Wednesday Links

Some interesting links from around the web today:


Danish lwt junior breaks world record

You might have seen this, but I had to post it. Absolutely amazing. What an amazing aerobic system.

Fight in the Dog on Static vs Dynamic Ergs

There continues to be much discussion around the web on static vs. dynamic ergs. This summarizes one view and links to others. One thing that does stand out to me is the concern that too many athletes and coaches set their C2s on too heavy a damper setting. I was once told that Derek Porter (CAN) occasionally trained with a towel over the flywheel to lower the resistance to virtually nil. Can't substantiate that but it is interesting.

HBS Cases: When Good Teams Go Bad

The Harvard Business School is famous for the case study method in their courses. They have adapted a true rowing story for a case study on teamwork in the workplace.

Drew Ginn's Blog

I've become a fan recently of Drew's work. Here are his two most recent posts:

Podcast interview with Chris O'Brien , head rowing coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport and Coach of the Australia Mens Pair.

Drew's unique perspective on preparing for a 6km test


Spilling the Beans Coffee Pros and Cons

I think we've published more than enough recently on caffeine and exercise so I won't comment - but there is a good deal of material in this article from MSN Health.


via Revolution HEalth Research from Dr. Aditya Bardia of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota and colleagues. Research showing exercise has a significant role to play in preventing breast cancer.

Highlights:

"Getting plenty of recreational activity may reduce women's risk of developing breast cancer after menopause, and exercise appears to have the most powerful preventive effect on the most aggressive type of tumor."

"Overall, the researchers found, the most active women had a 14 percent lower risk of breast cancer, while their risk of developing tumors carrying estrogen receptors only was 33 percent lower."

Exercise Has No Impact on Knee Osteoarthritis

Many athletes turn to rowing when their knees prevent them from running any longer. But what if you are worried that rowing might impact developing arthritis?

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Rowing Science Archives - The Interviews

Many of you are new to the Rowing Science Site and have missed several interesting posts. One highlight has been the kindness of several people to do interviews with us exclusively for our readers. If you didn't see them the first time, consider taking a look at some of these which have been amongst our most popular posts:

Dr. Stephen Seiler Weighs in on Lance Armstrong as a Rower

Interview with Dr. Valery Kleshnev of the Biomechanics Newsletter

Exclusive Interview with Concept 2 about the Model E Ergometer

Garmin Interview about GPS and Rowing

Interview with Rowing Physiologist Dr. Fred Hagerman

New Site for Rowers - Ergscores.com - Interview with Jeff Wagner

Interview with Peter Dreissigacker Podcast - actually from powertwenty.com

More on 8 Second Intervals for Fat Loss

The "Oartec" Is it a better Erg?

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The "Oartec" Is it a better Erg?

Years ago rowers had a dryland option for sweeping that didn't require an expensive tank to be installed. Along came the Concept Ergometer and the world made a move to a (near) standard indoor trainer - apologies to RowPerfect -(see Xeno's blog for more) and others who struggle to build a better erg. Today we enjoy fairly easy comparisons physically between athletes around the world, but one of the major criticisms of these machines is the inability to train proper technique.

It was interesting to come upon the "OarTec" the other day which seemed to be trying to add proper sculling and sweeping technique to a machine that otherwise bears a resemblance to the Concept II machine. I got in touch with the developer, Matt Roach, and he kindly offered to answer a few questions. He has also promised to send me some photos and video of the Oartec in action so stay tuned for more.

_______

Matt Roach of Oartec in Australia has kindly agreed to an interview for Rowing Science. In addition to developing hte OarTec, Matt is a former Australian International who now coaches at the Sydney Grammer School in Australia. Matt, thanks for doing this. I have to admit, I only recently learned of the Oartec...how long have you been in business? How did you get started?

The Oartec was launched in Australia in January 07 so we are right at the beginning of introducing this new and unique rowing machine to the rowing market. Our office and main factory is located in Sydney, Australia.

I started by working through some ideas and concepts with a fellow coaching colleague in his garage. Early prototypes were built using a combination of available rowing boat parts such as oars, riggers, seats and feet and rowing machine parts such as flywheels and seat rails. I then teamed up with an industrial designer and engineer to solve some of the design issues and to evolve the Oartec into what it is today.

Can you tell us a little about the simulator? The similarities, and the differences from the Concept II seem quite apparent in the photos. Do you see it as a replacement for the CII, or an addition?

The Oartec has been designed primarily for rowing clubs, schools, universities and elite rowing programs as a training tool to help rowers improve and practice correct rowing technique. Coaches can use this machine to teach beginners the rowing basics, demonstrate a preferred style of rowing, or help with the identification of individual faults and the process of correcting them. As a training substitute we believe that the Oartec adds better value to indoor rowing training by accurately replicating the actual rowing strokes of sweep and sculling.

We see the Oartec complimenting any rowing program and happily sitting alongside the Concept 2 in the boathouse. The Oartec has been specifically designed to be a rowing simulator as opposed to just another ergometer and is therefore a very different machine to the Concept 2 in design, capabilities and benefits. Ultimately it will be up to the rowers and coaches to determine how best to utilize the Oartec for their training and coaching needs and we can only hope that the Oartec becomes as an essential piece of rowing equipment as the Concept 2.

Is there any way to describe the feeling on your simulator, for those used to other ergs?

We worked very hard to make the Oartec feel as smooth and comfortable to row as possible. It was important to get a good feel at the catch with a quick pick up and a strong finish at the end of the stroke. To achieve this we tested a number of different flywheel types experimenting with blade size and shapes, overall weight and housings to get the right feel and range of adjustable resistance that suits both sweep and sculling.

Feedback from all that have rowed it, from Olympians to beginners, say that it has a natural and realistic feel and doesn’t feel much different to real rowing. The resistance is consistent throughout the stroke and responds well to the application of power or rate.

Assuming you see it as replacing many of the CII functions - how do you as a coach justify replacing the CIIs in your boathouse when so many programs select athletes based on this almost universal tool? Even if you have an amazing product - how will you fight the near-monopoly of CII?

As a coach you are always on the lookout for new coaching techniques or equipment that can help make your crews go faster on the water, or that can make training more effective and enjoyable. Our aim is to provide an indoor rowing machine with the capability to simulate the actual rowing strokes of sweep and sculling for the benefit of rowing programs worldwide. It is not our claim to be a replacement for the Concept 2 or to necessarily be in the gyms or general fitness market, but more so for the Oartec to be used as an effective tool to help rowers and coaches in their pursuit of better rowing.

Obviously, as the C2 is so well established as the worldwide testing benchmark for rowers, there would have to be a very convincing argument to change the status quo. We believe the Oartec has the potential to have a role in the selection of athletes because of the ability to evaluate sweep and sculling technical performance as well as the score, but one mountain at a time.

How is it fitting into your school program? Are you seeing technique benefits?

The Oartec is used regularly across all age groups and crew levels in the school program. In Australia, the first two seasons of school rowing are in sculling boats (quads) and the Oartec is great to use to teach the beginners the sculling basics such as the coordination of the crossover, hand grips and feathering as well as introducing the rowing terminology before they get on the water for the first time. We found this greatly reduces the time it takes to grasp the complexities of sculling in a crew boat and makes the job of coaching beginners how to row a little easier. In the third season they switch to sweep rowing and we use the machine to teach the principles of sweep technique and to help determine the rower’s preferred or natural side.

The main use for the Oartec in our program is for coaching and improving technique where changes can be made and understood almost immediately. The coach can get straight to the problem and quickly show where improvements are necessary. The design of the Oartec gives direct access to the rower from any angle and allows the coach to use a hands on approach to reposition or isolate the rower’s movements without hindering the stroke. We also use video cameras to show live footage to the rower by connecting the camera to a television and placing in front of the machine for instant feedback and visual references.

The Oartec has now become a vital piece of equipment in our rowing program and the benefits are now being seen in better rowing and coaching techniques.

The proper sculling technique looks like a real bonus. Can you address concerns people might have about injuries from even more asymmetrical sweeping now that you have brought it onto dry land?

In Australia, the first two years of sculling at school level is to allow the symmetrical development of the body at a young age in response to arguments that rowing sweep too early promotes unbalanced muscle development and is the possible cause of future complications such as back injuries and poor flexibility. This argument is now widely accepted although many still have concerns about rowing the same sweep side for consecutive seasons thereafter.

This is where the versatility of the Oartec can be best utilized. The fact that you can practice sweep rowing by yourself and not need a crew is a huge bonus. The Oartec can be used to compensate for the lack of time on the opposite side and because it is stable and comfortable to row, it is easier to build competence, confidence and strength on the other side. At the same time, rowers can also improve their chances for selection by becoming proficient on both sweep sides, and even better still, use the sculling to develop skills, symmetrical strength, coordination and flexibility.

Is it available in North America yet? or anywhere outside Australia? If so, how would someone get one?

We will be expanding our distribution network to North America, UK and Europe soon but in the meantime will ship direct to the customer from Australia on an individual basis. We plan to be exhibiting at some major European and North American regattas throughout the year. If people are interested to purchase or would like some more information they can contact me at info@oartec.com.au

Thank you for taking the time for our readers Matt. We all look forward to seeing more of the OarTec.

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More on 8 Second Intervals for Fat Loss

A few days ago I posted about the newspaper article out about studies underway in Australia on using intervals - of only 8 seconds in duration - for maximum fat loss. I contacted one of the authors of the study for more information and he sent along the following. As you can see from the protocol the newspaper headline does make it seem a bit too good to be true...the real workout is 8 seconds high intensity, followed by 12 seconds virtually resting...repeated 60 times. This would be a very intense workout indeed! Any volunteers to give it a go on the erg and send us your comments?

____

Below is a summary and overview of the 8-second fat loss study, the FEM trial, and the Optimal Fat Loss program at UNSW

Steve Boutcher PhD, FACSM

Director of Fat Loss Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW 28/1/2007


1. 8-second fat loss study. Forty five women aged 20 years with a BMI of 23.5 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to a high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) condition, a steady state exercise (SSE) condition, or a control condition. Body fat was assessed by DEXA, pre and post after the 15 week program. Blood was taken before and after to examine possible changes in cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, insulin, c-reactive protein, glucose, adiponectin, leptin, and cortisol. The HIIE program consisted of an 8-second sprint immediately followed by 12 seconds as slow as possible pedaling. Women performed this continuously so that they completed 60 sprints in the 20-minute exercise bout. There were three exercise sessions per week; 45 overall. Women started the HIIE condition for only 5 minutes the first week and then built up the number of minutes and intensity of sprint. Intensity was assessed through a maximal oxygen uptake test performed previously so that the workload at an respiratory exchange ratio (RER) of .93 was used for each individual woman. This equated to about 90% of flat out sprinting for most women. All women were completing the 20 minutes of HIIE within 6 sessions (2 weeks). Most women performed at a pedaling rate of 100-120 at a resistance of .5 to 1 kg. The SSE consisted of three 40-minute continuous stationary bike exercise at 60% of peak oxygen uptake. Both conditions had a 5-minute warm-up and a 5-minute cool-down. RESULTS: SSE women increased body fat slightly by .5 kg whereas HIIE lost 2.5 kg. The women who lost the least fat in the HIIE group were the leanest with an average BMI of below 20 kg/m2. When these women were removed average fat lost for the rest of the women was 3.9 kg. Two women in the group lost between 8-9 kg of fat. The fat loss in the HIIE was disproportionate with the women losing more fat off their legs than their arms. HIIE women also lost significant fat from their abdomen which suggests that this type of exercise may be particularly successful with men. HIIE women decreased fasting insulin by 31% and SSE women by 8%. Both exercise groups increased their aerobic fitness; the SSE by 19%, and surprisingly, the HIIE group by 26%. Blood lipids did not change (all were normal at pretest) and we haven’t finished analyzing other blood variables yet. In summary, HIIE women lost about three times more fat doing about half the exercise. HIIE also had a dramatic effect on fasting insulin levels. This research was one study in Gail Trapp’s PhD program recently completed at UNSW. If you are considering trying this type of program it would be beneficial to touch bases with an accredited EP (Exercise Physiologist) to check out your suitability. You should also check it out with your GP if you have any risk factors (e.g., on any medication) or health problems.


Co-researchers in the fat loss research program are: Gail Trapp: PhD UNSW; Sarah Dien: PhD candidate UNSW; Professor Don Chisholm: Garvan Institute; Judy Freund: St Vincents Hospital


2. The FEM Trial: HIIE is only one important component of an optimal fat loss program. In three weeks time we are starting the FEM trial which represents Fish oils, Exercise, and a Mediterranean diet. We believe this combination will have a significantly greater effect on fat loss and metabolic stability than HIIE alone. One hundred women will undertake a 12-week program consisting of supervised HIIE, fish oil supplement, and a Mediterranean diet at UNSW. We plan to start another FEM trial later this year focusing on obese children. Thus, the plan is to undertake a 12-week “kickstart” program to normalize women’s body weight and metabolism in as brief a time as possible. This is Phase 1 of the optimal fat loss program. Phase II of the program will be continuation of the diet and fish oil with the HIIE and other exercises being home based. If you are female and aged between 18 and 30 years and have a BMI of over 25 kg/m2 you may be eligible for this trial. If interested contact Sarah Dien who is the FEM trial coordinator:

office phone: 02 9385 8710; email: sarah.dien@unsw.student.edu.au


3. Optimal fat loss program at UNSW: based on our research we conduct optimal fat loss programs in the Lifestyle Clinic at UNSW. We believe that the optimal fat loss should be based around lifestyle change and the FEM components described above plus other components such as stress management and resistance exercise. The most important aspect of our approach is that there is no one perfect exercise or diet program for everyone. Thus, each fat loss program is personalized. This program offers a variety of options and clients can come under MediCare and certain private health funds. Clients can carry out supervised HIIE in the Clinic if they so choose. To find out more about the Clinic check out: www.lifestyleclinic.edu.au. To make an appointment ring: 02 9385 3352. If you have problems you can email me: s.boutcher@unsw.edu.au


4. barriers to fat loss: will you lose fat if you carry out a program as described above? Maybe, however, not all individuals will lose fat. Losing fat is not simply brought about by eating less and exercising more. We know this combination is not particularly successful. The design of fat loss programs should be based on an in-depth examination of many individual factors that may hinder or prevent the body from burning fat. For example, birth weight, muscle fibre type, mitochondrial inefficiency, inflammation status, free radical status, adipocyte and muscle cell insulin resistance, resting metabolic rate, virus history, quality of sleep, amount of daily stress, ethnicity, weight cycling history, and many more factors effect our ability to lose fat. These factors should be assessed by qualified individuals. Also many of the “facts” we hear about weight loss are myths. For example, the evidence is overwhelming that starvation diets make people fat and obese. They also bring about more lifestyle diseases such as heart disease. Another myth is that eating fat makes you fat or eating a low fat diet makes you thin. In our Mediterranean diet, clients typically will eat more fat and more calories. However, the “fats” are good fats called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which are found in fish and nuts. The most important message is to eat a lot of unprocessed foods such as fruits and vegetables. Don’t worry about having to learn to read food labels but eat foods that don’t have a label! In general, these foods contain a variety of “phytonutrients” which directly or indirectly turn on fat burning in fat cells. The data supporting the ability of the Mediterranean diet to lose weight and reduce heart and other disease is extremely strong. So people should not starve themselves but should eat unprocessed foods that excite fat burning. Processed foods, in general, produce the opposite effect by turning on fat storage. They also make many cells operate inefficiently resulting in overweight and problems such as high cholesterol levels. Fat loss programs are best done under the supervision of a team of professionals so that clients do not waste energy and money carrying out programs that will not work because their bodies have been programmed to store fat rather than to burn fat. Thus, we believe the key to fat loss is to adopt a way of life that allows your cells to burn fat.


5. more information in this area: our articles on sprinting fat loss are currently under journal review. When published they will be displayed on our website. Hopefully, within a month. The only other article, to our knowledge, directly on intermittent sprinting and fat loss is:

Tremblay, A. et al. (1994). Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism, 43, 814-818.

A really good book about metabolism and fat loss is:

Hyman, M. (2006). Ultra-metabolism. Schwartz Publishing. ISBN: 978 1 86395 318 4

“The key to fat loss is to adopt a lifestyle that allows fat cells to function as they were designed”

Good luck:

Steve Boutcher PhD, FACSM

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New Reader Poll!

It's been far too long since we presented a poll. We'd like you to share more about yourselves, the readers, with each other. Who are you? Please participate.

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Posting for 2K

Well, Xeno beat me to it! Last week I set in motion plans for a posting on pacing for 2000m - it is that time for year for ergattas after all. Well, today Xeno posted on the very subject. I'm a firm beliver in gathering information for as many places as you can so do go read his post.

What had I planned? Well, there is a great deal on the subject at the Concept II forums. Do have a look! When I did, I noted that Mike Caviston had already done an impressive amount of research on the subject. I couldn't imagine doing anything close to what Mike did, so I invited him to do a guest post for us and he has agreed! I hope that we can have this soon, but until then, give Mike's work a good read.

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BMI and Rowing

There was a post today over at Row2K of an article from a newspaper about the BMI or Body Mass Index. It mentioned rowing only briefly, referring to the GB 4+. The article was skewed to the viewpoint that the BMI is not a useful measure for athletes. That had generally always been my belief. Last year though, I had an opportunity to look at it differently and presented it in this post. I calculated BMIs for US National Team Rowers and a Cambridge University Men's Crew. In both cases BMIs were normal, in contrast to the article posted today.

For more information see my post and wikipedia.

Note that the article points out several athletes as "overweight" according to BMI, but the GB rowers just squeek into this definition. Of all the athletes mentioned in the article, only two came in as obese - aside from the entire offensive line of a university football team - and who would question their status?

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Recovery Faster in the Morning

So if you ever wondered why rowers so often train in the morning, here's another good reason. No, I'm sure this isn't why we train early. But perhaps this bit of knowledge justifies it somewhat more. A post over at the SportSci Blog reports on a study that has shown muscles may recover faster after morning workouts than evening workouts.

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New Study on Athlete's Hearts

Hot on the heels of my latest post about Xeno's heart I came across this, just out today, and referrign to an article to be published in the European Heart Journal. Research on Dutch and Belgian endurance athletes suggesting structural changes that may lead to Ventricular Arrythmia. It is an interesting read - but clearly the researchers feel that there is a long way to go before they understand what is happening.

I should also point out that Ventricular and Atrial (Xeno's experience) Fibrillation are quite different. The atria help fill the ventricles - an atrium in fibrillation is NOT as serious as a ventricle...ventricles in fibrillation are absolutely life threatening - your heart no longer pumps blood!

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Best Wishes to Xeno

Xeno Muller is a friend of Rowing Science and we'd like to wish him well and a speedy recovery. Check out his post on Xeno's most recent brush with Atrial Fibrillation - he's fine and wants others in his proverbial shoes to feel they have company - and what company it is!

For the record - Xeno points out all his troubles occur when he is NOT exercising - so keep those ergs out folks!

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Sport Science Blog

We're not the only blog with an interest in Sport Science. The SportSci blog is far more general in direction, looking at all sports, and a bit more technical. For those with a keen interest in the topic though, I'd recommend having a look. For the rest of you, I will keep my eye one it and link to it when something that might interest our readers comes up. Today they posted on some Australian technology that will be used for research in rowing.

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8 Seconds...reference anyone?

OK, over on that other rowing site we all frequent they linked to a newspaper article on 8-second intervals being the key to weight loss.

I'd like to be able to comment on this study, but the article has no reference to a published scientific paper. I have not been able to find one. If anyone out there has found a reference, would you please leave it in the comments section for all of us? If you have read the article - what do you think?

One of the researchers has a web site. He notes ongoing research in this field but does not list it amongst his publications. I have a feeling that the newspaper is taking liberties with his work and exaggerating things a bit...legitimate scientific work is taking on an air of "too good to be true" in the press I think.

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Health and Fitness Links for Wednesday

New York Times Article on Herbal Supplements - not as safe as most people assume

New York Times - Free the Mind to Reduce Injuries - Reducing stree may help reduce injuries

Washington Post - Evidence is Thin on Multivitamins - No evidence taking a multivitamin helps, though no reccomendation yet to stop either.

40 Amazing Facts about Sleep from "One Man's Blog"

Workin While You Workout from Yahoo Health

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Water Intoxication

The recent news of a tragic death in a radio contest by drinking too much water was a shock to many. In the summer we posted on the dangers of excess water - Hyponatremia. This might be a good time to review it, even if it's too chilly to be overdrinking while training!

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Another new Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter

Another Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter has been released. In it Dr. Kleshnev discusses gearing and the FISA rigging survey from the World Championships.

As with all the newsletters this requires a careful read but here are a few interesting highlights to look for:

• The definition of gearing for the survey as span/outboard does not give a true gearing which should really be inboard/outboard only and "should not depend
• on lateral position of the centre of oar rotation."
• Half of the pairs had different spans between seats, usually with stroke having a wider span to help deal with the differences in torques at the catch.
• Narrowing the spread by 2 cm - to many coaches a big change - makes only a 0.5 degree catch angle change. Changing inboard is slightly more effecive. But there is more to this story as well when you take into account changes in overlap and resulting movement of the foot stretcher.
• His conclusion "the reason of exaggerated importance of the spread/span for gearing still remains unknown to us. We greatly appreciate if you can sand [sic] us your thoughts, opinions or references."
  

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More on Caffeine and Training

Another recent study fromthe University of Georgia and published in the Journal of Pain looked at caffeine's ability to help recuperate from training. CBS News reports on the study:

a new study suggests drinking the equivalent of two cups before exercise may reduce post-workout muscle pain by nearly 50 percent. Researchers say that's more muscle pain relief than commonly found with pain relievers like aspirin.

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Human Growth Hormone - Poor Choice

I am happy that performance-enhancing drugs are not a significant part of the rowing culture. I like to think that is because rowers are the finest people out there (I do believe this!) but I'm sure for a few it has something to do with the low reward (financial at least) sport and the high cost of these drugs. Whatever the reason, I am glad that it is this way, as I am not one of those who believe in making them legal just to level the playing field. It can't ever become a competition about who is willing to risk their health the most or who can spend the most money. It can't ever get away from the true spirit of sport and competition.

Still, articles on performance enhancing drugs remain fascinating for many reasons. I recently stumbled upon one article from years ago in Outside magazine where writer Stuart Stevens decided that he couldn't report on hearsay and found a doctor who precribes drugs for athletes to see what it really is like to be on a program while training for an elite event. It is an interesting read and even more reassuring that although he saw huge benfits competitively, in the end he felt that he would not continue to take them even if he could.

In the article the drugs are administered by a doctor running an (increasingly popular) anti-aging clinic. Apparently taking Human Growth Hormone is becoming popular amongst people trying to stave off father time. It was interesting then to see a recent report of a study from Stanford Univeristy in medPage Today that this is a poor choice to make! Apparently the use of HGH is incresing rapidly, although it is not approved as an anti-aging medication and can cost as much as $1000 per month. The article notes:

This study suggests that there is no evidence that the compound has any beneficial effect on aging, but clear evidence that it increases the risk of several adverse effects

The conclusion, the researchers said, is that growth hormone in otherwise healthy older people is associated with small changes in body composition but no alteration in clinically relevant outcomes, such as bone density, cholesterol and lipids, and maximal oxygen consumption.

Other reports on the study can be found in Forbe's Magazine and Scientific American.

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November Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter

Another rowing biomechanics newsletter has come out since our last link to Dr. Kleshnev's site.

For those new to the site check out our interview with Dr. Kleshnev, creator of this excellent resource.

The latest issue deals with a rigging survey from the last World Championships. The article is probably worthy of a longer post when I get a chance but the most interesting point is that in several events, including the M8+ and W8+ and M2- there was "quite a high negative correlation" between gearing and final placing in the regatta. In other words crews rowing with a heavier rig tended to place higher in the competition. These correlations don't look like the sort that a scientist would see as "statistically significant" but they do seem to reveal something. And after all - usually there is no "statisticaly" significant difference between 1st and 4th place - but ask the athletes how significant the difference is! Trends such as this are important for sport scientists to keep on top of as they do tell us something and can lead to new research and recommendations for athletes.

Does this mean go out and change you rig to a heavier load? No - not at all. Just be aware and consider the implications. How does this information relate to your crew's fitness, strength and technique? The style you row could also affect how you choose to rig. Of course there are exceptions to a "correlation"- Dr. Kleshnev's graph shows that the crew with the heaviest load in the M8+ finsihed in 7th place so a correlation is not a rule. Also, correlations do not imply causation necessarily. All that is needed is something that affects both rig and placing to be in play. For example, bigger stronger athletes might go faster and also choose to use a heavier rig and their results would make it look like the heavy rig made them go fast, rather than their strength and fitness.

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More Links for Sunday

Keeping your Resolutions from the Washington Post

Indoor exercise DVDs from the Washington Post - I wonder if they know about Xeno's DVD Workouts for rowers?

Magical or Overrated? A Food Additive in a Swirl from the NY Times about an Omega-3

Harnessing the Energy of Exercise from Wired Magazine - Sounds like something that is perfect for an erg!

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Links from Health and Fitness Links From Around the Web

Links on Health and Fitness from Around the Web I stumbled upon today that might be of interest to some of you.

Article from the Mayo Clinic on herbal supplements.

Also from the Mayo Clinic this link on Omega-3s and eating Fish

Warm-up the Heart by Dr. Gabe Mirkin

How much Water Should I drink by Dr. Gabe Mirkin

When it's OK to Run Hurt from the NY Times

Weight Adds to Girls’ Heart Disease Risk from the NY Times

Drink Up to Slim Down? From the Washington Post

Nutrition Studies Skewed by Industry Dollars? From Time Magazine

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Fight in the Dog - Posting on Weigh Ins

If you re interested in more on weigh ins and what is safe check out this posting (and others!) at the Fight in the Dog Weblog as well as another post on what is best in terms of length of time for a weight loss.

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Influence of Nutrient Intake after Weigh-In on Lightweight Rowing Performance

From Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise via Row2K

Thanks to Row2K today for posting a link to this article. It is however quite a handful to make sense of, so I have provided some interpretation here. Your comments would be appreciated.

This is an interesting article looking at the best recovery methods after weigh-in for lightweight men needing to reduce body mass for racing.

The first effort (2 km erg test) was at their base weight - this is used as a control to see how they would perform without having to make weight.

Subsequent 2 km efforts had to be made at 5.2% below this weight - simulating a rapid weight loss - with 48 hours between efforts.

Different recovery drinks were used in the two hours between weigh in and the 2000 meter effort to simulate what many lightweights do - drop weight fast for the weigh in in the morning and do their best to recover to a better racing condition before hitting the water.

The three strategies tested were essentially:

Water only (and a small amount of sodium).
Carbohydrate/Sodium with little fluid.
Water/Carbohydrate/Sodium.

What did they find? Not surprisingly athletes with restricted fluid intake (carbohydrate and sodium only) after making weight performed slowest compared to the other two treatments. Having carbohydrate and sodium in the fluid didn't help recovery much, compared to water only.

What does this tell athletes and coaches?

Well - not much really - no athlete in their right mind would restrict fluids as part of their recovery, so the message that fluids are needed is far from earth shattering. Of course this was hardly the authors' point. They were more interested in whether or not the carbs will help - and they didn't seem to.

Does this mean athletes should just make weight and drink some water before racing? No it doesn't mean that either. More to the point as long as the fluids are there the individual's own recovery strategy can be personalized - so do what feels right.

On the other hand, we need to wonder if the study tells the full story. I'd say no - it only opens the door for more work which I'm sure the authors realize. For example, how did the athletes make weight? Did they eat well-balanced meals and simply make weight by dropping fluids (restricting intake and/or a "sweat run")? Loss of fluid is the fastest way to lose weight and really nobody loses 5% of their mass any other way so quickly. In this case clearly replacing the fluids would be the most important part of recovery. On the other hand, if the athletes restricted calories as well, especially carbohydrates, as many inexperienced or junior lightweights often do, then I would be surprised if only taking water on board leads to the best performance. A measure of how depleted the athletes' glycogen stores were before weigh in would be the only way to tease this out.

What would I be interested in seeing tested after this study?

• What amount of weight can be lost before weigh in while maintaining performance - 5.2% is a fairly significant amount. If a lightweight male came in at 162 pounds, for example, that equates to almost 8 and a half pounds. How would that compare to athletes only having to drop 2 pounds - or none at all?
  
• This study looked only at men - there could easily be gender differences that would affect this study - so repeat this with women, please.
• Does the athlete's intake of food before racing affect how hard it is to make weight (and maintain performance) for the next race?

So it is interesting work. Food for thought (pardon the pun). But carry on as normal - after weigh in replace fluids and take on some nutrients.

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More on Protein and Exercise

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been referenced on this site before. He has an interesting health site with several articles on Fitness. One ties directly to the last post on protein and exercise. Although he seems to put more stake in some of hte research that the previous author discounts, he does refer to genuine research in all of his articles. It's an interesting and worthwhile read.

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Protein Nutrition and Endurance Exercise: What Does Science Say?

Last summer this site included a good deal of information about the use of creatine in rowing and other sports. In addition to creatine, many rowers take protein powder as part of their training. Is it useful? Is it advisable? What does research say?

The following is a summary of an interesting article from the Gatorade Sports Science institute web site. Up front I'll say I am sure that some would be skeptical and suggest that Gatorade has something to gain by their own formula reporting as the best in any research. While this is true to some extent, on this topic I would think not. Like all companies Gatorade is probably looking for new markets and new products for existing markets. If they could show that including protein in a particular drink would help, I am sure that they would be quick to go to market with something new.

The article is divided up into three significant sections:

1. Protein during exercise:

Two recent studies report that adding a small amount of protein to a sport drink improves endurance capacity. This article criticizes these studies and then reports on a better-designed trial that ensured optimal carbohydrate delivery and a more relevant sporting test. Importantly, the study was "double-blind" meaning neither the researchers nor the athletes were aware of which treatment (with or without protein) they were receiving during a given trial. (One wonders if athletes could not tell the difference between them by taste). This study confirmed the importance of carbohydrate in sports drinks during competition (admittedly 135 minutes of cycling not a 6 minute rowing race) but showed no significant improvement when protein was included.

2. Amino Acid supplementation:

Again the author of this review suggests no specific advantages in consuming a given amino acid or mixtures of them during exercise.

3. Protein ingestion during recovery:

Research about protein promoting carbohydrate replenishment is unclear. However the authors’ summary at the end of the article does report that:

"Consuming a small amount (10-20 grams) of high-quality protein after exercise promotes muscle protein synthesis compared to CHO alone and may enhance the body’s response to long-term training."

They also report that there is little evidence that protein improves performance in immediately subsequent exercise bouts (second or third workouts in one day, or perhaps later racing during a regatta). Any improvement seen in studies is probably linked to the extra calories these protein-containing drinks provide, and not the protein itself.

In other words, it helps with "muscle repair" and though it does not make a big difference for your next workout, it may well make a difference over the long term.

What does this mean to me?

1. Don’t pay extra for a sports drink containing protein for use during exercise, or to enhance recovery for your next workout.

2. To enhance recovery ensure that you are consuming enough calories - though obviously not too many!

3. Add a bit of protein to your immediate post-exercise recovery meal for long term benefits. It doesn’t need to be in a drink. It may well improve the rebuilding of muscle tissue over the long term.

What about protein powder supplementation – especially in weight training?

Lots of young athletes - and National Team athletes - feel a need to consume protein powder. A review of this topic is for another day; however, consider this: the Gatorade Sports Science Institute also provides a "round table" discussion article. In it William Kraemer, Ph.D. of Penn State comments on the need for protein in "elite (weight) lifters" - who all presumably need more than your average rower. He says:

"It doesn't appear that supplements are necessary, because most lifters get plenty of protein in their normal diets."

I would assume that several of you have opinions on this based on experience - please add your comments and direct this topic.

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