or fatigue yourself and end up slower.<br /><br />With your attitude you will get there! Good luck.

[[old] caitlin.e]

<!--quoteo(post=55732:date=Feb 13 2006, 09:03 AM:name=cbuja)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(cbuja @ Feb 13 2006, 09:03 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>you also may want to re-visit your assumptions on rowing lightweight -- you could be powerfully positioned there. Otherwise, you are likely competing against people who have many inches and mass on you (if not in your seat races, then in the opposing university's boat) ... which will manifest themselves in sprints and race distances. <br /><br />Does your university have a lightweight team? Are your races 2K or longer events?<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />We don't have a lightweight boat, so my only option is to row with the bigger girls. We had an 8k this weekend that I made second boat for, but the rest of our spring races are all 2k's, and it'll be hard to keep that spot because I'm better endurance-wise that sprints. Anyway, thanks.

[[old] Ben Rea]

best way to improve erg scores?????? hmmmmm, work hard?!

[[old] csabour]

ben rea...<br /><br />an even better way is to work SMART...<br /><br />caitlin, much better erg scores and a better rested mind comes with a COMPREHENSIVE training scheduale.<br /><br />I recommend 2 things;<br /><br />1) Listen to people like Xeno and your coach's advice, ask questions about EVERYTHING which you don't understand the purpose.<br /><br />2) Learn alittle bit about your physiology, aerobic capacity, anarobic capacity, ect.<br /><br />Somtimes gains can be made quickly with lots of work, however this path leads to a plateau which in the long run slows you down. Get lots of aerobic base (hr 130-150) while this will not have MUCH direct effects on your score immediatly, in the long run it will pay off. With this long stuff down, once you get into the shorter more intense workouts the benefit will be greater, and also, with a strong aerobic base, recovery from a practice on the water comes faster.<br /><br />Good luck.

[[old] caitlin.e]

<!--quoteo(post=56081:date=Feb 16 2006, 02:09 PM:name=csabour)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(csabour @ Feb 16 2006, 02:09 PM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>ben rea...<br /><br />an even better way is to work SMART...<br /><br />caitlin, much better erg scores and a better rested mind comes with a COMPREHENSIVE training scheduale.<br /><br />I recommend 2 things;<br /><br />1) Listen to people like Xeno and your coach's advice, ask questions about EVERYTHING which you don't understand the purpose.<br /><br />2) Learn alittle bit about your physiology, aerobic capacity, anarobic capacity, ect.<br /><br />Somtimes gains can be made quickly with lots of work, however this path leads to a plateau which in the long run slows you down. Get lots of aerobic base (hr 130-150) while this will not have MUCH direct effects on your score immediatly, in the long run it will pay off. With this long stuff down, once you get into the shorter more intense workouts the benefit will be greater, and also, with a strong aerobic base, recovery from a practice on the water comes faster.<br /><br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Thanks- I feel like I have a strong aerobic base, I run alot, I've started swimming a little, and I can hold a mid-range pace for long pieces, I just have a hard time sustaining a faster pace- even just a little faster. I intend to go talk to my coach this week, as I also need to talk to her about possibly doing some coxing (another thought in the back of my head, I would miss rowing, but I want to be competitive). The other thing I've noticed/ get yelled at for is that I lose my form when I get tired during sprints, and I know that probably slows me down. So a lot of it is probably forcing myself to hold everything together and work more efficiently. <br />Thanks again though. I really appreciate it.<br /><br /><br />

[[old] ljwagner]

If you want to row better/harder/stronger, for heavens sake don't swim. A few of us at my college tried that experiment decades ago, and recognized the differences in the two sports. With the exception of your heart, the muscles used and how they are used is completely different from rowing. <br /><br />As far as your technique falling apart before the end of a 2K piece on the water, that too is endurance of specific rowing muscles. If there is a small boat available and someone who will row with you for some extra miles regularly, do so. In those extra miles, maintain a pace where you are getting a workout, but never lose your technique. If it falls off even a little, either break and rest, your just back off slightly if you can get your technique back, and continue.<br /><br />Losing technique sounds like more oar control muscles in your arms/shoulders/forearms. At the end, do you try to go all out, and in doing so make "all out" a pace that you can not maintain until the end of a race ? Even in a final sprint, it can not be 100% of what you have left every stroke, especially if your technique is gone. Better a slightly weaker (10% less ? 20% less ?) stroke that is clean, than thrashing that causes obvious speed loss. In that loss of technique, do you rush the slide, and go in early, or late ? All of them cause problems to the entire boat when there is little time to make it up. In the mens Olympic 4+ I watched a few years ago on TV, the bow pair of one 4 started beating in the stroke pair, and missing water at the catch in the final sprint. Rather than make up distance, they lost it, and went out of medal contention. <br /><br />There are also exercises you can do that will help some of those control muscles build endurance. It may be you need more appropriate strength work for your power muscles rowing. <br /><br /> And try coxing. If the first boat can/will row faster for you than another cox'n for whatever reason, any few extra pounds they carry with you will not matter. You at least know everything they go through unlike some cox'ns who don't realize how hard the folks doing the pulling actually work.

[[old] caitlin.e]

<!--quoteo(post=56297:date=Feb 18 2006, 05:07 PM:name=ljwagner)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ljwagner @ Feb 18 2006, 05:07 PM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>If you want to row better/harder/stronger, for heavens sake don't swim. A few of us at my college tried that experiment decades ago, and recognized the differences in the two sports. With the exception of your heart, the muscles used and how they are used is completely different from rowing. <br /><br />As far as your technique falling apart before the end of a 2K piece on the water, that too is endurance of specific rowing muscles. If there is a small boat available and someone who will row with you for some extra miles regularly, do so. In those extra miles, maintain a pace where you are getting a workout, but never lose your technique. If it falls off even a little, either break and rest, your just back off slightly if you can get your technique back, and continue.<br /><br />Losing technique sounds like more oar control muscles in your arms/shoulders/forearms. At the end, do you try to go all out, and in doing so make "all out" a pace that you can not maintain until the end of a race ? Even in a final sprint, it can not be 100% of what you have left every stroke, especially if your technique is gone. Better a slightly weaker (10% less ? 20% less ?) stroke that is clean, than thrashing that causes obvious speed loss. In that loss of technique, do you rush the slide, and go in early, or late ? All of them cause problems to the entire boat when there is little time to make it up. In the mens Olympic 4+ I watched a few years ago on TV, the bow pair of one 4 started beating in the stroke pair, and missing water at the catch in the final sprint. Rather than make up distance, they lost it, and went out of medal contention. <br /><br />There are also exercises you can do that will help some of those control muscles build endurance. It may be you need more appropriate strength work for your power muscles rowing. <br /><br /> And try coxing. If the first boat can/will row faster for you than another cox'n for whatever reason, any few extra pounds they carry with you will not matter. You at least know everything they go through unlike some cox'ns who don't realize how hard the folks doing the pulling actually work.<br /> </td></tr></table><br />Thanks so much! That makes a lot of sense.