Obviously for us to succeed, we need to train! All crews will have at least 2 training sessions on the water a week. The senior crews usually have 3 and novice crews can have more outings if they want to.

At a novice level land training is very much up to the crew and the individual. Some crews like to go slightly crazy and others take it very easy. We’d recommend somewhere inbetween perhaps. Senior crews are usually sent training plans by their captains which we hope are stuck to. But we recognise this is not always possible in the constraints of a medical degree.

On top of the weekly training, at the beginning of each year there is the Senior Training Tour to Marlow. A whole weekend of unadulterated rowing, with a bit of fun and games thrown in. We take our boats away from the tidal Thames and really work to hone our technique for the year to come. It is common then to have the odd training weekend at the boathouse throughout the year as big races come up, just to try and make sure we’re in peak condition.

It sounds like hard work but its really not that much and we understand the degree comes first.