Become a Better Rower
Rowing is a sport that requires strength, coordination, discipline and maximum effort. Those who excel in this sport spend much of their time doing conditioning work. It is important to address cardiovascular exercise, dietary changes and weight training in addition to getting in the boat or the scull and working on your technique.
Instructions
1. Do cardiovascular exercise to improve your stamina. Your body will be pushed to its limits when rowing, particularly when the races exceed 1,000 meters or more. Cardiovascular training will help you increase your endurance. One of the best cardio exercises is to do interval training, which requires short bursts of maximum effort. Go to your local track and do sprints in descending order of 100, 90, 85 and 80 yards. Try to do each of these runs with a break of no more than 20 seconds between each individual sprint. Take a two-minute break after you finish the set, and then repeat the set.
2. Do circuit training with weights or on a weight machine to increase your overall strength. When you jump in your boat or scull, the harder you can pull your oars through the water the faster you will go. Increasing strength is a great way to improve. By doing circuit training on the Nautilus or Bowflex you can work out your shoulders, arms, back, chest, abs, buttocks, hamstrings and calf muscles. If you don't have access to these two systems, you can do the following routine to gain strength. Do the maximum pushups you can in 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds; do your maximum number of squats for 30 seconds and then rest for the same amount of time; do your maximum number of sit-ups for 30 seconds and then rest for the same length of time; and do your maximum number of pull ups for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds.
3. Get in your boat with a teammate and a coxswain, or stroke caller, and practice your stroke and your timing for at least 30 minutes every other day. You want to push yourself to fatigue so you can work on your timing all the way through your race. The key to having excellent timing with your rowing partner is to gain familiarity with his stroke and style. The only way you can do this is by getting in the water and working at your craft.
4. Make significant changes in your diet as you try to become a better rower. Get rid of fast foods, fried foods and junk foods. Instead of eating red meat, eat white-meat chicken and fish for your protein sources. Eat two to three portions of fresh vegetables and fresh fruit every day. Eat multiple small meals and snacks to help your body the most when rowing, according to the British Olympic Association.
5. Drink water to replenish your muscles, joints and tendons. Water is a natural lubricant for your body and will allow you to push yourself through the training process. If you drink 64 oz. of water per day, you will be able to wash toxins out of your body and prepare your muscles to handle the workload that comes with hard training for rowing.
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