Can you row with one leg, and what are the tricks to doing it right?

[miket-nyc]

I tripped over a sidewalk grate that was sticking up in Manhattan on March 24th and fell down, banging my left knee. I'm slowly getting better and can walk OK, but rowing irritates my knee, and long walks, another exercise I do, also irritate my knee.

But NOT rowing is very frustrating. So is there a practical way to row with one leg, and how does that affect pace, strokes per minute etc? Also, what do you do with the leg you're not using?

Sorry if these questions sound stupid, but this is the longest I've gone without rowing since I started in January of 2023, and it's sort of driving me nuts.

Mike Taglieri

[winniewinser]

Perhaps a skateboard next to the erg for the poorly leg? Seen people do that before.

[p_b82]

While I worked out my nerve pinching issues, I'd row for a bit with one leg on the floor and one strapped in.

It put a lot more force through the left knee in my case, my posture was all out of alignment.

It really didn't feel very comfortable & I couldn't do it for long.

[MPx]

Certainly possible - just look up Sean Gaffney (PR3 world champion and record holder). But as a short term thing it might lead to other issues by putting extra strains on other muscles getting recruited to balance you out. As long as you're good at ignoring pace/ego, a gentle rhythmic and continuous movement should keep your aerobic side going....

[Elizabeth]

I've heard people recommend the skateboard trick, but I find that it starts to shift positioning pretty quickly and then I keep having to readjust. I also worry about picking up bad habits with that.

I have had okay success with partial slide rowing, but that depends on what your knee problem is and how much bending it can handle.

I find it a lot easier to get a good training session out of a SkiErg with leg drive removed, if you have access to one.