Page:Boating - Woodgate - 1888.pdf/196

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168
Boating.

adjusted ; the weight which they pick up at the close of training is new muscle replacing the discarded fat.

Tn training college eights for summer races there is not scope for training on the above system. ‘The time is too short, some of the men are already half-fit, and have been in work of some sort or other during the spring ; while one or two of them may have been lying idle for a twelvemonth. In such cases a captain must use his own discretion ; he can set his grosser men to do some running while he confines those who are fitter to work only in the ship. As a rule, however, unless men have no surplus flesh to take off, all oarsmen are the better for a little running at the end of the day during the early part of training. It prepares their wind for the time when a quick stroke will be required of them. A crew who have been rowing a slow stroke and who have meantime been improved in condition by run- ning, will take to the quick stroke later on more kindly than a ditto class crew who have done no running, and whose condi- tion has been obtained only by rowing exercise. The Jatter crew have been rowing all abroad while short of wind, and have thereby not corrected, and probably have contracted, faults. The former cresv will have had better opportunities of improving their style, will be more like machinery, and will be less blown when they are at last asked to gallop in the beat.

For the first few days it will be well to row an untrained crew over easy half-miles. A long day’s work in the beat will not harm them: on the contrary, it will tend to shake them together ; tired men can row well as to style, but men out of breath cannot rew. At the end of a week or so, the men can cover a mile at a hard slow grind without an easy. Tf there is plenty of time, ie. some five weeks of training, a good deal of paddling can be done, alternating with hard rowing at a slow stroke. if there are only three wecks to train, and men are gross, much paddling cannot be spared. If again time is short and men haye already been in work for other races, and do not want much if any reduction in weight, then a good deal of the day’s work may be done at a paddle.