Row-ga

Last Friday, SU Crew took a break from the ergs for yoga, or as Co-Captain Katie Messler calls it, rowga. I've written before about some of the benefits of yoga for rowers and have posted a few links, so I have some more things for you.

Someone brought their P90X Yoga X DVD to practice. I have never actually done P90X, but I have heard that it is a really effective exercise regime. My brother lost a lot of weight at the end of his college career doing P90X with his buddies and my best friend (former SU Coxswain) Jill Sands-Martin '05 started to get into it recently. Sometimes as a coach it can be a bummer to miss a good work out while instructing the team, so occasionally I like to join in and rowga offers the perfect opportunity.

Even on the online videos or infomercial, the spokesperson points out that most people think of yoga instructors as being silly or kooky. P90X prides itself on being intense cross training, and keeps their reputation by teaching the yoga in a really powerful way. Most people at the gym do a couple of sustained planks to work their core, Yoga X has you moving from planks to push ups to downward facing dog to warrior poses in smooth, quick transitions. Your body is never fully at rest, challenging you to breathe through pain, feel your body, and lengthen your muscles.

We couldn't have been very far into the video when I started dripping sweat. The poses are engaging the muscles in such a way that it is challenging without feeling like it hurt so much that you have to give up. I was impressed by how far the team's flexibility has come since we began doing yoga nearly a year ago. There was rarely giggling (except maybe for the "make your body into a triangle and reach your arms underneath your legs and clasp the hands together" ridiculousness) and the focus of the team has certainly improved. I saw many determined, motivated faces in the room that thought very carefully about each position and called upon their body to do things that they maybe had not thought possible.

I really appreciated the chair squats, because as a rower I think the more you can continuously challenge your quads, the better. I would challenge SU's rowers to sit down deeper into the squats, and keep the backs straight. That way if you are ever challenged to a wall sit contest by your coach (e.g. Spring Break '05) to delay getting out on rough water, you know you can be the champion of your team. Even though I hold my share of erg records, Robin Atkins '05 beat me on that one.

I still fervently believe that leg presses are pivotal to a good crew lifting regime, unlike a few guys I know that emphatically believe that it is a "exercise of the nineties." Squats too. I mean really, did Xeno Muller have biceps twice the size of his neck, NO.

Overall, I was really impressed by the level of challenge that the DVD offered and the calm cool-headedness of the instructor.

Key moves from Yoga X if you don't have the DVD:

Runners Pose

Crescent Pose

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Warrior 3

Plank

Downward Facing Dog

Triangle Pose

Twisting Triangle Pose

Standing Splits

Half Moon to Twisting Half Moon

Tree

Royal Dancer

Standing Leg Extensions

Crane

Frog

Plough into Shoulder Stand

Touch the Sky

Happy Baby

You can very easily Google these terms to make up your own routine!

Group Fitness

You might ask, why are there no posts recently? I've been doing other sorts of writing rather than blogging, which is to help create an SU Crew newsletter. While this may not sound like very exciting news, I am certainly excited to see it debut. We have articles from our coaches, captains, team members, and alumni as well as a ton of photos of our fall season.

As soon as it is ready for print, you will find it right here!


Over the break, I have been working on my own fitness and can't help but wonder what the members of our crew are up to. I find that I am best motivated when I am working out with others or when I know that I need to meet certain expectations.

In November, I started taking "Body Pump" classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with rowers from the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association. It is a weight-based group fitness program designed to improve strength and endurance in major muscle groups. Since we are unable to row during the icy winter months, I was looking for another group fitness class that would keep me motivated and be fun.

Our trainer Maria has been pushing us a little harder each class, working with medium and heavy free weights, bars, resistance bands, step benches, exercise balls, slo mo balls, and BOSU trainers. There is always a new exercise to learn!

It has also been interesting being a part of a group fitness class with only rowers. Having completed a similar program 2 years ago, I noticed that the coordination required for the class can help rowers become more intuitive on the water. This seems to apply to rate changes and commands from coaches or coxswains. Participating in a fitness routine in the off season can do wonders for balance, control, and endurance later on.

Since this class is only twice a week, I wanted to explore my other options. I came across a Zumba class. It is a fusion of Latin and international music that focus on a few simple dance like moves in each song. I am no dancer - I didn't make it through my first year of dance class as a kindergartner.

I felt a little out of place at my first class, as it seemed like so many of the participants already knew each other. They made a big deal out of my being new, but were reassuring. As soon as the class started, it had a different style than I had been used to. In graduate school I frequented 90 minute Step & Sculpt classes and 60 minute BOSU classes that were very choreographed. The difference between the classes is that there is very little verbal cuing in Zumba. There are hand signals, but you need to really pay attention to your instructor or others in the class to get the moves.

Without previous aerobic class experience, I think that I would have been totally out of my league. Having two months experience under my belt, I am feeling so much more comfortable with the steps. I really look forward to the class because it is high energy, always changing, and I feel like I get a great workout.

So my question for you is:
What have you been up to and what is on your playlist?

Fabulous and Free Workout of the Week

I'm spending the holiday weekend in Connecticut with Phil. On Saturday we got a chance to go hiking together with our friend from college, Dave. While on the hike, I started to think about how hiking can be a great workout, and better yet, it is free!

Our destination? Craig Castle in Meriden, CT. It wasn't a particularly grueling hike, but we kept a good pace and challenged ourselves.

As a rower, it is important to concentrate on how your body feels during every piece and every race. A competetive rowers is all all too familiar with the burn that emanates from their quads or other parts of their body. Running on a treadmill or elliptical bike can be thankless. It is all too easy to not challenge yourself if you fall into a workout rut. Hiking is great exercise that challenges your muscles by demanding precision and balance in your steps, stamina to make it up (or even down) steep inclines, and focus and mental strength to keep going.

I suppose the same can be said about mountain biking, but that means you need a lot of specialized gear (a good bike and gear can be more than 1g). Mountain biking also demands an intense level of coordination. Speaking coordination (or lack thereof), I did take a small spill on the hike. It was toward the end, on flater terrain with a small slope on the side of the road. We were going quickly and my shoes slipped on some loose gravel. I sustained a nasty scrape on my knee, but other than being a little bruised and sore, I should survive. On that note, always hike with others and take proper safety precautions.

Find a local hiking spot today and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Keep Up the Good Work: EXERCISE!

Practice Schedule for the week:

• Monday: Meet in Classroom 1 at 4:15pm for a meeting to discuss our transition from the indoor season to the water. Several team members will be needed to go with Coach Jim to the river to load the big launch so plan your attire accordingly.
• Tuesday: Loading the boats on the trailer at the river. Meet at 4:15pm to get a ride.
• Remainder of the week: exercise on your own

Here are some suggestions for alternative exercises this week:

Swimming
Swimming is a great way to benefit your heart and lungs. It gets your heart rate up, but takes some of the impact stress off of your body. Regular swimming builds muscle, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. Lap swimming can be very meditative, and can help rowers focus on establishing good rhythm that is needed in a boat.

If you are lap swimming, make sure you give yourself a good push at every turn. Pushing off the wall engages your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abs. It will also give you the momentum needed to establish good rhythm later that will let you glide through the water. Focus on stretching your stroke out so that you can maintain the flexibility we have established through yoga so far.

Open Swim Hours:

Activity	Days	Times
Lap Swimming	Monday and Wednesday	7 to 8 a.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Monday through Friday	11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Monday through Thursday	8:30 to 10 p.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Saturday and Sunday	2 to 4 p.m.

Running
Looking for a real challenge? Try running the stadium. Please do not attempt this if you have knee problems or if there is snow or water on the steps! Stadium running is one of the best workouts for a rower to increase mental toughness. As a high intensity physical activity, you will find that running the stadium will fatigue your muscles and the build up of lactic acid will become present (muscles may feel like they are burning and breathing may be labored). This mimics physiological effects that we feel during a rowing race, and can help us work on our concentration and technique through the pain.

I suggest focusing your energy on one motion (either running up or running down). If you choose to focus on the accent, run as fast as you can to the top and give yourself time to recover by jogging or walking down the steps -- repeat. You can even add a jog between stadium sets and run the other side, giving yourself a brief flat recovery on the track. Remember though that when you start to fatigue, take extra care in your steps so that you don't fall or slip. This is a very demanding physical activity and can be stressful on the body, so it is not to be used as a regular work out. Give yourself adequate time to recover (until soreness dissipates), otherwise you will regress and diminish your progress by doing too much too fast.

My favorite flat running course near Susquehanna is the "River Run." Starting at the gym, turn right onto Pine Street. Continue straight until Water Street (Keller's Beer Distributor) and turn left. At the fire station, turn right. Cross the bridge onto the Isle of Que and turn right at the river. Travel straight until you hit the farm with cows and turn around. For an extra challenge, you can keep going. There is a house with lots of lawn ornamentation on it that has a water fountain in the front for runners during warmer weather that you can stop at if you are thirsty. Challenge yourself to sprint back to campus once you get to President Lemon's house. This can be anywhere between a 4-6 mile run, depending on your desired length. It offers the most peaceful and serene views, is very safe (although be on the look out for cars), and provides a nice surface to run on. You may prefer a more hilly run out by the prison, an indoor run on the treadmills or track, or something else entirely -- but the possibilities are endless.

Other Exercises
Pilates or yoga are great ways to stay limber and loose. You may choose to do a program like PX90 that focuses on cross training or something more specific like kickboxing or step. If you are at home over break and have access to a fitness club that offers aerobics classes, programs like "Step & Sculpt," "BOSU," and interval weight training (like "Cardio Pump") are all great ways to improve upon your fitness level by emphasizing good form, balance, and strength development.

Remember, the important thing is that you keep doing something!

Yoga for Rowers

"We win. We lose. We Victory Squat." - Paula Trinchera

SU Crew has added a new section to our warm ups and cool downs for each practice. It's called, "Yoga for Rowers" by Chrys Kozak and focuses on the four phases of the rowing stroke: the recovery (balance), catch (connection), drive (power), and finish (control). It has increased our focus, balance, and flexibility.

Lauren Seamon is practicing good "victory squat" form in the snow on the photo at the side -- one of the moves taught in the book. A side benefit of the stretches and moves provided by the book is the ability to perform wicked awesome Twister moves.


You can also check out this article from the Los Angeles Rowing Blog about yoga breathing. For those of you who might not have our book, you can find some yoga poses on the page as well.

Thursday, January 7, 2009

Don't forget to add your name when you post your workout each time!

A few online resources:
CrossFit - WOD
Concept2 Workout of the Day - great suggestions to vary your erg routine
eHow Fitness Training Videos - simulate rowing with an exercise band

No weights for the WOD or access to an erg?
My favorite exercise DVDs are by Ellen Barrett. She teaches "All Star Workouts" on FIT TV, has several DVDs through CRUNCH Gym, and just released new workouts that focus on cardio and toning. Most of the DVDs require no extra equiptment. You can usually find them online, at bookstores (such as Barnes & Noble), or stores such as Walmart or Target.