What do you do when you can not run for exercise anymore?

Running injuries, there are many. However few are the people who can run all their lives. It surprises me that no one really notices this. Every morning we drive our children to school and I see a few runners/joggers out the car window circling the back bay. To simplify my description of the runners I will break them down into three groups. There are the ones who look born to run with zero body fat and stepping very lightly on their feet as if their body were filled with hydrogen, only the ball of their feet touch the ground. I can honestly say that I don't see too many of this kind. My second group is the cross training kind, there stepping is considerably heavier and their pace is slower, but still look as if they could benefit from running. The third group which is also the most painful to observe are the people who one morning had a sudden mirror image shock and came to the conclusion that they had to whip themselves back into by buying running shoes at Sports Chalet and hitting the back bay bike path.

All three groups have one thing in common. Their shelf life as runners will sooner than later hit the expiring date. The countless pounding of the pavement damages feet, ankles, knees, hip joints, lower back and to extreme cases shoulders.

If you fit in one of the three categories mentioned above, be careful and make sure that you allow yourself recovery time between running workouts. Down time from running is important. Use cross training as a form of down time. You can call it alternative active compensatory workouts which can be a quicker way to recover from strenuous exercise. You can cross train by lifting weights, spending time on the elliptical trainer, stair master, walking uphill, and what the heck ROWING INDOORS if you really want my opinion. Word of caution if you bike... avoid roads with traffic. It is likely that you don't live in Orange County. Around here it is totally asking for trouble if you ride your bike on main roads.

Over and out.

XENO

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

I dug up a postcast that I did on endurance radio in 2005

http://www.EnduranceRadio.com Interview with Xeno Muller – January 12, 2005 <>: “Welcome back to www.EnduranceRadio.com. This is Tim Bourquin. Thanks very much for joining us again for another interview. We’re got something a little bit different for you today. We’re going to be speaking with Xeno Muller. He is the gold medalist for Switzerland in the 1996 Olympics in single skull, which is rowing, and also a silver medalist in the 2000 Olympics, so we’re going to be talking to Xeno about how athletes can use rowing to get some good exercise and building endurance, and he’s certainly the expert in that arena, so we’re going to hear from him. A couple of things first of all, the race of the day today is the Powerman Ohio 2005. The race is going to be on May 14 th or 15th, 2005, in Ohio. You can check out more information about that race at www.powermanohio.com. So we’re going to be right back to speak with Xeno Muller in about 30 seconds.” “Dehydration can diminish your energy and impair your performance. Scientists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute have been studying athletes for nearly 20 years and understand what endurance athletes need to stay hydrated. Gatorade Endurance Hydration Formula contains a five electrolyte blend consisting of sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium, formulated to replace the fluids and electrolytes you lose during longer more intense workouts and races. Find out more about Gatorade Endurance Hydration at www.gatorade.com today. Is it in you?” <>: “Xeno, thanks very much for joining us this evening, I appreciate you talking to us.” <>: “Hi Tim, it’s a pleasure.” <>: “Well its good to do this interview because we always hear that triathletes and even adventure racers and endurance athletes in general get stuck in a rut, especially over the winter months maybe, where they’re tired of just going out for a run, or they’re tired of doing miles and miles on the bike. You offer something a little bit different in terms of rowing. Talk to us about how that helps builds endurance.” <>: “You know rowing for people who do a different sport could be considered as a great cross-training exercise. I, myself, when I was training for the Olympics, and over the years, I needed cross-training exercises to keep my body healthy, away from injuries and not get into a mental rut like you just mentioned. Rowing is a low impact sport. It involves all of the body and it’s a weight resistant exercise, which helps you develop your endurance, in a rowing specific way, but it certainly can help runners or swimmers or cyclists gain more endurance and more strength overall.” <>: “Now obviously you’re sitting down either on a rowing machine or actually in a boat when you’re doing this, but you’re not just using your arms and chest because actually you’re using pretty much a lot of muscles and a full body workout.” <>: “Two thirds of the power that you produce comes from the leg drive and the lower back, and then one third of the entire stroke is the upper body and then finishing with the arms, that’s right.” <>: “Now how much of this, in terms of building strength and endurance, is about doing the right technique as well?” <>: “Well the right technique is key in order to prevent people from getting an injury. The key thing in rowing is to be able to apply the leg drive while you have a forward body angle with the upper body, hinging from the hip joint so that the small of your back is one piece with your pelvis, and as you drive the legs you keep the arms straight so that you can really just push with the legs only, and then once the leg drive is almost finished then you chain on with the lay-back, a swing-back, with the upper body. Once the upper body is almost at its final position that’s when you bring in the arm draw.” <>: “Now what kid of set-ups do you use in terms of doing endurance training? How long are you rowing for, and are you doing it in intervals where you’ll do it long, or shorter and then faster? How does that all work?” <>: “Well quite an interesting question. Ninety eight per cent, I mean I’m rough here, but I can definitely say its really really a lot of endurance training and it a target heart rate, which is the aerobic threshold that two millimoles of lactic acid that the body produces, that is where you do 98% of your training in rowing. Why? Because the sprint racing and I say sprint racing even though its seven minutes long roughly in the single skull, it is quite a sprint. Often times we compare it to 400 meters, or even 800 meters. People are not quite certain where you would put rowing in there, but what’s important to know that 80% of a 2000 meter race, you heavily rely on the aerobic capacity which is at two millimoles of lactic acid, and of course we are producing more lactic acid in the race, but if our aerobic capacity is not built enough, we will very quickly, as athletes, over produce lactic acid without breaking it down during our race.” <>: “Now you talked about how you do lactic acid testing are part of your training. Talk about that.” <>: “Well the device that now is available in 350 box. Its called The Lactate Pro and I’m no sales person for that device, but the reason why I’m really enthusiastic about it is because five, six or seven years ago in order to have accurate lactic acid readings you would have had to buy a machine that was about US $8,000 to $10,000. Now you can buy this small device, it looks like a glucose tester, at Savons, and this thing, of course, tests your lactic acid and you prick your ear lobe and with a tiny tiny little drop of blood that you put on a little test strip, that’s stuck in the lactic acid measuring device, within a minute you know your lactic acid, you know exactly what your exertion is in your body and then all you have to do is make sure that you are writing down at what heart rate you were pushing what lactic levels.” <>: “Now I want to ask you about once you have this information what you’re supposed to do with it and how you can improve your tolerance of that, but we need to take a quick break. We’re going to be right back to speak with Xeno Muller. “As an endurance athlete you have special hydration needs. Introducing Gatorade Endurance Hydration Formula, developed for elite and endurance athletes for use during their longer, most intense workouts and races. Research shows you’re going to sweat out more essential fluids and minerals during prolonged training and races. Find out how to put them all back properly at www.gatorade.com. Get the edge you need to achieve that PR you’ve been training for. Gatorade Endurance Hydration Formula, nobody does hydration better. Is it in you?” <>: “Xeno, once you’ve done this test and you find out what your lactic acid threshold level is, what are you then supposed to do with that information?” <>: “Once you have those numbers. For example if your aerobic threshold; the rule of thumb is that the aerobic threshold is around two millimoles of lactic acid. Once you know that; what has been studied and found out is that once athletes start doing their volume training at two millimoles of lactic acid, they become more and more performance at that level, which means months from the day you first tested yourself at two millimoles of lactic acid, a month later you will find out that at the same heart rate with the same millimoles of lactic, your power, your wattage on the Ergometer, or on the bike, or the speed that you can run at, has increased. So just by knowing that this aerobic level has increased you know that overall, in a max effort over several minutes, or even in a marathon situation, you will be more performance.” <>: “I’ve seen the rowing machines in the gyms, but you don’t see too many people on them too much. Is it because they simply just don’t know how to do it properly?” <>: “To be honest I think rowing is a fairly obscure sport for people on the street. They may see it every once in a blue moon on TV in a Hollywood movie, or they see it every four years at the Olympics. I think rowing is, in a way, certainly less accessible just because you need a boat out on the water. However, there are two really good rowing machines out there that can now be used for group workouts, and I am the first place here in the United States, in southern California, that has these rowing machines set up for people that are non-rowers to come, get the technique, come in with a dry shirt and leave with a sweaty shirt, and have had a great workout, a superior workout.” <>: “Well lets talk about that too because I want our listeners to understand two things. First of all we don’t endorse any products and rarely do we talk about it this much, but I think this is so unique I do want our listeners to know you’ve got available, so talk about your studio.” <>: “Well thank you. The reason why I’m enthusiastic about it, and lets deviate from plugging myself, lets just use rowing as an opportunity for people that, A, cannot run or cannot swim or cannot bike. For example, people with a leg injury, or whatever it is. Rowing in an organized group with people telling you how to do it is an absolute new ...” <>: “It sounds like a spinning class almost.” <>: “It sounds like a spinning class, but the thing is because the people sit on the seats, and even can actually put one leg out to the side and not use that ankle or not use that knee that maybe hurt, they can row along with just using one leg and both arms, and the same thing is true with the arms. So there are so many different ways of using this sport of rowing indoors for people who are slightly at a disadvantage, temporarily or permanently, and they can still have a great workout because its low impact, and that’s what we at the Iron Oarsman here in Costa Mesa. Anybody, whether they are tall, short, overweight, elderly, youngsters, they all have a niche in their way to be able to row and get the best out of it.” <>: “Well of course our listeners can go to Xeno’s website at www.gorow.com and find out about his iron Oarsman studio. Xeno, unbelievably we’re out of time already, there’s a lot more we can go into but we’ll link to your site and hopefully listeners can visit you and find out a little bit more about that.” <>: “It was a pleasure.” http://www.EnduranceRadio.com offers online radio programs and interviews with endurance athletes and coaches at all levels. Visit their site today and listen to everyday athletes just like you and also professional endurance athletes talk about how they train, eat and race. Weekend warriors and serious competitors alike will find something they can implement into their own training and technique immediately from each day's program. A new interview is posted each weekday.

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

Rowperfect Coming To the USA and Canada SOON!

“ The Rowperfect rowing simulator has been an integral part of our training since 1997. With the ability to link machines together and also connect them to PCs we've had the opportunity to achieve so much more in our training off the water. Over the period we've made tremendous technical progress. The live feedback from the PCs has enabled the athletes to make changes and see the outcome instantly.

The importance of the machines can be gauged by the fact that we bought two machines in Australia and used them right up to our final race in the Olympic final. I'd be quite happy to use the Rowperfect as our training machine all the time.

It's the closest thing to rowing we've got and you don't even have to carry it down to the water. ”
Martin McElroy, Coach Great Britain Eight, gold medallists Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

“ I have always been a fan of ROWPERFECT. Not only does it provide immediate feedback from the visual data but it also gives the rowers a clear message that they can transfer easily to the boat.

Using it, from the early development right up to the Olympic final, was a major factor in the success of our Gold Medal Eight. ”
Harry Mahon
Cambridge University Boat Club and Great Britain Olympic Coach

“ Since a diagnosis of advanced osteoarthritis in both knees was made over a year ago, my mobility has been greatly reduced. The ability to walk or do any weight-bearing exercise is not possible. Surgery is my only alternative.

Meanwhile, my son introduced the Rowperfect Rowing Simulator to my life and it has been a lifesaver. It enables me to exercise daily without any adverse effects on my knees. It also keeps my heart, blood pressure etc in order, preparing me for surgery and after surgery recovery. The low impact on my knees compared to other rowing machines at my gym seems to make it totally stressless on my body, whilst maintaining a positive mind attitude.

I strongly believe Rowperfect is as necessary for the well-being of older people as it is for younger athletic folk. It is both effortless and effective. With the enjoyment of daily use, I have discovered a certain pleasure of recognising its results. ”
Sincerely, Noeline Le Couilliard

“For the last two weeks before I departed for the 1989 World Championships in Bled, I was training on the Rowperfect exclusively. This gave me an advantage over my competitors, because I could hone my timing at the catch to perfection, not hindered by weather conditions or waves, and this certainly contributed to my world championship of that year. ”
Frans Göbel, World Champion l/wt mens 1 x 1989-90

“Thanks for teaching us to 'Rowperfect'. ”
Pymble Ladies College, 2000 Australian Champions, NSW Head of River winners.

“What do I think of Rowperfect? It brought me three world championships. ”
Peter Haining, Mens l/wt Single Scull 1993-1994-1995

“First of all I would like to say that the RowPerfect is a great training tool and the few days I have it, it earned its' money. The information and feedback for the rower is really good. You can see how they change and adapt. I am very impressed. ”
Cristian Felkel, Head Coach South African Rowing Union

“It feels like a boat. We used it a lot in training and it was the last thing we did before going to the Olympic final. ”
Simon Dennis, Great Britain Olympic 8+, Sydney 2000

“Cambridge have used the ROWPERFECT Rowing Simulator for some years now and it has been an invaluable coaching and training tool. It closely reproduces the feel of the boat and is kinder on the lower back than fixed head ergometers. ”
Robin Williams, Cambridge University, Head Coach

“I have been working with some novice scullers over the last 8 months, and they are now sculling like professionals. This is primarily due to the Rowperfect which we use every day. ”
Gerry Farrell, Captain Neptune Rowing Club Dublin

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

2000 College rowing scholarships for women!

As a result of Title IX, the NCAA only gives rowing scholarships to women. According to the NCAA, there are 86 Division I and 15 Division II colleges that offer rowing scholarships, which equals close to 2,000 college rowing scholarships for women in the NCAA.

The best of all is that women do not even need to know how to row on the water. If high school aged female students perform well on the ergometer during a 2000 meter erg test, they are as valuable as an on the water recruit. If you have questions about this, call me.

XENO

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

Training on Static Rowing Machine Discussion, from Ivan Hooper 14/06/2006

A Discussion of Rowing Ergometer Use

Following on from my recent email regarding injury and illness statistics, I would like to raise some comments and considerations regarding the use of ergometers for training. I have noticed that there seems to be a trend towards increasing use of the ergometer in training, particularly doing low rate work down to ratings as low as 12. I understand the benefits that this type of work can produce, but I would like to make you aware that this form of training is not without risk of injury.

In some of his regular newsletters, Valery Kleshnev highlighted the fact that the kinetics and kinematics of ergometer rowing are different from that of on water rowing. On an ergometer, the handle force has a higher peak and develops later, the stroke length tends to be 3-5% longer and the curve of foot stretcher force is considerably moved towards the beginning of the stroke. An important point is that the legs:trunk:arms proportions of power development on an ergometer are 37%:41%:22% compared to 45%:37%:18% for on water rowing. This means that the trunk is doing a larger proportion of the work on an ergometer. I believe all of these factors lead to an increased load applied to the structures of the trunk, and particularly the spine. Greater work done by the trunk could produce earlier fatigue of the trunk muscles, placing the spine at risk.

Holt et al (2003) studied the effects of prolonged ergometer rowing. Over a 60 minute piece there were significant changes in the way the athletes moved. Lumbar spine range of motion at the catch and total lumbar spine range of motion increased during the piece. The gradient of force production decreased, and the ratio of drive to recovery time increased, over the piece. The authors attributed these changes to fatigue of the trunk muscles during the piece, reinforcing that fatigued trunk muscles may lead to low back injury.

Teitz et al (2002) conducted a retrospective study of 1632 US intercollegiate rowers. By the use of detailed questionnaires they established that 32% of these athletes had experienced back pain of at least one week's duration during their rowing careers. The use of rowing ergometers for greater than 30 minutes per session and free weights were the variables most consistently associated with back pain.

In my experience, I feel that athletes often pay little attention to their rowing technique when on an ergometer. The level of coaching supervision is often limited as well. The result is that athletes spend time on the ergometer under greater trunk load than when on the water, with poor technique and poor postural positions. The end result is an increased load on the spine which can increase the risk of injury.

It is very common for athletes to report that they feel that the ergometer was highly related to their back pain. And those athletes with current back pain regularly report that ergometer rowing aggravates their pain more than on water rowing. When this feedback occurs over a significant number of athletes over a number of years it is difficult to dismiss.

Unfortunately I believe that we are seeing an increase in the number of low back injuries amongst rowers. The three month injury and illness statistics that I recently sent to you highlighted the fact that back injuries are having a significant effect on team preparation, both at an individual and crew level. Even though I am sure that there are many causes of this increase in back pain, evidence and experience suggests that ergometer use is a significant one.

While I am the first to acknowledge that the ergometer is a powerful training tool, I ask coaches and athletes to give due consideration to the risks involved. Please consider the time spent on the ergometer, the rates that training is done at, the supervision provided and how diligently athletes concentrate on their technique.

I hope that we can all work towards a reduction in low back injury rates. For every back injury that we avoid, that is an extra 30 days (on average) that the athlete can spend training properly! Any feedback regarding this subject would be most welcome.

References:

Holt P J E et al. Kinematics of spinal motion during prolonged rowing. International Journal of Sports Medicine 2003; 24: 597-602.

Kleshnev V. Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter; www.biorow.com :April 2001.

Kleshnev V. Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter; www.biorow.com :October 2003.

Kleshnev V. Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter; www.biorow.com :January 2005.

Teitz C C et al. Back pain in intercollegiate rowers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 2002; 30 (5): 674-679.

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