Physio’s Corner: How to make the most of training camps

Most boat clubs go on a training camp before or at the beginning of regatta season, and it’s a great way to build speed and sharpen up ready for races. 

On training camp, athletes and coaches alike generally have four key aims: mileage, speed, crew cohesion and technique improvements.

Generic training camp tips to optimise your training time:

• Acclimatise – prepare your body for the weather and humidity
• Hydrate – not just water, electrolytes.
• Sun protection – more is more
• Eat more food – you’re burning more calories than you usually would so eat more to recover and perform well.

”One of the best pieces of advice I can give others is to take at least two water bottles, one with water and the other with electrolytes. Plenty of snacks, usually a fast acting carbohydrate and a slower digesting carbohydrate, e.g a gel and a snack bar/banana, and maybe some sweets. I put this in a ziplock bag and take it in the boat with me.” – Thames Rowing Club Athlete

These are the basics. Do them really well and you will thrive.

Before training camps, athletes often fit into one of three categories.

1. Going into it feeling fit and healthy

• For those of you who are fortunate enough to fall into this bucket, camp can be very effective for you. 
• Before camp: make a list of things you are doing that have been influential in keeping you injury-free
• During camp: keep doing what works for you and get more rest and recovery to compensate for the increased training volume. 

2. Going into it with a few niggles and aches and pains

• This is still a relatively good position to be in.
• The key to success for you will be management.
• Before camp: Hold yourself accountable to spending extra time warming up, cooling down and doing whatever you need to do to recover. This could be starting warming up 10-30 minutes before everyone else.
• During camp: To keep it simple: don’t try and be a hero on camp, train as much as you need to do, warm up and recover better than anyone else. 
• If your injury/Injuries flare up, which that might do, then have a strategy in place for it (see below for flare-up management on training camp).

3. Going into it having recently come back from an injury

• An increase in volume will cause your body to respond and it could flare up your symptoms, it’s not a matter of what, it’s a matter of when and how long. 
• Before camp: spend some time (at least 2 weeks) acclimatising and gradually building up volume on the erg and water.
• Manage expectations about the number of sessions you will be able to do and how your body will feel.
• During camp: Sleep, eat, hydrate, stretch, mobilise, repeat. Your ability to recover determines your ability to perform. 
• I know I said that category 2 needs to warm up and recover better than everyone else, but you will certainly need to. 

Managing flare-ups on training camps

Experiencing a flare-up of your injury is no fun. It is even less fun when you want to train with everybody else but are in agonising pain or unable to. 

A ‘flare up’ is when your symptoms return and they can be exacerbated, not a new set of symptoms or a new injury. It is most common when you are returning from an injury and rehab is going well, but for a short period of time your symptoms intensify and then it goes back to normal. The diagram below – hand-drawn by yours truly – illustrates an athlete’s typical journey through a period of injury.

The first thing to do is to understand what has triggered this flare-up. It could be the increase in volume, the lack of adequate recovery, not warming up well enough, or lots of intensity during sessions. 

The next thing to do is to manage your symptoms. This will vary depending on what you are experiencing and your injury history.

The best advice I can give you is to speak to a coach or even better, speak to a physiotherapist!

Sophie Hudson is a registered and qualified physiotherapist.

For more information or advice, please contact @sophiehudsonphysio

Diagram credit: Sophie Hudson

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