From Dimas June 12/23: While doing a little research on the nomenclature used for energy systems, I came across this little article that is very useful for understanding why your legs feel so painful after 250m of all-out sprinting:
Read the part closely on the CT-ATP energy system used at the start of a sprint. Max 10 seconds means no penalty in terms of lactic acid production. This means you can lose a race by not taking advantage of this. However, keep on rowing like a crazy person and you will end up with a lot of pain very quickly that will cause your muscles to not work properly. Some pain is necessary and useful to inform your body and brain. You should make it to the end of the race fully depleted but exhilarated. Trust your training. Trust yourself. Trust your coaches.
From July 9/23: Finish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8golGN3h7Jo
From July 24/23:Feathering your blade: If you’ve heard “relax your grip” or similar, please watch this short video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEFDyhzaC0g
From August 14/23: Although this Aram Training video pertains to the catch (rather than our focus this week which is recovery), it very clearly explains what to do and the ’why’s of what not to do at the catch. 24 minutes well spent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i3hhlAiXVE
From August 15/23: We still see a lot of feathering and squaring done with the wrist instead rolling with the fingers. Not only does this lead to a lot of tenseness in the arms and upper body, but it is difficult to get a good catch by squaring with the wrist. Often, the blade swoops into the air and misses water upon the entry. Watch the attached video that provides an excellent view of how the oar handle is rolled with the fingers. We have an oarlock attached to the guardrail on the dock that allows you to practise easily on land with both hands by simply reversing direction. Video is only a few minutes long: https://vrcrowing.slack.com/files/U80L86HL1/F05MQ4VCGRL/how_to_feather_the_oar_-_youtube.webloc
From August 20/23: This Aram video is in preparation for our coming erg season but it is also pertinent to our body’s ergonomics while rowing. Skip to the 2 minute mark (where he gets into details you want to know.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWwMctCZW-Q
