Advancements in technology have made data analytics a common practice in high-level sport, and rowing is no different. Specialist equipment and programmes enable coaches and athletes to monitor and understand performance in incredible detail, identifying areas for marginal gains that will help to put them ahead of their competition. Developments in personal sports technology mean that the ‘everyday’ rower now also has access to a wealth of information too. The question is: does it grant the same benefit as it does to those at the top level of the sport?
Personal sports technology has gone far beyond just being able to record heart rate. Smart watches are now able to provide information about everything from sleep quality and heart rate variability (HRV), to suggestions about training and recovery. Similar developments have been seen in rowing-specific technology.
In April of this year, SmartRow announced the development of a power handle. The handle works with over 50 brands of rowing machines, comes with an app that allows users to program or select workouts, and gives insight into an athlete’s performance, promising accurate data and an intention to take indoor rowing “to a higher level”.
Smartphone apps seem to be a particularly popular area of development as well. They provide users with similar information that specialised equipment does, but at a fraction of the price. CrewNerd, for instance, is designed to act as an alternative to a strokecoach. The app enables users to get live feedback in the boat about distance, pace, and strokerate, then export and review this information afterwards.
There is no shortage of ways to get information about your performance. But all this data is only of value if it can be properly understood.
The untrained eye may be able to recognise general patterns in data, but it is unlikely that this kind of information would do more than to reassure or confirm that a training plan or program is working as expected. To be able to properly analyse the data to identify specific areas to be worked on requires a great deal of knowledge and experience that not everyone may have.
That is not to say, however, that such technology has no benefit for the everyday rower. In fact, it provides considerable benefits in making training more enjoyable. Alongside promising insight, many of the products and apps also promote a sense of community and fun. SmartRow describe their power handle as “a universal power meter” because it uses a standardised metric. That means users can join challenges and compete fairly with others from all over the world on all kinds of rowing machines. The handle also allows you to control your music, which makes the prospect of a long erg when you’ve left your phone out of reach slightly more bearable.
Having a virtual space to train and compete has also become popular, with apps such as EXR creating a virtual rowing environment, much like Zwift has done to enormous success in cycling. EXR offers a virtual rowing experience, as well as the chance to row alongside others, join challenges, and unlock new items as you progress in your training, which arguably adds a new dimension of fun to what can otherwise be a solitary and monotonous practice.
Technology then may not provide the same kind of benefit to the everyday rower as it does to those at the top of the sport. The sheer volume of data at our fingertips every day can easily become overwhelming. Knowing what trends to look for and when to either focus on data or move away from it, is a crucial balance to strike. The possibility of making training more enjoyable, though, should not be dismissed.
