{"id":11333,"date":"2016-12-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/test\/why-rowing-is-the-most-adaptable-tool-in-your-training"},"modified":"2020-01-09T03:29:25","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T11:29:25","slug":"why-rowing-is-the-most-adaptable-tool-in-your-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/why-rowing-is-the-most-adaptable-tool-in-your-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rowing is the Most Adaptable Tool in Your Training"},"content":{"rendered":"
If most athletes in the functional fitness world would pay\u00a0as much attention to\u00a0their endurance training as they do their\u00a0powerlifting or weightlifting, we would see the\u00a0entire community on a different level.<\/span><\/p>\n We understand that motivation during any endurance program is lacking due to the slower pace of improvement. Even with the newly introduced 60-second length of Instagram videos, no endurance sport would be as exciting\u00a0as a 1RM of your snatch or deadlift. So we understand the challenges on the ROI…<\/span><\/p>\n There is a lot more suffering involved with endurance sports and there is nowhere to hide. Rowing is exceptionally hard due to your results being monitored every moment. During a typical CrossFit workout you can hide behind technical movements, built in rest, or transitions. In endurance training, you’re stuck with mainly moving your own body or a machine continuously and you\u2019re stuck in your own head with nowhere to hide from repeatedly doing the same thing.<\/span><\/p>\n A lot of people think having good cardio\u00a0means you can go fast,\u00a0but speed and endurance are on\u00a0opposite ends of fitness. You need volume to build an engine that can perform long and strong. Neglecting this\u00a0aerobic system that is responsible for over 50% of your energy output after 1 minute of working out is a huge mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest challenge with endurance training is to not\u00a0lose strength. That’s why you need a well-structured endurance program that guarantees adaptations to your fitness goals.<\/span><\/p>\n Most athletes believe that in order to achieve results they\u00a0have\u00a0to go hard and\u00a0hope they can bring it home at the end. Instead, pacing, understanding the workout, the level of difficulty, and the time domain, are\u00a0the real keys to success.<\/span><\/p>\n There is\u00a0no such thing\u00a0as infinite energy reserves so you need to manage them carefully.\u00a0\u00a0The goal is to increase your\u00a0work capacity. So besides intensity, you need to focus on how long you can maintain a set effort.<\/span><\/p>\n At Dark Horse Rowing we don’t ask\u00a0anyone to row crazy amounts of volume. We suggest rowing twice a\u00a0week at different intensities to create adaptation<\/strong>. The highest and best use of the\u00a0athlete\u2019s time is our focus, so our\u00a0workouts create gains based on the other training\u00a0the athlete\u00a0does. Volume is key here and there are no magic drills that can replace that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With any training program, what makes us improve the most is being in the right culture and the right community.\u00a0Even if it’s\u00a0an online community,\u00a0people\u00a0will still hold\u00a0you responsible and lift\u00a0you up when you are down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rowing is a repeated closed chain exercise. Just like most of the movements in functional fitness,\u00a0it creates nearly\u00a0perfect adaptation. During these exercises, your hands or feet are in a fixed position and you are working through multiple joints and muscle groups. On the Erg, performance is front of your eyes every moment. Your actual power output is measured every second so it gives you\u00a0instant feedback, and it is easy to calculate and monitor effort levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With these in mind, it’s\u00a0clear that if you want to be good at a higher level you need to practice at an\u00a0increased level of effort. Rowing will develop rowing, but there is a lot of carry-over due to what\u2019s happening in your engine. At goal pace, you will face goal fatigue. During training on the erg you develop intensity\u00a0and the feel for different levels of intensity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rowing can be painful and monotonous\u00a0but it develops <\/span>mental strength<\/span><\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0you\u00a0push your own limits when it gets hard. Rowing a 2k all out is painful, but if you get used to that\u00a0level of training, it suddenly becomes easy. It becomes a different feeling.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Progression is key. Focusing on technique drills and a good warm-up is key. Polishing the skill of rowing never stops. It\u2019s not just the volume that really makes you\u00a0sore, it’s volume combined with bad mechanics. You can\u2019t forget about mobility either.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Challenges<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why Hope Will Fail You 100% of the Time<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why Rowing<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mechanics-Consistency-Intensity<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n