Marlene Royle

Marlene Royle, who has won national titles in rowing and sculling, is the author of Tip of the Blade: Notes on Rowing. She has coached at Boston University, the Craftsbury Sculling Center, and the Florida Rowing Center. Her Roylerow Performance Training Programs provides coaching for masters rowers. Email Marlene at roylerow@aol.com or visit www.roylerow.com.

Preparing for Your Peak Event

Jitters creep in before a championship, so best not to rely on memory—it’s easy to overlook an important detail.

Beefing Up Your Flexors and Extensors

Tendon strength develops more gradually than muscle, so proactive attention to the hand and forearm muscles helps ward off potential tendinitis in your wrist and elbow.
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The Stages of Effective Practices

Begin with a warm-up, proceed to the main workout, follow with a cool-down, and conclude with flexibility exercises.

Prepping for Fall Head Races

Train for event-specific conditions. Besides endurance work and distance trials, be prepared for the climate in which you’re racing, especially if it’s different from the one at home.

Stepping Up Your Fitness

Develop your pedestrian habits by commuting on foot, hoofing it to stores instead of driving, striding up the stairs, or strolling during phone calls.

Work Load

Rowers must deal with two kinds of training loads—external and internal—and a coach’s job is to monitor how they respond.

Practicing for Progress

Distance or time with an unlocked rating can be used to practice your race plan. Row through the details of your race to tune your mental discipline and track improvement.

Training to Fight Fatigue

Maximal strength training develops endurance because increased muscle strength means muscle fibers are worked at a lower percentage of their maximum load.

Assessing Fatigue Resistance

The ability to produce hard effort in the late stage of a race or regatta is another way to identify the potential for success.

Rowing in Rough Water

Loose shoulders let the arms absorb hitting the top of a wave, catching an edge, or adjusting the blade height on the recovery when rowing in rough water.

Training: On the Ball

Try these ball exercises to develop balance and strength on land that you can transfer to the water.

The Proper Mindset

You have the power to silence negative thoughts. The butterflies you feel in your gut are a sign you’re ready to go.

Schooled in Sculling

Skills developed through small-boat sculling, experimentation, and play are transferable to a sweep boat.

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