Team GB: Strength training for rowing

Core stability: The plank

Core stability is really important for applying your power correctly during the stroke and for preventing injuries. One of the hardest exercises we do is the plank.

Once you’re warmed up, lie on your front and lift yourself on to your forearms and toes. Keep your back flat and your hips and neck aligned with your spine. Engage your lower abs and switch off your hamstrings to keep your body in line.

Recommended routine: Hold for 3 x 20 seconds, gradually building up to a full minute as you improve (see page 26 for Swiss ball variation).

Endurance: Skipping

I love the endurance circuits: two minutes of flat-out effort on each exercise and then you’re straight on to a completely different one. For each of the 20 exercises you record how many reps you complete. Our blood is tested for lactic acid to see how hard we’re pushing ourselves too.

One of the most challenging exercises in the circuit is skipping. If you’re starting to skip for the first time, bear in mind that it can take a lot of co-ordination and patience to synchronise your jump over the rope. Make sure you have the right length rope and that the ceiling is high enough.

Recommended routine: Aim to start with 5 x 30 seconds skipping and build up towards 5 x one minute over two to four weeks. Ideally, you will eventually combine your skipping with other endurance activities.

Weight-lifting: The power clean

The most important lift for us is the power clean, because it’s the closest to a rowing stroke. When you address the bar, you’re in a position very similar to the beginning of a rowing stroke sequence – squatting down with straight arms, keeping the chest upright and your posture neutral. The same is true of the drive phase, where you’re using the big muscles in your back and bottom to get the oar moving.

Recommended routine:

Getting the right technique for cleans requires time; you should seek expert advice before lifting any weights. However, it is possible to practise the move without a bar. Use the same principles as you would for a rowing stroke. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat as if you are sitting on a chair. Your hands should hold an imaginary bar around your shins. Keeping your back flat, stand up slowly – then repeat several times.

‘Get into some Lycra’ … essential gear for rowers

Jessica Eddie reveals what’s in her kit bag …

My Bolle Edge sunglasses are one of my most important bits of rowing gear. On the water, whatever the weather, it always seems to be really bright. My sunglasses have got great anti-glare lenses and they don’t fog up. The anti-glare Adidas sunglasses we got in Beijing were great too.

If you’re serious about rowing, then you’ve got to get into some tight-fitting Lycra. The basic piece of kit is an all-in-one, or rowing suit, with the singlet and thigh-length shorts joined together. Comfort, especially when you’re doing lots of kilometres, is essential. We use JL sports (crewroom.biz; pictured). The seams are all in the right places to prevent rubbing.

Usually I wear a breathable T-shirt, and long-sleeved shirt underneath my all-in-one. For the Olympics, Adidas’ Climacool range under my rowing suit felt comfortable even though it was boiling hot.

In the winter, generally you’ll need a pair of leggings and a gilet to keep you warm. Again, my gilet comes from JL (pictured). It’s fleecy on the inside and waterproof on the outside and it’s reasonably close-fitting too. Sometimes, if it’s raining and cold I’ll wear a light and breathable waterproof top

It’s a good bet you’ll be wading in the river to put the boat in, so a pair of flip-flops is also essential.

Zinc oxide tape is in everybody’s kit bag to help protect fingers and hands when they get blisters. When they do happen, Sudocrem is a real life-saver.

Finally, my Casio watch tells me when I’ve done 100 minutes of training and it’s time to stop.

At the age of 24, Jessica Eddie is already part way towards achieving her ambition of being the world’s best oarswoman. She has a world bronze medal to her name and was in the British eight that finished fifth in Beijing. She’s known for her passion for the sport, which began at the age of eight.

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