Like many athletes sidelined by injury, Cassi Niemann turned to rowing to see what her body could handle. After walking on as a freshman, she found strength in the community her Georgia Tech crew provided.
Cassi never could have known then that her trajectory was about to drastically change. Nearly 30 years later, Cassi’s resume is packed with coaching experience and training certs. She's the lead UCanRow2 Master Rowing Instructor with Concept2. She’s also a competitive power lifter and the owner of CASstrong, where she blends rowing with her expertise as a strength coach.
Cassi not only helps indoor rowers improve their skills and confidence on the machine, but also trains other coaches to effectively integrate rowing into a variety of fitness settings.
We got to talk to Cassi about indoor rowing, lifting, and creating sustainable training habits for health, confidence, and community.
.
Want a training program that combines strength and rowing? Check out BarbellMedicine.com and use code CASSI10 for a discount.
.
QUICK LOOK
00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Rowing Week: 1-10 02:42 - The Huddle 03:20 - The Hot Seat Q&A 04:53 - Rowing origin story: walking on at Georgia Tech brought community and a focus for success as a student athlete 09:45 - First coaching gig: Georgia Tech novices 12:30 - Developing a coaching style, influences 16:13 - Transition from collegiate rowing to masters rowing 18:18 - Bootcamps, powerlifting, and CrossFit 21:37 - UCanRow2 training verification, coaching other coaches, and talking about indoor rowing without talking about rowing on the water 29:18 - Setting yourself up for winter fitness success with: BAM (bare ass minimum), RAD (really awesome day), auto-regulation 33:58 - Barbell Medicine rowing + strength training program 39:29 - Cassi’s “original domino piece” - the thing that's gonna catapult someone into making more changes with just one change 42:15 - Outro
.
To see photos of Cassi, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.
.
This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.
.
Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.
.
SHOP SSN GEAR: www.steadystatenetwork.com/shop
SIGN UP FOR THE SSN NEWSLETTER: www.steadystatenetwork.com/newsletter
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO ALLIES WITH OARS: www.steadystatenetwork.com/allieswithoars
Check out more Steady State Network here:
FB - /SteadyStateNetwork IG - @SteadyStateNetwork
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.