> on the first day, two hours in the morning
and two hours in the afternoon, with one hour
of swimming or volleyball in the evening; on
day two, another two hours of cross-country
skiing in the morning, with weight sessions in
the afternoon, and one hour of swimming or
volleyball in the evening; and finally, two-and-a-half hours of cross-country skiing in the morning
on the third day, with a break in the afternoon
and in the evening.
But in France, training is essentially focused
on rowing, as Jean-Raymond Peltier explains:
“Whenever the weather conditions allow it, we
row. When the rowing courses are frozen, rowers
train differently: erging, weight sessions, jogging,
and stationary biking. Some rowers go cross-country skiing independently from the training
camp.”
The French national rowing
team cross-training in the Jura
mountains.
And the rowers enjoyed it, as 2004 Olympic
Champion Adrien Hardy confirms: “The camp
we have in January for physical preparation is
an excellent way to start training again after the
holiday season. For me it is synonymous with
the beginning of the season and is particularly
important for laying the groundwork for the year.”
And the team-building benefits are also felt, as
under- 23 rower Florianne Garcia describes: “It is
different from our usual training and allows us
to spend time together in an environment other
than rowing.”
By comparison, a four to five month freeze in
Canada forces Olympian Janine Hanson and her
team off the water for nearly the whole winter
period, apart from two ten-day trips to Florida, USA,
where they can get on the water. “But primarily our
training is done on the ergs,” she explains.
Hanson also believes that cross-training improves
her performance because it sets her fitness base:
“With hours of hard training taking place during
the winter, it sets the stage for when we are back
on the water. I find my cardiovascular fitness
continues to improve throughout the spring and
summer, but that the training that I do in the
winter sets me up for what is to come. My mental
strength is always stronger after spending so
much time staring at the numbers on the ergs.
I learn to feel where I typically become tired within
a workout or where my weaknesses are. During
the cross-training season I strive to minimise the
time spent in my ‘comfort zone’ and aim to push
the limits so that I can replicate it when the ice
melts and rowing can begin again. It’s quite
refreshing.”
“We train together as a team for our erg workouts
in the mornings and then do other cardio training
on our own if we want. I really enjoy doing the erg
workouts together as a group because we can
keep that bond that is really developed during
the summer of rowing. It’s a good environment to
push your teammates and yourself,” says Hanson.
And, when Hanson finally gets back in her boat in
the spring, she is reminded of why she did all the
training and reached for new heights.
