Masters Rowing and Strength Training

Dave Sill · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

Interesting article at
http://row2k.com/features/features.cfm?action=read&ID=359

His conclusion:

a) gym work, combined with periodized aerobic erg training, until
rowing starts on water.

b) then bungee rows on water until sprint racing (e.g. Masters'
Nationals in August).

c) then no strength training, with extensive aerobic training,
through the end of head racing.

d) no races during the two months between Masters Nationals and the
Head of the Charles, effectively making two seasons with a strength
program for the first, and a no strength "slenderizing" program for the
second.

The "bungee row" is described as "a bungee cord wrapped around the hull,
with the ends hooked over the feet". What does that mean?

--
Dave Sill

Archived from group: rec>sport>rowing

J Flory · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 39

On Feb 20, 10:27 am, Dave Sill wrote:
> The "bungee row" is described as "a bungee cord wrapped around the hull,
> with the ends hooked over the feet". What does that mean?
> Dave Sill

A bungee is a piece of elastic cord (maybe 3/8" in diameter at rest?)
with a hook at each end. A bungee of an appropriate length is passed
under the hull near the footstretcher and the ends are hooked together
above the feet. This adds considerable drag: weight training in the
boat. It can be installed and removed on the water.

A friend of mine opposes it on the grounds that it kills the run of
the boat and so reinforces an aberrant stroke. I have not tried it
yet.

paul_v_smith · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 48

On Feb 20, 10:46 am, J Flory wrote:
> On Feb 20, 10:27 am, Dave Sill wrote:
>
> > The "bungee row" is described as "a bungee cord wrapped around the hull,
> > with the ends hooked over the feet". What does that mean?
> > Dave Sill
>
> A bungee is a piece of elastic cord (maybe 3/8" in diameter at rest?)
> with a hook at each end. A bungee of an appropriate length is passed
> under the hull near the footstretcher and the ends are hooked together
> above the feet. This adds considerable drag: weight training in the
> boat. It can be installed and removed on the water.
>
> A friend of mine opposes it on the grounds that it kills the run of
> the boat and so reinforces an aberrant stroke. I have not tried it
> yet.

Good reasoning on the part of your friend. Need more drag in your
boat, row faster! [;o)

It baffles me that anyone will contend that working hard in a slow
moving boat is going to help them eventually move a boat fast,
apparently without going into a whole new learning curve where they
need to be able to pick up a faster moving system.

Slow moving Drives don't do anything to move a boat fast. (corollary
to "Ergs Don't Float")

- Paul Smith

Dave Sill · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

paul_v_smith@hotmail.com wrote:
>
> It baffles me that anyone will contend that working hard in a slow
> moving boat is going to help them eventually move a boat fast,
> apparently without going into a whole new learning curve where they
> need to be able to pick up a faster moving system.

I'm not defending the practice, but the subject *is* strength training.
And the article also says:

"Unlike the bungee, the erg lacks any feel taking up the load. In a
boat, the bungee dramatically punishes effort applied too soon, before
the blades are loaded - the boat goes backwards. One champion master
rower of the writer's acquaintance uses bungee rows specifically to
train the blade loading sequence. In this respect, the bungee is "super
specific", since it highlights a key skill. Strength training on the erg
may lead to incorrect sequencing."

So there might even be improvements to rowing technique from drill, in
addition to strength training.

--
Dave Sill

Jamie · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

At the FISA Conference in Hungary in November Grobler, David and
Posiglioni all talked about the use of bungees or hydro breaks as an
effective and useful part of strength training particularly with
regards to the transfer of strength from the gym or ergo into the
boat.

Grobler said that the bungee should not reduce the speed by more than
7-10% so that there is still some good run on the boat.

Drew Ginn on his blog has also taked about using the bungee for
training sessions

As far as I know there are several ways to use the bungee successfully
in training

1. Power strokes - sets of 15-30 strokes at high rate and high
pressure with rest in between. Personally these are my least favourite
as it is quite common to tear the water when applying the load.
Athletes tend to focus on pulling hard and not rowing well. Use thick
bungee for high drag
2. Medium intervals - 2-3 x 2000m pieces at 20-24 focusing on strong
coordinated drive while staying connected. Basically strength
endurance training. Got to be better than 120-200 reps in the gym.
Medium bungee
3. Long Steady - 60-75min sessions at 16-18 with a small thin bungee.
The small amount of extra resistance can help develop strength
endurance while the extra drag forces you to focus on not tearing the
water and to carefully lock on the drive and move the boat past the
puddle.

Jamie

Dave Sill · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

paul_v_smith@hotmail.com wrote:
>
> Well, let's hope to not deviate from THE subject too far then. [;o)

Thanks for understanding. Nobody that I'm aware of is advocating the
bungee method for rowing technique training.

> There _might_ be? So this is philosophical, rather than scientific?
> IOW, "There might not be", just as well.

I said "there might be" because I was just repeating someone else's
second-hand assertion. I find it plausible, but I haven't seen anything
that I'd consider proof.

--
Dave Sill

Ted van de Weteringe · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 51

Dave Sill wrote:
> Thanks for understanding. Nobody that I'm aware of is advocating the
> bungee method for rowing technique training.

Really? Well we already knew from Anne that Paul moves in
low-performance rowing circles... Now you too?!

paul_v_smith · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 48

On Feb 21, 6:39 am, Ted van de Weteringe
wrote:
> Dave Sill wrote:
> > Thanks for understanding. Nobody that I'm aware of is advocating the
> > bungee method for rowing technique training.
>
> Really? Well we already knew from Anne that Paul moves in
> low-performance rowing circles... Now you too?!

I'm really not sure how you arrived at that conclusion. Your knowlege
base must be quite limited.

I'm pretty sure that I know more about high performance than most, but
feel free to think as you like.

Keep flocking to those miracle workers that start with the most highly
motivated athletes possible, and manage to end up with a few that
still perform pretty well. What a tough job that must be. LOL

- Paul Smith

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