Blog

Being a lightweight on a team dominated by heavyweights was hard. After pulling a 7:40 2k Sophomore year and getting cut from my high school crew I started having doubts about rowing. I started training with Xeno and he showed me how a scrawny 155 lb lightweight could...

How Elite Coaching can help high school rowers get recruited to a college rowing program and bring long lost harmony back into family life. As a high school rowers, do you find that you are not improving fast enough? As a parent of a high school rower, are you...

Retina Burning and Weaponizing are two of my favorite analogies when I watch and coach rowing. When I watch a rower, it only takes a split second for me to see how their stroke can be made more efficient. During that instant, my "retina gets burned" so to speak. Of...

I was never the biggest or strongest, but I was taught how to use my legs efficiently and when to set the blade. The Elite Coaches I had the fortune to work with were incredible technicians. I have them to thank for getting recruited to Brown University and all my...

It is this time of year again, when recruits get their official letters. Many international recruits got theirs. Below is an article just about that. Simply put, competition is stiff for US high school rowers to get recruited to college rowing programs. Watch my short...

A page from Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko WillinkMotivation and self discipline are primary ingredients for building a successful career/life in pretty much anything the world has to offer. Over the years, the right coaches channel self discipline...

Through Elite Coaching I was able to get recruited to Brown University, stay undefeated in the varsity and win Olympic gold and silver in the men's single scull.Today, I enjoy helping rowers achieve their full potential as high school rowers seeking to get recruited...

Like all sports, rowing is made available across the country through volunteer and amateur coaches.  This continues to enable people to find a sport they are passionate about. In rowing, these amateur coaches have not experienced rowing at the highest level. They have...

With Elite Coaching you can have the technique that maximizes your potential, the training that brings you in the top 0.5%, and the mental coaching that gets you to the gold medal.    It is never too early to start.  Not only can you be the fastest in your club, go to...

Do you think that you have to be the tallest, or strongest to get the 2k score to realize your dream? Are you relying upon your local rowing coach to get you there? Most high school rowers mistakenly think that obtaining the 2k erg time which their coach says that...

As part of my private elite coaching, I run a daily confidential blog for rowers and their parents. I summarize specific subjects that stand out the most and blog about them. It is a great way to share information about rowing beyond an individual’s primary technical...

This is not my usual blog entry since it is not about competitive rowing 🤭 directly, (I will explain later.) I just returned home from a lovely nature excursion along the Orange County Coast between Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove State Park. The air was crisp and the...

I have bad news for you. Most club high school rowers lose even more erg speed in spring. This is a huge problem for rowers who seek to get recruited to college. Among many reasons, there is one that stands out: Club coaches care more about rowing on the water. Your...

A lot of high school rowers love their coach, but they don’t see their 2K improve at a rate that will get them recruited to college. Alternatively, a lot of high school rowers fear their coach and still don’t see their 2K improve fast enough. Whether the allegiance is...

They know not to train. They know how to self-coach their technique. They know what to eat. They know how to cope with stress. They know what the training program is. They know it is OK to ask questions. They know which strength exercises are not conductive for faster...

https://youtu.be/hx_XWQqvK4w

  Just last night, I was talking to a parent of a high school rower. Through the conversation I learned that their son is extremely strong for his body weight. My mind was blow, when I learned that he can deadlift more than twice his body weight for 8 repetitions...

Technique is critical to improving erg scores and increase speed on the water, especially during springtime when most club rowers see their erg scores slow down. Last weekend, I coached a young rower live via FaceTime. It was a great first session. I learned that his...

Getting recruited to college, is a life changing experience. Elite Coaching got me recruited to Brown University.  While racing for Brown, we stayed undefeated.  After graduating, I went on to winning Olympic Gold and Silver in the Men's Single Scull.  (Gold Medal...

Here is a short blog entry about Elite Coaching Communication. Rowing in college was my dream. I fulfilled my dream thanks to the amazing coaching I received when I was a high school rower. As luck had it, I had an Elite Rowing Coach at my club in France, and another...

  This footage was taken at CRASH-B Indoor Rowing World Championship, Boston. His son just PRed and helped him get recruited to Princeton University. Follow more videos on YOUTUBE about Elite Coaching and College Recruiting  

Rowers have the choice between static and dynamic rowing machines when it is not possible to train in a boat on the water. It is however the dynamic machines that give rowers a competitive advantage. There are different brands of dynamic rowing machines: RP3, Concept2...

Hello Rowers who are Reddit visitors. This little post is to certify that Xeno-Muller on Reddit is really me 🙂 I look forward to discussing myths and fact about what I do. https://www.reddit.com/user/Xeno-Muller/

I am excited to share the testimonial of Iain from Oklahoma, who recorded a testimonial for me.  Iain got recruited to Cornell with an awesome erg score of 6:15.  Watch his one minute commentary on how our work together got him recruited.

Making sure that your child's rowing experience at the club is optimal.  I can help improve the club rowing experience.

The vast majority of parents are new to the dynamics of the rowing community.  Sadly, most are given a lot of misinformation relating to being recruited by a college for rowing, leveraging rowing to get into a better college, the skill level needed to row on a college...

Hello Parents, I have tried several times to do a video testimonial - but I guess unlike Xeno - I am not a great on-camera speaker. My name is Henry and I want to tell you that over the past 8+ years -  Xeno MULLER has helped both my son's achieve their target 2K Erg...

It was perfect timing for me yesterday. I drove down from Orange County to represent Waterrower at the International Fitness Convention and was able to meet up in Mission Bay with Steve, my coach from Brown and now Yale coach, and his crews. Yale is competing at the...

Most high school rowers focus too much on their 500 meter split time and too little on learning the most efficient technique. Maximizing your erg splits with poor technique during low rate and less intensity than race pace pieces, or at race pace, but shorter pieces...

    I worked with Matthew for a couple of years. When I first met him, his 2K was 6:53.

1. When whole foods are not your first option. 2. Female rowers need to pay special attention to their iron levels. 3. A nighttime snack that balances calorie intake and expenditure while replenishing vitamins and minerals. 4. Reasons to stay well hydrated. 5....

Thanks to elite coaches and others:  This gold medal would not have been possible without the great support I received from family and coaches.  I may be the only person sitting in the boat, yet there is a number of people who were catalysts for this achievement....

I get it. Your teenage rower wants to be stronger and mightier by the minute. I have to confess, I too wanted it the same way when I was a junior rower. Without question, there are great positives in getting a muscularly stronger body. Building muscle and developing a...

Most club coaches don’t care about ERG scores during on the water rowing season, because their primary goal is to row on the water. Paradoxically, in moments of doubt, coaches regress to selecting the “fastest” boat through surprise 2Ks... which ends up making the...

I learned to row a boat way before I ever heard of or touched an erg... My first strokes I took were on the River Seine in Fontainebleau, France. The club coach’s name was and still is Jean Pierre Leroux. He was the Olympic coach of Anne Marden who won the silver...

Are you a sophomore in high school and love rowing? Are you frustrated with your erg performance? If you check the world ranking on Concept2’s website, here is the link, and you find yourself in the 75th percentile, you can improve your erg score by 45 seconds until...

This blog entry comes during a stressful time for high school rowers who are trying to be the best possible at school, standardized tests, at the rowing club to make the top boat, and last but not least, on the erg to stay relevant in the college recruiting process....

I get excited, when I find experts in different fields and I can draw parallels to what it is like to compete at the highest level in rowing. You may have heard of MasterClass... Hold on to your coaching hat, what a treasure trove for coaching metaphors! Below is the...

If you are lucky, you have parents who support you throughout your greatest challenges. I could not have achieved my life goals without the support, love, and guidance I received from my mom and dad. This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. My post is to tell all...

No matter how old you are. Spending time rowing is good for you. When you find the groove, or a state of trance, rowing at the gym or at home is good for your body and certainly your mind as well. Here are three tips. 1. Use YouTube and row to this footage for...

Watch this about “being excited” versus “being nervous.” https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek/videos/10156377400506499/

Very few will go to selection camp this summer and even fewer make the national team. Most rowers are thinking of fall racing with the goal of making the first boat. What are you going to do about it? Are you thinking about making the first boat? Are you frustrated...

When the body gets tried and you are fighting pain, the first technical flaw materializes through an early opening of the back and breaking of the arms. This makes the legs less capable to focus their power only on the flywheel. (The boat moves less past the oars.)...

1. Keep up the communication with me and make sure you let me know how you feel mentally and physically. You know my number, use it 🙂 2. Temperatures are hot, be smart about where you do your training and what you are drinking. 3. MAKE SURE we are scheduled for our...

What is a total waste of time when you are an upcoming senior in high school and want to get recruited to college? Summer rowing camps to compete at club nationals or Canadian Henley Of course, if the erg score is already “there,” then the above can be of...

Knee issues in rowing, is that possible? Sadly the answer is yes. Injuries and chronic aches are completely preventable. The cause of aching knees is the lack of attention to detail when it comes to coaching rowers. Rowing is known for its low impact on joints, so why...

Hi Xeno, Yesterday, just 26 months after Eli sat down on the erg for the first time, we dropped him off at Princeton University for his freshman year and to row with the Men's Heavyweight Rowing Team. Along the way he picked up some great wins with PNRA/Mercer,...

There is a reason that the five top college rowing teams continue to win year after year, for over 100 years. Elite coaching is the difference between a gold medal and an unrewarded effort. The disappointment is heart breaking. What is even more heart breaking is not...

Your erg improvement is not linear, that is a problem come fall of your senior year.  We have the solution: Watch my presentation and then ask yourself what is more important.  You have to make choices in your life that will have a major effect on your future.

Become part of a great elite coaching family tree. Coaching secrets are passed down over time from one elite rowing coach to the next. Have a look at the above short movie and see how I got recruited to Brown University and won Olympic gold and silver.  I could not...

FISA's new screening for potentially fatal heart conditions is vital, but so is correct interpretation The system is based on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Pre-Competition Health Screening which follows on from the finding that the leading cause (more...

The average weight of a rowing shell per athlete varies from 14KG (single scull) to 19.3KG (8+ including the weight of the coxswain) Shell bounce is a major boat run killer. Sloppy catches lead to speed stopping checks... every single time a stroke is taken. Finishes...

As a rower have you experience these frustrating situations? Not improving your 2K, simply stagnating and not knowing what to do how to get a new personal best. Not being able to make the first boat. Getting beaten in seat racing by rowers with inferior erg scores....

When I trained by myself, I loved listen to music: 1. Train with music it is good for the competitive brain Above is a group who posted their rendition of a newer famous song. This type of song is what I listened to when I rode my bike along the Pacific Coast as I...

You are probably starting to make plans for the summer. This year I am offering a digital summer camp.  The vXM Digital Summer Camp is designed to help you leverage summer in order to make aggressive improvements. No matter where you spend the summer. If you want to...

Details matter, but what constitutes a “detail that matters” depends on who you ask. This morning, I physiologically evaluated a great local rower on his bike, which was set up on a home trainer. As I walked up to him, I noticed how his bike was set up and how it...

Undefeated men's heavyweight eight at Brown University for two years... Broke world record on ergometer... Olympic gold and silver medalist... This was possible because I was fortunate to become part of one of rowing's top international coaching trees.  My family tree...

Here is what I love about the Xeno Müller Signature Waterrower: 1. Comfortable seat, yes, rowing seats can be comfortable. 2. A handle that is ergonomically designed and wider for better rowing variety. 3. The water rower is perfect for exercises that are different...

A bad erg score can ruin your day and your recruiting. 1. You hate the anticipation of a 2K I can't blame you.  Your last 2K brought you to your knees and you may have not gotten a new personal best.  Now you are expected to do better, without feeling better...  The...

1.  You must be selfish to succeed on the erg. Group mentality is not going to cut it. 2. Don't go it alone. I didn't, I had coaches.  In today's age, getting coaching is one key stroke away. 3. Avoid the major mistakes everyone does. Listen carefully to the webinar...

Need a better erg score? Think outside of the box, step on it! 1. Training the body different ways. When I work with rowers through my ELITE COACHING program, I make sure that the mind keeps firing on all pistons.  It is key to not just use the rowing machine or the...

Kiwi Pair destroying it.  Look at the clues! 1. What erg? Who cares whether you pull a better scores on a dynamic erg, right? Why are those two not rowing on a static machine? 2. Lactate tester? The testers are sitting on the table, have you spotted them? They are...

1. Winter Break 2013 GET FASTER Make the best use out of your time off from school and club rowing commitments. Join your own personal training camp with Olympic gold and silver medalist Xeno Müller. Together you will work on improving physically, mentally, and...

This March, I am running a set of erg camps. They are each 3 days long and limited to 4 participants. I am looking forward to helping rowers safely achieve their rowing dreams. Thanks to Elite Coaching, I stayed injury free throughout my career. Rowing injury free...

I met Xeno Muller at Brown University in 1992 and he was physically the strongest human being I have ever met in my entire life. He proved this to be true as a rower and athlete worldwide through his multiple Olympic medals in 1996 (Gold)and 2000 (Silver). Xeno and I...

I own a Signature Waterrower and an ERG. I use the ERG to coach rowers who need to drop their ERG score and I row the Waterrower for my own enjoyment of the sport and how it makes me feel. Check out the indoor rowing library that comes with a Signature Waterrower

The more you know about your sport the better the training results become when you reach the “Flow State.” My Elite Coaches made it crystal clear what I needed to work on. After special warm ups, I would reach Flow State and time would fly by. It is an incredible...

Watch above: Parents of high school rowers, if your son or daughter wants to get recruited to college, this information is extremely important. Getting recruited to Brown University was a life changing experience for me. I have Elite Coaching to thank for it and...

Follow the link to watch it on YouTube 🙂 https://youtu.be/3fXMohwoe-Y