ROWING 101

There used to be a strong belief in rowing that you have to be a big, powerful, anaerobic beast to do well. This was fuelled by the fact that most successful rowers were, indeed, of a bigger build, not unlike the Incredible Hulk. Such athletes trained extremely hard but not necessarily according to the demands of their sport. Depending on crew size, gender and, of course, ability, it is more accurate to think of rowing as a power endurance sport rather than a strength sport.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENDURANCE...
Obviously great strength is needed to generate large force and propel the boat at high speed. But it has been shown physiologically that at least 70% of the energy requirement comes from aerobic metabolism (the metabolic process that occurs in the cells, by which the body uses oxygen to produce energy). The remainder comes from anaerobic sources. Just by looking at this physiological breakdown, it is easy to deduce that plenty of work must be done to condition the aerobic, or cardio respiratory system to guarantee optimal race performance. However large and powerful a rower or crew, if they lack sufficient endurance, they will be disadvantaged in the closing stages (i.e. Last Charge) of a race. Strength training is just as important but to compete convincingly, one must first have endurance.

THE TYPES OF ENDURANCE...
They are aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance and strength endurance. A sound basis of aerobic endurance is fundamental for all events.

TO BUILD ENDURANCE...
Most experts recommend the Concept 2 Indoor Rowing Machine, regarded by many to be the ultimate indoor training weapon. Concept 2 is an endurance training system that focuses on proper body position with intensity equivalent, or exceeding, actual sports conditions. Peak power, power endurance and muscular endurance is the ultimate goal of a rowing training program.

Bottom line, the land training that is most likely to improve your dragon boat rowing performance is more rowing!