Rowing to supplement CJP

Training and Performance Fundamentals
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Hi, I have a Waterrower not one of those fancy Concept 2’s with power. I prefer the whoosh of the water and have zero interest in power readings from the rower.

I am on a coach jack plant, 12 hours of riding and as it progresses it will hit 15hrs a week beforen the Majorca 312.

The reason for posting is to get some sense of the negatives and positives for adding rowing during the week. At 62y of age i do regular though not too challending glute (almost daily) leg strength (1/2 squats) and some upper body work. The latter comprises hanging from a bar for a minute very day, chest press, pull ups, and some rotational band work to develop strength and counter the forces we encounter when riding our bikes.

So, the rowing. I have learnt decent technique to protect my knee. I am ACL deficent in the right knee which basically means no ACl, and a repaired meniscus.

What will rowing add to all the above? Overall resilience/strength? Will it add anything to my endurance on the bike? Is it perhaps more likley to add fatigue if i say row more than 30 minutes? Could it replace the 1h recovery ride i get on mondays? Is that time better spent on the bike?

I see that rowing erg is part of TD so i am hoping for some knowledgeable guidance!

Thanks

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Hi Bobinski,

What a great post. You are taking care of yourself, and you want to know if rowing adds anything.

Let me start by giving you the credit you deserve: your approach is very good. You are not just training on the bike, but you are doing more to stay healthy and maintain your overall fitness. Keep that up.

At the same time, you wonder if rowing ads anything and if you can swap it for your recovery ride.

The big question is: what is more important to you?
Overall health or pure cycling performance?

If you look at it from a cycling performance point of view, I would say that you are doing enough strength training, and there is no need to do anything else. A recovery ride on the bike would probably be more efficient. You are focussing on the right muscles to recover, and there is no chance of extra stress from another movement, like using your arms more than on the bike.

Looking at this from the health perspective, I say it is a great way to increase the diversity of mobility while recovering from all the work you have done in the previous days.

Basically, there is no difference in what you do during a recovery ride. You can go for a swim, ride your bike, take a walk, etc.
Of course, when you start a new activity, you need to build up strength and stamina for that particular activity, but once you get to a basic level, it really doesn’t matter.

Sometimes, a different activity can even be more beneficial. For instance, riding your bike stiffens your back or shoulder muscles. In that case, I would recommend going swimming or rowing so these muscles are stretched and the metabolism inside these muscles is stimulated to help recover.

Finally, it can be really refreshing for the mind to do something else.

Listen to your body, your mind, and your ambition, and decide how you want to spend your recovery time.

Have fun, Coach Robert

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Robert,

Thank you for your kind words and helpful response.

I will try rowing instead of the Monday recovery ride. The latter varies between 45 and 60 minutes. I have often rowed for an hour. I may start with 30-45 minutes though unless consensus is stick to the recovery time ride equivalent time.

One further question. Normally i wouldn’t do a leg workout after a recovery ride, but I am wondering if there might be some value doing post row because of the different muscle groups used? eg. full leg extension. What do you think?

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You’re welcome.

you have a good base in rowing so, there is no problem with the recovery time on the row ergometer.
There is no point in doing extra work on a recovery day.

In the end, you can train all day, every day, as long as you start your workout fit. The working out part of a training schedule is overrated. The resting and recovery part of that schedule defines how much work you can do and, therefore, how much progress you can make.

So relax and take time to recover.

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