Lifelong Rower

Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck     Lifelong Rowing Blog #22   The Need for Balance   When I was 12 and had free summers, I visited the library and picked up a very old small paperback on yoga filled with black and white photos of a skinny old man doing headstands and turning himself into a human pretzel.  I thought why not try to do some yoga.  Remember this was in the 60’s.   Off and on, I have tried to take a yoga class at least once a week and tried to stretch as much as possible between workouts.   Right now, stop reading this blog and try to stand on one leg for 30 seconds, now switch. Can one leg last longer.  When you are sculling and go straight, you may think you are equally pushing with both legs.  I have found that is not necessarily the case.   My favorite go-to-yoga class is taught by Brittany Zimmerman.  I had the chance to speak with her after class last Thursday. ...

Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck The Forgotten Muscle   When I sat in on Craftsbury Sculling Center Webinars last year, (they were doing weekly Wednesday webinars during the pandemic) they discussed “Glute Amnesia”   I have known for years that using your glutes during the first and middle part of the stroke could up your game. When I focused on lifting my butt off the seat at the beginning of the drive, I saw an immediate drop in my splits.  After about 20 “butt lifting” strokes I was exhausted.   I decided to act, I signed up with a personal trainer, to work on my glutes. It’s too early to tell if it will make a difference, but I am working on it.      Past blogs have mentioned the work of Will Ruth, author of  Rowing Stronger . I checked in with some of Will’s weight workouts and here is a link. Deadlifting is one of the best weight workouts for glutes, but deadlifting needs to be done safely.  Finding a good trainer, using a m...