Strength Coach Roundtable #14: Core Training for Rowing

We bring in special guest Dr. Fiona Wilson for this episode to discuss core training for rowing. Dr. Wilson is a rower, physiotherapist, academic researcher and professor at Trinity College of Dublin, and part of World Rowing’s expert panel for the Low Back Pain Clinical Pathway project debuting in 2019. In this hour-long episode, we clear up what exactly IS “the core,” what is the importance of the core for rowing performance, how to train the core for better performance and reduced risk of injury, and things that rowing and strength coaches should stop and start doing in their rowers’ training.

Hear it also on Soundcloud and iTunes

• 0:00: Introductions
  • Will Ruth: RowingStronger.com, @StrengthCoachWill, @willruth335
  • Dr. Fiona Wilson: @FionaWilsonf
    • World Rowing Article: “Updating Low Back Pain Understanding”
• 3:50: Defining “the core”

  

• 9:20: How does the core contribute to rowing performance?
  • Combination of propulsive power and force transfer
  • The “C-Curve spine position”
• 17:12: What is the relationship of the core and rowing injuries?
  • “The Research on Low Back Pain and Rib Stress Injuries in Rowing”
• 29:00: Core training philosophy for a healthy athlete
  • Dissociate hip and trunk. Move through hip ROM with stable trunk.
  • Specific exercises (note: Dr. Wilson is filming these and will update when available)
    • Four point kneeling (hip ROM)
    • Squat from low box (catch emphasis)
    • Tall sitting (release emphasis)
    • Advanced core training examples
• 43:45: Changing approach for rehab
  • Go back to basics, fill in missing gaps
• 45:20: What should rowing/strength coaches STOP doing, or do less of?
  • Longer planks, or why are you doing them?
  • On the water and on the gym, more trunk endurance work
  • Work without focusing on movement quality and pelvic position
• What should rowing/strength coaches START doing, or do more of?
  • Trunk extensor endurance work
  • Connect core training to rowing movements, don’t just train one element or train movements in sloppy fashion
  • Higher rep deep squats with careful attention to technique
  • “Mastering the Hip Hinge for Rowing”
• World Rowing Low Back Pain Pathway
  • Results coming in 2019!

Thanks for listening! If you have a question or comment, please leave it below and we’ll respond. Until our next episode, you can listen to all of our old ones here on Rowing Chat archives.