Designing an elite rowing training programme (4): Strength training

In this fourth article covering the different elements that make up elite rowing training programmes, GB Rowing Team Olympic High Performance Coach Dan Moore explores the value of strength training for rowing.

In the first three articles in this series, we’ve introduced a variety of concepts that athletes and coaches alike can use to drive physiological changes which, when stacked up, provide the main determinants of successful elite performance. These have primarily been focused on the endurance (or aerobic) nature of the sport because approximately 70-80% of the energy requirements in a 2,000m effort to come from aerobic energy pathways¹. However, as rowing also has a large strength/power component, this article focuses on the use of strength training in elite rowing training and considerations when programming it.