Asymmetry

[Brian Lancaster]

Do any of you make a conscious adjustment for any kind of asymmetry in your erging?

Since getting back into serious erg workouts, I have developed significant callouses on the palm of my right hand at the base of the middle and left of middle fingers with lesser ones below the first joints up from the palm on the same two fingers. By contrast, I have none on my left palm but a matching pair below the corresponding joints on the corresponding fingers.

I am right handed for all sports and I assume that I pull significantly harder on that side when erging.

I have also tended to feel twinges in my left knee when doing very heavy leg presses. ( So I don't do much of that.) My left leg is generally a bit weaker than the right.

I feel that there is something 'not quite right' about the relative contributions from right and left legs when erging and wondered if anyone makes any adjustments to attempt to compensate for a real or perceived asymmetry. We are all supposed to have legs of slightly different lengths, some so pronounced that shoe differences are used for compensation. Fifteen years ago, when I got to 'my peak' on the erg, I used to put a loose stick on sole under my right foot on the model C that I used then. I felt that it was beneficial then but I must have had a clearer idea of why that worked then than I do now. I wonder if a hole difference on the flexifeet might be a worthwhile change but which way?

Any thoughts or experience out there?

[jimmyshand]

I don't do this but have thought about it. There is about a 2cm/1 inch difference in my legs - left being longer. I'm about 199cm on left leg and 197 on right but I've always just been used to it.

The one thing I do notice and not sure if it's connected is I seem to get blisters only on right hand and occasional soreness in lower right back. In general I have no problems though and think that if I try evening it out I'll just end up feeling weird.

[mdpfirrman]

Everyone is a bit imbalanced in varying degrees. My right hip isn't as "open" as my left. How do I know this? It's uncomfortable to cross my leg in a chair with the right leg and perfectly comfortable to do it with my left. My right knee (which I ripped the meniscus off of years ago) is around 1/2 inch shorter than the other leg. Probably bone on bone wear and tear.

I've noticed when I row that my butt will eventually move toward the right side, probably because my left leg is pushing harder than my right. I make a conscious decision every time I row to concentrate pushing off equally with my left, weaker leg. Nothing much I can do about strength not being there (except working it harder when I lift, which I do actually). I've also seen that my right hand will slide up the handle while the left stays the same (and proper form with the pinky off the handle). Perhaps overcompensating for the weaker leg with my right arm, which is my dominant side. Who knows...


Recently I"ve found that if I look down (not too much because your neck) on my form instead of the monitor, I can see what I'm doing better and try to correct it. It's helped a bit. I still have wanted to try shoe inserts into my right foot to see if that might even out the legs and perhaps better balance things out. I know the right is shorter because when I row unstrapped, at times, it slips up on the foot pads (as it's not even connecting to the pad while my left foot is connected fine).

[Dangerscouse]

Same here, my right hand ring and middle fingers used to get quite bad blisters (now they are just calluses), and my left was unaffected. I'm left handed so I couldn't quite figure it out. Now I'm starting to get small calluses and blisters on my left hand, nothing too bad but I've not done anything to try and rectify.

I have tried in the past to focus on pushing legs alternately, for one stroke each time with a focus on one leg but still pushing with both to some extent.

I'm notably weaker on my right side when I do side planks and my right hip / glute is loads tighter than my left, so I make sure that I focus on loosening / strengthening them

[kirstym]

I can't comment on the legs, but when I got back into erging at the beginning of the year, I noticed more calluses building up on my right hand than my left. I figured out it was due to over-gripping with my right hand and started making a conscious effort to relax that hand and forearm (hand like a hook). My calluses are pretty even now, so I guess it worked. Hope this helps...