CHAPTER 1
January
"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby (1826-93) (12/20/1873 address at Liverpool College)
"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."
Goethe
"Exercise – physical activity done regularly—is something people can and should do for a lifetime. It helps people feel and function better physically and mentally. It also helps reduce the risk of many disorders."
Mark H. Beers, MD, Ed in Chief, The Merck Manual of Health and Aging (2004) ("Merck"), at 805.
"A lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being while movement and methodical physical exercise save and preserve it."
Plato
"If you look at the lowest quintile of fitness, those are the people who account for the bulk of the mortality risk. The mortality difference between average fitness and good and excellent fitness is really very small."
Michael Lauer, MD (Cleveland Clinic cardiologist), in Kolata, Gina. Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health. (2003) ("Kolata"), at 64.
"There is a simple, basic fact about exercise and your health: fitness cuts your risk of dying.... Couch potatoes are now being grouped with cigarette smokers as taking their lives into their own hands.... The more frequent the exercise, the greater the benefit, but you don't have to overdo it. Moderate exercise ... proved to be nearly as protective as vigorous exercise."
John W. Rowe, MD, and Robert L. Kahn, Ph.D., Successful Aging (1998) ("Successful Aging"), at 6.
January – Take an Indoor Rowing Class
If you are a beginning rower, you have a lot to gain from taking a rowing class. You will learn about the machine, how to row efficiently, and more ways to use the machine effectively for your own health and fitness. Even if you are an experienced rower, you may learn a great deal that helps you row for health by taking a class. Those who have taught themselves to row will be able to correct mistakes. Those who have competitive rowing experience may learn that using the erg does not have to mean experiencing pain. If you took a learn-to-row class on the water, you may find that an indoor rowing class can help answer your questions about the stroke and teach you new ways to improve your technique.
There are many opportunities to participate in an indoor rowing class. Some rowing clubs and associations offer indoor rowing classes in the winter, when they cannot offer learn to row classes on the river. They may offer them at other times of year, too. Some personal trainers offer individual sessions and group classes year round. Health facilities focused on rowing hold regular sessions. And general fitness clubs may offer occasional rowing classes. If you use a gym that has a couple ergs but does not offer classes, ask about it.
Many indoor rowing classes are guided workouts. You show up at the appointed time and enjoy a workout session simply by following the trainer in the front of the room. But for those seeking to learn more about rowing, most facilities and trainers who offer workouts will also provide rowing lessons.
What, you may ask, can you learn in a rowing class? Here are some of the types of lessons you can hope to learn through indoor rowing classes.
Introductory classes: In a class designed for beginners, you can expect to review the basics of the rowing motion, including the terminology. These basic skills will help you use rowing for health and fitness on your own. And they will make it easier to learn more. You will learn about the rowing machine, including how to care for it and how to use it safely and efficiently. Although key components of rowing on the water in a shell (such as timing, balance and interaction with moving water) are missing on the rowing machine, there is a great deal you can learn on the erg that will help you later if you try rowing outdoors. Your introductory class may be set up and conducted with that in mind so that what you learn indoors in January helps you when you first get in a boat in the spring or summer.
Intermediate classes can help you improve your rowing in a number of ways. Whereas the introductory classes probably did not show you ways to row harder, an intermediate class may be designed to help you understand how the same rowing that offers you a tool for basic fitness can be used to improve your fitness. The process of working harder also creates a very useful dynamic for improving your technique. The reason is simple: As we work harder, errors become evident that may not show up when 'paddling' lightly or rowing easily. For example, as you row harder, small muscles will tend to tighten up and tire before the larger muscle groups. That leads to technique problems that become more evident in an intermediate context. Once they are more obvious, it is easier to work on them and correct them. And by correcting them you enhance your ability to get better exercise comfortably.
An intermediate class may also provide more guidance on using the erg monitor, clock, your pulse and other forms of input to guide and/or track your workout. While the beginner class may not result in your breathing much more deeply and becoming winded, an intermediate class ought to give you that opportunity to learn more about the boundaries of your comfort level using your breathing. You may even do some baseline pieces of different distances or times to set you up for personal record keeping. Learning to use additional training tools will enrich your experience.
Advanced erg classes will likely be focused on training for competition or for more enhanced fitness improvement. You will always return to the use of good technique. However, your time will be spent mostly on tools you can use to improve your performance during practice so that you can maximize your performance in a race or to meet a goal. Training regimens can vary with your personal choices, but understanding and trying different workouts can give you tools you can use on your own. This can be useful even if you do not intend to race; the same range of workout options can enhance your enjoyment of rowing for health, general fitness and longevity.
Ron no longer takes rowing classes. He has taught many himself to adults and juniors, both on the water and indoors. He is more likely to discuss rowing technique and training choices with fellow competitors in order to add to the continual improvement he applies to his year-round training regimen.
Mel has never rowed. She can act on her New Year's resolution by signing up for an introductory rowing class. This year, one of the local rowing associations is holding classes at the downtown YWCA.
Andie has taken learn-to-row classes in the past and has a late-winter ski vacation planned up north where the snow will be reliable, she hopes, for cross-country skiing. She checks the local listings and signs up for an intermediate rowing class just to see what she can learn and to take a break from the Yoga and Pilates classes she has attended during the last several months.
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
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Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
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Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
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Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
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Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
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Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________
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Date, day, time, location: ____________________________________________________
Feeling of energy/health before: _______________ during: ______________ after: _____________
Challenges: ___________________________________________________________________
Max effort/breathing/pulse: ___________________________________________________
Core: _________________________________________________________________________
Stretching: ___________________________________________________________________
Successes: ____________________________________________________________________
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
Time/Distance/Totals, if any: _________________________________________________