How to make the rowing team?

Question

I'd love to row. We have a rowing team at school, though I herd it's difficult and intense. I love to be on the water. How hard is practice and conditioning and what do you do?

Answer 1

How hard it is greatly depends on the coach you have. Right now, I have a very tough coach. Conditioning on the water is great and I love it, and it's not nearly as hard as indoor workouts. Erging (using the rowing machine) is extremely hard when you are doing a test. It uses almost all the muscles in  your body and takes a lot of cardiovascular endurance. If you want to test it out, jump on a rowing machine at the nearest YMCA or gym, set it for 2000 meters (if you want to try a sprint) or 6000 meters (if you want to try an endurance piece). For high school girls, a 2k ranges from about seven minutes to ten minutes. Seven minutes being ridiculously good and ten minutes being pretty embarassing, unless you are just beginning.  A 6k will probably take between 27 and 30 minutes probably. If you are just beginning and you can do a 10 minute 2k or a 30 minute 6k, you're in great beginning shape. Once you join the team, you'll get much better pretty quickly.  We also do weights workouts pretty often. We use most of the machines you will find in any gym and usually do four sets of eight of each, with as much weight as we can bear for 8 reps. I usually bench press a little over 60 pounds doing 4x8. Although the training can sometimes get tough, you will start out very easy. My first season was great and very easy, we worked mostly on technique and did a little power stuff. If you think you would enjoy it, I greatly encourage you to try it out. Even though the indoor workouts can be a pain in your butt, it's all worth it once you get out on the water. Hope you join the team!

Answer 2

Practices are actually pretty easy unless you aren't in shape at all and it is very fun.  There really isn't alot of conditioning either because you just practice for the races which is fun!

Here are some TIPS.. HAVE FUN!

Go For Smooth Action, Add Intensity Gradually

Bad form (rowing with a bent back, for example) can bring on back and leg problems, so learn the right way to row, whether you do it indoors or out. You want a smooth, coordinated action, and you want to begin your workouts at a fairly low intensity. Try 8-10 rows per minute for 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing to 15-30 rows per minute over a 15-30 minute period. Don't grip the handles too tightly, or you'll wind up with blisters.

Buy the Best Rower You Can

Rowing machines are available at many clubs, but if you want to buy your own, don't cheap out. You want a brand-name, quality machine that feels solid and smooth when you use it (not wiggly), provides for variable resistance, and secures your feet. Rowers with two side handles (oars) are harder for some people to coordinate and may not give you as good a workout as one with a single pull-back bar and flywheel.

For more information on home rowing machines, visit the Rowing Machine Page.

Use a Fan

Rowing is strenuous work and it's easy to get overheated. The hotter you get, the less work you feel like doing. So, place a small electric fan nearby to circulate the air. You'll feel better and go further on your indoor rowing machine.

Vary Your Workouts

Rowing, like any exercise, can get boring, and you'll find a reason to quit once you lose interest. So vary your workouts -- speeding up, slowing down, doing sprints, focusing on form -- and keep track of your times and distances in a training logbook.

Complement Your Workouts

Supplement your indoor rowing workouts with stretching and strengthening sessions that work on opposing muscles. Bent-leg stomach crunches, pull-ups, push-ups, and simply arching your back are good ways to break up your rowing routine. So is bending over and gently letting your fingers fall toward your toes.