Strengthening exercises for rowing
- Thread starter shaun
- Start date
Strength training always seemed to help me. Back in highschool, I usually worked out around 3.5 hours of cardio ( stairs, runs, ergs, rowing ) and a hour after for strength training. It really depends on where you are in your season. If you are in sprint season, strength training isn't supposed to be that fantastic for you. Mainly, strength training is good over the summer, or fall ( unless you are a school/team that is highly involved in 5k/6k season ).
Some good exercises are deadlifts ( probably the best ), Front Squats, hanging leg lifts, any type of row, leg presses, pull ups, and some minor form of pec exercises. Just remember, the bigger the muscle, the more important. Also, make sure you don't ONLY work out rowing muscles, since this will harm your posture and musculature ( having overpowering back muscles can really hurt your pecs to where a simple move could make you pull a muscle ).
Also, some whey protein would be beneficial. After every workout, I would down a whey protein drink ( if I had time, or wasn't lazy, I am college student give me a break ). My favorite kind/flavor is http://supplementlocker.com/gold-standar-100-whey-chocolate-mint-2-lbs/ It tastes pretty damn good, and the brand seems to be pretty well reviewed. If you don't trust whey protein, a good dose of chocolate milk after workouts will help you pack on some muscle.
Also, if you are trying to gain weight, really start eating more food ( healthy food, please ). Trying to gain weight while rowing is like a oxymoron. Good luck, fellow rower!
College Rower - Yay
Some good exercises are deadlifts ( probably the best ), Front Squats, hanging leg lifts, any type of row, leg presses, pull ups, and some minor form of pec exercises. Just remember, the bigger the muscle, the more important. Also, make sure you don't ONLY work out rowing muscles, since this will harm your posture and musculature ( having overpowering back muscles can really hurt your pecs to where a simple move could make you pull a muscle ).
Also, some whey protein would be beneficial. After every workout, I would down a whey protein drink ( if I had time, or wasn't lazy, I am college student give me a break ). My favorite kind/flavor is http://supplementlocker.com/gold-standar-100-whey-chocolate-mint-2-lbs/ It tastes pretty damn good, and the brand seems to be pretty well reviewed. If you don't trust whey protein, a good dose of chocolate milk after workouts will help you pack on some muscle.
Also, if you are trying to gain weight, really start eating more food ( healthy food, please ). Trying to gain weight while rowing is like a oxymoron. Good luck, fellow rower!
College Rower - Yay
I guess here is another tip.
I wasn't super clear on abdominal exercises. If you are looking to gain strength in your upper back and legs, you will need stronger abs to keep your body stable in the boat while you pull, since you will not get stronger.
If you don't have access to a gym, here are some good exercises to do in the boat bay/dock/where ever you do abs. http://truecardio.com/workout-routines/It is a small website, but it works. If you need any more help, ask away. Rowing/Fitness is a lifestyle that I truly enjoy.
I wasn't super clear on abdominal exercises. If you are looking to gain strength in your upper back and legs, you will need stronger abs to keep your body stable in the boat while you pull, since you will not get stronger.
If you don't have access to a gym, here are some good exercises to do in the boat bay/dock/where ever you do abs. http://truecardio.com/workout-routines/It is a small website, but it works. If you need any more help, ask away. Rowing/Fitness is a lifestyle that I truly enjoy.
Training your legs can improve your performance because much of the power in rowing comes from your lower body - the hamstrings and quadriceps are large and powerful muscles. Also, if you have been watching the rowing at the Olympics you would have seen many of the rowers have decent muscle mass - I'm sure they use weight training to improve their power and strength.
I have read that power cleans, back extensions, squats and bench rows are great exercises to train for rowing. Of course, your trainer may tell you to do something different depending on your strength and how hard you want to train. Personally I do some deadlifts and squats to strengthen my muscles and have a protein shake after my workouts.
The deadlifts, squats etc will strengthen your core if you are lifting raw (without a belt etc). I think you should stick to the basic exercises and train no more than once or twice a week because we want to improve our rowing, not enter a strongman competition
!
rz3300
New Member
I use a combination of different exercises when comes to getting ready for the rowing season. The main thing for me is to make sure my back strength is up to speed, and so for that there is a lot of focus on the upper body. Weights are included, but I like to do more simple things like push ups and pull ups if I can. Thanks for sharing.