Rowing with Bungee cords

I saw this video on youtube today of the Australian pair rowing with bungee cords on their boat. I have done this a few times and found it really helpful the few times I have done it. This video makes me want to try it again. Ausi Ausi Ausi Oei Oei Oei.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iYlmrNEPJus
Charles

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Training in Newport Beach

Here are some pictures of Xeno, my brother Christopher, Dr. Drover and myself rowing in Newport Beach a few years ago. As you can see the water is always beautiful and so is the weather. We always have a lot of fun training together out here as well. Take a trip out sometime to train with us! You will have a lot of fun. Or if you live in the area stop by the erg center on 17th Street in Costa Mesa for a workout! CHARLES

PS check out our website www.gorow.com for great dvd's and t-shirts!

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Disneyland

Another reason to train in Southern California! Buzzlightyear is a great ride. And between rowing sessions in Newport it is only about a 15 minute drive away, and sunny everyday! Have a great row! Charles

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

2:22.2's

I was looking through old pictures on the web a few weeks ago and found this old picture of a concept 2 rowing monitor that i took in college. It was one of the greatest, and looking back now one of the lamest, days of my college rowing experience. Hitting all number 2's across the ergometer monitor, and having them stay on there after taking a final stroke on a 2 minute 22 second piece. 2:22.2 average. rate 22. 2:22 split on the last stroke. Wow. How pathetic. We used to spend 15 minutes or so before each practice in Providence everyday trying to hit this often dreamed about but rarely accomplished erg milestone. This day I did it was quite a feat. The guy in the picture is Brian, who was one of our coxswains in college. Perhaps it was him who really hit the splits, an hence had the picture taken, but my memory likes to tell me that I did it once or twice as well, so maybe it was him posing next to my screen. Anyway enjoy. If you ever get real bored in front of an erg, then try it for yourself, and see if you can get the monitor to stop exactly on those 2's as well! Have fun and great rows! charles

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

This information is too important to the world and needs to be posted on every internet site.

This genius inventor makes fuel out of salt water. Just unbelievable. Click on this line to be taken to the YOUTUBE video

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Introducing myself!

Hello, my name is Charles and I have recently moved back to Newport Beach after living here back in 2004. I workout with Xeno and friends at the Iron Oarsman in Costa Mesa, and also row on the water in the back bay of newport beach. Rowing in California is so much fun for me to do everyday before and/or after working, and I look forward to posting about my experiences here on Xeno's blog. I look forward to reading all of your rowing thoughts as well, and am excited to be a part of this blog. thanks, charles

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

6K for XENO MULLER...

The last time I rowed a 6K was in 2001 and I pulled 18:56 I remember it averaging below 1:36/500m... Six years later with far less training, I MUST ADD. I pushed a 6K in 20:35 which is a 1:43/500m. You might ask: Why such a long wait? Simple, it is called grievance and burn out from competitive rowing. I am over it now and I told everyone at our rowing studio to batten down the hatches, because we will start doing 500m pieces, 2Ks and 6Ks and the results for those timed pieces will be posted on a rosters on the blog on www.ironoarsman.com. Of course I am not a fascist, this is only for people who volunteer to do those pieces.
Ok that is it for now.
XENO
PS: Check out www.babyanin.com and Iron Oarsman Rowing gear

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Let's get a sculling eight!

This is it.

I am ready to row again on the water and the more people we can fit in a boat the better.

We need a sculling eight and it will be great.

Sweep rowing is in my opinion not the right exercise for people because it is not a symmetric movement.

I did some research and found the KASCHPER sells Erg Clog footstretcher, which accommodates the rowers with their own shoes. Imagine not having to put your fresh socked foot in a smelly rowing shoe ever again!

In this post I am adding a picture of the Erg Clog.

I am going to ask Kaschper if it is possible to have a sectional eight so it is easier to transport to other rowing venues to sight see and have a good time with other club members.

I heard that Sand Diego Rowing Club have such a sculling eight.

Over and out for now.

Keep rowing on the water and on the rowing machine. If you don't have my indoor rowing DVDs the get them on my website: www.ironoarsman.com.

The website for Kaschper rowing shells is www.KASCHPER.com

All the best,

XENO

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Rowing could be one way ex-runner could stay fit, not hurt knees

Q. Post-50 after a lifetime of beating on my body in all sorts of ways — a dozen 10Ks, 10-milers, half-marathons and nine of the 26-plus-milers later — my knees, or the cartilage in them anyway, seemed to disappear. I had a torn ACL repaired and both knees scoped. I bike more now and know that's part of the answer to the following couple of questions. Two and a half years since the operations, I have given up running, but the knees are aching again. Is there anything else I should be looking into? I've never been fond of being indoors when it comes to workouts, but maybe it's time to spend time on some sort of machine — or do I just admit I really am old now and camp out in front of ESPN?

A. Don't get too cozy with your remote control just yet. Hunkering down and packing on pounds will only make your injured knees more peeved, says orthopedic surgeon Craig R. Faulks, of Washington Circle Orthopedic Associates, whose practice handles mainly middle-aged athletes. Resting on your duff will also weaken the muscles around your knees, making it even tougher to get around. Time to get up and change the picture.

If you've hung up your running shoes but are still hearing protests from your knees, consider walking them over to a doc. Pain is the body's way of yelling, "Hey, you." It might be time to listen.

Once you get an all-clear, you can start to map out your post-running, low-impact exercise life together. Biking is a smart move, but don't forget about swimming — your timing's perfect for splashing down at an outdoor pool. Rowing sometimes gets a bad rep for being rough on the joints, but if your stroke is right (to avoid over-compression, don't move your knees past your feet ), it could become your new athletic obsession. Worried your stroke's not up to snuff? Make a video of yourself, upload it to YouTube and send it to Concept2 (www.concept2.com). Someone will critique you for free.

Angela H., rowing instructor at Gold's Gyms in Virginia, says she gets inundated with runners — including ultramarathoners — looking to cross-train. "You get the same flow of endorphins," she says. But you can do it without the same ouch factor.

It might be just what you knee-d. (Sorry, I know you're already in pain, but I couldn't help myself.)

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Rowing with one sculling oar!

Hello rowers and coaches!

Here is an exercise on how to coach rowers to have smoother and more direct catches:

The exercise is done in a double or quad. Take one sculling blade away from the rower and have him row with one oar only. In the quad you can have two scullers do the exercise at the same time on opposite sides. The hand that is not being used can rest on the thigh muscle. The purpose of the exercise is to show the rower that brute force will tear the water and the boat does not move efficiently with the power applied. By making the CATCH PART OF THE RECOVERY, connecting to the water first is easier and applying the leg drive will be smoother. This exercise enhances the "HANG" of the oar and leg drive.

The same exercise can be done on the rowing machine. Remember that I always favor rowing machines on slides and ROWPERFECT.
GO PRACTICE!
All the best,
XENO

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Great new coaching possibilities, thanks to Paul Cechner

First of all, happy father's day to all dads and "would be great dads" such as Paul.

Paul discovered rowing a bit over a year ago. He is HOOKED and enjoys every aspect of the sport. It is a lot of fun coaching Paul, because he improves easily. A month ago, I suggested to row a double together. This form of rowing/coaching improves rowing skills very rapidly.

Paul took charge and bought us a super heavyweight pair/double from Kaschper Boatworks. The boat is totally awesome and fits us both perfectly. Now we are rowing at least once a week together and I am already toying with the thought about entering master races with Paul. Since Paul is a fit sixty plus year old, we could easily enter master races with an age average over forty five.

In addition to being able to row a great double, Paul told me to use the boat whenever I wanted. This is an awesome opportunity for me as well as for the those who I coach in the single scull. Thanks to Paul's generosity in allowing me to use the boat, I have since rowed with: Cole, junior rower from NAC. Chance, junior rower from Long Beach. Charles, my adopted uncle to my children. Luke, one of our eligible bachelors/rowing instructor at the Iron Oarsman. J.D. junior rower from the NAC, and young Scott junior rower from NAC. They all found a new form of understanding rowing with me sitting in the boat with them. Paul, I want to thank you for creating such great opportunities to me and others.

Since the double is more stable and gives each rower the opportunity to row individually while the other stabilizes the shell. There are an array of exercises that feel difficult to execute in the single scull, but great in the double. One such exercise is rowing with a constant square blade on one side while the other blade is rowed feathered on the recovery. The goal of the exercise is to show the rower to lift the oar out on the square no matter how the recovery proceeds, square or feathered. Often less skilled rowers tend to overdraw the finish in order to fit in the feathering movement. The exercise makes such "extra" motion unfit in comparison to the other oar that is maintained square.

While I am writing this blog entry I am thinking of a Paul/XENO and CO. party. Stay tuned.

All the best and thank you P A U L!

More info about Paul:
Mobile surgery specialist Dr. Paul Cechner takes care of our hospital’s more complicated surgery cases, as he does for several hospitals in our community. He graduated from Veterinary School in 1973 from the University of Illinois and completed his surgical residency in 1976 at Perdue, where he stayed on as an Assistant Professor of Surgery through 1983.

When he is not involved in the surgical treatment of the pets of the Los Angeles area, his animal family of five cats keeps him busy at home.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Indoor rowing for any age

Indoor rowing at any age

15/06/2007

Erik Osborne at the 2006 Head of the Charles in Boston, USA.By Melissa Bray

It is not just elite rowers that spend the time and have the passion to win. While these rowers get deeper into the competitive season individuals of any age face their own competitive challenges. American Eric Osborne is one of these. He has never lost the competitive drive. For Osborne it has led to a World Record, a culmination of a return to the sport after a 40-year gap.

Owner of the 80 – 84 year old age division set earlier this year at the World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, the United States, Osborne came to indoor rowing via his passion for rowing that began at university.

When Osborne took up rowing as a sport at university, indoor rowing machines did not exist, so when he spotted the machines for the first time 25 years ago, Osborne immediately took to them.

“I tried it once and realised how much I liked rowing,” says Osborne. “I bought the machine then and there.”

Osborne has also returned to the water-version of rowing regularly taking out a single in the summer and rowing up to 10km a day.

“I row every day that it’s possible,” says Osborne. “Generally six times a week.”

In the winter when rowing on the water is not possible, Osborne turns to his indoor rower and works his way through a six-day schedule. When he noted that the times he was doing on the indoor rower were up there with the best in the world in his age group, Osborne’s competitive instinct kicked in.

Osborne’s strategy for breaking the World Record: “I got on the machine and rowed as hard as I could.”

Osborne has noticed the impact of age. “I just get slower. I have less energy than I did 10 years ago. I used to do 7:12 on the erg now it’s 7:58. I also find I need more time to recover.” Osborne also admits that the drive row hard gets more difficult, but has found that listening to books on tape helps him get through the workouts. “I like histories and mysteries.”

The other secret is Osborne’s diet. “I eat three eggs and four slices of bacon every day for breakfast after I’ve rowed. I used to worry about my cholesterol but my doctor is uninterested.”

Osborne gets his inspiration from simple enjoyment. “If I don’t row I start to feel terrible in a couple of days.” Quoting his brother, who took up the sport in his 70s, “Erging is a leaching of the sludge.”

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.