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Rowing Intervals

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  • Inkratlet
    Inkratlet Posts: 613 Member
    edited February 2015
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    ^^ very true. Watch your strokes per minute on the display. The lower you can get them with really big strong pulls the better.

    Rowing is a very big deal in Cambridge (UK), and there's a large rowing community. The one that is the most fun as a spectator is called The Bumps:

    Teams are 8 crew plus cox. Each boat starts at a designated position on the river Cam spaced a standard distance apart (might be 100m, I don't know) and then the aim is to catch up the boat in front of you and bump into them. If you get bumped, you're out. If you do the bumping, you advance to the next stage. It lasts several days and it's usually in the spring or autumn when the weather isn't hideous, so we all go to pubs along the river and watch. The tradition is for ladies spectating to note the number of the crew they think is the most attractive :)

    Another rowing thing: look up "ejector crab" on Youtube. Sometimes also "ejection crab". It's when a crew person keeps the oar in the water too long and it creates drag on the boat, thrusting the oar backwards with so much force it catches him/her across the torso and throws them out of the boat. Very funny. The first few Google hits are actually Cambridge University colleges :)
  • Curlychip
    Curlychip Posts: 292 Member
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    Ill try that out then. I just seem to hit my back point quite quickly (short legs!)
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    AllanMisner wrote: »
    Being stronger and relatively tall (5’11”), I do a 1-2-1 cadence with a very hard pull (breathing out), sit in the back position for a breath in and out, then move forward (breathing in). It comes out to about 19 rpm. Whereas when I first started, I was at 33 to 35 rpm. The stronger pulls and letting the flywheel spin for a second or so gives me a lot more distance for less energy output.

    I hadn't thought about my breathing cycle but this is exactly what I do. Two breathes per stroke. I will also vary the cadence a bit depending on the length of the row. 500m is balls to the wall. Longer rows I'll go a little slower (28rpm) and stronger and vary it a bit to keep myself fresh and interested.

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