I was first featured as RowingStronger on the USRowing webinars in April of 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 shutdowns. I have since returned to USRowing several times in different virtual formats, and have compiled the replays of all of my available presentations in this post. I will continue to add to this when I do more events with available replays or slides. Please contact me if you’re interested in an event or virtual presentation.

Webinar Links

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Minimalist/At-Home Strength Training for Rowing

April 4, 2020. Rowing strength coach Will Ruth gets creative with exercise selection and workout design for at-home training. Will discusses and demonstrates exercises for different minimalist training scenarios, including body weight, resistance band, TRX/gymnastics rings, and/or limited free-weights. Tune in to learn how to make the most of the lost rowing time and set athletes up for success when rowing begins again. With any available equipment, we can work toward major goals of improving strength, muscularity, work capacity, general athleticism, and movement quality.

My first two presentations centered around my video exercise index. I’ve posted over 60 demonstration videos of exercises I use in my strength training for rowing programs, including brief explanations, coaching cues, and technical errors. These are available for free on my Youtube channel. I also organized the videos in a spreadsheet by exercise category, and then again by available equipment, to help with exercise selection and workout planning. Please refer to these throughout the presentation.

Also check out my demonstrations of the modified “Myo-Reps”/cluster set protocol here: bodyweight row / pushuprear-foot-elevated split squat.

Read more about the 30-30-for-30 system and other strength training circuits here.


Strength Training to Build the Back, Spare the Spine

April 4, 2020. Part two in the daily webinar series, Rowing Stronger’s author and rowing strength coach, Will Ruth, breaks down the critical movement patterns and strength training methods to build strong backs for great stroke power and endurance, while decreasing risk of injury. Tune in to learn the movements, exercises, and training program recommendations to help rowers of all levels row stronger, faster, healthier, and longer.

My first two presentations centered around my video exercise index. I’ve posted over 60 demonstration videos of exercises I use in my strength training for rowing programs, including brief explanations, coaching cues, and technical errors. These are available for free on my Youtube channel. I also organized the videos in a spreadsheet by exercise category, and then again by available equipment, to help with exercise selection and workout planning. Please refer to these throughout the presentation.


Return-to-Train Considerations

May 25, 2020. Join rowing strength coach Will Ruth as he discusses return to training considerations. As boathouses re-open and people get back on the water, what should athletes consider as they ramp up their training in order to prevent injury/stay healthy.

Read more in my “Rowing Return-to-Train Considerations” article.


Essential Rowing Movements of the Hip and Shoulder

July 14, 2020. Originally presented to the USRowing Junior National Team virtual camp. The rowers also received a strength training program from me designed to introduce them to fundamentals of strength training for rowing. Learn how the movements of the hip hinge and shoulder coordination improve rowing technique, performance, and reduce risk of injury, and how to train these exercises on land and transfer the training to erging and on-water rowing.


Strength Training Adjustments for Masters Rowers

August 21, 2020. Originally presented to the USRowing masters virtual camp. The rowers also received a strength training program from me designed to introduce them to fundamentals of strength training for rowing and preparing for race performance. Learn the common adjustments I make in my strength training programs for masters rowers. What takes a masters rower from good-to-great, and how can we improve these qualities through strength training?

Read more about periodization and programming for masters rowers here.


Excerpt: The Puzzle of Strength Training

December 9, 2020. Blake Gourley, Joe DeLeo, and I co-presented as the “Science of Rowing” trio. I did my 15-minute section on scheduling considerations for combining rowing and strength training at the seasonal, weekly, and daily levels. Learn what factors rowers need to consider to achieve the best training effectiveness and lowest injury risks when planning strength training and rowing.

Read more in my “Scheduling Strength Training with Rowing” article.


Return-to-Train for Masters Rowers

April 29, 2021. I co-presented with USRowing Director of Sports Nutrition Liz Fusco discussing return-to-train for masters rowers. We discuss considerations for rowing technique, strength training, aerobic training, nutrition, and hydration given the needs of masters rowers racing 1km races in the summer weather and potential detraining due to pandemic restrictions.

Read more in my “Rowing Return-to-Train Considerations” article.


Strength Training Difference-Makers for Masters Rowers

December 6, 2021. Originally presented at the 2021 Virtual Convention, on the “Masters Monday” conference day. My goal was to build on all the prior webinars that other guests and I have done about more basic strength training principles, and get into specifics of what I do differently with masters rowers in particular, and especially those with at least a couple years of strength training experience who are beyond the basic level. Slides and links here, replay below.


The “American Development Model” Overview

January 8, 2022. Originally presented at the “Chasing Excellence Coaches’ Conference,” organized by USRowing’s Chris Chase. I am a contributing author on the USRowing “American Development Model” taskforce. Our goal is to adapt the general, all-sport USOPC model to a specific rowing long-term athlete development model with practical advice and useful resources for rowers and coaches in the USA. Chris Chase, DJ Civiletti, and I presented the process of developing the model and the key points for each stage. Visit the soft roll-out ADM website here.

Read more in my “Rowing Long-Term Athlete Development” article.


American Development Model Strength Training

January 8, 2022. Originally presented at the “Chasing Excellence Coaches’ Conference,” organized by USRowing’s Chris Chase. I did an individual presentation on how strength training fits into each stage of the new USRowing American Development Model. The audience of this conference was mostly junior and collegiate coaches, so I did a quick stage-by-stage overview, but focused on Stage 2, 3, and 4 of the ADM (youth, junior, and high-performance). Learn general long-term athlete development fundamentals and what kind of strength training is and is not appropriate for developing rowers at different stages and levels.

Read more in my “Rowing Long-Term Athlete Development” article.


Fundamentals of Strength Training for Masters

April 2, 2022. Originally presented at the USRowing Masters Conference. The opposite direction from my December 2021 USRowing Convention presentation on the details, focusing on the basics and as close to “universal truths” as I could get, plus plenty of time for individual Q&A. What do all or nearly all masters rowers I coach do in strength training? Slides available here (PDF) and link to the training template notes here.


Pre-Season and In-Season Rowing Strength Training

January 20, 2024. Originally presented at the “Chasing Excellence” conference organized by USRowing’s Chris Chase. How do we maintain our strength training gains from fall and winter through the spring racing season? Let’s make the most of our off-season training by getting to the championship podium just as strong, fit, and healthy as we start the season. We’ll cover priorities for winter and spring season strength training, with details of how training shifts between the build-up time and the performance time and how to manage this given different racing season parameters. Slides available here (PDF).


Even More! See more of my webinars and presentations from other events on my Youtube channel, including Joy of Sculling 2019, Craftsbury Sculling Center 2020 webinar series, Petaluma Riverside Chats, and more. Subscribe to my email list on Substack for notification on new content, upcoming events, and notes from my coaching and learning.

Last updated January 2024.


Get Rowing Stronger!

“Rowing Stronger: Strength Training to Maximize Rowing Performance” is the comprehensive guide to strength training for rowing, from first practice of the off-season all the way to peak championship race performance, and for everyone from juniors to masters rowers. The second edition is available now in print and e-book.

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