During high school I spent a majority of my time rowing for a local crew team. My coach would always talk about the various “science” aspects that went along with rowing. There is hydrodynamics involved, the power curve of the stroke, and the stability and balance of the boat and oars. But what I was always interested in the most was the anatomy and physiology of rowing. The three years I spent rowing was also the three years I have been in the best physical shape. In rowing there is such a high intensity of training, on the water and on land. Your body becomes like a machine accelerating the shell across the water one stroke at a time.
For a rower to be able to propel the boat at the maximum acceleration, they need to be in shape. If you go to the gym you probably know the ergometer as the “rowing machine”, or if you have no idea you can read more about it here. To sum up the physical and mentality that came along with the erg my coach would always tell us that if you love the ergometer then you are not pushing yourself hard enough, or you are just crazy. During each season, my coach would create a new cycle of workouts that the team would do on the erg or on the water. The cycle, focused on anaerobic and aerobic fitness, was set up like a pyramid, with a base of longer interval workouts at a lower intensity building up shorter intervals with more intensity. The low intensity workouts were meant to build up stamina and endurance so when the shorter pieces came along you they felt shorter and you would be able to expend all your energy quicker. Each workout piece would consist of a designated amount of intervals. Training in intervals allows a rower to strengthen their cardiac output and transport more oxygen throughout their body, by increasing their heart rate, slowing it down, and then increasing it again.
A 2000 meter workout piece is the main time that is referred to for lineup selections and college recruitment. During a 2k, you want to start off at a high rating to get the boat or the wheel of the erg moving. The general length of initial sprint should be 18 seconds. After 20 seconds the lactic acid will hit your body and cause pain and fatigue. From personal experience I can assure you that lactic acid is a rowers worst enemy. Lactic acid is an organic compound made in muscle cells and red blood cells when the body’s oxygen level is low. Carbohydrates are broken down for energy to make up for the lack of oxygen. To obtain a higher lactic acid threshold, a rowers anaerobic training kicks in. The anaerobic metabolism that comes from longer distance pieces, allows the rowers body to breakdown the lactic acid that is being released. A rower’s anaerobic training is crucial once they have hit their aerobic limit. Aerobic means the body is is turning sugar into energy through oxygen.
Knowing what was happening to my body during a race or an erg workout helped me throughout my training. I appreciated every workout we did even if I knew it was going to be difficult because it would benefit me later on.
sources:
http://www.brandywinebicycleclub.org/single-post/2016/03/05/The-Truth-about-Lactic-Acid
http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/tips-and-general-info/anaerobic-threshold
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-lactic-acid-buil/
picture 1: http://www.heavyweightsfitness.com/benefits-of-ergometers/
picture 2: http://www.brandywinebicycleclub.org/single-post/2016/03/05/The-Truth-about-Lactic-Acid