Topic: Hamman has strong bond with both sports

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Hamman has strong bond with both sports
By Darnell Mayberry

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Olympians run in cliques, too, and Shane Hamman was no different.

America's strongest man recognized rowers from his homeland while competing in Sydney and Athens but never thought their worlds could mix.

"Weightlifters hang out with guys from other sports that are similar like wrestling, judo and boxing, sports that hurt,” Hamman said. "We lift stuff. We punch each other. We throw each other around.

"Rowing seems more like an Ivy League sport, which obviously weightlifters aren't. Weightlifters are off the street and come from football teams.”

Little did Hamman know, his interests align perfectly with rowing. Hamman, a Mustang native and two-time Olympian, now works at the Chesapeake Boathouse, improving rower's skills through weightlifting. Hamman, now 35, spends most of his time at the boathouse training Oklahoma City University's rowing team and junior and master rowers.

He almost can't believe what he stumbled upon.

"It's hard to actually retire because you think you're never going to find anything that satisfies you like that competition,” said Hamman, who started working at the boathouse in June. "But I'm pretty happy doing what I'm doing now. I'm enjoying it.”

And he's getting results.

Hamman's services are not included with the boathouse's membership fee. But for $80 a month, Hamman provides eight group sessions, or two per week. With OCU's rowers, he has instituted a rigorous three-day-a-week workout program that develops muscles in their legs, back and arms and also involves cardiovascular work.

He mostly uses commonly seen weightlifting exercises like the clean, clean pull, squats and snatch to strengthen their muscles.

"Weightlifting is so good for rowing because the movement is so similar,” Hamman said. "The clean has the same technique as a rowing pull. It's all legs first, you drive with your back and you pull with your arms. And so what it's basically going to do is make the rowers pull harder and faster.

"One thing that they've been telling me is that their pulls are just way stronger. And towards the end of the race when they're getting tired, they feel that extra strength from training is allowing them to pull harder than they used to be able to.”

OCU senior rower Stuart Keller said he's noticed a difference in his teammates' endurance on the water in addition to faster, stronger pulls.

"It's not only what he's doing but how's he's doing it,” Keller said of Hamman. "He's got a great personality. He's laid back, but he's serious at the same time. He's real motivating when we're in there.”

Jared Hooley, an OCU freshman from outside of Eugene, Ore., said he's added muscle and become a more efficient rower since he started working with Hamman.

"I remember our first team meeting and seeing Shane standing over on the side, knowing he holds so many world records and national records, I was really intimidated at first,” said Hooley. "It's tough, but he helps develop you so much.”

Hamman hasn't competed since winning the gold in the Pan-American Championships in the summer of 2005. After retiring he spent a little more than a year traveling and speaking to kids at schools throughout the country. But he had a passion to teach others what he spent 14 years learning.

"How perfect is weightlifting for rowing?” Hamman said. "Once I started learning about it I was like this is unbelievable.

"And now that the national team guys have been here and I've been talking to them, they're saying I'm on the right page doing what I'm doing. These are the best rowers in our country, and they're actually telling me that they wish they had a trainer like me.”

Hamman has developed a fondness for rowing. He's even tried it a few times — something he never thought he would do a few years ago.

"It was pretty ugly,” Hamman said. "I haven't fallen in yet. But I'm pretty sloppy. But it's definitely given me a respect for the sport of rowing after going out and trying it and knowing how hard it really is.”

[Shaun Le Conte]

I can see that the techniques are similar. Rowers will have a lot more flexion at the hip at the start of their row and then don't extend their bodies much. And the arms play a much stronger role in pulling. Like, I wouldn't recommend a lifter pull with the arms to same extent that they pull with rowing.

In the video the technique is most easily seen at 2 mins+

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=EMTwB4-rICI[/youtube]

[Brogan Cyrzon]

Well still water rowing is quite intense, but is nothing compared to surf boat rowing.
Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfqoLyk8XMw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsuIs5VlIJE