Quoted message said:Hello All,
I am in need of a strength/weight training program. Here;s the
rundown, I am a lightweight rower but I would really like to put on
some lean
muscle and drop my bodyfat over the winter to have maximum performance
next spring. I have been rowing high-school for 2 years and have never
stuck to a weight training program. My last few years have been rough
and
dissapointing, I've always been at the back of the pack, sort of the
runt of the team, and one thing that I think will really help me this
year is to have more leverage and power to send the boat and erg.
That and I want to look more muscular .... who doesn't?
First off, how much weight can you afford to put on? How much will you weigh
at weight, what do you do to get there, which version of lightweight are you
competing in (international style 70avg/72.5, BUSA 72.5, American college
whateveritis?) You may need to be careful not to gain too much muscle early
season.
Secondly: good things to do are deadlift, leg press, one-arm bent-over rows
with dumbbells, squat, power cleans, other [censored]. In about that order of
preference. Then on top of that you will want to do some core stability
work - front and side plank holds, that kind of thing.
Quoted message said:Here is sort of a dilemma. I have a membership at the local YMCA,
but with school starting soon, fall rowing beginning,my job and by
band I don't
think I'll be able to commit three 90 minute workouts into my
schedule. And if I did it would be impossible to be consistent, and
chances are I would miss workouts. There is a weight room at our
school, but it is horribly out of date, and usually locked up.
Basically keeping the membership at the Y would be a waste, because I
could only get there once a week if I'm lucky
How can a weight rom be 'out of date'? a 20kg plate is a 20kg plate. If the
bars are seized up and don't spin freely then don't do cleans, but DL and
squat will still be fine.
If you need to gain strength, which from the sounds of things would help,
then you will need to find time to do weights at least once a week; twice
will make for better improvements and less soreness. Either you care and can
find the time or you don't care enough, can't find the time and will be back
of pack again, your choice. You don't need 90' anyway for rowing, 30' will
do if you are quick.
Quoted message said:I own a C2 rowing machine,
(http://www.argos-sports.co.uk/mall/argos/images/products/Concept2/ModelD-Back.jpg)and
we erg at school 6 times a week. I have an exercise ball or swill
ball ... whatever its called, and about 60 pounds in free weights at
my house, no pullup
bar. I was wondering if a bodyweight program would work, except I
have no real way to work my back, unless I use the C2 as a
strengthening tool. I need a way to make a 3 day schedule using the
swiss ball and weights to gain some muscle mass, or general size and
strength using only the ball, some weights and my bodyweight
You don't want to use the CII to gain strength. To do that you'd have to set
up at drag 10, low stroke rate, and then you will risk injuring your back.
Strength-endurance, yes. To do that, use normal drag factor (4-5, so 135
measured), rate 20, 30' aiming for maximum distance covered. If that's not
hard enough, rate 18. Broadly speaking, at rate 20 acceptable is >8000m, OK
is 8250, good is 8500, top international lightweights are pushing 8800.
Swiss ball is vaguely useful for developing core strength, but not really
necessary. I don't use them so can't help much. I'd look to do front holds
and side holds, for time. So you hold yourself off the floor lying down with
your arms out straight as if you're about to do a push-up, your body should
make a straight line. Use a mirror. Stay like that for time, 60s to start
with and work up, if you get to 2' just maintain, that is a front hold. Side
hold, lie on your side with your weight supported by your feet and one
elbow, other arm by your side, one foot on top of the other, body makes a
straight line, use a mirror. When you can do that for 90s go to having the
arm supporting you being out straight so you rest on the heel of your hand,
when you can do that for 90s have the free arm up in the air so your body
makes a cross shape, when you can do that for 90s (which will be soon) raise
the free leg into the air to make a star shape, if you get to 90s of that
maintain. Do both sides. That should do you for core work, with what you get
from the free weights.
As far as weights work goes, what you have is only useful for one-arm rows
(but you'll outgrow 60lbs fairly soon) and for weighting pullups. There's
not much point trying to gain leg strength with only 60lbs weight; you'll be
able to do 15 reps easily. More than 15 reps is strength endurance and you
can do that on the erg.
Find a barbell and weights. Do deadlifts. When you've done deadlifts do leg
press if you have access to one. Then do one-arm rows with dumbbells or use
a machine weight row thing, or whatever. Or do pullups (with a weight if
necessary). Then do your core stability work. If you have time to fit in
multiple sessions in a week, swap deadlifts out for squats in your second
session of the week.
For each exercise, do a light set of 10 to warm up (i.e. something really
easy that your granny could do) then a moderately hard set of 10, then build
up in sets of 5 to your maximum weight. Stop when you feel you can't
complete another rep in good form, try to avoid actually failing to complete
a rep. Example from me, deadlift: 60kgx10, 100x10, 120x5, 120x5, 130x5,
130x5, 140x5, 140x3 and move to leg press.
Technique.
Deadlift, set up so you're gripping the bar (if grip gets to be a problem,
which it will, google deadlift alternate grip or buy straps) about shoulder
width apart or whatever feels comfortable. Arms straight, back in a strong
position (NOT rounded). Squatted down a bit, how much depends on how much
work you feel like doing with your quads. Tense your glutes and try to push
your hips forwards, use your quads to stop them from actually going
forwards, and the bar will come off the floor. Keep doing that and you'll be
standing up straight, then you let the barbell down again. Don't drop it,
but don't try to control it too much; the next rep should start from the bar
sitting on the floor, not off the floor or with a bounce. There are a load
of videos of powerlifters deadlifting, do what they do but without the
really wide-spread legs that you occasionally see. Feet shouldn't be much
more than shoulder width apart.
Leg press: set the machine up so you start from as compressed as you can get
without your hips rotating up off the pad at the back (or any other
flexibility issues causing problems). You always want the weight to transfer
through your hips not your lower back. Push, let it back down under control
until the weight is just short of touching the stack, push again. You may
need to use your arms on your knees to help push up the weight so that the
reps are all hard.
One-arm rows: rest one hand on a bench, pick the dumbbell up to the finish
position with the other hand. Don't heave at it with the whole back, just
move that side's shoulder and arm. If you feel you have to cheat by using
your lower back or legs, you need to use less weight.
Squat: bar on your back, use padding if it hurts (folded leggings), sit back
and down until you can't go any further, stand up again. Go to either
flexibility limit (your back must not round at the bottom) or until your
calves touch your hams, quads touch chest. Don't bounce at the bottom.
For both squat and deadlift you will need to practice good technique with an
empty bar or a wood stick, find a knowledgeable bloke or use a mirror, look
at videos of powerlifters (Google is your friend). Bear in mind that
powerlifters do not go deep enough on squats for you and may well have their
feet a long way apart which you don't want to do.
As far as bodyfat goes, you don't need to be <10% until maybe 4-6 weeks
before you need to make weight, being lean over the winter impairs your
immune system. However if you're >12% you need to cut something out of your
diet. Eat less, lose weight, maybe add a bit more lean meat and less pizza.
Get caliper tests every so often until you can guess your body-fat
percentage reasonably accurately. Come back here or use google when you need
to make weight, bear in mind that internationals can be 4-5kg overweight
with one week to go to weighing in, and 3kg is easy with only minimal
dehydration (there is a trick with dietary fibre).
Since I've written all this, I might as well cover the rest of rowing
quickly.
You want to be doing a lot of LSD work at this point in the season - 16/20k
in a single scull, 18k rate 18 at UT2 pace (whatever that is for you, and it
is NOT flat out!), that sort of thing. 30' rate 20 fits in nicely right now.
Start early, get a good base before you go back to school. When you get to
school, obey the coach, if he doesn't set a weights programme he should, if
he doesn't keep following the one above, but TELL THE COACH you are doing it
and cut back on volume or you'll get overtrained and your season will go
down the pan. Cut back on weights as you approach race season. Weights are
important, more strength will help you technically and with headwinds or
pushes, but being as aerobically fit as you can be is more important.
Technique is massively important, you probably aren't too bad if you've been
physically weak, but even so pay attention. Try to go out in a single, in
pairs, in doubles at every opportunity; fours, quads, eights tend to cover
technical flaws.
If you're interested, my (UK lwt rower) training log can be found at
www.bodyrecomposition.com in the forums; you have to register but Lyle
doesn't spam you, Peter Allen is my real name and hence the one I use there
too. As you can see from it I am young and far from perfect, hopefully I
will be less stupid with some stuff (overall volume, mainly) next year.
Peter
