Content – Training For Endurance Sports
Technique and Injuries
I recently received an email from a well-known rowing coach. He expressed his concern that recently posted rowing articles – whose authors focused on teaching people their own particular style of rowing — could actually increase rowing-related injuries. These same concerns apply to other endurance sports as well.
I haven’t read the articles he mentioned. And I likely won’t. It’s not because I don’t think the information is useful –I am sure it is. It’s because my current views on how rowing injuries occur puts little emphasis on rowing technique as the culprit.
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Barefoot shoes versus conventional running shoes:
Which is right for your outdoor cross-training program?
By Coach Kaehler
After months of indoor winter training, it’s time to get back outdoors! One way to interact with nature and keep your training program fun and effective is running. As a cross-training tool, running is one of the most efficient ways to work your cardiovascular system. From a convenience point of view, you can’t beat it — just step outside your front door. Best of all, you don’t need any special or costly equipment — just a pair of regular running shoes. Or do you?
Recently, a new fad has emerged in this age-old form of conditioning called, ‘barefoot running.’ In his book, “Born to Run”, author Christopher McDougall argues that running bare feet (or with a light covering) is more natural than using running shoes. As tempting as it may seem to run with our ‘god-given’ body design, athletes should first consider several key factors before jumping in. What surfaces are you running on? What is your current level of strength, flexibility, and of course running fitness? Like any new method of training, it’s better to introduce barefoot running into your program gradually, to ensure your body adapts at a natural rate. The alternative could lead to injuries, especially if you’re exclusively a road-runner.
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How is your Training Intensity?
-There are two ways to monitor how hard you’re working, and neither tells the whole story.
By Coach Kaehler
Looking for an effective way to measure proper intensity levels while training? Coaches use two different methods to keep tabs on their athletes: heart rate monitors and a combination of speed, wattage, and split averages. Both methods have certain inherent advantages and have been used to great effect by world-class coaches and athletes. Regardless of the one you use, it is important that you consider additional external and internal factors which could affect actual intensity levels.
Heart-rate monitors are a popular method for tracking intensity levels during a training session. But knowing your current maximum heart rate is essential if you want to train effectively. Karvonen’s formula (220- age) is often used to establish maximum heart rate, but can be 15 beats or more per minute above or below your actual maximum heart rate. A better way to establish maximum heart rate is through a step test guided by a physiologist’s plan, or by rowing a 2,000-meter test. After accurately measuring maximum heart rate, you can then set correct heart-rate training zones. Many coaches and physiologists break training intensity into a minimum of three levels or zones: easy work (65-80 percent of max heart rate), threshold work (88-92 percent of max), and interval work (98-100 percent of max). Before you begin training with heart-rate monitors and zone targets, however, you’ll need to consider a slew of other factors.
External environmental conditions such as air temperature, humidity, wind, and even the amount of clothes you wear can affect your heart rate. Internal conditions such as how well hydrated you are before and during your workout can also play a role.
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Pushing Your Comfort Zone
By Coach Kaehler
– A little planning goes a long way in injury prevention
Rowing has its share of overuse injuries. Factors that increase your risk of injury include: changing training volume or intensity too quickly, and allowing too little recovery time during and between during training sessions. Other contributing factors include improper technique, poor flexibility and strength, and inadequate nutrition. Careful planning and learning to listen to your body’s signals are essential to minimizing the impact of overuse injuries.
Training outside of your comfort zone
Experiencing pain is a necessary evil of endurance training, especially when you’re training outside of your comfort zone — your usual training approach that doesn’t exceed or challenge your physiological limitations. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is critical for developing your physical and mental capacity, as well as improving your lactate buffering capacity or VO2 max. Often, when pain does show up, the brain goes into survival mode and tells you to keep going — that the pain will go away. While some athletes will immediately stop their activities and get themselves checked out, others will train through the initial signs of pain and enter an uncomfortable zone. However, when pain is long-lasting, we have to use it as a “coach” that is telling you something is wrong. When we ignore the initial symptoms and train into an uncomfortable zone, we place ourselves at risk of sustaining injuries of greater magnitude.
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‘Tis the season to shake it up!
Build new elements of endurance into your training program
early in your off-season, to add variety and improve your Body Balance
By Coach Kaehler
Do you keep the same training routine all year-round? Or do you shake things up at the end of your primary race season? Regardless of your skill level and training volume, changing your routine gives your mind and body an essential break from training repetition. Shaking things up a bit also adds variety, helps with your overall recovery, and improves your body balance by using different muscle groups and patterns.
The best time to introduce any new sporting movements into your current training program is right after your primary racing season has ended. First things first though. Recharge your body and mind. Take a short but essential rest (detraining) period after your primary race. Detraining periods can last anywhere from one to several weeks. Once you’re mentally and physically refreshed, it’s time to get back to work.
Adding new endurance sports to your training program keeps your cardio-system sharp, and allows your primary movement patterns to rest and recover. Sports like running, cycling, swimming, and cross-country skiing are all great ways to add mental and physical balance to your program. Some athletes completely abandon their primary sport for several weeks or months, while others mix it up but still train in their main sport. While individual preferences may vary, both approaches can lead to excellent results.
If you do decide to add a new sport (aside from running), you may initially find it difficult to elevate your heart rate to sufficient levels. For this reason, consider adding in more familiar endurance sports to keep your cardio system challenged. For example, if you’ve never done lap swimming, you may find it difficult to get into a good rhythm and get a solid cardio session. Try adding two or three sessions of swimming per week to start, then gradually build-up to a point where you can get a solid cardio workout. Be patient though. Initially your muscles will be inefficient because you’re using them in a different way. Once you start logging in some mileage, your muscles will adjust and you’ll be able to achieve the necessary rhythm to elevate your heart rate.
Working your body in different positions and planes is a key consideration when you’re introducing new cross-training elements into your training program. Endurance sports can be done in several positions including: upright (running, cross-country skiing), seated (cycling, rowing, kayaking, etc.), and horizontal (swimming). Triathlon is the one endurance sport that works all three positions, while the others are limited to one or two of the positions. Including endurance activities in all three planes and positions will work different muscle groups and patterns, and improve your overall body balance.
Rowing certainly has several appealing aspects to it being a non-impact, gravity-reduced sport that uses all the major muscle groups at one time, and it also is low impact. However, rowing is limited to the sitting position only. Cross-training (especially with upright or horizontal positioned-activities) in the off-season adds variety to your body and mind, and can help add balance to your program. Weight training adds similar benefits as it can be done in all three positions and allows for great variety.
Fresh season, fresh perspective; Shake-up your usual training program and enjoy the benefits of variety, reduced staleness and restored energy levels. When you’re thinking of adding new cross-training activities, consider working planes and positions that are different from your usual sport. As always, training hard, training smart and making wise choices about cross training will help you improve your body balance and increase the longevity of your sport.
Pace Yourself Building Effective Strategies for 2K Erg Races
By Coach Kaehler
Are you heading back to the erg this winter to prepare for a 2k race? If so, do you have a set pace strategy for your race? Getting your pacing right can be the difference between success and failure when it comes to reaching your peak on race day. A recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning (JSC) examined pacing strategies used by various boat classes in 2000m World Championship races from 2001 to 2009. These on-the-water pacing strategies can help you understand how to best approach 2k racing on the erg. Integrating and mastering these essential skills early on in your training cycle will help set you up for race day.
While this recent JSC study considered results from both heats and finals, for the purpose of this article, I will focus primarily on the finals . Data (500m splits) from the finals of the 2001 through 2009 World Championships showed that team boats were fastest in the first quarter of the race, while the second fastest 500m splits came in the final 500 meters. In the 1x, however, the study determined that boat speed decreased throughout the race — with the first 500m being the fastest and the last 500m being the slowest. While several variables effect these differences, one factor is the change in momentum at the finish of the stroke, where the 8+ will have the greatest benefit from this, and the 1x the least. One thought would be that increasing boat speed in the final 500m would be easier in a larger boat versus a smaller boat such as a 1x. The standard Concept 2 ergometer most closely simulates 1x when we consider change of direction momentum in relation to the rower, as there is none.
Rowing is a unique sport in that one must start the race with a sprint to get the boat up on an efficient plane — the larger the boat the longer it takes. On an erg, an athlete can get to race pace in 5 or 6 strokes, as opposed to the 20 to 25 strokes required in an 8+. Since the first 10-seconds of your energy system comes for free (with regards to oxygen debt), getting to your race pace on an erg does not induce an additional lactic acid penalty if you keep your start short.
Numerous pacing studies conducted on a variety of other sports including running, cycling, and speed skating, have shown mixed results. A recent study involving collegiate women cross-country runners explored how different race strategies affected 5k times. All subjects first established ran a 5k base-line race to determine their race pace. Then, over a three-week-period each athlete raced three additional 5k time trials. Pacing was used in the first 1.63K (1 mile) only, then athletes finished the 5k as fast as possible. The subjects used the following pace strategies: right at base-line pace, 3% faster than base-line, and 6% faster than base-line. Test results showed that the fastest overall time in 8 out of the 11 participants occurred using the 6% above base-line pace for the first mile, while the other 3 fastest times came using the 3% faster pace for the first mile of the 5k. The even-pace method produced no fastest times. Similar results were observed with speed skaters in 1500m racing at the 1988 Olympics: athletes who went out the fastest in the first third of the race ended up with the best results.
Whatever your racing strategy is — flying off the start and slowly fading or negative splitting your 2K piece — a few helpful guidelines will keep you on-course for best results on race day. First, decide on a pacing strategy early on in your training cycle and master it by consistently using the same patterns during your training cycle. Also, keep in mind that the 1X rowers, 5K cross country runners and 1500m speed skaters all used the same approach to their races by starting above pace and losing speed for the remainder of the race. And lastly, be careful to not stretch too far beyond your current race pace (more than 6%) as it may seriously hinder your ability to complete your 2K erg race. As always, carefully planning and consistently following your training program will lead to best results on race day.
Weight Matters for Endurance Athletes
Guidelines for safe and effective weight management
By Coach Kaehler
Are you headed up or down with your weight? Or are you right where you want to be? Two of the most common questions I get from high school rowers concern weight loss and gain. No matter what your level of rowing is, monitoring your body composition is a great idea. Key considerations for weight management are your percentage of lean body mass (%LM) and your percentage of body fat (%BF). Recent studies on endurance athletes confirm that improving your %LM lead to improved performance on cycling and running ergometers (when measuring maximum effort (ml/kg/min) achieved) and improved anaerobic threshold (the delay to the onset of blood lactate level spike at 4.0 mmol).
Whatever your weight goals are — loss or gain — the key question is how to properly improve your %LM while you alter your body weight. To effectively monitor your %LM, you’ll need an initial body composition test to establish your baseline %BF and %LM values, followed by regular testing throughout your training and diet program. Testing every several weeks will allow you to adjust your program if necessary, to stay on track with your weight goals.
Cutting weight is a common activity for many endurance athletes. Done properly, it can lead to great results. Done improperly, however, it can lead to disastrous results. Generally, the quicker the weight loss, the greater the likelihood of decreasing your performance, especially if you’re losing lean body mass. Loss of lean mass especially in high school athletes not only reduces their performance, but can also impede their natural growth. Many schools now require athletes to be measured preseason for %BF and overall body weight to ensure changes are safely controlled. If your program is not doing this, it might be worth looking into.
Another question I’m often asked by high school athletes and parents is how to gain body weight. To increase your %LM, you must consider three key factors including diet, rest and strength training. Regarding nutrition, athletes must examine their overall diet, as well as carefully monitor their intake before, during and after each training session. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you get at least 20 grams of protein (whey is always a good choice) with about 80 grams of carbohydrates immediately after each training session. Also, eating healthy snacks between meals will prevent your body from starving for essential building blocks, and ensure you’re getting the fuel you need to train effectively.
Adequate rest is also essential to helping the body recover from training and to building lean body mass. A minimum of eight hours of sleep is critical for a developing body. The importance of rest is further supported by studies showing that hormone levels are also adversely affected by a lack of sleep. While high school is very challenging with homework, practice and other commitments, maintaining a disciplined schedule will help ensure that sleep is not compromised.
Strength training is the last component necessary to maximize your chances of increasing your %LM while training in an endurance sport. Adding two sessions of strength training per week will also help build lean body mass, especially if you get the appropriate rest and consume a protein / carbohydrate meal immediately after training.
Whether you’re trying to increase, decrease, or maintain your body mass, careful attention to diet, rest and strength training can lead to better performance on race day. Recent studies show that increasing %LM improves both maximum effort as well as anaerobic threshold performances in endurance athletes. Monitoring your values will help ensure that you’re only losing body fat, and not lean mass, and keep you on track with your athletic goals.
