Weight Training for Rowing

LJWagner · Post by **LJWagner** » September 5th, 2006, 7:55 pm

Its a little bit the biomechanics, but more the cardio training of full body demand for doing the equivalent of a squat, a partial deadlift, a bench row or pull up, crunch, and hanging leg lift in sequence. OTW, add fine motor muscles for oar control and boat balance. Separate exercises give a false sense of strength with full cardiac support for only a few muscles. Rowing, the whole body is demanding oxygen at a high rate for the duration of the 2K. That's why it difficult to quantify a training benefit with weight training, and a thorough rowing program can skip them.

You need more strength to pull harder, but you also need sustainable strength for 2K or whatever the distance. If weight training helps you increase your sustainable power rowing, you'll be faster at any distance.

yoda · Post by **yoda** » September 6th, 2006, 6:39 pm

I remember when I was in high school. Long time ago. It was believed that weight training made a person muscle-bound. And if you were to participate in weight lifting you would never be a top athlete in your particular sport. Times have changed a bunch. I can think of no athlete that can not benefit from resistance training. Or, for that matter any sport. For those that believe that you can't benefit from resistance training to improve your rowing let me ask this question. "How do you raise your performance level once you've reach your natural abilities?" I don't think you can improve without additional resistance training.

I believe the mistake many folks make is believing that if they incorporate resistance training that they will automaticly improve in their performance. This is so far from the truth it's almost scarey. One has to be kept separate from the other. The effort with the incorporation to resistance training to improve a person's rowing must be kept at the same or an even higher level than what it was prior to resistance training.

All of the above is purely an opinion of Yoda. It's not in print, just an opinion.

Yoda

yoda · Post by **yoda** » September 9th, 2006, 7:37 pm

Geez, what happened to the discussion?? Did I say something wrong??

Or are you marshalling your forces for an attack????

Yoda

LJWagner · Post by **LJWagner** » September 10th, 2006, 2:06 am

You have to check this video. Gray-haired guy doing jump squats, with a loaded barbell. Not a big jump, but a jump.

http://www.todaysgym.com/Articles/Artic ... e1GmSq.htm.

yoda · Post by **yoda** » September 10th, 2006, 6:40 am

That grey-haired gentleman is doing his strength training for the "Standing Broad Jump" in the Senior Olympics.

I can't believe he's doing that. Talk about blowing your kneecaps across the room, geez. That video is a demonstration of a injury about to happen. Unbelievable!!!!!

Yoda

LJWagner · Post by **LJWagner** » September 11th, 2006, 11:57 am

He's a doctor, general practioner, and a longtime weightlifting coach. That is probably a light weight for him.

Don't forget, most people think rowing is the ideal way to injure your knees and back.