In Rowing. Consistency is King
“Mileage makes champions”, an old coach used to say, as is the case with all sports. However outside of volume from a training point of view, consistency counts even more so in rowing – but why, I hear you ask? It all comes down to the rowing stroke. Unlike other endurance sports like running, cycling and swimming, which most people have been doing to some degree since a young age; rowing for most, is a new movement. Within the stroke you’re asked to deploy 85% of your muscles in a coordinated movement – that’s almost double the ask of those other sports. In the rowing stroke you activate through your legs first, then your core/trunk, and finish with your arms. The perfect stroke is easily coached, but to maximise your training/workout this movement needs to be accurately repeated at different stroke rates and intensities consistently over time. If you’re reading this blog you’re probably somewhat familiar with the sport of rowing and know and understand that fatigue will ultimately kick in as the session goes on. This is why consistent training is even more important in rowing – without that training induced muscle memory within the stroke, your technique will break down. In that situation, you become unable to deploy the sequence of muscle contractions at a high enough stroke rate or power output to deliver the training/workout that you want to achieve – in simple terms, your workout will be less effective!
I guess in essence, the take home message is – you have to show up! You must be consistent with your training to see the improvements you signed up for. If you don’t show up, it’s not just that one session lost, it’s the cumulative effect – consistent training and rowing practice will ultimately make each of your future sessions even more effective than the last. You know my opinion, rowing is the absolute total body workout, but you must commit to it!
