Cluster sets are method #2 for off-season strength training and the goal of getting more high-quality muscular work from lower load. This kind of training can be a great stimulus for muscle growth while keeping the stress low on the joints and central nervous system.

Continue reading → How to Use Cluster Sets in Off-Season Strength Training

I wrote in last week’s post about the experienced masters rower trio that we do a whole month of rejuvenation strength training, followed by another two months of more varied off-season training, moving into more structured off-season strength training about 10 months out from the peak competitive event. 3-50 sets are one method we use during this training time, detailed in this post.

Continue reading → How to Use 3-50 Sets in Off-Season Strength Training

Racing isn’t the hardest part of rowing for most people. “Make the training harder than the race” is a common phrase in our sport for a reason. Racing is demanding, tiring, and even exhausting, but it tends to have less of an impact overall than the weeks of training building up to that intense effort.

Continue reading → It’s Not the Racing, It’s the Race-Prepping

This is an idea I picked up last summer at Craftsbury from coach Kevin MacDermott, and came up again recently this season. Kevin told us that when his son was a toddler, Kevin decided that he would re-learn with his off-hand all of the motor skills his son was learning from scratch. Writing, throwing, eating, etc., and he found that the challenge really benefited his sculling.

Continue reading → Training Tip: Nervous System Cross-Training

I was tagged into a discussion last month about differences in blood lactate levels under maximal testing when cycling, running, and erging, and how and why different modes of training would produce different results. My question is, why would we expect them to be the same in the first place?

Continue reading → Why Would Cross-Training Be the Same as Rowing/Erging?

After spending so much time in 2020 and 2021 talking about returning to training (RTT), I’ve accidentally taken this year off until now. It’s fresh on my mind again as junior and collegiate programs begin a new academic year, and many masters are returning from summer away (or inconsistent/reduced training) for fall head race season. The biggest type, boldest font, above-the-fold, most key takeaway is to start off easier than you think you need to and build gradually from there. No “hell weeks,” high volume/load training camps without preparation, introductory maximal erg tests, or other sudden spikes in training load. It’s not sexy, but neither is being injured.

Continue reading → The Return-to-Train Phase

I always ask for questions during my Craftsbury strength training workshops, and one of the most common revolves around how many sessions per week rowers “should” be strength training. The simple answer is most likely two times per week, and maybe three, at least during some times of the year.

Continue reading → FAQ: How Often Should Rowers Strength Train?

I had a good conversation at Craftsbury recently with a few rowers about the difference between central and peripheral strength training adaptations and why this matters in our training.

Continue reading → Central versus Peripheral Training and Adaptations

Thanks to coach Pat Guelakis who used this concept in a Craftsbury talk last summer. I’ve thought about and used it regularly ever since. The idea is that we’re connecting or addressing three main areas of feedback with the athlete, or that the self-coached athlete is thinking in these three areas, rather than an over-reliance on one or exclusion of another: Direct or indirect verbal feedback, first or third-person visual feedback, and feel or experiential tactile feedback.

Continue reading → The Feedback Triangle: Hear, Feel, See