Strength and power are common terms in sport, but what are they and how do they apply to rowing?
Think of someone in the gym doing a back squat with heavy weight (e.g. 100kg including the bar). This rower is working on their strength profile with the goal of increasing the maximum amount of force they can generate. The most common traits of strength work are that these lifts involve multiple joints, are very heavy, and the athlete is moving the weight slowly – but with maximum intent.
In comparison, the same athlete completing a barbell push press (40kg including the bar) is able to move the bar quicker. Typical traits or characteristics of power exercises include, but are not limited to, multi-joint exercises, lighter weights, fast movements, and maximum intent. The speed of the movement, and the force being produced are important because Power = Force x Velocity. Strength work helps increase our capacity for more force. However, an athlete does not necessarily need to increase their strength capacity to become more powerful, but doing so does give him/her an advantage over the athlete without strength training. The graph below shows the relationship between force (or strength) and velocity and the different traits we can emphasize in our athletes.
Nice graph but how does this translate to rowing on the water? Season duration, will limit the timeframe to develop the required traits to maximise your average power output when racing. We want to be fast off the start and to maintain a high force output for each stroke as we race to the finish line. If we only have good strength and poor power, we might be slow off the start can fight to take the win. On the other had, if we only have good power and poor strength, we would be very quick off the start but would have to fight to maintain the lead compared. A rower who has developed strength and power characteristics will be harder to beat.
Overall we need to make time to program for strength development and power development. Of course, its not easy to do both at the same time since they both have an associated cost the body has to pay (fatigue, muscle soreness etc.). As one of my athletes I’ll strategically plan the ratio of cardio, strength, and power sessions throughout the season to help you be the best athlete through all phases of the race, and subsequently number one on the podium. If you are looking to translate strength and power to performance on the water, have a look at my Rowing Coaching page and reach out to discuss how I can help.