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sports


conditioning


The GB men’s VIII, with Searle at number six (third from front),


compete at the World Cup event at Lake Bled, Slovenia, in May


that does seem to suit my body better now. Saying that, although there’s a lot of banter about me being the old man – my lack of flexibility and so on – actually I don’t feel any different from my team-mates once we start training. We do a rowing session virtually every


day, plus a number of sessions on the Concept2 each week. Then there’s core strengthening, weight training – mainly Olympic lifting – and cross-training on the Precor AMT, which I use mainly for low-impact work or for recovery. When you’re rowing in an eight,


you’re never quite sure how hard everyone’s working, and what gym work brings is measurability and an ability to control the environment. I also work with a Suunto heart rate monitor now and I’m very specifi c about working in the right ranges for maximum benefi t; in my 20s I might have been more focused on beating a particular individual, or even catching up with a women’s boat!


Is it harder to avoid injury these days? I certainly focus more on stretching and core stability than I used to, and I don’t go off and play basketball or football any more, which is what I’d have done before for variety and fun. When I was younger I’d be at training camp and I’d have a finger, broken in a game of basketball, stuck out in front of me while I was rowing! Now I’ll use the AMT for general fitness instead.


38


There’s banter about me being the old man, but I feel no different from my team-mates when we train


The new set-up also helps. Before


I was trying to work and row, but now that I’m more singly focused on rowing I’m actually recovering better for each session. I use Science in Sport products nowadays too – protein shakes after training to help recovery, and carbohydrate gels and drinks during training – and lo and behold I get more out of my training sessions.


What are the stepping stones towards 2012? It’s the small things we’re focused on right now, things in the immediate future, rather than looking too far ahead. We want to get a medal at the World Championships, so how do we do that? It’ll be about rowing certain times as a crew, although I’m not going to reveal what we’re aiming for. Then, as an individual, I want to


continue to make progress on the ergo. I also have goals around my strength – what I need to be able to lift – and ultimately my own body weight and my lean muscle mass. My physiology had more or less


disappeared while I was in retirement, and when I fi rst came back to trial for


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


the squad, even though I’d been training myself for about four months, I only managed 6 minutes and 6 seconds for a 2km ergo. I’ve now shaved 11 seconds off that – I’m pulling 5.55 – but I know I still need to do better. If we want to get a gold in the Olympics, it’ll need to be in the 40s, and I have another 11 seconds to go until I match my best ever score of 5.44. But I believe I can do that. The other aspects – the technique,


knowing how to apply the force effectively in the boat, and the mental strength to want to push myself – are all defi nitely still there.


Has coming back been hard? Actually, no. In fact, I enjoy it more now. This might make me sound old, but I think sometimes the younger generation don’t realise how lucky they are to have this opportunity. It’s only when it’s gone that you appreciate it, and I’m just so fortunate to be able to come back and enjoy it again. It’s been an amazing journey of improvement and I’ve loved every second of it.


healthclub@leisuremedia.com kate cracknell


november/december 2010 © cybertrek 2010


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