Is it normal...

[Gammmmo]

...for someone who has erged for a while to now not need any padding on the seat nor anything on their hands? Never thought I'd get to that point but feels so much better now somehow despite not really have callouses (spelling?) on my hands that look any worse or different, nor having put on THAT much weight on my rear. Something's changed for the better.

[aussieluke]

Absolutely

Same way those who never wear shoes don't need shoes, weightlifters never need to use gloves, and how my wrists have big thick pads that have developed from years of (initially very painful) kettlebell use.

The sooner you stop using gloves and pads and wrist wraps and whatever else, the sooner you begin to adapt.

[Rowan McSheen]

Hands ... yes. I have a lovely row of callouses on both hands. A bit unsightly and possibly sign of wrong handle grip but they've settled down and I'm comfortable. Took a while for them to harden though. At one point I had blisters on top of blood blisters and had to wipe the gunk off the handle after they burst during workouts

Arse ... no. Call me a wimp but I need that towel and bubble wrap.

[Gammmmo]

Arse ... no. Call me a wimp but I need that towel and bubble wrap.

Even for a skinny bloke like me, the seat on it's own is fine now...infact a folded towel on it feels uncomfortable / disconnected...

[gregsmith01748]

With regard to the original poster. Yes, it's normal...for you and for some other rowers.

But...not for everyone.

There are so many unique physiologies, and situations that I think it's a mistake to jump to the conclusion that rowers who use gloves, or seat pads or whatever have just not put in the effort to "overcome" the pain. I row over 4 million meters a year between the boat and the erg and I use a seat pad. There are surgeons who need to avoid callouses who row in gloves and could clean your clock on the erg or in a boat. I met a guy who rows on a pad 2 inches thick because his shins are just incredibly long. He won the head of the charles this year in the masters doubles.

So, please, don't judge how good a rower someone is by whether or not they use gloves or sit on a pad. Judge them by their performance if you like, or whether or not they achieve their goals, but not that other stuff.

[lwtguy]

I never needed gloves cause my hands were fairly tough from all of the work I used to do outside growing up. I more or less skipped the blisters phase and went right to callouses (although I still do get a few annoying blisters from time to time). I would say unless you have a real reason to be using them, it is always better to skip the gloves. Plenty of recreational rowers use them and it's fine but I've seen people who wear them from day one and never even give themselves a chance to let their hands "toughen up." I've personally found it hard to take people too seriously when they claim to be serious rowers but have never even tried rowing bare handed.

That doesn't mean serious rowers don't occasionally use them. There is a video from the 2008 or 2012 Olypmics where Olaf Tufte is wearing gloves at the starting line. He is one of the most decorated scullers alive so he can probably do whatever he wants!

[aussieluke]

^^^ FWIW I never said it has any bearing on how good anyone is. My point was that if you always use 'protection' in a particular area, then you're always going to need it.

Some may have specific reasons for wearing gloves or using seat pads like you suggest, but they are for reasons other than just preventing soreness and discomfort.

I don't have particularly big, rough manly hands. In fact I have pretty dainty little digits and almost no calluses at all at the moment, but after years of barbells, kettlebells and now erging, I never have any problems with blisters or hand pain.

If you always wear gloves, how will you row without them if you had to? Everything else will adapt apart from that one weak point.

[Anth_F]

Never ever wore gloves when erging or weightlifting etc. (I'm a proper mans man )

Only thing i do is have a seat pad on the erg... it's firm, not soft, and i find it ideal.

[lwtguy]

If you always wear gloves, how will you row without them if you had to? Everything else will adapt apart from that one weak point.

I was helping one of my buddies with his dead lifting and I noticed he always wore gloves, even on the low weight when he didn't need to. My advice to him was to leave them off when he didn't need them, that way he could build up his grip strength and his callouses gradually. My point being that you should always at least try and if it doesn't work then at least you have a good reason.

[prairiefire]

Funny you should raise this question. After bumping up my distance and time on the erg, I don't seem to be bothered by the seat. Never wore gloves. Originally, I had calluses on my hands - now just a few areas of thickening of skin, but nothing that is unsightly or in need of trimming. I wonder if it's the case that after we have erged for a while our technique improves and some of these issues go away. I do not do extremely long time trials on my erg however and thus I might be changing my tune about all this, when I get into my longer winter time use!

[Oarsome Fitness]

I have never used gloves as I simply got taught to use the machine in an environment where no one did - plus I was rowing as well so I guess they had to encourage no gloves as in the boat.

I also never use anything on the seat, but I know a number of people who use a seat pad (the rowing seat pads give good grip on an erg by the way) - something like this https://www.jlracing.com/tab.8_page.seatpads.html

Seat pads are common in a boat, sometimes for wanting a pad over a solid seat, but mostly to help rock over (if you lack flexibility) or to bring someone up to a similar height to others in the boat (e.g. if pulling in the oar to a comfortable height is not possible without).

After periods of not erging for a while I definitely sometimes wish I had one!