Why do Rowers Fear the Erg?

Workouts: Why do Rowers Fear the Erg?

Sunday, December 19, 2010 Winter
Op-Ed from the RowingRelated Editorial Staff

http://www.rowingrelated.com/2010/12/winter-workouts-why-do-rowers-fear-erg.html

Friend. Not Foe.

I am really frustrated by our sport when it comes to the erg being viewed as a torture device rather than a helpful tool that people can enjoy. This negative mindset, which is extremely contagious, plagues the sport, preventing athletes from training to their potential and possibly serving as one of the reasons that careers in rowing, at every level, are often so short.



My main problem is that everywhere I turn in the rowing community, whether it's high school guys and girls, college guys and girls, or even National Team hopefuls, I hear of people dreading the erg. I've never heard about a cross country runner 'dreading' a track workout. True, basketball and football players may dread running wind sprints or other such conditioning activities, but I can live with that because those are not endurance sports. In other words, when strength, power, endurance, mental toughness, and monotonous activity are the bread and butter of your sport, it seems wholly inappropriate to create a culture that disdains such fundamentally important and central activities.