SLRC NEWSLETTER

Cold Weather Reminder

As the weather becomes colder, it is important to remember the dangers of hypothermia. Hypothermia is the loss of heat from one’s internal body temperature faster than it is being produced and is an extremely dangerous condition if left untreated. Here are some quick safety tips to prevent hypothermia and other winter weather related ailments:

Prevention

• Wearing layers covering all major skin exposures. Two to three layers of clothing is recommended.
• Staying dry. Wet clothing accelerates body temperature fluctuations in cold weather.

Recognizing Signs

• Early signs of hypothermia: Shivering, cold extremities, pale skin, sleepiness, confusion, slurred speech, poor coordination
• Severe hypothermia signs: Shivering stops, no reflexes, irregular heartbeat, loss of consciousness

If you believe yourself or someone else to be affected by hypothermia, alert your coach immediately.

First Aid

• Perform CPR, if required, and call 911 in severe cases
• Exercise gentle handling of affected individual. Rough handling can induce cardiac arrest.
• Gentle rewarming of individual. Includes warm (not scalding, check water with unaffected extremities to prevent burns to affected personnel) showers, dry clothing, and use of blankets.
• Keep the individual in a horizontal, flat position until recovered.

This month, it’s all about the breathing. For something you rarely think about, the impact on performance can be dramatic.

If you’ve ever felt like your lungs were giving out long before your legs during a hard piece — you’re not alone. In fact, research shows that for rowers, breathing isn’t something that just “happens in the background” — it can make or break your performance.

This insight comes from a detailed analysis by Professor Alison McConnell; it digs deep into why breathing matters so much in rowing, and how training your breathing muscles can boost power, control, and endurance.

Why Breathing Is a Bigger Deal Than We Might’ve Thought

For a long time, exercise science taught that breathing doesn’t limit performance, because oxygen transfer in the lungs wasn’t seen as the bottleneck. But rowers — especially those pushing hard in races or intense pieces — know that feeling all too well: the gasping, the struggle to keep the rhythm, that sensation of “I can’t get enough air in” halfway through.

It turns out, the breathing muscles — your diaphragm, intercostals, abdominals — are real muscles just like your legs. During maximal exertion, they can claim up to 16% of your total oxygen supply. They work incredibly hard, and when they fatigue — your performance suffers in multiple ways.

Rowing + Breathing: A Unique Challenge

Rowing isn’t like running, biking, or swimming. It’s a high-demand combination that presents unique breathing challenges:

Sync Your Breath with the Stroke

Experienced rowers often fall into:

• 1:1 — one breath per stroke
• 2:1 — one breath over the drive, one over the recovery

When that rhythm is lost — the stroke often unravels.

Breathing Muscles Aren’t Just About Air — They Brace You

Your diaphragm doesn’t just draw air in — it helps stabilize your trunk and create intra-abdominal pressure. That pressure stabilizes your spine and allows you to transfer the huge force from the foot stretcher (sometimes as much as 900 N!) into the handle.

If your breathing gets sloppy — or you’re “empty” at the catch — you lose that brace:

• Some of your leg drive is wasted.
• Force transfer becomes less efficient.
• Risk of injury (think ribs or back) increases.

Rowing Position Restricts Breathing — Physically

At the catch: your thighs compress your abdomen, limiting your diaphragm’s ability to move.
At the finish: you’re leaning backward, working hard.

Few other endurance sports place such awkward mechanical demands on breathing.

What Happens When Your Breathing Muscles Fatigue

This is where the real crank-down begins.

Breathing Gets Harder … and So Does the Entire Row

When your inspiratory muscles fatigue, your brain has to drive them harder. The result: your brain says — “Hey, this feels hard. Maybe we should pace down.”

Stronger breathing muscles = lower perceived effort = ability to sustain pace longer.

Your Legs Could Start Losing Power — Because Your Lungs Need Blood

Yes — it’s a weird but true reflex: when respiratory muscles start struggling, the body may redirect blood flow away from your legs to keep the breathing muscles going.

Meaning:

• Your leg muscles starve.
• Leg fatigue sets in sooner.
• Split times slip.

This is known as the respiratory metaboreflex — a real limiter for rowers when the intensity gets high.

The Good News: You Can Train Your Breathing Muscles

Just like you train your legs for power or your core for stability, you can train your inspiratory muscles using resistance-based breathing devices.

Research shows this training can:

• Cut down inspiratory muscle fatigue during rowing
• Lower your perceived exertion
• Help you maintain a steady breathing–stroke rhythm longer
• Delay or prevent the blood-stealing reflex
• Ultimately — improve 2 k performance

It’s essentially like strength training for your lungs and breathing system.

Practical Takeaways for Rowers

Here are the most actionable, rower-friendly lessons from this research:

1. Practice an Intentional Breathing Strategy

Don’t leave breathing to chance. Work out a rhythm (1:1 or 2:1) that ensures:

• You arrive at the catch with enough “air buffer” to brace.
• Your breathing stays calm and consistent throughout.

2. Keep Breathing Under Pressure — Especially at the End of a Piece

When pain builds and breathing wants to go haywire, fight for control.
A consistent rhythm helps:

• Maintain trunk stability
• Keep blood flowing to legs
• Preserve efficient force transfer

3. Consider Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT)

Just a few minutes a day, using a resistance breathing tool, can:

• Reduce leg fatigue
• Make hard efforts feel more sustainable
• Help you keep form and power under pressure
• Add watts without adding strokes

In Short: Better Breathing = Better Rowing

Breathing in rowing isn’t passive. It’s an active performance variable — and one you can train and control.

Better breathing can bring:

• Smoother splits
• Stronger posture and form
• Reduced injury risk
• The ability to push harder and longer before hitting “the wall”

So don’t just breathe. Breathe like a rower.

If you want to dig deeper, you can check out the full article by Professor Alison McConnell here.

What do you love about rowing?

I love the feeling of gliding quickly over the water and the rush of speed as the boat cuts through it. Being outdoors and in close contact with nature offers a refreshing mental break from the office. Rowing clears my mind and reconnects me with the rhythm of movement and the environment.

How did you get into rowing?

Rowing has always been a part of my family. My parents took me out on the water from the time I was a baby, and as a child I used to cox the 4+ and 8+ for my father’s team. In fact, it all goes back to my grandfather, who first introduced rowing to our family many years ago. It’s a tradition that’s been passed down through generations.

What has been your favorite rowing experience/memory?

Rowing as a Junior was one of my favorite experiences. Traveling to regattas across the country and internationally was incredibly rewarding and formative. It taught me discipline, independence, and how to navigate challenges at a young age—all while being part of a team and doing something I loved.

What is your favorite regatta and why?

That’s a tough question, but one of my favorites was the World Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2005. It was a unique experience—not just for the racing, but also for the cultural and personal connections. Competing on an international stage while representing my heritage made it especially meaningful.

What do you like to do when you’re not rowing?

Winters in St. Louis can be tough, so I spend time on the erg in my basement, staying in shape and counting down the days until spring. Outside of rowing, I enjoy being active, spending time with family, and getting outdoors whenever I can.