The Circle of Life (Part II) - A Riddle and Learning new tasks

One point of neurological interest to me is how fast humans can learn a new task.  This is all in the name of increasing my ability to learn "proper" technique in rowing (whatever this is).  With proper focus and attention along with the right coaching it looks like a new task can be replicated quite quickly using something called rapid instructed task learning (RITL) or "rittle". Using two tactics the brain adapts to the new step by step way to learn; first by mimicking another person with imitation and secondly by verbal instruction. In this Blog Article MW Cole explains the process in detail.

So, If I watch a whole bunch of previous Olympic and World Championship rowing on YouTube I will be able to internalize the techniques I want to mimic.  Next, I need to have a very accurate and verbal coach to keep focused on replicating the skills that I would like to have as permanent.  It seems fairly straight forward but after a few years of hyperfocus I'm still in a position of needing many technique tips to work on. When will it be enough!?  I think the answer to that is.... never. This is, however, more related to the long term enjoyment, benefit, and value of sport I have talk about previously.

In a recent book on success, by Malcom Gladwell, it is often mentioned the "10,000 hour rule" claiming to have success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.  I think Gladwell has the right idea, but it is more than just slogging through a certain number of hours doing the same thing. I feel it takes conscious focus while doing the activity - but then unconscious focus while going through the rest of the day not doing the specific activity.   When I was a student, I liked to re-write my class notes into something more understandable to me (also something that was legible).  Similarly with rowing, I like to write out the skills learned each day/week to make sure I'm keeping fresh and mentally stimulated with learning the new techniques.  When I look back at the pages of notes I have jotted down, I have gone over the same six things a bakers'-dozen times;  the catch with hand levels, leg drive first & no body open, strong finish etc. etc. ad infinitum. 

The transfer of information of this learned skill first starts at the brain and follow the Central nervous system (CNS).  The nerve signal full of information travels down the spinal cord then synapses onto a peripheral nerve and sending the signal at last to the muscle.  The final result of the cascade of events occurs at the motor end plate where a very specific muscle firing pattern causes physical motion of the legs/body/arms thus causing a efficient and effective movement  ie. the rowing stroke.  All this happens, in the biggest nerves, about 1/100th of a second, or traveling at 100 meters/second. Fast! Now, I want to make sure this very speedy nerve impulse is the RIGHT ONE inducing correct rowing technique.


In the next few weeks I want to spend time exploring and documenting what I feel is a perfect rowing stroke. That is why I'm here, right?   This may take a while actually find out... stay tuned.

Hurry Hard for Broken Ribs

An injury that happens once in a while with rowers is rib stress fractures. I have seen a dozen or more cases in my clinic but rarely outside the realm of rowers or weight-lifters. The natural history of this condition is excess force repetitively applied through key muscles of the pelvis and low back. Certain muscles attach from the pelvis to the lower ribs (Quadratus lumborum, internal/external obliques, and erector spinae group) and with excessive force stress fractures will show up with increasing the activity level too quickly before the bones are able to adapt.

There are two guys that I train with currently that are dealing with this exact condition. This injury shows up either as an instantaneous pin-point tenderness and gets worse with rowing. The other way is slow progression over a few weeks with localized pain that goes away with rest but gets worse with rowing. The therapy involves decreasing muscle tension around the injury site and physical therapy modalities to increase blood flow to the area to influence healing. Healing times can vary from less that a week all the way up to two+ months all depending on size and location of the injury.

On Monday morning I showed up to the morning practice at Elk Lake ready for a heavy erg session of 2x40min at low rates (16,18, 20, 22) changing every ten minutes. I have to say, even in the warm-up I felt really uncomfortable and my right low-back is very tight and tender. As the first 40 minute session started - I immediately felt the pain move up my back to almost inbetween my shoulder blades. I pushed through for a few more minutes thinking it was just my lazy Sunday off that causes lethargic feelings every Monday morning. After a few more minutes it felt as if the pain is also migrating around the right side of my body and into my abdomen, which can be seen as an referral pattern of more serious internal or structural injuries. With all this discomfort and pain I decide it would be best for me to sit out this practice and have a look at this "injury" more seriously - I had self-diagnosed this as a probable traumatic rib-fracture and my rowing career was going to be put on hold of for a few weeks to months.

I went to work later that same day and chatted with a few fellow therapists to get their opinion of what could be causing this pain and referral pattern. As I discussed the history of the "condition" I realized, like a light-bulb when on, that I attended the PISE staff Christmas party on Saturday Night. It was at the curling rink... and I'm so competitive that during the hard sweeping that goes along with curling I had sustained the feeling of a "probable rib fracture" - which turns out was only sore muscles! I had thought my career as a rower was over... because I was sore from curling. I will never make a joke about curlers being out-of-shape again - it is a different kind of sport-specific muscles utilized.

Check out Norway's new pants. Looks like it is taking on a style resemblance of golf.