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Silken Laumann's varied workouts need more structure

DENISE BALKISSOON

Special to The Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 5:46 PM EDT 23/03/08

The former Olympic rower's frequent power walking and yoga put most of us to shame, but even her regimen could benefit from added structure ...Read the full article

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  1. Margot Glover from Port Hope, Canada writes: I think since she's a former world and olympic medal winning rower we can maybe cut her some slack!?!?! She's already had a whole life of "structured" physical activity. Plus her day to day fitness subscribes to the philosophy of the program she's heading...she role modelling that being physically is easy to put into your everyday routine.
  2. colombina l from Canada writes: Hmm maybe I should too give some advice on training to the OLIMPIC ATHLETE, why not?

    Hello OLIMPIC ATHLETE lady, I think you should take some modern dance classes, and some rock climbing.

    Thanks, if you have any questions, OLIMPIC ATHLETE lady, please email me.

    cheers,
  3. tired horses from Canada writes: I expect Ms. Laumann knows more about training and workout than this "consultant " who is struggling to come up with something to justify comment here.

    Laughable. I can see right off why Ms. Laumann isn't doing at least one of this person's suggestions.
  4. Scott Wilson from Canada writes: Yup, I think the personal trainer would have been better advised to explain what is good about Silken Lauman's fitness regime, rather than trying to show that she can find some "enhancements". Given who Lauman is and all the exercise she is doing, I would be very surprised if she is not in incredible shape (and her routine sounds pretty balanced to me). More importantly, she enjoys it!!!

    ... but then maybe she could be in the 99.9th percentile for her age, rather than just the 99.8th, if she took the advice.
  5. Margot Glover from Port Hope, Canada writes: Last line should read "she IS role modelling that being physically ACTIVE is easy to put into your everyday routine". Should review before hitting submit.
  6. Sue City from Canada writes: Why is this person commenting at all? This piece should be just about active living, in any shape or form.
  7. stand up mimi from Canada writes: I agree with the comments above. Silken is an example of how to incorporate fitness into your everyday life, and I especially appreciate her focus on helping kids get the exercise they need through unstructured play. Hopping on a bike and tearing around the park would fit the bill here, but riding a stationary bike every other day doesn't exactly keep to the active living philosophy, in my view.

    I'd like to see a story on her work in preventing obesity in children.
  8. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Odd that Silken Laumann, of all people, would need this kind of advice.
  9. Dick Nails from Canada writes: A key factor in developing and maintaining fitness is to keep changing what one does. The variations can be seasonal (biking, rowing, paddling etc) or best, day to day. It is critical to keep changing what the excercises to keeping the effort interesting and challenging, physically and mentally. Even when doing near PBs every time out, the body adjusts to the requirement and actually does not work as hard to acheive the near PB levels. If working out at a gym and the 'usual' piece of equipment is occupied, move on, there is always something else you can do. And best, if the equipment is unfamiliar or used least, it is probably a more demanding exercise.

    Variety is the key to interest and maintenance of a high fitness level.
  10. Margot Glover from Port Hope, Canada writes: And she's got a bit of a bum leg...give the woman a break!
  11. Friendly Anglo from Ottawa, Canada writes: If most of us were in just half as good shape as Silken, we would all be thrilled. I think this person would be better served finding someone in a little worse shape than Silken to give advise to.
  12. Jack Rip from Canada writes: Regarding the comments that "Nobody should tell Silken Laumann how to maintain their bodies". Just because someone was an elite athlete doesn't mean they are knowledgeable about how to cultivate and maintain a healthy body. Plenty of elite athletes have destroyed their bodies in the pursuit of athletic perfection. Getting a different viewpoint never hurts, you can try it, or you can just ignore it. This is especially true as we age and our bodies become less resilient that they were in our prime.
  13. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: First, Silken said, "Power walks, with and without poles, for 10 to 15 kilometres on weekends, "

    With and without poles implies Nordic Walking and that is a completely different work-out than power walking. I cannot remember if Silken was one of the competitive rowers that used cross-country skiing as a cross train but a 10-15K Nordic Walk using full arm swing and cross-country ski tempo gives a 15-20K run at 6:30-7:00 min./mile pace cardio effect. Furthermore she is getting a serious back, arm and core work-out. Can't get away from that rowing/x-country skiing back thing, Silken??

    Second - Outside/home ... what a great example she is to base her fitness on being outside and/or at home. Adherence is much easier than going to a gym, breathing the crap air, being exposed to umpteen bacteria and viruses, and being able to de-stress with fresh air, greenery and body propulsion.

    Third - Family ... again, what a super example of including your family in your fitness lifestyle. It's not just about you, it is about your fitness legacy.

    Fourth - Pilates ... still controversies about the effectiveness of Pilates and Silken fits the profile of a potential high risk person. The is tall and her muscle/ligament ratio may be such that the torsions of Pilates result in the long ligaments creating micro-tears in her pliable muscle bodies. She does yoga, which is great but she obviously picks the exercises that her body can handle. I am tall and did the rowing/x-country/bike racing/running thing and my physio has forbidden me to do yoga or pilates because of my long ligament/muscle body ratio. Simple stretches, refer to Dr. Steven Stark's, "The Stark Reality of Stretching".

    Cycling is that hunched over position, again, and Silken will do it outside on a road or mountain bike.

    I suggest cross training by swimming, it can include the family, it gets all the weight off that leg and the yoga helps with the shoulder turn.
  14. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: Sorry that is muscle/tendon ratio.

    I was thinking damage to her ligaments.
  15. Addie Bundren from Aquavelvet, Canada writes: I swim six days a week. Five or so minutes every session I fart around just enjoying being enveloped in warm water. No doubt, it's the least productive part of my routine, but it's the only part that keeps me coming back day after day, because the rest, the part the consultants always seem to want more of, is drudgery. My goal is not perfection and these articles are useless.
  16. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: If its drudgery, why are you wasting your time?
  17. Buddy Rich from Toronto, Canada writes: All you need to do for cardio, is a brisk 20-25 minutes walk 3-4 times a week. Whoever says otherwise does not know how the heart works. Anareobic training? buy a $5 elastic band and learn to use it every other day. Simple enough?
  18. D K from Canada writes: Ya, she's a real slacker.
  19. crazy fiddler from Canada writes: ed long, thanks for the stretching book reference - much appreciated!

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