Persevere & Doors Will Open!

It has been a long day! Went to work, did some work; came home, did some more work; went to a little leaving do for a colleague; and then to the rowing club to do an erg...!

When I got to the rowing club, there were a couple of people in their who I knew, so I chatted to them for a bit, before finally sitting down to tackle the beast.

Some of the ladies went out for a night time outing, whilst the others presumably had other commitments, so I was ready to erg solo. One of the guys said he'd keep an eye on me, so I didn't feel quite so alone. It was a great help. I couldn't just wimp out and go home.

The first 5 minutes were tough, and I felt like giving up, but I didn't leave my colleague's leaving do and go all that way for nothing! So I carried on. Mark came over when he'd finished his weights session and sat with me for a bit so he could give me some pointers. It felt like a good solid session.

Once I'd finished the set piece, I grabbed my stuff from the changing room and headed downstairs to go outside to my car and I reached the door at exactly the same time as Sir Steve Redgrave!!! Sir Steve Redgrave!!!!!!!!!! He opened the door and very kindly held it open for me so I could come out first. He is a giant of a man! I walked under his arm and barely got within sniffing distance of his armpit!

The moral of the story. By sticking with my set piece on the erg and not cutting any corners, my path collided with a shooting star of Olympic greatness! Go hard or don't even bother leaving home.

New Highs! The 'C' Word & Personal Bests

The 'C' word...

Circuit Training was amazing this evening! I was like the Duracell bunny! Everything was at full intensity, top speed, and max fun! I really enjoyed it! And that's something I thought I'd NEVER say about the 'C' word... i.e. 'Circuit' training!

The instructor couldn't believe it either! If there was a prize for enthusiasm, I would've won it tonight! The moral of the story, perseverance makes light work of anything. If I put the same amount of hard work and determination into my other goals, it won't be long until they move from the 'To Do' list and join the 'Done' list!

Personal Bests

Yesterday evening's erg session was fantastic! I'm still floating on the high from slashing a whole 6 seconds off my personal best split time!

We started off with a 34 minute set piece, alternating between rating at 18 and 20 strokes per minute, and then we did some intense sprints! 10 x 30seconds burst of flat-out power! I have never been so fast! It was like I was an out of body experience - as though someone else was erging, but using my body to do it.

It's amazing how much more one can achieve if they just ignore their limiting internal dialogue.

Don't Let Fog Stop You From Seeing Clearly

It was very foggy this morning, so one of the coaches made the call to cancel our outing. I got the text message at 6:30am, just as I was stepping out of the door... Total anticlimax!

Rather than let the weather dictate my next move, I was determined to at least do a session on the erg. I decided to wait for the fog to lift a bit, so it was safer on the road. Whilst I was waiting, an email pinged over from Catherine. She, like me, was all dressed up and jeed up ready to go! So I sent an email out to say that I'd be at the club by 08:30am for an erg session if anyone else fancied joining us.

Myself, Catherine and Donata did some pyramid interval training, which was great. I even managed to squeeze in some shorter 2 and 3 minute sprint intervals at the end of our session! I'm building up to doing double sessions on the ergs by the summer, so I'll be ready for the regattas!

Erg buddies

Whenever I don't feel like training, I always end up having the best session ever!

Last night was one of those nights. A couple of people from the squad have come down with the dreaded lurgy, so they emailed to say that they couldn't make it for training. A few other people were conspicuous by their lack of comment, which I took to mean that they either had other commitments or just needed a day off. I felt like falling into that latter group of silent abstainers, but no matter how hard I try, I can always find a reason to train, because I know how crappy I feel if I don't train. So I decided to be a silent participant. I was just going to show up at the rowing club and train with anyone else who showed up, or just do my own thing.

But then there was a ray of light! One of the squad, the lovely Naomi, sent me an email and asked if I was going along. She is awesome, and I quickly responded that I would absolutely be there. An erg session conveys a sense of self-righteousness like no other, but the only thing better than an erg session is having a great training partner.

Naomi gave me a couple of really great pointers that just clicked and made sense. I'm quite flexible and I have built up some decent core strength because of yoga, so I tend to over-extend at both ends of the slide when it comes to erging. I reach too far forward, because I can, and I lean too far back, because ditto. Naomi got me to come to front-stops on the erg, so that my shins were perfectly at a 90 degree angle with the slide, and she put a lumpy bit of sellotape there, so if I came too far forward, I would feel it with a bump. It worked a charm!

We did 3 x 10 mins pyramid at UT1, and the first 10 mins was tough. Naomi looked over now and again to make sure I was rocking over properly and not leaning too far back. I tend to daydream a bit when it comes to technique on the ergs, because there are no immediate consequences. You won't fall off an erg (but of course I'm sure some people do manage it!), but if you don't pay attention in a single scull on the water, there will be soggy consequences! But training with Naomi kept me really focussed. Ruth is another great person to train with, but she was at home nursing a cup of lemsip.

It was a really positive session, which was just what I needed to kick me out of the negative mindset that was forming. I'll need buckets of positivity to get me through Circuit Training tonight... :)

Mad Dogs and Rowers

The ladies squad had priority use of the ergs yesterday evening, but people had other commitments so I was the only one who could make it. Our coach had said that she would come along to give me some pointers, but that didn't happen, so I did my own thing for 20 minutes. I just worked on my technique and trying to get a feel for the sequencing. I felt like I made some good progress.

It was fairly quiet at the club. There were 3 or 4 other people on the ergs at the same time as me, and the mens squad was using the weights for their strength and conditioning class.

Strength and Conditioning

When I was finished erging, I did some stretching on mats and I was in two minds about whether I should call it a day, or do one last set piece on the erg. Luckily I had an offer I couldn't refuse. The mens squad came over to the mat to finish off their session with some core work. They needed even numbers to do some of the exercises, but they were missing a body, so their coach asked if I wanted to join in and make up the numbers. Always one to embrace the punishing regime it takes to become a competitive rower, I said yes. The coach paired me up with his son, who was really encouraging and helpful throughout the session.

Train Like a Man

When I've seen the men training before, they make it look so easy. I thought us girls worked hard in our circuit training class... I stand corrected! Those guys work hard! It looks easy because they've worked for it! I felt like I'd been in a fight when I woke up this morning! I'm not aching, but I feel bruised! My ribs, and my lower back had a work-out like non other!

We did some exercises that I don't know the names of, but they were tough!

Don't Be a Push-over!

We did a variation of straight-leg leg-raises, were you lie on your back with your arms extended behind you so you can hold onto the ankles of your partner as they stand behind your head. You raise your legs straight up so your body and legs are at a right-angle, and your partner then shoves them back down (with force) but you mustn't let your legs hit the ground. They push your legs away either straight ahead, to the left or to the right, so you get to twist and strengthen your core at the same time. It was brutal! You do 20 reps, and only two sets (which I suspect was more for my benefit than the norm). You swap over between sets so you can stand for a bit whilst you recover, and you get to do the shoving.

The Crunch

Another exercise we did was crunches. Your partner holds your feet and you do crunches whilst holding a weight behind your head. I couldn't even do one of those, so that's one for me to practice! I held the weight on my chest instead.

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things... said no one ever!

We did some of the usual suspects, like lunges, lots of planks, some Russian twists with weights.

There was another exercise that the guys made look easy, but it was serious! You kneel down and keep your body upright from your knees. Your partner holds your feet in place, and you must gradually lean forward (keeping everything in line) as slowly and with as much control as possible before you fall completely forward into a push-up position. You must then launch your body back up in a single push-up motion, and lean forward again. Repeating the whole process. That worked out my legs, back and abs and shoulders like nothing else!

At one point, the coach took me away from the group to one of the pull-up bars. First, it was too high up for me to reach so I had to jump up and grab on! And then, he wanted me to pull my knees up and do a type of reverse crunch, but suspended in mid air. I did not think I could do it, but I managed a few. There was no limit on how many of those I had to do. I stopped when I was losing my grip on the bar.

One Plank Too Many... No Such Thing!

The class was punctuated with planks, and we ended the session with a plank. One of the guys next to me was chatting to me as we planked, but that was a punishable offence, so he had to do crab planks whilst the rest of us finished off. Brutal! I felt bad, but it's good for him.

The coach and the guys in the squad were very kind to me and very patient. It was a great session, and I shall certainly join in again if I am invited. The exercises are so effective, and I'm sure they get great results very quickly if you put the time in.

Erg and weight training update

Monday 15.02.16

Para-Rowing Training Session

I had such a great coached session on Monday! I tagged on to the para-rowing land-training session, and it was brilliant!

Monday's are my 'other' exercise days, when I can do whatever form of exercise I want. I really need to get loads more erging under my belt, so I joined the para-rowing erg (rowing machine) session.

Double Dose!

It was great because they did a combination of erging and weights. So, if you were looking to improve your erg time or beat your PB (personal best), you did an erg session first, followed by weights. But if you wanted to build strength and just get some cardio afterwards, you did the weights first. Simples.

Erg

I am looking to get back to my PB on the erg, so I started with that.

We did a 5 minute warm-up piece, which was just to get us moving. No effort, just movement.

After that we did a 10 min session, which looked something like this:

1 min @ 18 s/m (strokes per minute)
2 mins @ 20 s/m
3 mins @ 22 s/m
4 mins @ 24 s/m

The cool down was just sitting around to get the heart-rate down.

Once we'd done that, we didn't do any set pieces in terms of measuring total distance or overall time, but we did a cool challenge. The challenge was to do a few 5 minute pieces, in which we had to shave 5 seconds off our 250m split time. The split time is the average time it takes you to complete 250 metres.

Close Shave

So, if we did our first 5 minutes with a split time of 2mins30secs, the next 5 minutes needed to have a split time of 2mins25secs, and so on. We pretty much did that until we couldn't improve our split times any further.

The object of that exercise is to get you to give your best performance, even when you're tired, because on race days, you'll have to complete multiple heats to get to the final; and you'll need to be on top form for each and every race.

After erging, we did some weights. I really enjoy weights because there's no cardio involved, so you can just focus on lifting, or pushing.

Peak Performance

The coach wanted us to try peaking out, so we could shock our muscles into adapting to heavy loads. So the idea is, you lift your maximum load for fewer reps, in the hope that your muscles will adapt and get stronger quicker. That was great!!! I am feeling ok today, but the pain will come!

Tuesday 16.02.2016

Erg

On Tuesday I had a regular erg session with my squad. Only two out of ten us were able to make it for the session, so at least we could be erg buddies. Our coach was there for the first 20 minutes so she could check our technique and set the challenges, and then we just got on with it.

We did 3 sets of 10 minute pyramids (again), which looked like this:

4 mins @ 22 s/m
3 mins @ 24 s/m
2 mins @ 26 s/m
1 min @ 28 s/m

Followed by a 5 minute rest and repeat.

A good stretch and a nice hot bath when I got home were just the ticket!

I've got circuit training tonight, and I'm feeling ok, but I'll let you know how it goes!

Power and Symmetry

Land Training

I wasn't able to get out onto the river again this morning, but I did a 2K erg (rowing machine) piece. I really need to get my erg time back to where it was, and better! An erg a day will get me there. I'll mix it up with some sprints, pyramids and distance pieces.

Power and Balance

The only downside of doing all this land-training, as far as I can tell, is that it could affect your balance. Working on your power with an erg or with weights isn't the same as building up power and speed in a boat on the river. When you're in a boat, you cannot decide to concentrate on power and forget about balance. You have to do both, otherwise you will capsize.

Power Without Balance

Training on land does allow you to concentrate on power without worrying too much about balance, but that could create imbalance in your body, and you may not notice the consequences until you get in a boat again.

Doing yoga or pilates can bridge the gap, because all of the moves require balance and strength, and each move strengthens both sides of your body equally.

Symmetry Before Death

There's a great saying in yoga, that I really like, and it's 'symmetry before death.' Essentially, if you do a yoga move on one side of your body, you must do the same move on the other side to create balance and harmony.

A Good Stroke

A good stroke is all about power, balance and symmetry.

In rowing we are all aiming for that illusive 'good stroke', when the boat is perfectly balanced, the blades move in perfect unison and hover over the water without touching it. We start squaring the blades at the right time so they are ready for entry at the perfect moment; and we hear that single splash as both blades enter the water in stereo. We push off equally with both feet and feel the boat run underneath us as it cuts through the water. When it happens it feels amazing! And I'm sure we all want every stroke to feel like that.

Work more balance into your land-training routine today and feel the difference!

A Rowing Club to Call My Home!

A Steak Holder

I have finally joined a rowing club on the mighty River Thames! I had a look around the club last Saturday (6th Feb) and I knew it was the one. Plus, one of the members (who just happens to be a 2012 gold medalist!) recommended a great steak house in town for lunch afterwards, and it was the best fillet steak ever! It's a no brainer really!

Circuit Training

My first session was on Wednesday (10th Feb) evening, and it was a veritable baptism by fire! Circuit Training... A necessary evil if you want to win races. It was a really good session. We did each exercise for 60 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of skipping (with a skipping rope), and then move on to the next exercise. The playlist was good, which always helps, and there was a beep every 60 seconds so we knew when to move on.

The facilities are world-class, clean and modern, which is a far cry from circuit training in a cold and dusty school gymnasium. But I'm not complaining, because if you can consistently train in a horrible school gym at night when you'd rather be in bed, it will make an athlete out of you!

The Early Bird

My second session was at 7am this morning. Unfortunately, because the river is quite high and running fast, the coaches did not allow any small boats to go out. So, the senior ladies 8 went out, which left 2 of us to do some land training. Normally that would mean doing a couple of pieces on the rowing machine. But because we were dressed in our outdoor gear, my training partner suggested that we go for a quick jog around the town.

It's been months since I went for a jog, and it's a different kind of fitness required for jogging, but whenever I move to a new area, I tend to pick up jogging again as a good way to scope it out. It was drizzling this morning, but it wasn't too cold, so my lungs didn't go into shock. The jog was really good. We chatted a bit as we went along, and it came as a big shock to me that I could talk and jog, because I did not think I'd be fit enough! I normally jog alone, and I'm not in the habit of talking to myself generally, so that was a small victory.

When we got back to the boat club, we stripped off a few layers and did a 6K piece on the rowing machine at 20sm (strokes per minute). My last session on an erg (rowing machine) was Monday 11th January, so I was a bit out of shape. About 45 seconds slower than usual for a 6K piece. I fully expect to get back to my former level of fitness (and beyond) again, now that I will be training regularly again.

Races Are Won in the Winter

Here's what my weekly winter training schedule is going to look like until the Spring when we'll have mostly water-based sessions.

My next session is tomorrow at 7:15am. No more leisurely weekend mornings for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Rowing: The Inside Scoop on My Training Schedule & A Little Secret!

Now that I'm starting to get settled in the new place, I decided to re-started my weight training routine today! It felt so good!

Choosing to use a 'man and van' rather than a removal company, I did a lot of the actual moving myself. Woman + man + van. So, that was quite hard work, but lugging boxes around the new flat has been great exercise!

As part of the performance team at Stratford-upon-Avon Boat Club, we had to do weekly 'strength and conditioning' (i.e. weights) sessions - amongst other things. I attended the last session two weeks ago, and then moved house. I'm still looking for a new rowing club to join, but I've got some weights at home, so I can keep in shape at times like these.

Weekly Training Schedule

When I'm in full training, my routine looks something like this:

Monday: Erg (i.e. rowing machine) session (pm)
Tuesday: Strength & Conditioning (i.e. weights) session (pm)
Wednesday or Friday: Single scull - technical session (am)
Thursday: 12K Erg session (am / pm)
Saturday: 2 x Sweep / Sculling - coached session (am)
Sunday: 2 x Sweep / Sculling - coached session (am)

And the secret... 2 - 5 Yoga sessions per week!

Yoga!?

I actually started with yoga before doing weights, and that improved my overall core strength and stability really quickly! It was great to have the strong core already when starting the weights training, because it meant that I could focus on technique rather than balance. Thanks to yoga, I am more mindful and aware of my body during each exercise, which means that I know how things should feel, and where I should be feeling the workout, which reduces my risk of injury.

No matter what your sport, or your lifestyle, yoga is probably the most beneficial thing you can do! It has given me strength and flexibility, regulated my appetite, improved my breathing (which is another massive topic that is vastly underrated / misunderstood), and improved my posture. Again, the benefits of a good posture for your health and wellbeing are immeasurable will be carried well into your old age!

I'm looking forward to getting back into a proper routine again, but until then, I can keep up with the yoga and weights.

Thanks for reading!