Elise Laverick won a bronze medal in the double scull at the Beijing Olympics, having previously won bronze at the 2007 World Rowing Championships. Tom Solesbury won a bronze medal in the men’s eight at the 2007 World Rowing Championships. Here they share their top tips for rowing your way to fitness in 2010.

Rowing is one of the most effective forms of exercise that you can do.

Why rowing is a great workout:

• It’s an excellent aerobic exercise – meaning you’re burning more calories and don’t have to feel so guilty about eating the odd treat. Aerobic exercise also helps control your blood pressure, important in minimising the risk of stroke.
• It tones up your arms, particularly the triceps at the back of your arm, keeping bingo-wings at bay.
• It works your stomach muscles, bum and thighs.

Tom’s Top Tips

1. The best way to generate power in the rowing stroke is to use your legs. Try pushing your legs down with your arms still straight then introduce the back and arms to finish off the stroke.
2. Don’t try to do too much straight away! Build up slowly on the rowing machine - maybe start with 5 or 10 minutes then increase steadily each session from there.
3. Try to keep your training fun by setting yourself targets to beat. See how long it takes you to row 2000m and then try to beat your time.
4. Take on plenty of fluids. When you are training hard it is important to stay well hydrated so you can perform at your best.
5. Training on the ergo is great for your fitness but some people find it gets boring if you do it every session - why not try some running or other cross-training as well?

Elise’s Extra Exercises

1. Hands. Make sure your hands are past your knees before you lift your legs. This will set you up in a perfect position to drive with your legs.
2. Set the fan to around 4. This is the lever on the side of the rowing machine, it changes the level of resistance. Putting it on 10 may seem macho but it can potentially cause back ache.
3. Rate. The top right hand square on the display shows the number of strokes you do in a minute (RPM). Aim to keep this around 20. This will ultimately allow you to row for a longer period of time.
4. Train with a friend. This helps keep you motivated. If you have agreed to meet someone at the gym, you can’t let them down can you?
5. Enjoy it! Allow yourself a treat when you reach your target i.e. a bar of chocolate when you have managed 15 minutes. Try not to undo all the good work though!

The GB Rowing Team has teamed with Siemens and The Stroke Association for the Stroke for Stroke 2010 campaign, challenging people to row 10km or more in January.

Members of the public are challenged to row 10km over a week to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association, who run the campaign with Siemens. The campaign runs between 25^th and 31^st January and is open to everyone across the UK by visiting www.strokeforstroke.co.uk or calling 020 7566 1503.

Louise Hudson, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine