carrie peterson : sports : rowing

:: carrie peterson : sports : rowing

bio

sports

travel

soapbox

links

email

rowing

home

Pull thy oar, all hands, pull thy oar,
till thou be stiff and red and sore.
- Dr. Sydney Dangell

I STARTED ROWING because I wanted a new challenge. With the encouragement of rower friends, I took a beginner sweep class at Lake Merritt Rowing Club in Oakland, CA. It was love at first...stroke.

Why?
Rowing looks serene from afar, but up close it's an intense, grueling, painful process. A rower uses 80% of their muscles at any given time, but it's way more than a physical sport. It requires complete mental focus, perfect synchronization with your crew, discipline, and a drive to push through the pain.

Rowing is the ultimate test of mental and physical stamina. It kicks my ass, and I love it.

Photo of my crew at BIAC Fall Regatta. I'm at the top! Click on photo to enlarge.

* Eight-person animated graphic courtesty of Triton Website.
All other rowing graphics courtesy of RowingQuotes.com.

ROWING :DECODED:

"Catching a crab? Using a hatchet? There's a slide in the boat? How do I drive in a shell, and what's a shell? Someone in the boat is called a Cox? (teehee) And I still don't know the difference between port and starboard."

Be at peace, my weary newbie rowers. For I was once in your foot stretchers.

[ FAQ FOR BEGINNER ROWERS ]

FOR ADDITIONAL ROWING LINKS,
GO TO MY [ LINKS PAGE ]

ROWING TECHNIQUE

...it's this easy!

OK, so maybe it's not that easy. In fact, rowing requires more complete body-
coordination than any sport I've found. The fun doesn't stop there. You aren't just
keeping every inch of your body in constant, proper positioning, you must also stay
perfectly synchronized with your crew! Now that's quality.

Luckily, there is a fantastic tutorial site, breaking down each part of the rowing cycle.

[ ROWING TECHNIQUE SITE ]

FITNESS / TRAINING - OFF THE WATER

Rowing technique is best (and arguably, only) learned on the water.
Fitness and strength training, equally vital, is primarily done off the water.

Technique is nothing without fitness, and fitness is nothing without technique.

CIRCUIT TRAINING / ERGGING

CIRCUIT TRAINING: Do each drill for 1 minute, allowing 10 second breaks in between.
Start with one cycle (#1-10), and work up to 3 cycles.

1. Situps/crunches         6. Situps/crunches
2. Pushups                    7. Pushups
3. Jumpies                     8. Jumpies
4. Obliques - Right         9. Obliques - Left
5. Tri-hold or V-hold      10. Reverse situps (lifting your back)

ARM & LEG STRENGTH TRAINING: Do 1 set of 20 reps each. Start with one cycle (#1-6), and work up to 2 cycles.

1. Squat/Lifts. Hold (15-20lb) bar at waist, squat down so bar touches ground. Then stand up, following through by lifting bar up to chin. (Do this 20x)
2. Bicep Curls. Hold bar, palms facing up. (Do this 20x)
3. Bar Squats. Put bar behind head, rest it on back of neck. Squat. (Do this 20x)
4. Bar Lifts. Hold bar at waist, palms down. Lift bar up to chin. (Do this 20x)
5. Squat/Lifts. (Same as #1)
6. Bicep Curls. (Same as #2)

ERGGING: Oh Joy.
                                  The ergometer stimulates the physical demands of rowing,
                                  packaging the pains with none of the amenities that make it
                                  worthwhile.           - from Kiesling's The Shell Game

You know, I like ergging. It's a good, full-body workout that you can do indoors. You
can even erg with friends.   Heh.

Suggested winter erg workouts:
- Pyramid by time, distance, and/or rating.
      - By time: 1 minute on, 1 minute active recovery, 2 min on/off, 3min on/off, 4min
        on/off, and back down for 30-40min. Full pressure and 20-26spm while on.
      - By distance: 250m on/off, 500m on/off, 750 on/off, 1000m on/off, and back
        down. Full pressure and rating of 20-26spm while on.
      - By rating/time: Do series of 2min, 4min, 2min...and vary rating from 16spm, to
        18spm, to 22spm, to 24spm. Always full pressure.

A great site for all your ergging needs/suggested workouts is: www.Concept2.com.

                   MY CURRENT 2K ERG TIME: 8:20

                   My boathouse (LMRC) is doing the Million Meter Erg Challenge. So far
                   I have ergged: 70,500m towards the cause.

[ GO HOME ]

ROWING HUMOR

[ Rowing Comics ]

[ Personality Traits of an Eight ]

(Scroll to bottom of page)
I row either 7 or 5 seat, so I'm either a complete b*tch or a revered Goddess. Huh.