Weight Training and Competitive Rowing - Page 2

Should be no problem there, assuming that you get enough rest the night before. You should find yourself quite tired after the rowing though. I find myself unable to lift my maximum anymore since I'm just extremely tired from the erg and water sessions; leaves my legs weaker than usual. The sun and the intense heat don't help at all either. If there is a good amount of time between the two sessions, you should be okay.


The intense cardio just leaves you exhausted. I was surprised last year when I ran my first half marathon that the tiredness of the marathon was on par with the training (the more intense days such as 60 minute ergs or time trials). It is however wrong to say that your muscles won't be tired after training. The only real muscle strain I can feel are in the quads and after a long or intense session on either the erg or on water, can leave them pretty sore that night and even the next day. They will require rest and you'll find your lower back sore during the first 2-3 weeks. I'm assuming that your programme is just as intense as mine is.

I train 6 days a week which leaves me little or no time to recover or implement an effective weights workout. You should be alot better since you're training 3 days a week.

Give your 100% each time; you'll learn how to especially on the erg - to really push yourself to your maximum. You'll be tired and it does feel great. You seem quite serious about this. You'll reap the rewards soon. It will be tough, but that's how training goes.

Hope that helped.

As a rower, I just have to tell you that I've never seen anyone properly conditioned for competitive rowing in just 2 weeks if you've never done it or aren't already in pretty good shape. In 1 or 2 months, sure, as long as they didn't slouch in the off-season. Where are you going, Capitol Rowing on O St.? I know they are just gearing up the A.M. program, it's a good deal at $155 a year to join the club. I would continue your weight training after your two week session is up, but focus on compound movements and core strengthening in-season. Also, if this is going to be as intensive as it should be, you probably will want to suspend weight training during your 2 week session... you'll be hurting.

Would just like to echo other rowers comments here; if you go to the gym with intention of lifting the way you normally would after your rowing workout, you will most likely find yourself incapable of doing so. Intensive cardio exercise like rowing, which is probably going to be mostly anaerobic for you, wears down on muscle tissue and forces you to use large and also disparate groups of muscle simultaneously, not to mention the sun + repetitious movement in cramped space + constant posture adjustment/balancing = dizziness and heavy fatigue. As a novice rower, I suspect that your time on the water will not be terribly taxing for your first two or three days as it will be very difficult for the boat to maintain a set and rhythm. However, you will get your ass kicked thoroughly on the ergometer, though the erg is not as taxing on parts of your body because you're not constantly shifting to accommodate the movement of seven other people/oars. This sounds like an intensive program so by the end of your first week you may be doing long workouts on the water. I would let off the lifting for the first week and try and gauge where you're at, if you're feeling fine by day three maybe make plans for a weekend lift. Again, you're going to have to be the judge as it's your body, with it mostly coming down to comfort, mostly psychological and some general fitness that are determining factors. Zaolydeck I think is mostly right about maintaining muscle mass anyway; rowing is probably not going to make you look any bigger than you are now, and depending on your diet and energy output you may experience muscle loss. The important thing is to worry about being in rowing shape first and then working on muscle strength after. Good luck with it man, I really miss rowing sometimes. It is exhausting but you will feel like a fucking champion once you get in the swing of things.

The power from a rowing stroke comes from your legs, not your back. Lift accordingly.

That being said, if my experience is any indication, I will agree with what prior posters have written and say that a rowing workout done with proper form and intensity will leave you with no strength to lift weights.

All you will want to do is admire your body in the mirror, eat, and sleep.

Finally, I don't know which boathouse out of which you plan to row, but PLEASE do some research and makre sure whoever is teaching you is qualified to do so. It is very hard to unlearn bad form. And it is downright impossible to row an boat that is not properly rigged.

Good luck!

This. Your lower back will be in unimaginable amounts of agony, your hip flexors will feel like battery acid has been poured on them, and your ass will take on the properties of the shell seat. Just wait for the times your coach has you all hold positon up at the catch as he critiques everyone individually, fun times. You will really, really not even want to look at a barbell, let alone pick one up. Oh, and buy compression shorts, you DO NOT want to come off your seat during a stroke and come smashing down on your nuts. There is a reason rowers wear spandex (besides the fact we look damn sexy in it).


I agree with this 100%. The deadlift and squat (Front and Back) are irreplaceable in any athletic strength gaining regimen.

As for form, 8 weeks of 1.5 hours in morning 3 times a week is not enough water time for your form to get refined. Join a gym that has an Erg and practice. When I was a novice we had 2.5 hour practices in the morning plus workouts in the evening, and for the first semester most of our water time was spent working on our form. Form is king in rowing and you can improve it on the erg. Focus on your stroke and not rushing the slide on the erg and you'll be a step ahead of the people who don't practice. 45 minutes at a 2:12 split is great conditioning as well as practice if you make every stroke count.

Not into rowing but it definitely doesn't look easy. I learned my lesson trying to do a tabata burpee session after a heavy squat day. Ouch!

In return, I agree with this 100%. But please, for the sake of those who know how to row, learn proper form from an expert before using the erg in the gym. Ask around for recommendations if you have to.

As God is my witness, if I see one more person lift their knees coming up the slide and then violently move the erg handle toward to sky to clear their raised knees, I'm going to kill someone.

Doing that while in a shell would drive the oar into the water, causing you to catch a crab, or worse (read: go swimming).

It is a sure bet that whoever is using the erg at the gym has no clue what they are doing. Sadly, neither does the personal trainer who is "teaching" them.

That's what pissed me off. The movement they're teaching is so off, painful and inefficient it's no wonder the trainee doesn't last more than 3 minutes on an erg.

Yeah, pretty much. You need to really work on your conditioning off season. I've seen some real hardcore mofo's at regattas around here. I don't think they have lives outside of the boathouse. My experience has been pretty good. They don't really have paid staff, other than boathouse staff, so it's a labor of love for the instructors and members. The equipment is decent, the boathouse has ergs and weight equipment and you'll find lots of opportunites to row. The price is great too! It might be a little out of the way for you because it's near the Nationals Stadium, I go because I live nearby. There really are no shortage of boathouses in the area, but I hear TBC is a really good one... they kick ass at regattas. I should point out that I don't take it too seriously anymore. I did it in college, and while I wouldn't trade the experiences I had for anything, I had to make a lot of sacrifices that I can't anymore with work, school and having a life. I'm done with 4am wake-ups and cold mornings on the water. I just do it to keep in shape now. EDIT:... I sound like an old man! HAHA!

I row at a NESCAC uni and with the set of our first novice boat being so shitty it was almost impossible to get a real workout in on the water for the entire fall season. But once you get into the swing of things you'll start to see what pain truly is. And I mean utterly miserable times, my friend. Seconds that last eternities. But that's the magic of it. I forget who mentioned it before but you really will feel like a fucking champ afterward.

My only input on the weight training is to remember, you're not trying to kill yourself with the iron. We're talking high reps. I can send you our summer weight training schedule if you like but to get an idea we're doing leg press at 30 reps, box jumps at 15, pec fly at 15. All for endurance. If you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, great, but you damn well better be able to pull your weight in that shell.

Oh ya, some other dude mentioned eating. Check out http://rowingillustrated.com if you care to read what some of the best club rowers out there have to say about training, nutrition, life, etc. The "You are what you eat" blog is especially helpful with getting started on the basic framework behind fueling yourself for rowing. Above all just get enough sleep and stay hydrated. You're going to have great times out there on the water so enjoy them while they last.