How to incorporate sports with weight training?

[OkESB]

Hi all, I am new and have a specific question for you all. I have started on the water rowing again as a sport. I did it for awhile in college, but then got into the real world, and well you know how it goes. Years later i have sort of a gut and zero upper body strength and I take awhile to recover from a workout. So I joined a rowing club and have started sweep rowing again. Since I am learning the stroke all over again, its pretty important to practice good technique, so I don't want to be tired/sore going into a practice. But at the same time, I want to start strength training again to supplement my on the water practice. I'm on the water three times a week for a couple hours, and it is A LOT of work.

So my question is, how do I begin strength training such that I don't overwhelm my limited recovery capacity at this point? Any pointers?

Thanks everyone for reading

[shiggles]

Ahhh, I have had a similar problem with my sports, so I can give you my experience (although I would not count this as expert opinion).

First up - make sure your diet is sorted and hydration of course. This can help you recover faster between workouts.

Depending on how long since you started rowing again I would leave off doing extra strength workouts for now. You do have to be careful that you don't overload your body with too much new stimulus at once as you will simply burn out. Give your body time to adapt to the new workload level and gradually introduce the strength training in. Often you see people start up a new activity and they are really keen and try to do their best but end up quitting because they try to do too much too soon. Don't be that guy - instead ease into things.

When you do feel you a genuinely ready, add in one strength workout a week and see how you go. Do something like the Stronglifts 5x5 or Starting Strength (ask if you need more info on these). But basically these programs take a relatively short time in the gym but also force you to start at a lower intensity to make sure you have correct form. This lower intensity (for many it is frustrating to start with what they feel is light weights) will be important in again, making sure your body is not overloaded.

Then gradually increase intensity and bump up the strength workouts to twice a week. If you feel you can, increase to three times a week but no more.

No matter what you do you WILL have to deal with DOMS. For those who are fortunate it does decrease after a while, but how well your body (and mind) deals with this no one will know until you give it a go.

But also, if you start doing this and feel it is too much, don't be afraid to take a few days off or even a week or more. I have burnt myself out in the past and it's not really fun as for me it affects my life outside of sports as well.

[OkESB]

Thanks! Yes, I am unfamiliar with the workouts you suggested. Any sites you could point me towards?