You give me too much credit FT
Runner2000 -
What age group are you rowing in? You say you're at school but development wise, that's a pretty broad spectrum. The workout a 13 year old should be doing is pretty different to what a 17 year old should be doing.
I assume that, since it's two mornings a week you're probably around U15, U16s?
In that case I'd say that it's fine to be doing a FBW on the days you row, PROVIDED that you haven't been doing speedwork in your on-water sessions. If you've been doing mileage you should be fine alright, it depends what stage of the season you're at. If you're not doing speedwork you should be fine to do your workouts on the days either side of your rowing.
I know that last year, for example, when we were training for the Schoolboys Quad at the national titles we were doing our land training and gym work on the days we didn't row.
As for the workout itself,
I really recommend squat jumps. Everybody hates them, but they are great for increasing your boat speed. If you've never done them before, try 5x20 and go from there. Make sure you squeeze on the way down, to mimic the recovery on the slide and then spring off the ground as soon as you reach that 'catch-like' position. Like you're doing a push.
Core stability is really important, and often neglected, in rowing. Poor core strength and stability means that you're posture when you tire will be terrible and you're going to take a lot of run off the boat, particularly in smaller boats.
Consider doing at least one session a week of core strength, do it in the same session as the squat jumps to kill two birds with one stone.
Further, if you're only rowing twice a week,
I would really recommend getting on the ergo at least once a week and twice if you're 16 or over.
Ideally you would do one long session (10-12k) and one session to help your 2k.
If you PM me I can send you the ergo program my coach has me on.
In direct answer to your question...
yes it's alright to do your lifting a couple of hours after your row. Just make sure you eat plenty at breakfast after rowing.
Also note that, while increasing your muscle mass is important,
rowing is an endurance sport. Don't forget that you need to build up both your muscular endurance and your aerobic endurance. Doing the squat jumps is terrific for building that muscular endurance, just make sure you do the reps. Also,
two sessions a week in the boat won't build your aerobic endurance, particularly at schoolboy level. That's why I recommend doing an ergo or two a week, either that or bike rides are great as well. Is there a good size mountain nearby? In school we used to ride up our local mountain. It was a 5km trek and it was hell on earth. It also yielded big results.
There's a lot in there but hopefully you can pick out the key points and you'll find them of some assistance.
And I'll leave you with some of my favourite rowing quotes
"Real athletes row. Everyone else just plays games."
"Winning medals is good, racing is better, loving the sport is best!"
"Motivation's simple...you eliminate those who aren't motivated."
"Rowers do more before 8am than most people do all day."
"If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough."
"The pain in your legs is a hell of a long way from your heart, so PULL THE ****ING OAR"
Oh and how did our schoolboys quad go? It won the Australian National Championships... three years in a row.
Peace out brother,
I'll see you on the water
-Dutes
