Upper Body – FitandFunNow.com

Indoor rowing pro Graham Benton took over the British Rowing Instagram account to answer your questions hero__imageGraham Benton competing at BRIC 2016 (Naomi Baker) Indoor rowing pro Graham Benton answered all your indoor rowing questions from race day tips to over-training. Here are some highlights: Training Is steady state the best way to get faster? “I believe so. Obviously not just steady state but I reckon 80% of my training is rate 18-20. I do less these days as I do less training overall so I need to work a bit harder but building an aerobic capacity is key.” What heart rate do you do steady state rowing at? “It drifts up gradually but most of my training is sub-160. I don’t really do UT2 anymore.” What’s your go to steady state session? “12k -16k at stroke rate 18.” Best strength movements for indoor rowing? “Squat, deadlift, power clean, bent-over row, SLDL, compound work.” Favourite interval workout? “Four by 750m with three minutes rest.” How do you know when you’re over-training? “My sleep becomes really broken. Definitely as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised how important it is.” Favourite 2,000m song? “Voodoo people (Pendulum mix) by The Prodigy.” Average stroke rate for a 5,000m? “28-30 now but it used to be 24-26.” What’s a good race plan for 6,000m? “5,000m and 6,000m are all about rhythm and rate. Try and settle into pace quickly and keep the rate lively to make it feel light. You can bring the split down a good chunk in the last 500m if you have something left. Know your target split and stick to it but rate a couple higher than you would naturally for that split.” How many calories do you eat a day? “4,000 approximately.” What drag factor do you use? “132 for everything.” Racing Best race plan for 500m? “Absolutely flat out followed by going almost flat out and trying not to fade too much in the last 100m. But Phil Clapp is the man to ask.” Check out Phil’s sprint rowing tips here. Best session for gauging where to sit for a 2,000m? “Four by 750m with three minutes rest. Will be about 2,000m pace but try and row them consistently. Quality and pace not fly and die.” How do you deal with pre-2,000m nerves? “Pretty badly actually. The fear starts days before and only goes away when I see ‘row’ on the monitor. I try to distract myself and focus on quality sessions to build confidence.” What does your typical 2,000m warm up look like? “Ten minutes in total, including three short sprints that get faster each time.” Best racing start for a 2,000m? “I go absolutely flat out for seven strokes then try to settle into my target split. Strokes two to five will be shorter slide.” What’s the best pacing for a 2,000m? “Fairly flat. Hard start, then your target split until 750m to go. Then bring it down.” Is it silly to enter both the 2,000m and 500m at BRIC? Should I focus on one distance? “If the 500m is your focus then yes but if the 2,000m is your main focus then why not?”

Graham Benton answers your indoor rowing questions

11/28/2018 Tony

Indoor rowing pro Graham Benton took over the British Rowing Instagram account to answer your questions. Graham Benton competing at BRIC 2016 (Naomi Baker) Indoor

Finland’s Joel Naukkarinen Indoor Rowing World Record

11/26/2018 Tony

Joel Naukkarinen rowed 100km in 6h 6min (1:49.8 split). Height / Weight: 1.87 m / 91 Kg Birthday: March 30, 1993 Kouvola Place of residence:

The Art of Recovery: Part I

10/16/2018 Tony

“…to recover you should drink till you pee clear… After sessions, I usually aim to have a quickly digested protein such as a good whey protein

Sarah Gibbs: High Rate Training Before British Rowing Indoor Championships (BRIC)

10/14/2018 Tony

“A good 2km stroke rate would be over 30, mine is around 32-33 and to be able to pull that stroke rate for 6-8 mins

My 10Km Workout on a Concept 2 Indoor Rower

10/02/2018 Tony

Today I did 5 sessions of approx 2 Km per session totaling 10,05 Km. I felt almost as bad as the guy on the photo.

Concept 2 Performance Monitor Basics

10/02/2018 Tony

RVA Performance Training: Home of CrossFit RVA By Cassi Niemann, UCanRow1 Master Instructor PM = Performance Monitor Two very important parameters: split and stroke rate