Home Training: Some Perspective

Cover Credit: Olympic Channel

As we now approach week 5 of full social distancing measures in the UK, many of you will have begun to train remotely, or perhaps you are looking for the motivation to begin training again after your season was cut to an abrupt end. Either way, we cannot change the situation that we find ourselves in, so we must find a way of making the best of a bad situation.

The background:

Over the last four weeks, I have tried and tested different methods to try to find an optimal remote training solution, such that it will make a strategy easier to find for everyone. I think for home training, there are a couple of key areas to focus on, such as the psychology, the training, and the recovery methods. If we can begin to master these three areas, then home training can begin to feel a lot easier.

We will start by considering the psychological side of training. Day to day in a ‘normal’ training environment, there is almost always a safety net of a team environment there, with teammates and coaches available to pick you up and motivate you – this is the advantage of the team environment. However, when this is moved remotely, it can feel very solitary, especially with few goals remaining from two months ago. Thus, it is very easy to burn out and become demotivated within a couple of weeks, so we need a strategy to combat this. We have mentioned two aspects of motivation thus far, a team, and goals, so how can we replicate/replace these in a remote environment? For a team aspect, I think the easiest way I have found is with a Strava group, where it is easiest to see what other activities others have done and to fit in with a training programme. Coupling this with group calls and messaging means that we have a way of replicating the group environment-to an extent. I know of many teams who train in a live video format, such as Zoom, to keep a team aspect, this is usually done for a trunk or mobility session, but any stationary exercise works. For goal setting, I think it is probably best to take a different outlook on how one sets goals during a regular season. For many people, a goal during a season would be to achieve some placing at some race, for example making the A final at National Schools, or qualifying for Henley. Without these, what can we aim for?

If you have access to an erg, maybe you enter a virtual regatta, if not, you could maybe set out to improve a training time, perhaps improving a 5k run time, or a 20k time trial on the bike. Either way, a positive outlook on isolation would be seeing it as a time to improve your weaknesses, whether that would be trunk strength, endurance, or a technical point. For all of these, we can set continual goals, meaning we can have goals from week to week, as well as a long term goal as an aspiration to complete by an unspecified date. Obviously, your desired performance level with determines how much work is needed to put in for these goals, however, it’s important to not be overly ambitious with your goals. The consequences of being overly ambitious would probably result in burnout, which can stop your training, and eventually result in disdain for rowing, and an unwillingness to resume the sport you love when clubs reopen. Saying this, you should not be afraid to take a break, to mentally and physically refresh, because, at the end of the day, you want to put yourself into the best position for the future, and if that means taking time off to refresh/recover, that is the best course of action for you.

Rowing is a strength-endurance sport, meaning there is a need for generating high amounts of force for a sustained period. For many, they want to begin by building an aerobic base, something which essentially lays a foundation for all other training. We build this base by mainly training for a long time, at a steady pace, which is commonly referred to as UT2. Generally, UT2 is seen as less than 2 mmol/l of blood lactate, however, this can be approximated by about 65-75% of maximum heart rate or a conversational pace. (See this document as a guide to how the GB Rowing Team views training zones). Doing lots of UT2 will improve your base work, whether that be cycling, rowing, or running. This training can get very repetitive, so mix it up, listen/watch something, and don’t neglect other training zones, although the majority of sessions should be UT2 or UT1. Considering the strength side, even with limited equipment, gains can still be made. For upper body strength: press-ups, pull-ups, tricep dips etc. can be varied to any level, and can be performed nearly anywhere. For lower body strength we have squats, lunges, wall sits etc. all have good uses and possible variation. I’m not qualified enough to tell you what you should do, but a quick search on a web browser/conversation with your coach should enable you to find out what will work best for you.

A few things to consider to help training alone:

• Training Diary: Often overlooked, a training diary can be one of the most useful things to someone who is training alone. Not only can you log your times/splits, but also sleep data and general notes for the day. I have tried both digital diaries (via a spreadsheet) and a physical notebook, and generally, I’ve found the physical diary has worked far better. I keep mine by my bed, so I see it throughout the day, which reminds me to update it, and keep good records, whereas a digital copy does not do this, and can also be harder to look back at in the future, to see where you’ve come from.

• Fitness Trackers and Heart Rate Monitors: As a data-driven athlete, I would seriously struggle without either of these. Personally, I use the Polar Vantage M and a Polar H7, however many more are available, but without having tested them, I do not feel comfortable naming others. By using this technology, not only can I track heart rate overnight, allowing early screening of illness, but can also track what zone I’m in whilst training. A lot of trackers have inbuilt heart rate monitors, however often this does not function that well while rowing, and for other activities, I’ve found it’s generally 5-8 bpm out, so I would personally recommend investing in a chest based heart rate monitor.

• Scheduling: During these times, it is very easy to be sucked into unusual sleeping patterns; however, I would encourage a stable routine, as this means once you create a habit of getting up, possibly studying, and training at a certain time, it becomes a repeatable process, and far easier to motivate yourself to train.

• Training Plan: For many of you, a coach will have set a programme, and this is easy to follow. If you have not been provided with this, setting your own plan can be daunting, so perhaps following an online one would be easier. Some places to start would be Pete’s Plan, Wolverine Plan, 776BC 2k plan, and some plans on British Rowing and World Rowing.

• Recovery: For many, recovery is undervalued and can be hard to fit in around school, work and training. A general guide would be trying to consume some protein in the metabolic window after training, to kickstart the recovery, and to maintain a calorific surplus. For some athletes, tracking food is necessary; to make sure the right amount of calories, but also macro- and micronutrients are consumed. I am by no means a nutritionist, but there are good guides online, and myfitnesspal is a good go-to to track nutrition. It is also important to get enough sleep and to not be afraid to nap throughout the day (generally aim for either a 20 or 90-minute nap, this is due to sleep cycles, and doing this will avoid grogginess after a nap). I think there is also a good point to point out that hydration helps recovery and performance, and as athletes, we need to be replacing all fluids lost and more, which can add up throughout the day.

• Kit: Our friends over at Mizuno have come up with some great ideas for home training. Here are their suggestions for running:

1. Shoes: Wave Skyrise. The newest shoe to the Mizuno range. Light and breathable with superior comfort and cushioning for runners of all standards and distances.
2. Top: Solarcut tee. Designed specifically to keep the body cool in sunlight, reflective for night runs.
3. Bottom: Alpha short. Breathable stretch woven material for comfort and freedom of movement
4. Socks: Sonic short socks. With silicon grips to prevent slipping and ensure best possible fit with shoes

To conclude this, training in isolation is not going to be easy, however, we are all in this together, and we all want the same goal, to come out the other side a faster rower. I hope that you have taken something useful from this article, which is by no means a precise training guide, but simply something to help the motivation, and improve the quality of training. Most of all stay safe and I look forward to seeing the racing once the situation improves.

StrokeOnBowside

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