Alternative handle question

vancemac · Post by **vancemac** » June 4th, 2006, 8:29 pm

I row purely for the excercise (cardio and general muscle work). I do not row on water, nor do I have any interest in competing. As such, is there any benefit at all in using a different handle, say once a week. One with vertical grips, something like these, just to work the muscles from a slightly different angle (sorry, I could not get tinyurl to work):

http://www.gymratz.co.uk/weight-trainin ... ow-bar.jpg
http://www.gymratz.co.uk/weight-trainin ... %20bar.jpg

Or is angle just too unnatural for the rowing motion??

Thanks,
Vance

**I'm a neophyte, so forgive me if this question is obvious or well covered (I didn't uncover anything in quick search).

Andy Nield · Post by **Andy Nield** » June 5th, 2006, 5:54 am

no reason why not.

I've sometimes thought that vertical grips would be more effective, but never got round to trying them...

Sean Seamus · Post by **Sean Seamus** » June 5th, 2006, 2:13 pm

I know I have seen a photo on this site in which such a handle arrangement was shown. The context was an alternate seat arrangement that someone had made (due to a sore bottom). Very likely it was on the old forum.

Hope this helps.

~ Sean

Byron Drachman · Post by **Byron Drachman** » June 5th, 2006, 7:23 pm

Here is my homemade handle, which I described on the old forum:

http://www.math.msu.edu/~drachman/row/rockin_seat7.jpg

You can adjust the angle of the hands to a more natural angle. If you ever get sore elbows, this could be a cure. The thumbs go out the outside, like on the end of the oar. The wooden parts of the D-grips rotate 90 degrees, so I can practice feathering on the C2. The wooden dowel as placed makes the seat unstable from side to side, so you get a good core workout, and the whole set-up gives an on-the-water feeling. If I remove the wooden dowel, the upper part of the seat rests on the lower piece and is held in place by the trim pieces, and then the seat is stable.

Byron

Andy Nield · Post by **Andy Nield** » June 6th, 2006, 9:35 am

Did you patent the seat?

Byron Drachman · Post by **Byron Drachman** » June 6th, 2006, 10:05 am

Did you patent the seat?

Hi Andy,
No. Feel free to copy it. All you need is a couple of scraps of wood and a round piece. If you want one already made for the C2, CorePerform makes a seat that works well, according to Xeno, Paul, and others.
Byron

dsikes · Post by **dsikes** » June 6th, 2006, 10:34 am

That is really very cool and ingenious.

And thanks for the picture.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 6th, 2006, 2:45 pm

I made these ski type handles out of 3/4" pvc and some rope.

This morning I rowed 20 minutes with them, alternating 2:00 segments, and did about the same times as with the regular handle. Then I did a 1k with the regular handle and took 7 seconds off my seasonal best.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 6th, 2006, 2:54 pm

Because of the rope, it doesn't do you any good to pull with your arms until the end of the stroke.

Rather you get a kind of sling effect with your body, and you get much more use of your lats.

First I just used the straight pvc, but my hands were slipping a bit, so I added the T sections on the ends. This put a stop to the slipping, though I might go back to the straight ones if I can keep them from slipping.

These handles are fantastic. I like them a lot.

I can see myself doing all my rowing with them and not using the regular handle any more.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 6th, 2006, 3:00 pm

I am calling these the John Rupp Handles for the erg.

vancemac · Post by **vancemac** » June 7th, 2006, 2:36 am

That's awesome, John. If you get the chance, I'd love to see more pics detailing how those handles work -- pics of you holding the handles at beginning (and maybe end of) stroke. I'm having a little trouble envisioning the dynamic.

Cheers,
Vance

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 7th, 2006, 2:07 pm

Thanks, Vance.

I'd suggest just rowing with straight pieces to begin with, to get the hang of it, so to speak.

I don't have any pictures of rowing with them, and will post them when I do.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 8th, 2006, 2:58 pm

Here is a picture of the handles with 1 inch pvc. I used 3/4 inch pvc on the ends. The rope is 36 inches long and has a strength of 75 pounds. I got some hemp rope with a strength of 224 pounds but it wasn't as flexible. I like the 1 inch pvc as it gives me a better grip than 3/4.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 8th, 2006, 2:59 pm

Here is a picture of the handles in motion.

The handles are 7 inches long, the rope is 36 inches, and the end pieces are 1 inch.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 8th, 2006, 10:38 pm

I've attached a spring link to the chain, and a spring clip to the link.

Now I can easily switch between using my new JR handles and the regular one.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/jo ... ndle6j.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y41/jo ... ndle6l.jpg