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Erg Test the Duration, Not the Distance

We know that the biomechanical and physiological demands of the erg are significantly different than rowing or sculling. “Ergs don’t float” addresses this difference, “but they move boats” addresses the similar general force and fitness characteristics. An idea I’ve been working with over the last year or so is to think about erg training and testing for the approximate duration of the race, not just the distance. The distance is arbitrary on the erg and it’s the duration that matters most from a physiological perspective.

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The Nordic Hamstring Curl Exercise for Rowers

The Nordic hamstring curl is a popular exercise in the strength training for other sports, but has not reached widespread use in rowing. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to begin using the Nordic hamstring curl in your strength training for rowing.

Key Points: The Nordic hamstring curl (NHC) is an exercise with good application for rowers, training the glutes and back muscles for hip stability and taking the hamstrings through a underdeveloped movement of eccentric knee flexion. The NHC requires minimal equipment, so rowers and coaches can incorporate it into training just about anywhere. It is a challenging exercise that all rowers may not be ready for right away, so use variations in range-of-motion, tempo, and set-and-rep scheme to gradually progress up to full training.

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nordic hamstring curl for rowers, an exercise for posterior chain strengthening requiring minimal external load or equipment
Illustration from Bahr and Mæhlum (2002), “Scandinavian Textbook of Sports Medicine”

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muscle soreness rowing article title graphic. picture of deadlifting with muscle soreness and rowing title.
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Muscle Soreness and Rowing

Muscle soreness is an issue of both reverence and avoidance in rowers. Pain-chasing rowers love muscle soreness and don’t feel like they got a good workout without it. Others hate it and do everything they can to avoid it out of a desire to maximize immediate performance or not make rowing any harder or more painful than it already is. Rowing coaches often both want strength coaches to “test” rowers and “train their grit” with challenging and painful workouts, but can also get mad when athletes are sore for rowing or don’t perform well immediately after intense strength training. Whether you love it or hate it, this article is about muscle soreness and rowing: what it means, what it is NOT, how it affects rowers, and how we can reduce and avoid it.

Key Points: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the kind of low-grade muscular stiffness or tightness that people feel in the 24-72 hours following exercise. DOMS tends to happen more with strength training than with rowing, due to the greater movement diversity of strength training, higher force muscular work in strength training, and eccentric muscle actions. DOMS doesn’t mean much beyond your muscles saying, “Hi, that was new.” Whether you are sore or not sore is no real indication as to whether your training is working or not working. Rowing research indicates that muscle soreness itself has little negative effect on rowing performance at or slower than 2km pace. The best way to reduce DOMS is to avoid getting so much DOMS in the first place by gradually introducing yourself or athletes to new, unfamiliar training stimuli.

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muscle soreness rowing article title graphic. picture of deadlifting with muscle soreness and rowing title.

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all about rowing power testing cover photo graphic
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All About Rowing Power Testing

In this article, you’ll learn all about rowing power testing: why power tests offer important information, basic testing principles, rowing power testing protocols, and how to collect, analyze and use this information in your training. We will discuss important physiology knowledge for power testing, best practices for erg testing, the different protocols of counting strokes or seconds, apps that you can use to collect power testing data, and how often to test peak power to inform your training.

Key Points: Rowing power testing tells us if the rower is improving in maximum power output, the effect of strength training on rowing performance, and offers a way to estimate race pace. My favorite power tests are the 7-stroke max or 10-second test to stay within the phosphagen energy system, responsible for producing very high outputs over short durations. Whichever power test you choose, testing protocols need to be standardized and kept consistent in order to accurately reflect results as changes from training. Use full slide, good technique, recorded drag factor, similar motivation and testing environment, and same rest between individual attempts.

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all about rowing power testing cover photo graphic

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rowing physical therapists are a valuable resource for rowers experiencing injury
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Rowing Physical Therapists for Rowing Injuries

No one wants injuries. There are many things that rowers and coaches can do better to reduce risks, but we can never fully prevent injuries, so it’s important to have a plan in place for when one occurs. This article covers my general approach to rowing injuries, how rowers and coaches can work with rowing physical therapists for best results, and my go-to list of all-star rowing physical therapists for resources and appointments (virtual and in-person).

DISCLAIMER: While we are discussing injuries and the medical field very generally in this article, nothing ahead constitutes individual medical advice or specific information on injuries or other health problems. The whole point of this article is the value of consulting appropriate medical professionals when confronted with medical or health-related problems. I will discuss my approach to rowing injuries at a general level, and encourage you to apply the information as you personally choose to based on your knowledge, comfort level, and available medical resources, doing so in a way that does not render me personally responsible for your actions.

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rowing physical therapists are a valuable resource for rowers experiencing injury

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Test Your Rowing Power with the 7-Stroke Max

When rowers ask me about testing one-rep maxes to gauge progress from strength training, I usually try to steer them to the seven-stroke max (7SM) evaluation instead. The 7SM evaluates the general physical adaptations that we’re attempting to gain with strength training, but in a more rowing-specific manner and without the injury risk or training impact of testing 1RM lifts.

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Training Intensity Distribution: Polarized or Pyramidal?

This is Part 2 replying to questions about the final bullet point in “Training Tips for Masters Rowers” and intensity management. Polarized or pyramidal is the question of how we emphasize and allocate training of different intensity zones in our training program. Like periodization, everyone uses some form of intensity distribution whether they know it or not. We can intentionally modify exactly how we balance our low, middle, and high-intensity training to achieve more consistent training and better performance. As with consolidated-vs-distributed intensity planning, this applies to all rowers, but in my opinion, is especially key for masters rowers’ sustainable training.

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Training Intensity Management: Consolidated or Distributed?

I got a few questions back about the final bullet point in “Training Tips for Masters Rowers” and intensity management. Here’s Part 1. Consolidated or distributed intensity is the question of best practices with scheduling strength training and rowing training for continued improvement, energy management, and reduced risk of injury. There are two main different methods with two different theories for efficacy, and no specific research giving us a clear answer. Consolidated intensity describes combining intensities (ie. high/high or low/low), while distributed intensity separates intensities (ie. high/low or low/high). This system applies to all rowers, but in my opinion, is especially key for masters rowers’ sustainable training.

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strength training for sculling
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Strength Training for Sculling

Strength training for sculling necessitates an understanding of what makes sculling different from sweep rowing and erging, knowledge of the different types of scullers, and management of the different physiological demands between different boat classes and racing priorities. In this article, I will cover some relevant research for scullers, identify a few adjustments that I make specifically for scullers versus other rowers, and discuss how plans change for scullers of different types and priorities.

I also presented on this topic via the Craftsbury Sculling Center Free Weekly Webinar series on August 12th, 2020. This webinar is available for free linked at the end of this article.

Key Points: Strength training for sculling is mostly the same in the lower body as those who erg or sweep row. However, the action around the rib cage and shoulders is very different between the three modalities, and top athletes in each discipline will have specific strengths and techniques to achieve maximum performance. Exercise variations of the squat, hinge, and pulling categories train the relevant muscles for stroke power and performance. We can also use strength training to teach and reinforce specific muscular skills for sculling performance. Finally, we use other exercises to develop muscles and movements neglected by rowing alone, including upper body pushing, lateral, rotational, and shoulder external rotation exercises.

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