Training for Rowing

Rating:
Summary: Quite poor all round
Review: As a high school rowing coach I was interested in this title.... I must say I was disappointed with it on all counts...the style of writing is poor and seems to try to be as complicated and obtuse as possible....when you actually work out what it is trying to communicate, 10 to 15 easier ways of saying the same thing immediately pop into your mind.

As for the content, no doubt it is scientifically sound it does not seem to relate to the average boathouse in any way.

Most of the other rowing texts do a much better job!

Rating:
Summary: Would NOT recommend this book - many better options exist!
Review: Aside from grammatical errors, misspellings, typos and an overall poor writing style this book contains flaws in the basic scientific foundations of exercise physiology. It is poorly organized and therefore does not provide the non exercise scientist with the necessary flow of information to walk away with an understanding of how to train. As an exercise physiologist, I spent alot of time trying to figure out what Ed McNeely was trying to say. Many of the scientific studies to which he refers are old, and others - it seems many - I was unable to retrieve to check on the facts since they were not in the reference list. One big contention I have is with the premise of training at maximal oxygen uptake as an "aerobic training" category for 2-12 minutes. Many many studies have documented quite well that maintaining maximal oxygen uptake for longer than two minutes is almost impossible. This is just one example of the lack of scientific sophistication.

Rating:
Summary: What a boring and uninformative book!
Review: Ed McNeely's book does little to inspire or inform. It is set out poorly. Each chapter starts with a picture of two 19th century gentlemen sweep rowing in what, no doubt, are thick, woollen tights. This is commendable honesty, because you are about to be enveloped in thick woolly text and diagrams.

I found little new in the book. Some of the information in it was so obtuse as to be useless. For example, the discussion of aerobic training categories is long-winded and the workout examples so vague that it would require extra reading to work out what to do. McCarthur's High Performance Rowing does it so much better.

Sorry Ed, your book is uninspiring, but I am glad you got your masters degree allright! Unfortunately, I cannot imagine many Canadians being inspired to get out on the water, or even to hit the erg regularly!

Rating:
Summary: What a boring and uninformative book!
Review: Ed McNeely's book does little to inspire or inform. It is set out poorly. Each chapter starts with a picture of two 19th century gentlemen sweep rowing in what, no doubt, are thick, woollen tights. This is commendable honesty, because you are about to be enveloped in thick woolly text and diagrams.

I found little new in the book. Some of the information in it was so obtuse as to be useless. For example, the discussion of aerobic training categories is long-winded and the workout examples so vague that it would require extra reading to work out what to do. McCarthur's High Performance Rowing does it so much better.

Sorry Ed, your book is uninspiring, but I am glad you got your masters degree allright! Unfortunately, I cannot imagine many Canadians being inspired to get out on the water, or even to hit the erg regularly!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Combination of Science and Experience
Review: I definately recommend this book. Finally someone is doing some writing on rowing. I like the combination of science and practical experience that the author brings to the book. The strength training chapter was my favorite. This is the first time I have ever seen a clear explanation of how and why a rowers training program should be set up. The chapter on Making Weight for lightweight rowers gave me some great ideas that I can use with my athletes and opened my eyes to some of the weight loss issues many coaches don't want to face.
The way the references are set up in the text can become distracting but the information is well worth the little extra effort it takes to read the book. I have recommended this book to all the athletes I coach and it has made my job much easier because they now understand why I am asking them to do certain workouts.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for all involved in Training
Review: In the fitness industry today opinions on how to train are infinite. Ed McNeely uses the most up to date science to help athletes develop the most efficient programs.

Dealing with many different types of elite athletes can make it hard to decide on the intensity that should be used during fitness training. Even though this book is used to train rowers, I use it for developing training programs in all sports. The information presented in the chapters for strength training and aerobic training help to define intensity and how to apply it to enhance your performance. Another area of concern for coaches has to do with warming up properly. I use this book as a teaching tool when I conduct seminars on the most effective ways to run a proper warm up. Training for Rowing explains the physiology behind warming up.

It seems there are many opinions on the best ways to train. Ed has taken difficult scientific literature and translated it into easy to understand concepts. This book explains all the components of fitness training including a great chapter on Children and Strength Training. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to use proven scientific information to develop the best possible training programs!