Since I am an ectomorph (pretty lanky, small shoulders, long arms, light build), I've been hoping to gain muscle mass. However, I'm curious to know how much rowing can affect training for those who are trying to bulk up.
I have gained SOME weight ever since I started rowing 2 years ago (I think I was about 145 my freshman year, and I'm at 155 now, and it's not fat). However, given that I use Whey protein (about 42 grams after a workout), I'm somehow unsure if my gains are what they should be. Anyone else have the same feeling?
Why can't I GAIN weight?
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hjs
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Re: Why can't I GAIN weight?
eat more , eat more often, eat enough protein every meal.MT2008 wrote:Since I am an ectomorph (pretty lanky, small shoulders, long arms, light build), I've been hoping to gain muscle mass. However, I'm curious to know how much rowing can affect training for those who are trying to bulk up.
I have gained SOME weight ever since I started rowing 2 years ago (I think I was about 145 my freshman year, and I'm at 155 now, and it's not fat). However, given that I use Whey protein (about 42 grams after a workout), I'm somehow unsure if my gains are what they should be. Anyone else have the same feeling?
Just increase your food intake. Just eat more fot week. If you still don,t gain weight increese this just as long untill you gain weight.
Make sure the weightgain is mostly muscle, if you start to hold fat a bit lower your food intake a bit.
Re: Why can't I GAIN weight?
Let me preface this by stating that I believe Sheldon's somatotype theory is junk science. I also don't believe whey protein is good for anything but baby cows, and then only in it's original form: whole milk.MT2008 wrote:Since I am an ectomorph (pretty lanky, small shoulders, long arms, light build), I've been hoping to gain muscle mass. However, I'm curious to know how much rowing can affect training for those who are trying to bulk up.
I have gained SOME weight ever since I started rowing 2 years ago (I think I was about 145 my freshman year, and I'm at 155 now, and it's not fat). However, given that I use Whey protein (about 42 grams after a workout), I'm somehow unsure if my gains are what they should be. Anyone else have the same feeling?
I look at people who row to stay fit and they're lean. The folks I know who want to be big hit the gym and push big weight.
If you want the easy answer, then buy into GNC or any of the other snake-oil peddlers and they'll happily trade you magic potions for your cash.
I would suggest you get your body composition tested at a sports medicine clinic, local university, or similar. Then consult with a trainer about your goals and they should be able to help you with a plan of attack.
good luck! - al.
In my opinion you are not likely to bulk up fast while rowing consistently because rowing is generally an aerobic exercise which is meant to keep you lean. I lifted a lot while rowing in college and never had huge weight gains (~15 lbs. over 4 years). Much of it depends on your body type. It sounds like you would have trouble gaining weight even without rowing.
On a side note, a college friend took creatine while rowing to improve his weightlifting but he had serious cramping issues because creatine dehydrates you so much so be careful if you want to take creatine to help bulk up while still rowing.
On a side note, a college friend took creatine while rowing to improve his weightlifting but he had serious cramping issues because creatine dehydrates you so much so be careful if you want to take creatine to help bulk up while still rowing.
Rowing may hit your metabolism and crank it up, to where you just burn up excess calories.
I could only gain good muscle weight in the off season doing no more than 2 sets of repetitions on multiple exercises, and eating a lot more than usual. Be sure to do exercises for large muscle groups. Biceps are nice, but rowing power is in the lats (and the rest of the back), thighs, and glutes.
I could only gain good muscle weight in the off season doing no more than 2 sets of repetitions on multiple exercises, and eating a lot more than usual. Be sure to do exercises for large muscle groups. Biceps are nice, but rowing power is in the lats (and the rest of the back), thighs, and glutes.
Do your warm-ups, and cooldown, its not for you, its for your heart ! Live long, and row forever !
( C2 model A 1986 )
( C2 model A 1986 )
If you want to bulk up then as everyone has mentioned, you have to eat a lot of food. 40 years ago when I started lifting, I was so skinny until I started eating more while lifting: lots of milk, hamburgers, etc. All unhealthy, but I went from 135 pounds barely being able to bench 80 pounds to 190 pounds benching 375 pounds, and other muscle groups increased proportionately.LJWagner wrote:When returning/lowering the weight, slow down. About a 6 second return stimulates muscle growth at a faster pace. I just found this a few days ago on a research website.
You really don't need that much protein to gain muscle mass; if you eat plenty of whole foods, you'll get all the protein you need without using supplements and flushing your money down the toilet. After you are huge, then you might want to drug yourself up, but I don't think that is your goal.
If I recall correctly, most weight lifting books addressing how to bulk up recommend six meals a day resulting in around 5,000 calories a day; that is a lot of calories! When I tried this, I did increase in strength but I was starting to look like a powerlifter and that was not my goal.
Anyway, if you set the rower to the highest resistance possible, it will help you bulk up too, along with lifting weights, but if you set the resistance recommended by most here, you will be counteracting your weight lifting. So you have to define your goals and exercise accordingly.
In my opinion, the goal is not to get big but to get strong. You can be strong without being big, and you can be big without being strong.
Just start eating lots of avocados and nuts along with a healthy diet and you will bulk up. But at 60, I am now trying to bulk down; if I had to do it over again, I would have stayed around 150.
Mike
"Sometimes we have to do more than our best, we have to do what is required." Winston Churchill
Completed the Certificate Program in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, January 11, 2011.
"Sometimes we have to do more than our best, we have to do what is required." Winston Churchill
Completed the Certificate Program in Plant-Based Nutrition through eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, January 11, 2011.
Hi, all, I appreciate the suggestions. However, I suppose I didn't tell you guys enough about myself. First of all, I am a competitive rower in college, except that my problem is my splits on the ergo aren't very competitive with other people. For instance, I can pull about a 1:59 split for a 6K erg piece, whereas the range for the rest of my teammates is between 1:46 and 1:52. My goal, first and foremost, is to get FAST, not to have that "gym body" look which, in all honesty, I don't particularly care to achieve.
Second, my main rationale for becoming bigger is that I've long been under the impression size = power in the boat. I was recently reading the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race program where they have an interview with Oxford rower Robin Ejsmond-Frey. He discusses consuming 8,000 calories per day (yes, you read that correctly), mostly fats and carbs. He says (and I quote): "Before, boat-moving ability could have made up for someone's smaller stature. Not anymore. Power is the prized attribute, and this only comes from getting larger." That, in a nutshell, has been my mentality. I look at my teammates and I notice they're all bigger than me in some way - they're either taller than me, or they the same height as me but they have thicker legs, broader shoulders, curving LATs. Classic "mesomorphs" if you will. And I tend to think that is the primary reason I'm not as fast as them.
I realize I'll get faster as I get more fit (and I have gotten faster; freshman year I couldn't pull 2:10 for a 6K), but I can't stand the immense disparity between myself and them, a disparity which isn't narrowing anytime soon. I simply want to be pulling low-1:50s on my 6K erg test, and that's sometime I can't seem to achieve.
As far as testing, I've been told since high school (when I did track) that I'm a "hard gainer", though admittedly the "somatotypes" thing was never used.
Second, my main rationale for becoming bigger is that I've long been under the impression size = power in the boat. I was recently reading the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race program where they have an interview with Oxford rower Robin Ejsmond-Frey. He discusses consuming 8,000 calories per day (yes, you read that correctly), mostly fats and carbs. He says (and I quote): "Before, boat-moving ability could have made up for someone's smaller stature. Not anymore. Power is the prized attribute, and this only comes from getting larger." That, in a nutshell, has been my mentality. I look at my teammates and I notice they're all bigger than me in some way - they're either taller than me, or they the same height as me but they have thicker legs, broader shoulders, curving LATs. Classic "mesomorphs" if you will. And I tend to think that is the primary reason I'm not as fast as them.
I realize I'll get faster as I get more fit (and I have gotten faster; freshman year I couldn't pull 2:10 for a 6K), but I can't stand the immense disparity between myself and them, a disparity which isn't narrowing anytime soon. I simply want to be pulling low-1:50s on my 6K erg test, and that's sometime I can't seem to achieve.
You have a point with Sheldon, but surely you concede that for most people, their metabolism may be "too fast", "too slow", or "just right"? There are certainly some people out there for whom gaining weight is harder than others simply because their genetics don't allow it, and for whom losing weight is more difficult? I had a friend in high school who often went to lunch with me at places like Subway or Burger King (read: unhealthy shite), so we ate pretty much the same thing. Actually, I would eat a 12" meatball sub and he'd just eat a 6" veggie sub, but yet I stayed skinny and he stayed fat.albailey wrote: Let me preface this by stating that I believe Sheldon's somatotype theory is junk science. I also don't believe whey protein is good for anything but baby cows, and then only in it's original form: whole milk.
I look at people who row to stay fit and they're lean. The folks I know who want to be big hit the gym and push big weight.
If you want the easy answer, then buy into GNC or any of the other snake-oil peddlers and they'll happily trade you magic potions for your cash.
I would suggest you get your body composition tested at a sports medicine clinic, local university, or similar. Then consult with a trainer about your goals and they should be able to help you with a plan of attack.
good luck! - al.
As far as testing, I've been told since high school (when I did track) that I'm a "hard gainer", though admittedly the "somatotypes" thing was never used.
How tall and heavy are you?
I would worry about getting faster but would not worry too much about your weight. It is going to be hard to gain weight if you are doing a lot of aerobic training. I could not gain weight when I was rowing in college. At 5'7" I managed to get to about 138 lbs by senior year, but was about 10 lbs lighter then the next person in the boat and over 20 lbs lighter then the majority. However, my erg scores were clearly above average and I did fairly well in the weight room--I kept getting stronger but not heavier. I had years of competitive cycling behind me so was in top aerobic shape. Put in the time over the summer to really build your base and improve your aerobic capacity and your times will come down. I would recommend following the Wolverine Plan but really emphasis the L4 work outs, and do long L3 workouts.
I would worry about getting faster but would not worry too much about your weight. It is going to be hard to gain weight if you are doing a lot of aerobic training. I could not gain weight when I was rowing in college. At 5'7" I managed to get to about 138 lbs by senior year, but was about 10 lbs lighter then the next person in the boat and over 20 lbs lighter then the majority. However, my erg scores were clearly above average and I did fairly well in the weight room--I kept getting stronger but not heavier. I had years of competitive cycling behind me so was in top aerobic shape. Put in the time over the summer to really build your base and improve your aerobic capacity and your times will come down. I would recommend following the Wolverine Plan but really emphasis the L4 work outs, and do long L3 workouts.
I have the same problem you do. I weigh 140 and i am 5'11'' tall. I am easily the lightest kid in my boat by 20 pounds. I am told by my high-school coach not to worry about weight too much, but to focus on speed. Rowing is going to get you lean muscle, just like most other aerobic sports. You will not gain much weight, but you will get faster. I would suggest trying to gain weight in the beginning off season by eating a whole lot, and lifting. You only have to gain 15 lbs., max, if you want to stay a lightweight anyway. Just focus on your overall fitness during the season. Don't worry about weight until the off-season.