Get Fit To Row….. Join The Crew

I believe these 3 steps are held together by world-class basics.

Here’s today’s podcast

Episode Home:

There is one movement in rowing that’s super powerful, it’s easy to see, but few would know how much power it’s generating, it’s in the body swing.

I’ve always thought that the power of a rowing stroke comes from linking the core muscles to everything else.

Remembering that you push before you pull, what connects those two movements is the invisible core muscles, they are activated during the body swing.

The core muscles take time to train and develop because you can’t see them, they lay deep inside our core.

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Episode Home:

If world basic basics is a personal thing, world-class consistency is something others can value.

I’ve been thinking about the difference between basics and constancy, I think the former is something to focus on as an individual and the latter something that others observe more so.

Can you do one without the other?

Which comes first?

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Episode Home:

I always preferred rowing with a crew.

I think and what I have learnt over the years is what people say and what people do can often be very very different.

When it comes to high performance, goal setting or just doing something better than others, sometimes you don’t want to share how you’re doing it or you might not realise just how good you are.

Are you curious enough about your performance?

So here’s the thing, I’ve been thinking about world-class basics, how do people live to deliver them, and what type of people optimise them.

Knowing that you have a talent comes through allowing others to see it, you have to share it, even the slightest hint that you think you might have a talent.

Once you have shared your talent perhaps with someone you trust, you’d do best to try and understand how you make it simple, simple enough to you, understand the parts, train all the parts, be curious how to maximise the parts.

Do the smallest parts, the basics to a world-class standard.

I was listening to a recording of Muhammad Ali this week when he shared his most memorable quote “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.

What he said at that moment made what he did in the ring invisible to his opponents.

He carried out world-class basics.

Here’s today’s podcast:

I've got that winter feeling, a January feeling, one that's very familiar.

For a few years, I spent some time at Quintin Boat Club on the Thames by Chiswick bridge.

The club had an open fire, we would recover after a session by it.

This poem that I heard today reminded me of the feelings of January.

January by Henry Wadsworth

Janus am I; oldest of potentates; Forward I look, and backward, and below I count, as god of avenues and gates, The years that through my portals come and go. I block the roads, and drift the fields with snow; I chase the wild-fowl from the frozen fen; My frosts congeal the rivers in their flow, My fires light up the hearths and hearts of men.

This poem is in the public domain.

Here’s today’s podcast and my reading of the poem.

Do you go faster because you slide faster, or is it the hand speed, or is it more a leg thing… Eric Murray knows 💪

I listened and watched a series of coached sessions with Eric Murray, a multi times winning Olympian.

When you listen closely to world-class athletes, leaders, entrepreneurs and business people it’s often what they don’t say or share that you need to listen out for.

Eric talks about smooth hand speed around the turn at the front and back of the stroke, which is interesting to hear. He also talks about “gradually” pushing more power out during the leg drive throughout the session, so as you get more into the session and weaker you focus on pushing more out or you, seems counter-intuitive, but the more you focus the more YOU CAN push more.

Give it a try.

Here’s today’s podcast:

It’s the welcome back weights session, make sure you’re up to speed with your technique.

There are 4 key exercises to focus on, each builds towards maximising power.

Here’s today’s podcast:

I simply love low rating, it requires a good deal of personal coaching, meaning you, yes you have to think about what you're doing.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Sounds simple, build blocks and your progress faster.

Here’s today’s podcast:

You can’t get to greatness without some help.

Fact.

You’ll need to believe in a coach, a coach who believes in you, a coach that has your goals and performance in mind.

The Playbook series on netflix’s shares a few moments of insight that could change how you think about getting fit in 2022.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Yes, it’s the start of 2022, and the start of the rowing stroke is called the catch so it seems rather fitting to be writing and sharing today’s podcast called "{catch 22}.

Get the catch right and the rest can be worked on.

But here’s the other catch 22, if you’re not fit, and you don’t think you have time to get fit, you’ll never get fit. But if you make time to get fit you will.

Your health is an investment, time is something you can give yourself at no cost at all, and the return in value and quality of life is huge.

So if you change how you manage your time, and pay that time to you to get fit and healthy, given time you will.

I always think the hardest thing to do when you’re considering better health and fitness is getting started, the small thing, the small change.

I think doing small is easier than doing big.

Here’s today’s podcast:

So the race is done. 2021 is done.

How did we do?

Here’s today’s podcast:

It’s that funny time between Christmas and New Year, a time when we get a chance to reflect on the year that’s past, a chance to look at where you are, a chance to think about who we might want to be in the new year ahead.

I think getting fit is not just about the physical aspect of “doing it” but also the mental health aspect of “doing it”, getting fit that is.

The quote that is never wrong in my mind is, “have a healthy mind and body”, one comes with the other, and to be honest it’s more important to balance this now more than ever before.

One of the aspects of rowing (be that indoors or outdoors) that is not often talked about is the freedom you can experience physically and mental from being fit.

Fit to handle what life throughs at you.

I love rowing, and each and every stroke helps to strengthen the mind and body better than nearly any fitness program or sport.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Yes, the leg is better, but I’ve lost strength.

Here’s the thing, and it’s something worth sharing but keeping fit, and getting fit once your past 30 is a must in my experience.

As you all know having strained my hamstring whilst playing 5 a side football I’ve been out of action for just over 3 weeks.

The fitness seems the same now I’m back in the gym, but the strength has defiantly fallen off, and this happens to anyone and everyone over the age of 30……

Here’s today’s podcast:

I’ve learned by studying myself very closely that my daily training habit keeps my mental health strong.

Here’s today’s podcast:

I know it sounds too simple, but, once you’ve got fit to row, the next step is learning to row.

But, at this point of writing this blog and preparing for today’s podcast I don’t yet have a place or a boat to coach people to learn to row, but I’m giving it some serious thought.

If learning to row is something you might be interested in perhaps you could make contact with me and see if you can help bring the idea to life.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Ok, let’s be honest I haven’t yet met anyone who likes carrying out the 2000m test.

But, I’ve also learnt that people don’t put enough focus into the mental prep and planning around the test.

So, I’ve given it some thought and have done a podcast around doing a 2k test.

How to think before, during and after a 2k test.

Here’s today’

The most obvious thing about a visit to the pyramids is, if you go up you have to come down.

I understand from reading around the subject that the pyramids of Giza took 20 years to build and needed the manpower of over 100,000 men. That’s a lot of men doing pyramids!

But that’s a side note to the real event today.

Today a Saturday session the guys I coached were doing pyramids, in so much that they went up and down the stroke rating.

Why do we do pyramids, simple, to build better technique under increasing levels of performance and stress, what you learn on the way up the rating is how to focus on the changeup, try and keep the technique together, and on the way down it’s about compounding that learning as the movements get slow.

When you do pyramids for the first time there is a lot to think about, lots of moving parts all moving faster and faster.

The more you do a pyramid session the more you can fine-tune your technique, power and focus.

Here’s today’s podcast:

One thing that you have to do in rowing when it comes to crew boats (and the bigger the crew the harder it is) you have to “think and move as a team”.

From a training perspective, a lot of your time will be spent as an individual.

Moving from individual focus to a team focus is a process.

I often get reminded of the process when I jump into a scratch crew boat (which is a group if individuals that have not rowed together before), as a group of individuals we’re all feeling for the movements of the team, no matter what the power of the individuals.

I think to be the best you, you need to work out how to be world-class at something basic.

Or in other words, how do you work towards world-class basics?

For as much as it sounds simple, it's not, there is a lot that will get in the way, a lot that will limit your effort.

But everyone can be world-class at something, you just have to start working towards it consistently.

Here's today's podcast:

If I said to you “would you like to get fit” what would your answer be?

I guess I ask this as I think most of us would say yes, but for some of us we wouldn’t have even given the idea a thought ever.

Ever, does that mean you don’t need to or don’t want to get fit?

If we don’t want to do something is that the case because perhaps we’re not in control of the choice?

A choice is something we can do, not do, avoid or even miss place.

Miss placing fitness, that doesn’t feel too terminal does it, it feels like it’s something to discover, refind, give some thought to.

And once we have given getting fit some thought, perhaps you’ll be ready to get fit.

Here’s today’s podcast:

I wanted to dig into a movement I’ve talked about before, hands speed.

Or maybe I want to highlight what you should do with your hands on the rowing machine or in a rowing boat.

You see the hand movement needs to be fast, not slow, and it needs to happen before you move off back stops.

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The good news is the leg is on the mend.

If the 9,611 steps I’ve taken today are anything to go by I’m hoping to be back in action, be it careful early next week, at the latest.

So, whilst I’ve been taking time off from training, the Get Fit To Coaching is still carrying on unaffected.

Now, I’ve been giving some thought to “who” if “anyone” would I have on the podcast when I reach 200 episodes.

200 episodes are around 30 hours of me talking about get fit to row, getting fit, rowing, training and anything else that comes to mind is quite a lot.

But we’re just getting started.

Now, here’s the thought, I think my rowing hero is Steve Redgrave, I’ve met him a few times at Henley Royal Regatta, just to say hello, don’t think he would ever remember me, but I remember him, the guy is huge, modest and friendly.

I’ve always wanted to ask, “what {did} you think about whilst you trained”, I’ve always wanted to know what he would have been thinking “at {key} moments” in his gold medal Olympic races, and I’ve always wanted to ask “what made you {never} give up”.

Now I don’t know how to get in touch with Steve and I’m not going to try to directly contact him, I don’t want to do things like that.

I think Steve is in China now as Director of Performance, he was recently named as someone who would not be selected for GBR Director of Performance, I wonder if that was simply a political decision or the powers knew he’s not the man for the job, who knows.

So if I’m not going to try and contact Steve directly, how can I ever expect to get to talk to him on podcast 200?

Well, I thought perhaps I’d leave it to you, one of my super fans who might know Steve or know someone who knows him to perhaps suggest to Steve to listen to my podcast, and If he fancied a chat, about stuff, perhaps he’ll reach out?

You see I’m trying to build Get Fit To Row as something anyone can try, but to find me you have to spend some time discovering me and learning about the Get Fit To Row idea, and if it’s right for you you might get in touch if it’s right for you it’s right

I’d love to talk to Steve Redgrave, he’s a hero of mine, I don’t know what I’d ask first, but I’d love to learn what journey he’ll have taken to find me.

Because I believe the best fitness endeavours are journeys, if you go on a journey what you find at the end is more valuable, then and for life.

Here’s today’s podcast:

So, that’s the Saturday sessions done.

During todays sessions which were hard effort, threshold training, I was chatting about not giving in to the desire to stop.

It reminded me of a head race where our crew was absolutely flying, the effort going down was huge, and it was relentless, so much so that I knew at the half way point that I wanted to jump out of the boat, but you can’t can you.

I learnt on that day that the pain, adrenaline, and joy at the end of the row was addictive.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Ok, let’s be honest from time to time getting fit is going to be hard work.

But you have to stay in the game to win right?

If there is one thing that I’ve seen time and time again it’s that constancy pays off.

Here’s the link to the podcast with Dan Carter I talk about in the podcast:

Before you do a training session you think about what you’re going to do.

Before you take part in a race of any description you’ll think about the outcome.

You think.

You talk to yourself.

Sometimes you know exactly what the plan is, what the race will be like and what the outcome will be, but sometimes you won’t.

When you doubt how things are going to go, that voice that talks to you, talks a lot, sends in the wrong messages, creates the wrong processing, keeps you from performing what you really want to do, have trained to do and know you can do.

That voice is the chimp.

The chimpanzee is our primal behaviour, it’s the behaviour we have had as a human forever, it is the behaviour that keeps us alive, keeps us safe, limits risk, it processes situations fast, and highjacks our potential if not controlled.

We can learn to maximise our potential.

Why we row?

It’s a question I often think about.

Why I row is simple, it’s good for my mind, my body and my mental health.

I think when I row, whether that be indoor on a rowing machine or on the water, it settles me.

It does this through the effort I need to put in to not only manage my body movements but it’s all about me “teaching” myself.

I get a sense of achievement when a session goes well.

Harry Parker who was the long standing heavy weight rowing coach at Harvard University talks openly about what he did for over 50 years in a video link is below.

I think he narrates what he sees as his job, and what he sees it doing for others.

You can forget the Harvard elite university link, best focus on Harry and what he says, a truly extraordinary man for how modestly he talk about simplicity, a simplicity that he has learned to teach over 50 years!

I haven’t told you yet but I have a day job and Get Fit To Row is my passion and side hustle, we all need one right?

Today the day job took me to an investors meeting and wasn’t that fun, it went as well as can be expected.

I needed to be able to clearly communicate “the plan”.

I needed to be well prepared for anything that could happen or be asked of me.

I needed to be able to visualise what I wanted to happen.

I needed to make it happen.

I needed to make sure others came along with me.

I needed to be patience.

I needed to play as a team but act as a leader.

I couldn't win without encouraging all of us to want to win.

I had to find a pace, set a rhythm and have a finish.

Most of all I needed to be 100% focused throughout.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Here’s the thing, when I do long rowing machine sessions, I am quite often reminded that my hamstrings are short and need a stretch, and I should know better.

There are two ways I often get to know that they are, and both are uncompromisingly bloody obvious very quickly in the session.

One way is I get a small friction blister on my bum cheek by my coccyx bone around the area of my sacrum, and the other is I get a dull pain in my L3, L4, L5 joints in my lumbar spine.

And all it says to me is “you need to do some more work on stretching your hamstring out” and also “make sure to get some movement into the hip flexors”.

I should know better, maybe I should have stretched more after the long walk with Oban my dog!

Here’s todays podcast:

Here’s the thing, I keep talking about the 8 x 500m session like it's my brand new toy.

I love it.

In podcast 110 I talked about self-belief being a superpower, it’s a superpower everyone can have.

But what I’m learning is most people I train need to be introduced to the idea of a superpower being inside them, then learning to find that superpower and then being able to harness it.

If you do an 8 x 500m session with me, you’ll learn to find it.

Here’s today’s podcast:

Ok, I’ll admit from time to time I get things wrong, but that’s normal right?

Last week I did something that’s taken me a week to recover from, at first I had no idea what had caused it.

You see I felt really weak.

I couldn’t do my normal training, and I seemed to find it hard to have the motivation to do anything much.

I realised I needed a rest.

I’d over done it.

Here’s today’s podcast:

If you’re yet to discover the joy of knowing what your heart rate training zones are then don’t worry you’re probably in good company.

One part of get Fit To Row that I haven’t talked about in much depth is the “smart” bit.

Over the many years that I have trained, I’ve always kept an eye on my resting heart rate, why? Simply because it’s the best indicator of my hearts fitness.

My resting heart rate is low at 46 beats per minute. I’m 51.

I’ve always thought the life I lead and the stress I put myself under would be stressing the heart, but It’s doing the opposite.

I train most days, I walk the dog most days, I eat well, I work hard mentally and physically, I drink a reasonable amount of water and I sleep as well as I need to.

This all has a good impact on my fitness and my hearts health.

I’m reading a new book called Peak by Dr Marc Bubbs, It’s called The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionising Sports.

It’s a slow read for me and I and dipping into different bits each day. I came across this new chapter quote that i thought was quite an insight, that being:

“It’s not the will to win that matters. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters” - Paul “Bear” Bryant.

I think this rings true with just getting fit, you have to prepare to get fit, which I think requires time, learning, listening and above all a willingness to commit, preparing costs nothing, but doing the prep will allow you to get to where you want to be.

Here’s Today’s Podcast:

At the start of a fitness journey I’ve often found that clients only see things in one dimension, they have tunnel vision.

But at the start, when your first think about getting fit, I think it’s best to look at things in 5D.

You need to look at what you understand about getting fit, identify what you need to know that you don’t yet, think about what you might experience by getting fit and you have got to believe you can take part in both physically and mentally.

Visualisation is a tool I use a lot in Get Fit To Row, I think the mind needs a picture to focus on, one that’s quite in focus, you can’t do this quickly it takes time.

A good example of thinking about one thing, really thinking about it is the first stroke, just the first stroke on a rowing machine or rowing boat, it sets the frame for everything that follows.

Here’s today’s podcast:

I can’t understate how important it is to meet me.

I’ve had a few phone calls from people interested in Get Fit To Row, they have all been quite lengthy phone calls, 30mins to 1hour long.

And at the end of the calls, I’ve never been quite sure whether the person on the call has got what they wanted, I say that because I feel that they have not met me and I haven’t seen them.

On the calls I don’t sell Get Fit To Row, I try and discover what is the motivation for getting fit, and what would be the output from doing Get Fit To Row, because this is the frame for your story, and I believe getting fit and doing Get Fit To Row will be an epic story.

It's something I have been asked by just about everyone I've coached at some point, that being, "how should I breath"

It's a true gift to get the breathing right in rowing or fitness, to be honest, the better you breathe the more you optimise your muscle potential and the more chance you have of getting fitter and stronger.

But when do you breathe, when do you think about your breathing performance? 

I never found school easy, I can honestly say I don’t even remember most of it, what I can remember is the train to school, the places I used to hide to get out of lessons, and Mr Hicky.

But today I’ve set myself the challenge of completing the Level 2/3 Diploma in Personal Training, it’s not going to be easy. I have 6 weeks to complete it and pass.

I know, I know, I should know better, but I simply forgot!

Don't do what I do, do what I say, and in this podcast, I explain why I felt so weak after a leg session in the gym.

Let's say it all comes down to water.

Thought this needed explaining.

It’s perhaps not as obvious as you’d think, the speed of movements that is.