workout and 2k times

Question
QUESTION: Hi, im a junior in high school, and i started rowing 6 months and have gotten very serious about the sport.  Im 6'7" and about 200lbs.  i am pulling about a 6:40 right now and want to bring that down significantly.  I am curious to know what my workouts should look like in order to become competitive at the national level, and what erg times i should set my goals for in the coming year in order to achieve that goal.

ANSWER: Hi Clark: I attached the results of the Junior Men's 2K at the CRASH-B sprints, considered the Super Bowl of indoor rowing:

http://www.crash-b.org/cb2008/results/event05-hwt.html

As you can see, you are in the top third, so you are respectable already, but still have some room for improvement.

It's hard for me to suggest a specific workout routine that will give you the results you are looking for.  However, from your height and weight, I'm pretty safe to assume that you are a bit on the thin side.  Therefore, if I had to tell you what to emphasize on, I would recommend you supplement your rowing and ergometer training with a weight training program that focuses on bulking up the muscles that help move the boat and ergometer.  While not all-inclusive, you should focus on doing 2-3 sets and 8-10 repetitions of the following weight exercises with a heavy load:

Monday/Wednesday
- Bench Press
- Dumbbell Bench Press
- Lying Flyes
- Lat Pulldowns
- Bent Arm Pullovers with Dumbbells (or Seated Rowing machine)
- Military Press
- Press Behind neck

Tues/Thursday
- Squats
- Leg Machine
- Dead Lift
- Power Clean
- Bent-Arm Pullover (or Tricep extentions with dumbbell)
- Tricep Pulldown with Lat Machine
- Barbell Curls
- Dumbbell Curls

Finally, you don't say much about what to do on the water.  Too many young rowers simply think that if I pull good erg scores, I will be a cinch to make the varsity 8.  Yes, you need good erg scores.  But you also have to show the coach that you are a good technician in the boat with well-timed catches, clean finishes and good hand control on the recovery.  I've seen people pull incredible erg scores, yet they are liabilities in an actual boat because of technical errors that don't get exposed on an erg machine.  So make sure you are spending time on the water rowing in small boats like fours and pairs and learning how to scull.

With your height and growth potential, you could be an elite rower.  Good Luck.

Regards/AP

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks, about the water,  i stroke my 4 and have good form, i can hold a high stroke rate for races and am able to keep good form.  In sculls i have had compartment syndrome in my forearms due to the force exerted on them.  i have been working on my form but am having difficulty preventing repeat injuries during races.  could you recommend any drills on the water or weight training that would focus on my forearms, specifically the under side and my wrists

Answer
Hi Again Clark: I'm not a doctor, so I'm cautious about giving you some specific treatment that could cause injury.  I read a little about compartment syndrome (see link) and it sounds quite nasty:

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00204

Since rowing and weight training exercises (like reverse curls and wrist rolls) would probably aggravete the condition, I don't think any of that is advisable.  The one thing you might want to try is something called a Dynaflex.  I used to do it to strengthen my feathering hands.  You can read about it in the link below.

http://www.dynaflex-intl.com/

The other thing I might suggest is to stay away from sculling and just row sweeps on the side that does not involve feathering with the forearm that is sore.  So if your left wrist ails you, just stay with rowing from port side for awhile.

What you really need to do is to see a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor ASAP.  

Hope it works out for you/AP