Our workout schedule has been pretty intense for the last week. Every day we practice from 6:30-9:00, and 5:15-8:00 on the water. In addition, Tuesday through Friday we do a combined erg (this is the off the water rowing machine... i.e. medieval torture device) and circuit or weight training session from 11-1. I'm actually really enjoying these sessions because they're off the water and it gives me time to get a workout in with the team. I've been hopping on the erg and trying to feel all the things that I talk my rowers through when we're out on the water. It's interesting to sit in their seat, listen to our coach, and understand what works well for me, and the parts of the stroke where I have the most difficulty. It requires such an awareness of your body movement and positioning - it makes me appreciate what the team is doing and the challenges of the changes that we're asking for. In our session today we mixed it up - group erg to core strength circuit and then Emma andI hopped in the pool to do her back strengthening exercises. I love joining in and getting a small taste for just how hard EEAE are working. During some of the hard exercises we shouted out the names of our competition with our fiercest voices to make it through the full rotation.
If you didn't know, while out on the water the coxswain does not get a workout. Well... not a physical workout - my brain is working hard and sometimes you'll catch smoke rising from back there - dangerous given that my head is so close to Eric's butt. Really, I do the opposite of working out - I lie in the bow (front) of the boat (note that the coxswain at the top of our blog is in a stern loaded boat - we've upgraded to the bow loaded boat this year). There, I try to stay as still as possible. While thinking light thoughts, the coxswain lies still with weight buried in the center of the boat so as to not disturb the stability. Then, with great focus, enthusiasm, precision, and rhythm - I talk through what's going on in the boat good or bad, and the ways that we can find more speed.
Vroom Vroom
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