Since the sport began, rowing performer’s bodies have altered and their shapes have been refined. 40 years ago the average build of a rower was nothing extraordinary, their bodies being quite lean and not particularly tall. In the new era of rowing, rowers can be seen with bodies that are superior in sheer size and more developed pivotal areas. Rowers have quite simply been sculpted into perfect rowing machines. Their exercise presctiptions and food intake are both optimised for rowing and they are picked from a young age based on their body types. So what is the perfect rowing body and why?
Height is an attribute that rowers share, most are well above average. What this essentially means is that their pull distance is more than most peoples and the forces that can be generated increase proportionally. Regularly squatting their own body weight, a rowers legs are one of the strongest parts of their body and they do a lot of gym work to maintain them. These strong legs are the driving force of the movement and are as important in during the acceleration phase as they are throughout the race to maintain momentum. Next time you are at the Henley Regatta Hospitality take a look at the legs of the rowers when they are pulling away from the start. You will see that they are bulging and generating incredible power, something that would injure the average person’s legs in seconds.
The upper and lower back of a rower is one other section that holds immense power. The bad posture that rowers pocess means that they have difficulties with other sports and everyday tasks but means that they are optimally shaped for movement on the water. Huge power can be cleaved from the back of a rower as they are well developed and rounded at the top. This not only provides explosive power but the development allows sustained work also. Surprisingly rowers have a large amount of slow-twitch fibres in their key areas as well, which is something more often linked to sportspeople who take part in longer endurance events. This allows the athletes to maintain their movement over extended time which is very important as rows can take place of very long distances. A lot of corporate hospitality events are long distance and you’ll see these are often suited to slightly body types. That said, rowers also hold a good number of fast-twitch muscle fibres,giving strength and speed that are required as well.