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Do you know where your optimum level is between under
& overtraining?
The goal of training is to make the heart more efficient and increase its power output.
A
special Rowperfect feature for monitoring progress is the Performance Factor. If a heart rate monitor is installed, the system uses the heart rate and the power generated by the rower to calculate the energy dissipated per
heartbeat (Performance Factor).
The performance factor is a very powerful tool for optimising the performance of a rower and a crew. Like an engine, a rower has a certain combination of work per stroke and stroke rate where his body works at its highest efficiency. At too heavy a gearing, the rower will not be able to exhaust himself, because his muscles give up prematurely, and at too light a gearing the rower cannot use the force of his muscles to their full extent. His optimal performance lies somewhere in between.
From our experience we know that the loss in performance of a rower or crew, when not geared correctly, may be as high as 10% of his or her power output. To obtain the best possible performance, it is therefore of prime importance to determine the optimal gearing/stroke rate combination for a rower and a crew.
This can be done most efficiently on the Rowperfect, by measuring the power output / stroke rate relation at various levels of gearing, and optimising for maximum performance factor, subsequently transferring the same
"feel" of gearing to the boat.
So, are all heart rate monitors the same?
No, the Rowperfect can very accurately predict heart rate training zones for
on-water sessions—yet another advantage that the co-ordination pattern used is the same as the boat. However heart rate determined on a single action machine may be quite different to on-water due to the different
muscles used.
Heart monitoring also provides an early warning system for health problems or over-training. An example thereof is given in the graph below.
Bilateral Deficits – A Story of Unequal Halves
A Bilateral Deficit is simply unequal strength or coordination of opposite limbs. We nearly all have one arm stronger than the other and we
know which one. What we often don’t now is that the same may be true for our legs and trunk – we use our legs unequally, perhaps stand unequally as a result, leading to lower back and other postural problems over time.
By rowing using ONE LEG AT A TIME (with the other foot resting on the floor) in combination with the Rowperfect Interface and qualified supervision, Bilateral Deficits can be identified and corrected. The implications for those
with back pain or postural problems may be highly significant.
Recovery after Injury/Surgery
This same unique Rowperfect feature
– the ability to row one legged – has been successfully used by those recovering after injury or surgery to one leg, keeping the uninjured leg strong. Remarkably, even the injured leg benefits – maintaining strength in one limb
actually results in nerve stimulation of its pair, a phenomenon known as cross-education.
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