Concept2 Forum

Can you guys look at my video and critique my form. Specifics on the video: http://youtu.be/AUdffAiAXdk

This as the 4th 1000m row I did tonight. The video is the full 1000m row.

Results:

4:52.3 1,000m 2:26.1pace 112watts 685cal/hr 25sm 156hr

So far I have had the rower for about a month or so. 97K lifetime meters.

Sorry my head was out of the frame. I didn't have a tripod.

Thanks!
Joe

Nothing very wrong, thing I noticed the most, you have very flexible ankles, hardly any need to lift your feet at the catch.
One thing, wait with the back, first push the legs.

What you need is training, meters and meters. Build your fitness, build your strenght.

A couple of things that I notice:

(i) During the recovery your legs are breaking before you've fully extended your arms and rocked over with your back, they should remain straight until (just before) your back and arms have finished their part of the recovery. I find that if I do this correctly I get a better connection with the machine during the leg drive which helps me generate more power and avoid using my back early.

(ii) Your drive to recovery ration is a bit high. Try to take it easier during your recovery, then make the drive stronger (though keep is fluid). Point (i) will help with this.

hjs wrote:One thing, wait with the back, first push the legs.

I have this tendency too, and something I like to focus on to avoid it is my seat. If your leg drive is done properly, the seat and the handle should move at the same speed during it. If you use your back/hip swing early then the seat will move less than the handle. So every now and again during a piece try to feel where the seat/your bum is and focus on it moving at the same speed as the handle. You won't be able to do this through an entire piece as you'll almost certainly lose focus, but doing it for 10 or 20 strokes every now and again helps get you back on track.

Sorry for posting in your thread but I've been wondering something for some time and I'll take advantage of your video to ask about it.

In Joe's video we see there is quite a long distance between the seat and his heels in the catch position. I even saw a video in Dark Horse Rowing where they use the trick of placing an elastic "rope" on the rail so you can practice the movement and get used to row to a certain distance (can't find the link right now).

However I nearly touch the seat with my heels, check this video and watch the blonde girl with ponytail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st_AakadXdk
I got used to do it just like her, actually I slip part of the folded towel I use in the seat to protect my heels.

Actually, since I go all the way there I find it VERY VERY hard to go above 32 s/m when sprinting while I see people sprint for 40 s/m +. And I was thinking this might be one of the reassons (apart from the fact that I'm terrible at short distances)

What is the correct position? Does it matter? is it because I'm shorter than Joe? (I'm 5'10 - 178 cm)

Edit: Btw, Joe you should put a shirt on . Even with a shirt when I row the sweat transfers to the handle and to my hands causing blisters if I dont wear gloves. Guess some rowers use that uniform to have a double layer and avoid just that, right?

I'd say she's over compressing at the catch (possibly because she's got very flexible hips). If you go to 7:14 in the video, the start of their third workout, I'd say that's where her catch should be.

As someone who had a habit of over compressing at the catch I can say that, for me, the leg drive during that extra distance is weak, so I'm using extra energy to add very little acceleration to the handle, and I'm sacrificing rate as a result of increased drive length too.

Thanks Jerek,

Here it is the video I mentioned with the elastic band Darkhorse : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRHEd7W5qVU
Here it is the video I posted at British rowing (blonde girl): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st_AakadXdk
Here it is a video of Concept2australia (top viewed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ82RYIFLN8

Just paying attention to distance between seat and heels:

Joe rows like Darkhorse video (big distance), I do it like British Rowing video (hardly any distance) and then C2Australia goes somewhere in between.

I feel so comfortable rowing as I do it that changing my muscular memory on the row right now would be a real pain.

So if it is :
a) matter of preference (depends on flexibility/height etc), I'll just stick to the way I row.
b) matter of health and hurting your ankles or whatever I will just have to change the way I row.
c) matter of improving rowing speed and optimizing your energy... well I dont know what I want to do in that case.

So I dont know what should I do.

JerekKruger wrote:I'd say she's over compressing at the catch (possibly because she's got very flexible hips). If you go to 7:14 in the video, the start of their third workout, I'd say that's where her catch should be.

As someone who had a habit of over compressing at the catch I can say that, for me, the leg drive during that extra distance is weak, so I'm using extra energy to add very little acceleration to the handle, and I'm sacrificing rate as a result of increased drive length too.

Agreed. And I'm the same, infact even more extreme as my lower legs go past the vertical. Net result = some reasonable times by way of being quite aerobically trained AND having a very long stroke (with slow rate to go with it) BUT of course my leg drive is weak and I believe this should be somewhat corrected in order to make new gains i.e. my legs need to get much stronger.

Gammo,

I wouldn't say that rowing +15.8 km at 1:54 for an hour (as I see in your signature) is just "reasonable". It's awesome in my eyes.
I just wonder if you have the same problem as I have in short distances. Since I go that deep I can only sprint for 32 s/m while others go +40 s/m when they sprint.

If its about making some gains on time I'm not sure I want to go that way. I just row because I enjoy it and helps me with my weight, not going to become a pro-rower or anything like that.

Neorticros wrote:Gammo,

I wouldn't say that rowing +15.8 km at 1:54 for an hour (as I see in your signature) is just "reasonable". It's awesome in my eyes.
I just wonder if you have the same problem as I have in short distances. Since I go that deep I can only sprint for 32 s/m while others go +40 s/m when they sprint.

If its about making some gains on time I'm not sure I want to go that way. I just row because I enjoy it and helps me with my weight, not going to become a pro-rower or anything like that.

It's all a matter of perspective I guess. This thread just resonated with me.

Neorticros wrote:If its about making some gains on time I'm not sure I want to go that way. I just row because I enjoy it and helps me with my weight, not going to become a pro-rower or anything like that.

If your aim is to row for fitness/weight control then, so long as your technique doesn't result in injuries, I wouldn't worry about it. However if, at some point down the line, you catch the PB bug then you'll probably want to work on improving your technique.