In rowing, perfection comes in many forms: your first clean strokes in a racing single; a balanced row in a pair; your first medal; your PR on a 2k; and many others...

Any athlete who has ever taken up rowing (and especially those who kept with it after all these years) knows that in order to win, it’s a constant effort to balance all the moving parts of the stroke with life and physical needs in order to achieve your version of greatness.

There are common themes that emerge amongst all athletes from novice to elite that foster a winning athlete and an enduring mind and body that is free from injury.

Here are a few quick take-homes to help you on your quest:

Prioritize Your Sleep - 8 hours isn’t just a random number!

a) Multiple research studies concluded that athletes who get less than 8 hours of sleep per night are almost twice as likely to get injured than those around them.

b) Collegiate and Professional sports teams now work directly with sleep studies and sleep scientists to reduce injury and improve performance. They’ve even got nap rooms!

Maximize Mobility - “Tight hips sink ships!”

a) When you add a sitting sport on top of a sitting job and a sitting commute, your spine, pelvis and hips suffer.

b) Add exercises to improve hip and lumbar flexibility to your warmup, cooldown, and periodic breaks from the desk.

Don’t Skip The Warm-Up

a) First thing in the morning, our lumbar spine is not yet ready for the heavy load of lifting rowboats, erging, or sitting in a rowboat.

b) First thing’s first, go for a light jog or do a 3D Warmup Circuit to minimize your chance of a herniated disc, lumbar strain, pulled muscle, or other rowing-related injuries.