It is a pleasure to coach here is a very kind testimonial

I would like to put in a good word for the merits of a coaching session with Xeno at the Iron Oarsman. I am a fifty-ish recreational rower from Boston who trains moderately most of the year, trains a little harder in the three months before Crash-B's, and barely ekes out a sub-7 2k at Crash-B's every year--at least so far. I've never been on the water, never been coached, and never watched myself in a mirror or on tape. Having been at this for several years, I just assumed that my technique was pretty good.

I visited California a few weeks ago and while there I set up a private coaching session with Xeno at the Iron Oarsman in Costa Mesa, CA. The session took place on slides with a video monitor set up so that I could watch myself as I rowed. I'm guessing that it took about three warmup strokes for Xeno to diagnose my stroke and figure out what needed to be fixed. Wasting no time, Xeno described to me as I rowed exactly what things I was doing well and what things I was doing poorly. I was slightly dismayed to learn--and see on the monitor very clearly--that I had a couple of significant technical flaws that were causing me to lose power. The flaws centered around upper body carriage, upper body angle, and the timing of my upper body lean relative to the bending of my knees at the start of the recovery. Xeno pointed out how these flaws inevitably led to other flaws at the catch and during the drive.

Much of the session was devoted to drills that would address the diagnosed flaws. The drills were meant to suggest what I could do in my training sessions to improve technique, but also to allow me to get a sense of how the stroke should feel at various points. The drills were actually a bit frustrating, as each drill isolated a part of the stroke and highlighted any problems with that part of the stroke. But the drills also highlighted the solutions to the problems. Xeno warned that the drills would cause me to feel a little uncomfortable and disjointed and mechanical. That they did.

When I finished up the drills and tried to apply everything I had learned to the full stroke, I felt really uncomfortable--I just couldn't put all the pieces together except for a few strokes where everything seemed to fall into place. But for those few strokes where everything fit together, it was very apparent that I could generate a lot more power with the new stroke than the old stroke. When I was done, Xeno jumped on the erg and did a quick run-through of the key points with his stroke as the example. I left the Iron Oarsman with a video of the session complete with Xeno's comments, as well as a video of Xeno's 1996 Gold Medal row, which is quite inspiring!

In all honesty, I felt a little discouraged after the session. I knew I was going to have to choose between sticking with my somewhat inefficient but nevertheless comfortable normal technique or undertake the pain in the ass of rehabbing my stroke. I pouted for a couple of days before deciding to get to work on a new stroke.

Now, after a couple of weeks of lots of drills, things are starting to come together. I'm still a little mechanical--partly by design, as I want to avoid reversion to old habits--but there is no doubt that I am able to generate more power per stroke at the same level of effort than with the old stroke. As I am becoming more consistent and comfortable with the new stroke, I find myself also becoming more enthusiastic and energized about my workouts. It's not so bad to be an old dog when you can still learn some new tricks.

Anyway, I heartily recommend a session with Xeno if you get the chance. And thanks, Xeno, if you happen to read this.

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

From World Rowing: Diabetes and Rowing and Olympic story

Living and rowing with diabetes


17/05/2006
A pump the size of a pager sits permanently to the waist of Canadian Olympian Chris Jarvis. It enables him to live his life pretty much as regular as possible. But there’s nothing much that’s regular about Jarvis.

Jarvis starts off by talking about how he got into rowing, describing how he began playing American football with the indoor rowing machine being used as off-season training.

“Then,” says Jarvis, “rowing started to take over.”

Jarvis goes on to explain his rapid rise in the sport going to the Canadian high school championships and winning both the pair and the four, gaining a rowing scholarship to college in the United States and going on to become an under-23 medallist before being pulled into Canada’s very successful men’s eight in 2004. Making it to the Athens Olympics, Jarvis raced in a highly favoured pair.

As Jarvis continues to list his rowing achievements he calmly adds, “I’m a diabetic. I have been since I was 14.”

Lifting up his shirt Jarvis reveals his constant companion, an insulin pump. Jarvis can and must regulate the amount of insulin that flows into his body through a needle.

“Do I feel it? Yeah I feel it. It feels like a needle is in me.”

Every second day Jarvis has to move the needle to a new spot to ensure continued flow of the insulin. Mainly it is in his backside, an extra issue in his chosen sit-down sport.

The needle inserts leave scars. “I can’t do any nude modelling,” confesses Jarvis. “The scars heal eventually but sometimes they get infected then I have to find a new spot.”

“But,” says Jarvis putting it into perspective, “it’s a small price to pay for having the right blood sugar level.”

“Yes, it’s affected my rowing. It’s been a challenge almost every day,” says Jarvis as he goes on to explain how he has had to prove himself to coaches. “Team mates see the highs and lows so they wonder if it’s going to happen in racing.”

“My university coach said I was a risk, so I felt like I should step up to a level that no one could lose trust in me.”

How Jarvis got diabetes is not known. He says there are many theories, some based on the pancreas being attacked by white blood cells and killing off the ability to produce insulin. According to the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association, DESA, athletes who get diabetes usually get it as elite athletes.

Rowing’s most famous diabetic, Sir Steve Redgrave was diagnosed with diabetes while still training. He already had four Olympic golds and can only be described as Olympic fit when he was diagnosed with diabetes. Although a setback, it didn’t stop Redgrave from continuing on to Olympic gold medal number five.

Jarvis is unusual in the earliness of the onset of his case, at just 14 years old, so managing the issue has been an integral part of his rowing career.

The only rower with juvenile diabetes to make the Athens Olympics, Jarvis has received help for his medical costs though an award from the DESA. “I was without medical coverage and needing to beg and borrow for my supplies, reusing needles many times and worse. It was a saving step in my approach to Athens.”

But now support and medical technology has gone one step further.

“An insulin pump was out of my reach before Athens financially, but now with support from a company I have been able to trial a new product which combines continuous glucose monitoring with the already favourable results of an insulin pump. The pump is basically a mechanical pancreas to distribute insulin as programmed along with manual shots whenever food is taken. With the high variability of blood sugars resulting from exercise and stress it has been an awesome step to have a continuous stream of data available right on my pump. I can see glucose levels and trends at the push of a button, which allow me to make a more informed decision.”

Jarvis contrasts this to rowing at Athens. “I was testing 20 times a day to be aware of my sugars. Any time spent out of my zone I would pay for with dehydration, fatigue or lack of coordination.

Currently finishing his chemical engineering degree, Jarvis has every intention of continuing on towards Beijing especially after the disappointment in Athens when his pair was disqualified for crossing into another lane.

“I don’t want to tell the story to my grandchildren that I made it to the Olympics but didn’t get to the finish.”

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

For immediate Release

P R E S S R E L E A S E FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Xeno Muller, Founder
(949) 400-7630 Voice
(949) 743-2570 Fax
muller2000@sbcglobal.net

Iron Oarsman Aims High with American Cancer Society Fundraiser

Newport Beach, CA – May 16, 2006 - Xeno Muller, Gold Medal Olympian and founder of the Iron Oarsman, is teaming up with the American Cancer Society during the 5th Annual Relay for Life Event being held during May 20th – 21st.

This year the Relay’s surfing-related theme is “Wipeout Cancer” and is scheduled to raise awareness and funds for cancer research (www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/relayforlife).
The event includes a 24-hour relay among participating teams, booths, a pancake breakfast, and entertainment.

“Last year the event raised $120,000 and the this year there is a fantastic potential to raise so much more money for such an important cause,” says Xeno whose father passed away from liver cancer in 1992 and whose connection with the community frequently puts him in touch with cancer victims and survivors.

In order to boost proceeds for the event, Xeno (pronounced Z-ee-no) is actively recruiting team members for “Team Iron Oarsman.” Any new member that joins the team for the event will receive unlimited access to his indoor rowing studio, the Iron Oarsman, for one week. No previous rowing experience is necessary. In addition, Xeno will have several Concept2 rowing machines at the event were team members will row and record their mileage. Muller also added, “We are actively looking for a compassionate, corporate partner or partners that will make a pledge towards the miles that we log. I have a great group that is willing to break a good sweat for this cause.”

The Iron Oarsman was founded by Xeno Muller in 2003 and provides a variety of indoor rowing workouts and techniques that been used by executives and celebrities for years. The workouts are finally becoming mainstream with the general public. While rowing for Switzerland, Xeno won the Gold Medal in men’s single scull in Atlanta (1996) and the Silver Medal in Sydney (2000). Through his business, the Iron Oarsman, Xeno has developed routines using his chosen sport that have helped his clients lose weight, increase cardiac strength, cross-train, and rehabilitate. He has even helped students obtain collegiate scholarships in rowing despite their late introduction to the sport. Contact Xeno at (949) 400-7630 for further information.
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Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

I need your help!

No body is able to do everything. I was taught how to row the single scull and now I am pulling the chain and motivating people to do the same. Where I am really lacking is spreading the word about the IRON OARSMAN. I have been really lucky to meet a new friend, RON!
Ron is going to help me market the Iron Oarsman. For this we are looking for subjects/reasons why rowing is good for us humans.
So I thank you all in advance for your input!
Sincerely,
XENO

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

Indoor Rowing, Diabetes, and hip replacement surgery

At the Iron Oarsman we have a rower who has type 2 diabetes. He carries an insuline pump on his waist. He told me that on the days he works out he reduces his insuline intake by 30%. This is of course great news. I asked him to write a testimonial. So stay tuned.

In addition we learned at the Iron Oarsman that the motion of rowing is good rehab for hip replacement surgery. I can imagine that knee replacement patients would greatly benefit from rowing too.

I do want to stress that the rowing machines that we use at the IRON OARSMAN are ON SLIDES and are not stationary on the ground.

Do visit our website www.gorow.com or call me at 949-400-7630

All the very best,
sincerely,

XENO

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