Concept2 Forum

I'm trying to assess if there is any value to "ruck rowing"...wearing a weighted vest or backpack while using the Concept2 rower.

I would very much appreciate hearing from anyone with any ruck rowing experience...equipment used with pros and cons of various configurations, perceived/real training benefits, cautions, suggestions etc. Thanks!

Not a ruck rower but the only thing it would really be doing is adding weight, which makes pushing from your legs more difficult. The only thing with that is, you can already push harder from your legs since the difficulty is determined by how hard you personally decide to push horizontally, not eg 35 pounds working with gravity against your legs, like in normal rucking. So I don't really see the point - just push harder if you want to have a harder stimulus.

Otherwise it would really just be a matter of how much endurance strain your shoulders and chest would be taking wearing such a backback or vest, in which case the effort probably wouldnt be much different than just sitting and watching TV wearing that same weighted vest.

ShortAndStout wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 9:06 pm

So I don't really see the point - just push harder if you want to have a harder stimulus.

+1 on this ^^^

Unless you're Brian Shaw, the erg is stronger than you are, and if you want work your legs harder just push harder.

I can sort of understand the logic behind adding weight to the torso - you're increasing the work your legs have to do accelerating your body on the drive without increasing the load on your arms, but if you really want to isolate your legs for a low-impact cardio workout, then I'd say use a stepper or a bike. The beauty of the erg is that you're working a whole bunch of muscles. You want to take advantage of that, not try to turn it into a leg-specific workout.

ShortAndStout wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 9:06 pm

Not a ruck rower but the only thing it would really be doing is adding weight, which makes pushing from your legs more difficult.

And it traps heat from the upper body, and potentially frustrates back and arm movement. Mechanically, I see some issues here.

Overall you will probably get a harder core workout, as the added mass makes catch and finish position harder to control.
I have the feeling, that the legs won't have a big difference in stimulus, as the added weight has to be accelerated, but not against gravity, so the load is low compared to the effort you need to accelerate the flywheel.

I agree with all of the above. If you want to make it harder, row at max, or near to max drag, lower the stroke rate and increase the pace.

I'd have thought that would be a preferable alternative, as it will be very hard, very quickly.

I've never tried it on a rower, but I find wearing a backpack on a bike to be really unpleasant, compared to carrying the same weight in a panier. So the unpleasantness is not from moving the weight so much as just the (mostly) isometric load of holding it up.

On the rower you'd have a similar isometric load, plus wasted energy on both stroke and recovery.

I'd sooner just row a bit harder.

I can't see this ending well at all. Clue being in the name, but I suspect the term rucking comes from walking/running and should firmly stay in that camp!

JaapvanE wrote: ↑

March 20th, 2024, 2:11 am

ShortAndStout wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 9:06 pm

Not a ruck rower but the only thing it would really be doing is adding weight, which makes pushing from your legs more difficult.

And it traps heat from the upper body, and potentially frustrates back and arm movement. Mechanically, I see some issues here.

This is the key - the rucksack will inhibit movement/technique. I'd go so far as to actively discourage it.

As someone who has done a bit of rowing, esp this past year, and is a huge fan of rucking and weight vest work, I have not thought about combining the two and really don't see any added value to adding weight via ruck/weight vest while rowing.

What you might be looking for stimulus wise could be accomplished with higher drag and / or lower stroke rate work.

Thanks to all for your thoughtful replies. Very helpful!

I haven't done this and don't intend to.

Having said that, I can imagine a potential use case - somebody training for a rucking event, but who is limited in the amount of actual rucking they can do. For this hypothetical person, I can see some potential sport-specific adaptations (some respiratory, some neuromuscular in the upper body).

But, generally, it seems like something that would reduce, rather than increase, the benefits of a rowerg workout.

I do a lot of hiking and have experimented with traditional rucking, building up to carrying just shy of 40lbs for well over 4 hours. I used a proper rucking sack with rucking plates inserted within. There cannot be an activity that aggravates the body more, while offering so few fitness benefits. So says a small framed, 70kg guy.

I found that, firstly, the thick padded straps on the rucking sack force the arms wide, so one walks more like a gorilla than a human being. Even then, if you're wearing a tee shirt, the straps rub painfully against the inside of the upper arms. I had to wear upper arm protection.

Secondly, the straps have to really cinched down to keep the sack high on the back. This caused me nerve issues. After a short time the straps become exquisitely uncomfortable.

The heavy weight of the sack is supposed to cause an increase in heart rate over and above that achieved by normal walking. However this is negated by the heavy weight slowing you down - so it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Running is, justifiably, a no no in rucking.

The heavy weight also encourages stooping. It's supposed to encourage an upright posture as you engage your core, but it just doesn't work like that.

Overall, you're entire body ends up hurting like hell, but not in a good way. It tells you, in no uncertain terms, "Did I not like that?"

Rucking? I'll leave it thanks. It might work if you're built like a brick ********, but, if you're small, be careful out there.

Just for your information.

Seems really odd that it appears that weighted vests would be used for what is just hiking rather than a properly fitted rucksack.

Only reason I say that - is decent rucksacks put the weight as low as possible - as much on the hips to ensure no back related damage over a day's hiking; so wearing something that purposefully puts the back in a weak position just seems very odd to me!

(as a cadet I'd do 6-8hour hikes with a full pack over welsh mountains or dartmoor's tors of about 1/3rd my bodyweight at the time, and we always made sure the weight was down on the hips as much as we could get it; for stability and posture).

Either way - can't say I'd ever wear anything on the erg.... my back sweats enough as it is, and I'm sure anything I wore would double in weight from it