Story about indoor rowing from Great Britain click on the hyperlink.

Story from England about indoor rowing. The Brits are ahead in the game of informing people about indoor rowing.
XENO

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

Thank you for your compliments!

Hi Xeno...I just received my DVD's today and they are great!! You did a really good job on them. Your instructions are clear and VERY helpful. As well, just trying to keep up to you (and I did, all through DVD 1 except I was a couple of strokes off for two of the 15 sec. pieces) kept me motivated and made my 20 K today feel like it took no time at all. Great job...and thanks. I feel stronger already. Actually, I feel like I used to after running 300m intervals when I ran track....worn out but strong as hell (We used to call it feeling like and "ANIMALE")...GREAT FEELING!!! Thanks again, Annie

Dear Xeno: I went 6:43.3 in Saturday's 2K. Last month, I went 6:51.1. Those are the two best scores that I've had since college . . . in 1995. I can't thank you enough. After my last spinal fusion, I said that I would be happy just to row again. But now, I want to break my college PR of 6:31.3. Because I'm a 36-year-old lightweight, I would have finished in the top 10 at last year's CRASH-B with my 2K this month. And it's just October now.

I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude for your coaching and your DVDs. You've very much enriched my life! Thank you, Xeno. I can't wait for November's schedule.

Best,
Jamie

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

November Training Program Available

Hello Rowers,

If you have not subscribed to XENO's Training Program, which is delivered to you via cyber space every month, you should, especially if you want to improve physically.

CLICK HERE TO BE TRANSFERED TO THE INFORMATION PAGE

All the best,

XENO

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

Try this as a workout! Check with your doctor before starting any type of physical exercise.

On your rowing machine, chose the resistance of your liking and follow this interval pattern:

Warm up for five minutes, by gently increasing the stroke length from arms only to full slide. Keep the stroke rate between 28 and 32.


Total time: 45' and it will fly by.

FIND THE WORKOUT HERE, all the best,

XENO

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

US UNIVERSITY CREW LIST, train hard to become a rower in one of these programs

Amherst College (Men) Amherst MA
Arizona State University Tempe AZ
Armstrong Atlantic State University Savannah GA
Assumption College Worcester MA
Auburn University Auburn AL
Augusta State University Augusta GA
Augustana College Rock Island IL
Bates College Lewiston ME
Baylor University Waco TX
Berry College Rome GA
Boston College Chestnut Hill MA
Boston College Lightweight Men Chestnut Hill MA
Boston College Women Chestnut Hill MA
Boston University Boston MA
Boston University Men (GoBU.com) Boston MA
Boston University Women Boston MA
Boston University Women (GoBU.com) Boston MA
Bowdoin College Brunswick ME
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green OH
Brandeis University Waltham MA
Brown University Men (Alternate) Providence RI
Brown University Men (brownbears.com) Providence RI
Brown University Women Providence RI
Brown University Women (brownbears.com) Providence RI
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr PA
Bucknell University Lewisburg PA
Bucknell University (alternate) Lewisburg PA
Butler University Indianapolis IN
California State University, Humboldt (Humboldt State) Men Arcata CA
California State University, Humboldt (Humboldt State) Women Arcata CA
California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) Long Beach CA
California State University, Sacramento Men Sacramento CA
California State University, Sacramento Women Sacramento CA
California State University, San Diego (San Diego State) San Diego CA
California State University, San Diego (San Diego State) Women San Diego CA
Canisius College Buffalo NY
Carlow College Pittsburgh PA
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland OH
Catholic University of America Washington DC
Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport LA
Clark University Worcester MA
Clemson University Clemson SC
Clemson University Women Clemson SC
Colby College Waterville ME
Colgate University Hamilton NY
Colgate University (Athletic Dept.) Hamilton NY
College of Charleston Charleston SC
College of the Holy Cross Men Worcester MA
College of the Holy Cross Women Worcester MA
College of William and Mary Williamsburg VA
Columbia University New York NY
Connecticut College Men New London CT
Connecticut College Women New London CT
Cornell University Heavyweight Men Ithaca NY
Cornell University Lightweight Men Ithaca NY
Cornell University Women Ithaca NY
Creighton University Women Omaha NE
Creighton University Women Alternate Omaha NE
Dartmouth College Hanover NH
Dartmouth College Women Hanover NH
Davidson College Davidson NC
Denison University Granville OH
Dowling College Men Long Island NY
Dowling College Women Long Island NY
Drake University Women Des Moines IA
Drexel University Philadelphia PA
Duke University Durham NC
Duke University Women Durham NC
Duquesne University Men Pittsburgh PA
Duquesne University Women Pittsburgh PA
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach FL
Emory University Atlanta GA
Fairfield University Women Fairfield CT
Florida Institute of Technology Men Melbourne FL
Florida Institute of Technology Women Melbourne FL
Florida State University Tallahassee FL
Fordham University New York City NY
Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster PA
Furman University Greenville SC
George Mason University Fairvax VA
George Mason University Men Fairvax VA
George Mason University Women Fairvax VA
George Washington University Washington DC
George Washinton University Alternate Washington DC
Georgetown University Men Washington DC
Georgetown University Women Washington DC
Georgia State University Atlanta GA
Georgia Tech Atlanta GA
Gonzaga University Men Spokane WA
Gonzaga University Women Spokane WA
Grand Valley State University Allendale MI
Hamilton College Clinton NY
Hamilton College (Alternate) Clinton NY
Harvard University Cambridge MA
Harvard University Heavyweight Men Cambridge MA
Harvard University Lightweight Men Cambridge MA
Harvard University Women (Radcliffe) Cambridge MA
Haverford College Philadelphia PA
Hobart College Geneva NY
Indiana University Bloomington IN
Indiana University (Women) Bloomington IN
Iona College New Rochelle NY
Ithaca College Women Ithaca NY
Jacksonville University Men Jacksonville FL
Jacksonville University Women Jacksonville FL
John Carroll University University Heights OH
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD
Kansas State University Men Manhattan KS
Kansas State University Women Manhattan KS
Lafayette College Easton PA
LaSalle University Philadelphia PA
Lehigh University Bethlehem PA
Lewis & Clark College Portland OR
Loyola College Baltimore MD
Loyola Marymount University (Men) Los Angeles CA
Loyola Marymount University (Women) Los Angeles CA
Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans LA
Manhattan College Riverdale NY
Marietta College Marietta OH
Marietta College Men (alternate) Marietta OH
Marist College Poughkeepsie NY
Marist College Men (Athletic Dept.) Poughkeepsie NY
Marist College Women (Athletic Dept.) Poughkeepsie NY
Marquette University Milwaukee WI
Mary Washington College Fredericksburg VA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA
Mercyhurst College Erie PA
Miami University Oxford OH
Miami University Oxford Ohio
Michigan State University East Lansing MI
Middlebury College Middlebury VT
Mount Holyoke College South Hadley MA
Murray State University Men Murray KY
Murray State University Women Murray KY
New York University New York NY
North Carolina State University Raleigh NC
North Dakota State University Fargo North Dakota
Northeastern University Men Boston MA
Northeastern University Women Boston MA
Northeastern University Women Alternate Boston MA
Northern Michigan University Marquette MI
Northwestern State University Natchitoches LA
Northwestern University Evanston IL
Ohio State University Rowing Club Columbus OH
Ohio State University Women Columbus OH
Ohio University (Men) Athens OH
Ohio University Women Athens OH
Oklahoma State University Stillwater OK
Old Dominion University Norfolk VA
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa CA
Oregon State University Corvalis OR
Oregon State University Men Corvalis OR
Oregon State University Novice Men Corvallis OR
Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma WA
Pennsylvania State University University Park PA
Portland State University Portland OR
Princeton University Princeton NJ
Princeton University Heavyweight Men (Official) Princeton NJ
Princeton University Lightweight Men (Official) Princeton NJ
Princeton University Lightweight Women (Official) Princeton NJ
Purdue University West Lafayette IN
Regis College Women Boston MA
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY
Rice University Houston TX
Richard Stockton College Pomona NJ
Rochester Insitute of Technology Rochester NY
Rollins College Winter Park FL
Russell Sage College Troy NY
Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ
Rutgers University Lightweight Men New Brunswick NJ
Saint Cloud State University St. Cloud MN
Saint Joseph Philadelphia PA
Saint Lawrence University Canton NY
Saint Mary's College Moraga CA
Santa Clara University Santa Clara CA
Santa Clara University - Unnofficial Santa Clara CA
Seattle Pacific University Seattle WA
Seattle University Seattle WA
Skidmore College Saratoga Springs NY
Smith College Northampton MA
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park CA
Southern Methodist University Women Dallas TX
Stanford University Palo Alto CA
Stanford University Alternate Palo Alto CA
State University of New York, Binghamton Binghamton NY
State University of New York, Buffalo Buffalo NY
State University of New York, Geneseo Geneseo NY
State University of New York, Stony Brook Stony Brook NY
Stetson University DeLand FL
Syracuse University Men Syracuse NY
Syracuse University Women Syracuse NY
Temple University (Men) Philadelphia PA
Temple University (Women) Philadelphia PA
Texas A&M University, College Station College Station TX
Texas A&M University, Galveston Galveston TX
Trinity College Hartford CT
Trinity College Men Hartford CT
Trinity College Women Hartford CT
Tufts University Novice Men Medford MA
Tulane University New Orleans LA
United States Coast Guard Academy New London CT
United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point NY
United States Military Academy at West Point West Point NY
United States Naval Academy Heavyweight Men Annapolis MD
United States Naval Academy Heavyweight Men (alternate) Annapolis MD
United States Naval Academy Lightweight Men Annapolis MD
United States Naval Academy Lightweight Men (alternate) Annapolis MD
United States Naval Academy Women Annapolis MD
United States Naval Academy Women (Alternate) Annapolis MD
University at Albany Albany NY
University at Buffalo Women Buffalo NY
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL
University of California at Berkeley Heavyweight Men Berkeley CA
University of California at Berkeley Heavyweight Men (alternate) Berkeley CA
University of California at Berkeley Women Berkeley CA
University of California at Davis Davis CA
University of California at Davis Women (Athletic Dept.) Davis CA
University of California at Irvine Men Irvine CA
University of California at Irvine Women Irvine CA
University of California at Los Angeles Los Angeles CA
University of California at San Diego Men (Athletic Dept.) La Jolla CA
University of California at San Diego Women (Athletic Dept.) La Jolla CA
University of California at Santa Barbara Santa Barbara CA
University of California at Santa Barbara (alternate) Santa Barbara CA
University of Central Florida Orlando FL
University of Chicago Chicago IL
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH
University of Cincinnati Novice Men Cincinnati OH
University of Cincinnati Women Cincinnati OH
University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder CO
University of Connecticut Men Storrs CT
University of Connecticut Women Storrs CT
University of Dayton Dayton OH
University of Delaware Newark DE
University of Delaware (Women) Newark DE
University of Florida Gainesville FL
University of Georgia Athens GA
University of Iowa Women Iowa City IA
University of Kansas Club Lawrence KS
University of Kansas Women Lawrence KS
University of Louisville Louiseville KY
University of Louisville Women Louisville KY
University of Maryland College Park MD
University of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore MD
University of Massacchusetts at Lowell Lowell MA
University of Massachusetts at Amherst Men Amherst MA
University of Massachusetts at Amherst Women Amherst MA
University of Miami Coral Gables FL
University of Michigan (Women) Ann Arbor MI
University of Michigan Men Ann Arbor MI
University of Minnesota Men Minneapolis MN
University of Minnesota Women Minneapolis MN
University of Minnesota Women Alternate Minneapolis MN
University of Nebraska Lincoln NE
University of New Hampshire Men Durham NH
University of New Hampshire Women Durham NH
University of North Carolina Men Chapel Hill NC
University of North Carolina Women (Alternate) Chapel Hill NC
University of North Carolina Women (Official) Chapel Hill NC
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN
University of Notre Dame Novice Men Notre Dame IN
University of Notre Dame Women Notre Dame IN
University of Notre Dame Women (Unofficial) Notre Dame IN
University of Oregon Eugene OR
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA
University of Portland Portland OR
University of Puget Sound Tacoma WA
University of Rhode Island Men Kingston RI
University of Rhode Island Women Kingston RI
University of Rochester Rochester NY
University of Saint Thomas Saint Paul MN
University of San Diego San Diego CA
University of Southern California (Women) Los Angeles CA
University of Southern California Men Los Angeles CA
University of Tennessee Men Knoxville TN
University of Tennessee Women Knoxville TN
University of Texas Austin TX
University of Texas Women Austin TX
University of Tulsa Tulsa OK
University of Vermont Burlington VT
University of Virginia Men Charlottesville VA
University of Virginia Women Charlottesville VA
University of Virginia Women (alternate) Charlottesville VA
University of Washington Seattle WA
University of Wisconsin (Class of 2002) Madison WI
University of Wisconsin Lightweight Women Madison WI
University of Wisconsin Men Madison WI
University of Wisconsin Women Madison WI
Vanderbilt University Nashville TN
Vassar College Men Poughkeepsie NY
Vassar College Women Poughkeepsie NY
Villanova University Men Villanova PA
Villanova University Women Villanova PA
Villanova University Women (Official) Villanova PA
Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA
Wabash College Crawfordsville IN
Washington College Men Chestertown MD
Washington College Women Chestertown MD
Washington State University Women (official) Pullman WA
Washington University St. Louis MO
Wellesley College Wellesley MA
Wesleyan University (Men) Middletown CT
West Virginia University Morgantown WV
Wichita State University Wichita KS
Willamette University (Athletic Dept.) Salem OR
Willamette University Alternate Salem OR
William Smith College Geneva NY
Williams College Women Williamstown MA
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester MA
Worcester State College Worcester MA
Xavier University Cincinnati OH
Yale University New Haven CT

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

Training news link below.

I wrote a note about groove and training and where I got the idea from. Follow the link. I hope you all are having a great fall/spring depending on where you are on the globe.
XENO

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

Quick note on technique and why you are rowing:

Hello rowers and future rowers,

When you are rowing make sure that you hinge at the hip joint. I can only emphasis this over and over again. This helps you stretch your hamstrings, gluts, and lower back (the right way). While you stretch those muscles you also strengthen them. The proper technique with a supported lower back will take stress of your hip flexors and thus reduce the amount of lower back tension. There is NO REASON not to be able to walk away straight from a rowing workout. So hinge at the hip joint and check your posture.

Make sure that you row well with a machine that slides back and forth. The only option we have currently is the Concept2 on slides, but (now I will sound like a broken record) in not too long we will have access to the Rowperfect from Australia with a tiny footprint simple the best solution for indoor rowing, stay tuned.

As to why you are rowing:
Look it is simple. Rowing is gentle on the body and therefore make sure that you don't do any jerky movements when practicing. It is a full body workout and you can chose when to accelerate and perspire harder or just stay on the paddle. There are indoor competitions which you can follow or compete in. Last but not least mention rowing to individuals who are getting ready or are recovering from joint replacement surgery. Rowing could just be the best exercise they need for the rest of their lives.

Who should row? Mark Cuban once he is done with Dancing with the Stars. Mark had a hip replacement. As I watch the episodes I saw him in quite some pain at times. This made me worry. There is a guy who will plow through a brick wall if his body lets him, but... He can row all he wants and however hard he wants and his joints will not get a beating like dancing on a hard floor.

I wish you all the best and remember I am here to promote global health through rowing whether you buy the future ROWPERFECT or not.

Take care,

XENO

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

No workouts on October 22 because of fires.

Because of the fires and the bad air there will be no workouts in the morning of October 22, 2007.

XENO

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

Here is some great information on technique from youtube!

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

Here is some great information on technique from youtube!

Rant and Rave about coaching methods

I am amazed how few coaches use lactate testing to train their endurance athletes. It actually makes me mad. Coaches are supposed to learn and improve their coaching techniques to help improve the ability of their athletes. I see too many athletes getting hurt from over training and training intensities that are too elevated too often. You might wonder what “Secret” I know that a majority of coaches don’t. It is no secret at all. There is a book written by different international coaches who explain the best way to improve athletes abilities. The book is called ROWING FASTER and should be mandatory reading for coaches who want to pass the USROWING coaching levels. It is outdated to believe that “MORE PAIN, MORE GAIN” is true, IT IS WRONG, w-r-o-n-g!!!! It makes me especially sad for rowers who put heart and soul into their training and follow blindly coaches who think that hard workouts make people faster. Junior coaches wrongly believe they are doing the right thing because their rowers get stronger. It is a FALSE POSITIVE, the junior rowers are growing and get stronger naturally and not because of a string of grueling workouts. In reality they could improve much faster, by following their target heart rate below the aerobic threshold. To figure that cardiac level out all a coach needs to do is purchase a lactate testing device and make his rowers row at stroke rate 20-22 for LONGER periods of time. If you want more detail on how to train you can subscribe to my monthly training program. If you are a coach and you wonder what to do, go buy the book ROWING FASTER, by Volker Nolte, pick up a copy on AMAZON.com. This is it for now.
XENO

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

Explanation on Training

Hello

Here are a couple explanations about the training program:


For example:

20’ tech row
Weight circuit 60’
20’ cool down

20 minutes technical row. This is a time during which different parts of the stroke are drilled. Build the stroke from arms only to full slide, making sure that the upper body gets organized before the knees rise on the recovery. Arms remain straight during the leg drive. The lower back is supported throughout the entire stroke cycle. Hands are loosely holding on to the handle, the finger hold on to the handle. Shoulders are relaxed and hang on the neck at all times.

Weight circuit 60’
If you have the luxury to be able to pick ten different exercise that is great. The exercises consist of body and weight exercises. Pick four core exercises which focus on the large muscle groups. The three other of the six exercises are more peripheral exercises such as beach muscles. The remaining three are abs and lumbar exercises, which are extremely important to stay clear from chronic rowing injuries. The weight circuit is very much an injury prevention method, while building stamina. The beach muscle exercises are important to balance out the body. Each exercise is done 30 times per set. Alternate upper body lower body so that the lactate accumulation stays in check.

Cool down should be clear.

6x15’ change SR 3’
20/22/20/24/20

In this case the stroke rate changes every 3’ minutes. This is a continuous effort during which the rate changes. Make sure you take a drink after each set.


T.H.R. this is the target heart rate for steady state rowing. Mathematical calculation goes by the KARVONNEN method: (MAX HEART RATE- REST HEART RATE) X .78 + REST HEART RATE= TARGET HEART RATE for steady state rowing at stroke rate 20.

Weights post sets: Pick three exercises such as squat, bench row, and for example bench press or lat pull down. Do each station 15 times and repeat the circuit three times. You should be done with post sets within 15 minutes. XENO
XENO

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

Rob Waddell and I had a workout together this am

Hello All.

Rob Waddell came to visit us here in Costa Mesa at our indoor rowing studio the IRON OARSMAN.

I am looking to row with him in the next couple of days on the water. In a short time I will put a short clip of our indoor row on the blog.

He is doing great and is spending most of his time in Marina Del Rey sailing.

Check in later,

XENO

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

Rob Waddell and I had a workout together this am

Hello All.

Rob Waddell came to visit

Olympic Training 2000 in Murwillumbah

Marty Aitken was my coach. He filmed this footage on the Tweed River.

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

One way to fight depression....

I got my Popular Science Magazine today and was very pleased to read in the article "The Deadly Five" that a combination of aerobic training (rowing), cognitive behavioral therapy, drugs can help fight mental depression. There you have it AGAIN. Rowing is the answer to pretty much everything in this world.
XENO

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

It's like flying

Stay Healthy from Times Online

Live longer and row! XENO
Muscle is going through an image change. Previously thought of as a stretchy slab of inert flesh that declines with age, especially once we hit 50, research is emerging that suggests that the simple step of regular muscle execise, followed by a protein snack, could keep our muscles going long into old age. This not only means a better physique, but also a life less likely to be sabotaged by falls in later years.

Good muscles mean far more than the ability to lift weights, run fast or show off a washboard stomach. They are crucial to health: the muscles of our chest help us to breathe properly and keep the lungs free from fluid; muscles in the heart pump blood around the body; and, of course, muscles, literally, hold us up. Lose as little as 25 per cent of the muscle bulk in your leg and you’ll struggle to get out of a chair; you’ ll also find yourself tripping over kerbs or falling over in the shower.

As well as staving off old-age frailty, this recent muscle research, from the University of Nottingham and other universities across Europe, may also be important for cancer patients and athletes. Keeping on weight in the form of muscle means a better chance of recovery for cancer patients. And this new understanding of how muscle works may save gym bunnies a fortune.

The accepted story is that the muscle wasting seen with cancer, and the less dramatic muscle wasting of age, is because, over time, more muscle is being broken down than is being built up. In fact, breakdown rates remain pretty much the same. Scientists at the University of Nottingham have discovered that it is the build-up that’s the problem because the muscle is denying itself the nutrients it needs. Food is the key that switches on muscle-building and, more specifically, the amino acids found in protein, which are the building blocks for muscle production.

So the answer to bigger muscles surely is to eat more protein? Many clearly think so because the shelves of every healthfood shop groan with protein supplements for body builders. In fact, contrary to all received wisdom and a million internet sites, it’s not the answer.

First, and here’s a surprise, our body takes in only the exact amount of protein that it needs to build muscle; any more than that is expelled in our urine. This is because the amino acids that make up proteins are poisonous in large quantities and cause brain damage in excess, but we have loads of enzymes to break them down. So, the more protein we eat, the more the body raises its production of enzymes to break it down and excrete it in pee, keeping us safe from harm.

And so our muscles get full up. Literally. Once we’ve had the equivalent of a boiled egg’s worth of protein or so, muscles don’t take up any further amino acids, which means that those expensive protein supplements largely end up down the pan.

The concept of muscles being full up is highly significant because as we age our muscles say that they’ve had enough, earlier than they did when we were younger, meaning that without the necessary building blocks, muscle breakdown exceeds build-up. The technical name for it is anabolic blunting.

This effect is also probably highly significant in cancer because there is something about a tumour that causes it to react to the enemy within and to tell muscle that it’s full up way before it actually has. This process is common in cancer but also in several diseases that cause wasting – all this despite huge amounts of protein and calories being poured into patients via supplements and drips.

But here comes the good news: with moderate exercise, followed by a meal that contains some protein, we may be able to cheat this system. Michael Rennie, a professor of clinical physiology at the University of Nottingham, and who has an international reputation in this field, recommends cheap protein such as fish, eggs or mik. It doesn’t have to be a huge portion; a large glass of milk is enough.

According to Jacqueline Birtwisle, a registered sports nutritionist who works with the British rowing team, some good postexercise snacks are a wholemeal roll containing a sliced boiled egg, a fruit smoothie made with skimmed milk, or 200ml of skimmed milk with 50g of sugar-free muesli. Shift your pattern of feeding so that you don’t eat more protein every day, just eat more of it soon after exercise. By doing so you may preserve your muscle, avoid falls, and maintain good health for longer.

The effect is not confined to the young; even older people can have their muscle maintenance system effectively tweaked; rejuvenated effectively by about an hour of moderate resistance exercise. If you know someone with cancer, it may be worth encouraging them to stay active and, if possible, to start visiting the gym, and taking a light high-protein meal soon afterwards.

If you are a sportsman or woman, and eat to satisfy your appetite, you will automatically be getting more than enough protein in your ordinary diet to sustain muscle growth when you work out, whatever the advertisements tell you. If you just want to be more toned, especially if you are older, resistance exercise and food is the key.

But what sort of exercise works best for improving our muscles? Suprisingly perhaps, it’s not the sort of exercise needed for cardiovascu-lar fitness, such as long walks, swimming or sweaty stuff. Simply lifting weights will help, and not even heavy ones at that. And if you follow this resistance exercise with a meal containing protein, muscle-building accelerates.

Professor Rennie says: “What seems to be happening is that the muscle’s sensitivity to amino acids may be reset by exercise.” Exercise makes the muscle realise that it’s not actually full and that it could do with some more amino acids, which it then takes in to bulk itself up. This discovery is good news for older people but even better for those with cancer and diseases known to cause wasting such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and liver cirrhosis.

A study, completed recently by a group of researchers in Heidelberg (its leader, Wulf Hildebrant, will be joining Professor Rennie soon), shows that encouraging patients with pancreatic cancer to do resistance exercise reversed their weight loss and they put on muscle as fast as healthy people of the same age. “This is an important finding because better muscles should help them to cope better with surgery, have fewer complications and possibly speed recuperation,” Professor Rennie says.

Later Life Training runs courses to promote exercise for the elderly and the frail; www.laterlifetraining.co.uk

How to stay in shape

To get the most out of your muscles, supervised resistance exercises at the gym is the best bet. Meanwhile, here are some simple exercises you can do at home to help keep your muscles in shape. They can be done by anyone of any age, but older people, particularly if a bit unfit, should take things slowly.

Listen to your body, breathe, and don’t overdo it. If you are not sure of the technique, ask a professional. Don’t worry if you don’t have any equipment, bags of sugar work well as weights.

Legs Squats are the best. Imagine that you are getting in and out of a chair. Slowly. If you are a bit unstable, use a chair but try not to sit down fully, or make sure there is something to hold on to. Do three sets of 10.

Back These muscles are easy to work in the gym with upright rowing motions. At home, sit upright on the floor, slowly push your weights away from your chest and pull back again. Three sets of 10.

Chest Lie on the floor and push your weights up towards the ceiling and back down to your chest. Three sets of 10.

Tummy Simple crunches are best, and technique is crucial. Lie on the floor, feet flat, knees bent, hands on thighs, and press your back into the floor. As you slowly curl upwards, breathe out, making sure you look upwards at the ceiling. Three sets of 20.

LINK TO THE ARTICLE ON THE WEB

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

Thoughts from the past

Xeno Müller, Class of 1995

When I was a freshman the first four or five days, the flood lights outside the buildings that were yellow, the humidity in the air at the end of the summer, I was in sensory overdrive. I was so excited to be there, because I finally found a home for me where people know what it means to hold an oar and to just train on a daily basis.

I was called the “fuzzy foreigner.” In my teammates’ defense, they got a Xeno Müller at age 19 or 20, probably really full of color. Colors that I was wearing were normal in Europe to train in, but the colors that they were wearing were probably darker colors. I was friends with the underdogs on the team, guys like David Monk and Sari Awad.

I remember sitting at the starting line my very first race as a freshman in the first freshman boat. Who else are we racing but Harvard. We are sitting at the stake, and I swear to you, I thought that our boat was vibrating. I want to illustrate to you that I was sitting in a boat on a race course, just itching to rip off that stake boat and to annihilate that boat from Harvard. Because when they showed up they were so shiny and clean and so well-dressed. We know that Brown is grunge, and that the guys wear two mismatching socks. I just remember sitting at that catch thinking, “O.K., these guys, I can count on. And we’re just going to destroy the other crew.” And we did.

I think I learned of different social dynamics and immediately became tolerant; because what was shown to me at Brown was how to be tolerant. I was really a sponge when I came to Brown. I really enjoyed having different views of life all around me, the different perspectives on sexual orientation, on rich people or poor people. And I’m not sure that another school would have delivered that experience to me in the same way.

When we rowed against Navy in 1993, in Camden New Jersey at the I.R.A.s, the Midshipmen were wearing shirts that said, “Made in America.” We had a couple of non-Americans rowing for Brown, and rubbing my nose in the fact that I was a foreigner really provided me with some motivation. I love this country. If I could be an American I would be. (Now I am as of February 2004)

My coach told me before the Atlanta Games final, “Xeno, this is your first Olympic final. Half of the field here is going to get an Olympic medal. If you’re in fifth place, go for fourth. If you’re in fourth, go for third. If you’re in third, go for second.” The hardest thing for me was to be patient until the final 90 strokes of the race. I remember counting the boats behind me in the last 250 meters. I didn’t want to make a mistake I had made as a 15-year-old in Switzerland. I started rowing with more torque – not with a higher stroke rate, but with more torque.

If Steve and Scott hadn’t affected me the way they did, I wouldn’t be the person I am today emotionally.

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

My friend Rob Waddell, former indoor rowing world champion and Olympic gold medalist:

Rob Waddell is keeping mum on a possible rowing comeback.

The 32-year-old Waikato sporting icon recently returned to Tamahere after eight months as a crew member with Team New Zealand in Valencia.

He was delighted to report he and wife Sonia are expecting their third child - but far more reserved when asked to comment on speculation he's eyeing a rowing comeback for next year's Beijing Olympics.

"No comment," said Waddell, men's single sculls winner at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when pressed. "Give us a break, I've only just got back.

"I recently had my first scull in eight years, and really enjoyed it. But it was as much about getting out and enjoying Lake Karapiro again. It was like John Walker going for a run."

Waddell was also quick to point out that after working as the strongman grinder in two America's Cup campaigns he now weighs 120kg - 20kg more than in 2000.

And yet he did not reject the Olympics notion out of hand. "I'm still contractually with Team NZ, but that's the best I can give you."

He said he had "plenty of ideas, but nothing concrete. That just about sums up everything at the moment."

Meanwhile, Waddell was philosophical about not being able to pip America's Cup holders Alinghi in the Valencia finals.

"You just never really knew where you were going to be against Alinghi.

"We threw everything at it, and I thought we were sailing really well apart from a couple of mistakes.

"On the boat it felt like we were starting to win all those first exchanges . . . but I just felt we were up against slightly faster hardware."

The Waddells' third child is due in November.

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

good story about weight loss thanks to rowing

Rowing to the rescue; daniel klassen goes from overweight student to scholarship rower

BERNIE PUCHALSKI
Sports - Thursday, July 19, 2007 @ 09:00

No one could have anticipated Daniel Klassen's rowing career.

"I had never played any sports and I was grossly overweight," the 17-year-old said. "The rowing team needed one more person to fill an eight and I guess they were pretty desperate."

He was a Grade 11 student at Eden High School at the time and the clincher to join came in the form of a little feminine persuasion.

"The coach got his daughter to flutter her eyelashes at me and convince me to join."

He loved the sport at first stroke.

"It was great. Our team wasn't too competitive, so I didn't feel too out of place. I started dropping weight and getting competitive so I kept going."

His weight loss was the most dramatic change - he dropped to 215 pounds from 280 pounds.

"If you saw pictures of me, it's ridiculous. I have people who don't recognize me any more.
"

It's no stretch to suggest rowing has altered his life mentally and physically.

"Everything I do now is more or less a product of rowing: the school I'm going to; what I do with my time; my girlfriend; it has completely changed my life."

Last year, Klassen was unofficially turned down for a scholarship at Princeton because he was too young, so he bided his time this past year working, studying part time at Brock University and training with Ridley Graduate Boat Club coach Jack Nicholson and fellow rower David Wakulich.

In the winter, Klassen and Wakulich worked out with weights and ergometers. When spring came, they were on the water twice a day.

"That was a huge, huge period of growth for me." Klassen said.

Overcoming his lack of sports background was Klassen's biggest challenge.

"Physiologically, he had a very poor aerobic base and that's where we have made the biggest gains," Nicholson said.

Klassen has also learned the training regime required to become an elite rower.

"It's learning how to pace yourself," Nicholson said. "He's never had to go to the wall and back and beyond, but he's going to be a good one.

"We'll keep him."

Klassen's rapid improvement garnered him a scholarship from Yale and he entered the Junior Speed Orders (national team trials) in Welland brimming with optimism.

He didn't have a great race in the A singles final - he placed sixth out of six boats - but his performance was good enough to earn a spot in the CanAmMex training camp and regatta this week in St. Catharines.

"I wasn't distraught over my results from the time trials," he said. "I was hoping to do well, but every race is different."

The CanAmMex camp, which rotates between Canada, the United States and Mexico, is the first international step for junior rowers with national team aspirations.

Klassen describes the camp as the best of both worlds.

"I get to race internationally with new coaches and teammates, but at the same time, I can still stick with Ridley, which has been really good to me, and I can still race Henley."

CanAmMex participants are eligible to compete in the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta while junior national team members are ineligible.

Brie-Anne Breton, Katrina Pichelli, Jenna Burke, Jill Stark, Ian Norton, Ben Cushnie from the South Niagara Rowing Club are also taking part in the camp.

The camp started Sunday night and Klassen will be staying with the team during the week at the Brock University residences.

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

Winning gold or winning silver...

In case you would wonder which I believe was my best Olympic final...

Winning was great and my effort had the desired outcome, BUT:

It is my silver medal at the 2000 Olympics which required 100% of my mental and physical power. The reason is simple. I was racing really well for 1500 meters until 500 meters to go. At 1499 meters to go I was certain that I could outsprint Rob. Mentally, I had been blocking out my cold which I was carrying around all week long. Then in the last 90 seconds I blew up. I was hammered by one crisis after another. First knowing that my strength was gone, second I lost gold, thrid that my five second lead on 3 and 4 dwindled down to nothing. It was the voices of my coaches who over the years kept telling me to beware of the final sprint between 3 and 4 during which 1 and 2 might be gobbled up. Those last 90 seconds were the hardest of my life, I did not want to leave without a medal and I needed to beat Hacker and Porter.

All the best,

XENO

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

Great rowers list!

Xeno and Nareg at the Iron Oarsman



Hello everyone.

I need to mention some of our rowers have gone places!

Nareg won IRA with the CAL freshmen eight. He also won the British Henley Royal Regatta and is off to China with junior national team.

Christina, Alex, and Anastacia, from Long Beach Junior Crew won the junior national championship in the women's eight! Congratulations to their coach Alfredo.

Dana, former student at Boston College came to us three weeks ago and thanks to our training is now a UCLA rower.

Congratulations to all.

XENO

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

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.

Top conditioning fortifies body to fight cancer (from the Denver Post)

Bio: A cancer survivor at 58, Nelson Boyd grew up in the Texas Panhandle town of Borger, northeast of Amarillo. He settled in Denver in 1972 after four years in the Air Force and spent 20 years at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, retiring as a manager in the patientbusiness office. He and Judith, his wife of 27 years, live in the City Park neighborhood and have three grown children.
The Journey: Boyd played basketball in high school and later in the military but took up the sport of indoor rowing in his 40s, building up his strength and endurance to where in one month in April 2002, he rowed the equivalent of more than 1 million meters - some 670 miles, or about as far as from Denver to Des Moines.
But on Valentine's Day two years ago, his athletic career hit a wall when he was diagnosed with a rare form of abdominal cancer - just a week after a routine physical had found no problems. "I was given a year to live, basically," he says.
Doctors here initially considered surgery, but through an Internet search Boyd's wife found a cancer clinic in Illinois that linked him up with a specialist in Nashville who prescribed an investigative regimen of radiation and chemotherapy.
Through it all, Boyd rowed regularly except on days when he was hooked up to an IV, and today, "I'm going on 19 months cancer-free, and counting," he says. "The fact that I was so well-conditioned really helped me get through all the treatments, and my oncologist said that because I was so lean in the beginning, it really helped the medications go right to the tumor, rather than getting tied up in fat cells."
The Challenge: Since "this cancer thing," says the 5-foot-9, 143-pound rower, his endurance isn't what it used to be. "A 30-minute race, 10,000 meters - they're all tougher now." Still, he realized a long-held dream in February by entering a major international rowing event in Boston, competing in the 2,000-meter sprint. "Picture running a 440 flat-out," he says. "It's that kind of intensity." Rowing against eight other men in his age and weight bracket (50 to 60, under 165 pounds), Boyd finished in a time of 7 minutes, 31 seconds - an average pace of 1:52 per 500 meters, or roughly 10 miles per hour. That put him in last place. But "I was ecstatic," he says. "It was my best time in half a dozen years - even precancer."
The Details: Boyd typically rises at 4 a.m. and gets in a walk and a workout before breakfast, sometimes on the Concept II rowing machine in his basement but usually at the Kinetic Fitness Studio in Cherry Creek. He also works out with weights, focusing on the major muscle groups in his legs, back, shoulders and chest. In addition, on the advice of one of his oncologists, he has adopted a semi-vegetarian lifestyle and cut all sugar out of his diet. "Once it's in your body, sugar is really something the cancer cell breeds off of," he says. -Jack Cox
Exercise
Six days a week, rowing for 40 to 50 minutes, or 8,000 to 10,000 meters, mostly in intervals. Three days a week, weightlifting for 30 minutes, mostly dead-lift squats. On alternate days, isometric exercises with a rope for 10 or 15 minutes.
Diet
A daily pre-workout shake made with 4 strawberries, 1 banana, a half-cup of nonsweetened soy milk, half-cup of orange juice and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Breakfast: oatmeal or flax cereal with soy milk, plus whole-wheat toast with sugar-free jam. Lunch: usually leftover fish and leafy greens. Supper: stir-fry veggies, brown rice and baked salmon or seitan, a vegetarian meat substitute.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5936879

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

2007 American Cancer Society Fundraiser Relay for Life Newport Beach

Hello Everyone.

This weekend was the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society.

We had a team of rowers who took turns rowing for 24 hours. It was awesome. While we were rowing other people were walking around the football field for the duration of the fundraiser. This is our third participation at the Relay and we had a beautiful spot to row from. We had the view of the bleachers and once night fell we could see the luminaries. It was a beautiful setting.

Val ended up rowing over 100 000 meters.
Pat did a whole bunch but ended up getting sick from some rotten sandwich.
A great thank you to Karen, Kelly, Lynne A, Lynne B, Kathy G., Jim G., Carol, Nicole, Connie, Lisa, Richard, Dave, and a few others whose name eludes me at the moment, for rowing and putting in your time to raise awareness for fighting cancer.
I only got to row 12 KM; I was more the organizer than the rower this weekend.

Overall the Relay raised US$186K which is a whopping 60 000 more than last year.

We look forward to participating again.

All the best from us here in Costa Mesa, CALIFORNIA!

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

When you have little aches and pains:

Hello
I spoke to one of our rowers who mentioned getting a tender hip flexor by the end of the workday.
The tenderness does not worsen during rowing.
Thus, my suggestion was to gently stretch the quad and hip flexor every once in a while during the day. Our rower stands most of the day and my reasoning behind the tender hip flexor is that the muscle does not get any break from being stretched out all day. I will be watching proper rowing technique. A lack of lower back support may stress the hip flexor at the finish and on the recovery. The recovery is especially

Pacific Coast Rowing Championships

This weekend we took an eight to Sacramento to race in Open Heavyweight Eight category.
Nick D'Antony, David Krueger, Val Stepanchuk, Patrick Israel, Benton Spark, Will ., Evan Wilson, Jeff Collet and Kate Mead (coxwain).
Race time 1.20pm Saturday
Location: Sacramento State Aqautic Center, LAKE NATOMA

we raced...

USC, SacState, +3 sac capital crews jrs.

times: 6.18,3 6.22

A great race by the French pair at the 2000 Olympics

You probably wonder why I have a streak of youtube video posting at the moment. A couple of days ago I used key words "olympic rowing" in google's video search engine and was DELIGHTED to see that the library of video footage has nicely grown. I picked this footage of the men's pair at the 2000 Olympics because their attack in the second half of the final was just incredible. When that was happening I was sitting in my boat on the race course waiting for the men's single scull medal ceremony. Watch this race it is great.
All the best, and I hope that you all are having a great weekend.
PS: By the way I am not loading video directly onto this site because Bryan from norther California told me that not everyone had high speed internet. I salute you Bryan. I hope you will enjoy the footage from the youtube site directly.
WATCH THE RACE CLICK ON THIS LINE

XENO

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

Good rowing technique from the French Olympic gold medalists

Here is the video on youtube.com

They rowed great for the Olympics in the men's double scull. When I look at their rowing in the single scull I see some discrepancies which the two rowers refine when they row together.

These two French rowers are a lot smaller then their competitors. If you don't speak French there are a couple huge pieces of information for successful rowing performance.

Strength training leading into the last weeks before peaking for the Olympics.
Relaxation and compressing the legs at the catch even if this requires to row slightly more upright.
Enormous amount of endurance training during winter. When they reduced the volume during the world cup season they noticed that they were losing some ability to keep their race speed up. In anticipation of the Olympics they reduced speed work, got back into strength training phase. Once they became "fit" again they rowed into the final stages of speed work.
The French did a beautiful job.

Over and out.

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

My friend Richard Lund has a story in our Newspaper

Cares pushed aside
Crew keeps a family illness off a student's mind and turns him into a champion.
By KEVIN METZ
The Orange County Register

The early-morning sun beats down on his shoulders. They aren't as defined or broad as others in his boat, but Richard Lund's teammates still listen to him.

Eight oars move and push the water, making the 80-foot Empacher glide with refined grace down the Newport Marina. His periodic words of encouragement break the silence but not the rhythm.

Lund knows his Orange Coast College teammates are behind him. Every time his team races, his mind stops racing for six minutes, 2,000 meters.

"It has been very therapeutic for me so that I don't go insane," he said. "This is my distraction."

Take another stroke. One more stroke. When his body reaches exhaustion, Lund gathers his thoughts. He doesn't want them wandering.

"When I get tired, I become a horse without blinders," Lund said. "Then I get this tunnel vision. That gives me that much more focus, that much more drive."

Each backward stroke is another step forward in the sophomore's life. He says rowing helped him turn his life around. It helps him cope and helps simplify even the toughest of situations.

"It started as breast cancer, and now it has spread to her brain," said Lund back on the dock, his voice wavering slightly for the first time.

"My mother is slowly losing her battle. It is really hard."

REFUSING TO QUIT

Lund's father concedes his 21-year-old son was no athletic prodigy growing up. Teammates kid that he looked more like a coxswain – the lightweight conductor in back of the boat – than a rower.

Even Lund had his early doubts about joining one of the most competitive rowing programs in the country.

"I thought what am I doing here?" Lund said. "These are wrestlers, cross country runners and football players."

Lund was a golfer. Hitting the books was his distraction in high school, but he said hitting the links was his outlet. It got him out of the house he shared in North Carolina with his mother, Phyllis.

"I was sheltered except for golf, which took a little bit of the stress out but not enough," Lund said. "Unfortunately, when you hit a bad shot in golf it makes you even more stressed."

He, like many novice Orange Coast rowers, picked up an oar for the first time on the first day of practice. But without natural athletic ability or a refined technique, Lund found himself off the competing roster.

"Most athletes would have probably quit in a situation like that," said team rigger Robbie Dalrymple. "Not him. He kept coming to practice and working his butt off."

Lund said few people knew him the year he redshirted. They didn't know his story, or even know his name.

FROM ONE CHAMPION TO ANOTHER

To improve his rowing skills, Lund signed up with Xeno Muller, who has won gold and silver Olympic medals. Meeting Muller for the first time was a lot like the first day of practice.

"Very nerve-racking," Lund said. "At first I was shy. I didn't know how to approach him because of the status."

Muller met a kid with enthusiasm and a desire to learn – two things the owner of the Iron Oarsman fitness studio in Newport Beach saw instantly.

"He knows how to listen to coaching," Muller said. "When I would take him out on the single scull, I would mention a couple of technical points and he would correct his stroke very quickly."

Under Muller's guidance, Lund earned a seat on Orange Coast's 2nd Novice 8 boat. That improbable crew of first-year rowers – from the only competing two-year school in the country – became national champions.

"If you suit up and show up, you will succeed," said coach Larry Moore, who watched his team win the ECAC National Rowing Championships by a boat length in 2006. "Richard certainly has succeeded. He has gotten everything out of rowing that Coast has to offer."

Lund smiles when he remembers that championship – the highlight of his career. That smile grows as he recalls his recent promotion into the varsity boat after winning a seat race.

"He may not be the most athletic guy on the team, but his spirit makes him a better athlete," Muller said. "He became an identity within the team."

MOVING APART

While Lund finds his identity, he acknowledges his mother is slowly losing hers in a North Carolina rest home. They haven't spoken much since he moved back to California to live with his father.

"She is weak from all of the medication she is on," he said. "It is hard to maintain a conversation with her."

So memories fill the void left by unspoken words. Lund remembers how she encouraged him to read at a young age – so much so that he set a record in his elementary school for reading 356 books in a year.

He remembers packing up his life and the family dogs in two cars for the cross-country trip to North Carolina. Lund said that decision, at age 14, was one of the toughest he has ever made.

"I didn't talk to my dad or my stepmom for nearly a year after that," Lund said.

He remembers his mother telling him about the lump on her breast but neglecting to see a doctor. He also remembers the note he found on the coffee table one day left by a neighbor. It said that his mother had been rushed to the hospital with breathing difficulties.

A BRAVE NEW LUND

Lund said his older half brother, Michael, lives about five hours from their 60-year-old mother.

"It really helps that he is there for her," Lund said. "It puts a lot of pressure on me when I go out to see her. It is emotionally taxing."

That pressure returned two weeks ago when Lund visited Phyllis. He had to go through his old home and designate what would go to charity, what he would keep and what would go to his brother. Seeing his mother in her current state was much harder.

So he keeps rowing. He focuses on the things he can control: preparing his mind for the next race, his body for that next 2,000 meters.

"I love its beauty, its rhythm, its dynamic," Lund said. "It is one of those repetitive motions that I don't mind doing. Now it's like I am playing golf on water."

A business major, Lund said he has entered a new, happier chapter in his life. Rowing is a big part of it, he said.

"He has gone so far to creating his own person," said Lund's stepmother, Elizabeth. "He has really overcome a lot of the obstacles he has had to face at such a young age."

Teammates now know his name, but rarely use it. "Squad leader," they say – a tribute to a young man's perseverance and leadership.

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

Hugh Laurie knows rowing!

As usual I googled rowing videos for new information and marketing.

Guess who rows! Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays house. Ok, folks, we need to tell him to come down to the Iron Oarsman to row with us! I am sure he would enjoy a great 45' workout.
Here is a website that has his bio and a link to his Oxford/Cambridge race
I heard that he misses his family who lives in England. It must be hard. So if someone knows Hugh we would get a kick at having him row with us.

On another note: Remember, the world ranking has started over again since May 1st!

That is it for now, OVER AND OUT!

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

Hello from the Rowperfect front

Hello all,

It may not be much for right now. But I am excited to have received the handle of the new Rowperfect. It feels really nice to hold. The C shaped handle allows for a tighter and more efficient use of the lat muscles at the finish. The wooden handle feels solid and makes the feel of rowing indoors more natural. Another excellent feature that has been patented is the OARFLEX. The connection between the handle and the chain is spring-loaded and is perfect for a nice water like catch with a real oar.

Mark Campbell owner and redesigner of the Rowperfect has done an excellent job.
Stay tuned and remember a couple of perks. Anyone who buys a ROWPERFECT coming from IRON OARSMAN will get a 5 hour set of workout DVDs. If the order of Rowperfects is 10 or more, I will travel for complimentary coaching session.

All the best,

XENO

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

Newport Beach is a great training location for rowing!

See you soon here in Newport Beach.

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

A new sign for the Iron Oarsman

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

Sculling on the water is very similar to rowing indoors look at this footage:

The rower here handles the single scull well.
Sincerely,
XENO

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

Val's East Coast Adventures

Adventure
Thursday April 12
I arrived in Philadelphia, PA just past 9pm EST and by 11pm i was on the way to Newark, DE were i stayed one night at Jordan Fissels house. Jordan is a former student at Orange Coast College where we're teammates on rowing team for 2 years. He is responsible for getting me on a road bike following the end of the rowing season. I haven't seen him since he moved to DE in 2005.

On friday April 13 i departed Delaware and went on the way SOUTH to Leesburg, VA where i stayed for a day at my cousins house just relaxing. Saturday morning i drove down to Springfield, VA and visited Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. That place is absolutely increadible. It has some of the earliest airplanes including Wrights brothers airplane and some of the most advanced Mach 3 n above planes like SR-71 Blackbird. Museum has over 130 full size airlanes and lots of space equiment and shuttles. This is museums web site http://www.nasm.si.edu/
After spending about 4 hours checking out the airplanes, i left the museum and headed farther east to Washington DC. It was about one hour drive to the capital city. When i entered the city i had a warm feeling come over me, it was just magical knowing that there was so much history there. Each building had its own story. I love this city and would love to come back there again and spend little bit more time walking down the streets. I only had few hours before i had to head up North to New York.
That's all for now. I will update shortly...

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

Back in 1998 some footage was taken of my rowing:

Click on this link and it will take you to the page.
It may take a little bit of time to load.
XENO

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

Bob pulled a great 2k, check out the video, click on the link below

Check out BOB's terrific 2k. He is 60 years young and I want to be in his shape in 25 years!
XENO

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