Get Fit To Row….. Join The Crew

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:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/143-a-visit-to-the-pyramids

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?

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.

Thinking sideways a bit, Micheal Jordan has plenty of power, I recently watch the last dance series on Netfilx which featured Micheal Jordan, in one episode they focused on the moment when Micheal realised the power of a team, rather than the power of his own talent. When he did start operating in and with the team he became greater and so did the team.

It’s quite a weird experience in rowing bringing together a group of individuals together to make a boat go faster, sometimes it works well and sometimes a boat never gets to the speed you’d think it could get to.

It’s because you have to think and feel like a team.

Here’s today’s podcast:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/142-one-last-dance

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?

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:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/141-world-class-basics

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:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/140-get-fit-simple

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.

Here’s today’s podcast:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/139-feet-up-thinking-fast-hand-moves

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?

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:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/138-feet-up-thinking-day-2-steve-redgrave

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?

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:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/135-jumping-out-of-the-boat

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?

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:

https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/dancarter

Here’s today’s podcast:

https://www.getfittorow.com/get-fit-to-row-podcast/134-staying-in-the-game

What about your fitness and rowing, are you ready to get started?