Thinking of Being A Rower - What Body Do You Need?
If you were paying attention you would see that the structure of a rowers body has seen changes over the years. There was nothing out of the ordinary in rowers of late, there bodies where reasonably lean and had no more height than the average man. In the new era of rowing, rowers can be seen with bodies that are superior in sheer size and more developed pivotal areas. Put simply, they have been optimised for the art of rowing; they are handpicked based on genetics and their diets and exercise routines are aimed at sculpting the perfect rowing machine. An ideal rowing body is what then?
Firstly rowers are tall, men often reaching above 6’5” and woman above 6’0”. What this essentially means is that their pull distance is more than most peoples and the forces that can be generated increase proportionally. A rower’s legs are incredibly strong; they do a great deal of work in the gym, often squatting their own body weight repeatedly. Powerful legs are called upon at the start of the race when movement generation is the goal but they are in use throughout the whole race so need to be able to sustain their work rate. Next time you are at the Henley Regatta Hospitality take a look at the legs of the rowers when they are pulling away from the start. You can witness the immense strength of the legs, which will shudder and strain. This is a force that most people could not withstand.
Another element of a rower that is incredibly strong is the back. It is common for rowers to suffer from problems associated with poor posture but whilst they may not be great on land they are perfectly adapted to moving a rowing boat. Huge power can be cleaved from the back of a rower as they are well developed and rounded at the top. This not only provides explosive power but the development allows sustained work also. Surprisingly rowers have a large amount of slow-twitch fibres in their key areas as well, which is something more often linked to sportspeople who take part in longer endurance events. This means they are able to sustain their activity for longer durations and can mean the difference between first or last place in the common long races. A lot of corporate hospitality events are long distance and you’ll see these are often suited to slightly body types. However, rowers also need high-end strength for the fast and powerful movement they perform and so they can equally be found with lots of fast-twtich fibres.
Tags: events, Henley, Henley Regatta, River, Rowing
