Believe it or not, there was once a time when Olympic rower Kristine O\u2019Brien thought rowing wasn\u2019t a real sport.<\/p>\n
As an athletic high schooler, O\u2019Brien expressed doubt in the sport when her parents encouraged her to join the school\u2019s rowing team \u2014 now, she\u2019s got an Olympics appearance with Team USA under her belt\u2026 or should we say oar?<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018I don\u2019t know if that\u2019ll be a good enough workout,\u2019\u201d O\u2019Brien says of her high school hesitancy. \u201cBut my parents wanted me to try it because of all the scholarships in women\u2019s rowing. So, I tried it out.\u201d By the following spring, she was a national champ.\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien\u2019s story is one many rowers may recognize. She says that rowing isn\u2019t a sport that many people get involved in at a young age because the equipment is so heavy. After all, rowers carry their own boats and oars to the water before even getting into their seats. Half of O\u2019Brien\u2019s boat in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics didn\u2019t even start rowing until college. She\u2019s part of the women\u2019s eight boat, which placed fourth at The 2020 Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The \u201cwomen\u2019s eight\u201d refers to the number of rowers in the boat \u2014 but really, there are nine women involved in getting a boat of eight rowers to the finish line. The rowers are the engine, and another (smaller) teammate, the coxswain, steers the boat, motivates the rowers and talks them through the team\u2019s strategy throughout the race. Rowers themselves face the back of the boat as they row, so saying a good coxswain is important in an eight-woman boat would be a serious understatement.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the only success O\u2019Brien has seen in her career. She finished first in the pair (a two-woman boat with no coxswain) at the 2020 National Selection Regatta, finished third in the pair at the 2018 National Selection Regatta and third in the pair at the 2018 National Selection Regatta. In 2019, O\u2019Brien\u2019s team placed third at the World Rowing Championship and finished second at the World Rowing Cup II.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year is special, however, because it\u2019s the first time O\u2019Brien has joined Team USA in the Olympics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI trained a long time for this,\u201d she says. \u201cI was cut from the 2016 Rio Olympic team, and after that, I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d try again or not. But then I thought, \u2018How many people get this opportunity?\u2019 And I decided to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she received the news that she would be going to Tokyo, O\u2019Brien realized that she was actually grateful for being cut because it made her a better rower in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The experience, she says, was worth the wait.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Japanese did an amazing job,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cI felt so welcomed and everyone was so warm and welcoming and they made the experience so special.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she was starry-eyed about the The Games, O\u2019Brien switched gears when it came to actually competing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt ready, like I knew this was my moment,\u201d she says. \u201cObviously it\u2019s very intense and the biggest race of your life so there\u2019s nerves there, but that\u2019s just part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team has to work cohesively as a single unit of muscle and technique, so their performance is not only impressive on it\u2019s own, but especially so considering the past year\u2019s training obstacles concerning COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all just came together and leaned on each other and supported each other,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes this team so special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rowing at the highest level is demanding, to say the least. During regular training, O\u2019Brien is on the water or rowing machine \u2014 aka the erg, short for rowing ergometer \u2014 twice a day around six days a week. Sunday is usually a day off, or the team does workouts on their own. Depending on the time of year, weight training is two or three times a week in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien executes many different kinds of rowing workouts, but a constant is a long row at a lower heart rate, from 130-150 BPM for around 80-100 minutes.<\/p>\n
Occasionally, she will go through a 2,000-meter test (known as a 2K) on the rowing machine, which is a shorter, much faster workout that takes high-level female rowers about 6-7 minutes. It probably goes without saying that this is an insanely fast time compared to what an average person could do. If you\u2019re already fairly fit and want to try knocking out a 2K as a workout, shoot for somewhere in the realm of 8-9 minutes on your first go-around. And make sure your form is on point first!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a day of eating for O\u2019Brien:<\/p>\n
Morning: <\/i><\/b>Oatmeal, collagen powder, berries, a scoop of peanut butter, honey, cinnamon and coconut flakes \u2014 plus a cup of coffee<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t always drink coffee, but as soon as I did, training got so much better,\u201d O\u2019Brien says.<\/p>\n
Morning workout<\/b><\/p>\n
Post-workout snack: <\/i><\/b>Chocolate milk<\/p>\n
Second breakfast: <\/i><\/b>Eggs or a bagel with orange juice<\/p>\n
Pre-workout snack:<\/i> Clif Bar or yogurt<\/p>\n
Afternoon workout<\/b><\/p>\n
Post-workout snack:<\/i><\/b> Protein shake<\/p>\n
Dinner: <\/i><\/b>Meat with a carb and vegetables<\/p>\n
\u201cMy general rule of thumb is to have 20g of protein every three hours,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cIt\u2019s such a lifestyle. When you\u2019re not rowing, you\u2019re thinking about getting enough sleep, water and food. You have to be on your game all day every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The constant bending back and forth required in rowing can injure the lower back, upper back, knees, wrists and ribs. O\u2019Brien knows this from firsthand experience. Over the course of her rowing career, she\u2019s suffered from overuse injuries, including a fractured rib that took her out of practice for two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sucked, but it taught me such a lesson on knowing my body,\u201d she says. \u201cIf something flares up, address it right away. Don\u2019t ignore it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She advises that to prevent injury, athletes need to be focused not only in training, but outside of it as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting enough sleep so you\u2019re recovering properly, getting the food you need and hydrating are all important,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cI also see a physical therapist about twice a week. We do soft tissue work and exercises to strengthen areas of weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oxygen Magazine: <\/i>Coffee or no coffee?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kristine O\u2019Brien: Oh, definitely coffee. I have an espresso machine.\u00a0<\/p>\n OM: <\/i>Pre-workout snack?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Clif Bar \u2014 mint chocolate chip or peanut butter chocolate flavor!<\/p>\n OM:<\/i> Post-workout snack?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Protein shake or, occasionally, I\u2019ll grab a Wawa hoagie.<\/p>\n OM:<\/i> Favorite pump-up song?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Born to Rage (USA Version)<\/em> by Dada Life.<\/p>\n OM: <\/i>What\u2019s going through your mind as you row?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: I just try to take it one stroke at a time and be present. I think of little goals to get through it.<\/p>\n OM:<\/i> What\u2019s the toughest workout you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Two-by-six kilometers. Both 6Ks take about 22 minutes.<\/p>\n OM:<\/i> If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Serena Williams.<\/p>\n OM:<\/i> Have you ever fallen out of the boat?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: A few years ago, I was in a pair with my teammate and our oars didn\u2019t lock right and when they pop out you flip. That\u2019s what happened to us. We were totally shocked and never saw it coming. All of a sudden we were in the cold Jersey water in November!<\/p>\n OM: <\/i>Do you have a mantra?<\/strong><\/p>\n KB: Earned, not given. Entitled to nothing, grateful for everything.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Believe it or not, there was once a time when Olympic rower Kristine O\u2019Brien thought rowing wasn\u2019t a real sport. As an athletic high schooler, O\u2019Brien expressed doubt in the sport when her parents encouraged her to join the school\u2019s rowing team \u2014 now, she\u2019s got an Olympics appearance with Team USA under her belt\u2026 or should we say oar? \u201cI thought, \u2018I don\u2019t know if that\u2019ll be a good enough workout,\u2019\u201d O\u2019Brien says of her high school hesitancy. \u201cBut my parents wanted me to try it because of all the scholarships in women\u2019s rowing. So, I tried it out.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[672,594,114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-2020-olympics","tag-athlete-spotlight","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2267"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3076,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267\/revisions\/3076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}