HANDY HINTS TO HELP GET FIT FOR ROWING AND REDUCE LOW BACK PAIN PROBLEMS

Fantastic!! It's that time of year again, when Henley Royal Regatta gets underway and crews from around the world descend on Henley to compete for a coveted plate or cup.

Every year bar about 2 since I was 16 I have made my annual 'pilgrimage' to Henley, a great opportunity to get dressed up - knees just covered!, gather a picnic and a couple of bottles of pimms and head off to meet my uni friends for an afternoon by the river, the occasional race watching and lots of chat. A day not to be missed.

But for many this week is all about the rowing and winning. Its a day of seeing all the months, sometimes years, of intense training, fitness and skill come together to seek victory. Aspiring Redgraves battling it out to the bitter end before collapsing in a heap of exhaustion.

Now if like me you've always wanted to to have a go at rowing but considered yourself an unlikely candidate......



....trust me, find a rowing club and have a go!

Before I get too carried away encouraging people to start rowing I need to put in the physio advice bit...have a quick read through these handy hints which will hopefully help improve your performance and limit any potential problems. A varied training programme is important.
1. To ensure cardio vascular fitness - try running, rowing, cycling etc
2. For strength and endurance try lifting some weights both fixed and free - make sure all major muscle groups of your legs, bottom, arms, back and shoulders are considered
3 For flexibility make sure you stretch out all the groups of muscles you've worked especially hamstrings and calves, (see lower limb stretches on previous blog.) And finally
4. Make sure your core stability is good - maybe try pilates. (see previous blog for 'core' activation) This is essential to maintain your good posture and keep the boat well balanced

Add all these components to your training programme together with skill and practice and who knows what you might achieve. Henley next year?

And just one final thing before I forget. In my experience of treating rowers the main complaint they come to physio for is low back pain. Watching the rowing stroke in this group of people has shown a reduction in low back curve with the rock over, most likely due to tight hamstrings, which in turn overstrains the low back muscles and other structures of the low back leading to pain. Practising your rock over on the ergo slowly is helpful to minimise this problem.