Concept2 Forum

I've finally been cleared to start exercising after about a year's worth of not being able to do much other than sit on a stationary bike (long story short, there was a three month period in that year where I started erging again, but I was hit by a car while riding my bike, and that put an end to things for a while). I've found, however, that while my legs and my lungs feel fine during the workouts I've started, my forearms and hands begin to tire after a few minutes of rowing, and I can't hang on to the handle for more than 10 minutes at a time, no matter how slow I go. Does anybody have any suggestions for exercises I could do to build up the strength in my grip and my forearms so I can keep erging for more than 10 minutes?

Your forearms getting tired so quickly makes it seem like you are gripping the handle too hard. You should try to relax more. I would suggest an experiment where you row legs only for a bit. Hold the arms outstretched and use them in like a cable. You shouldn't be expending much effort in your forearms that way. If you are still getting tired quickly, that would confirm my hypothesis.

Floor exercises, and light weights.

Set a timer for 10 minutes, and get down on a non slip rug on the floor. Practice turning over like you're going to get up, hold the positions, and repeat. Continue until the 10 minutes is finished. These movements strengthen your entire body. You can do them every morning before rowing.

Get some 3 to 5 pound hand weights, whatever is comfortable to you, lay on your back on a bed, with the back of your head by the edge. Set the timer for 5' for these. Lift the weights straight up in the air, then back over your head off the edge of the bed. Hold there a few seconds, then bring them back straight up over your head, and hold them there for an additional few seconds. As you get used to the exercise, lift your body up straight as you raise the weights straight up in the air, which strengthens your abs.

In lieu of the bed exercise, do bench presses on a bench, with the same weights and timing of the movements.

yehster wrote:Your forearms getting tired so quickly makes it seem like you are gripping the handle too hard. You should try to relax more. I would suggest an experiment where you row legs only for a bit. Hold the arms outstretched and use them in like a cable. You shouldn't be expending much effort in your forearms that way. If you are still getting tired quickly, that would confirm my hypothesis.

I thought that, too, so I tried doing an "open" grip for a while (just holding onto the handle with my fingertips), but it didn't seem to affect me at all.

Thanks for the exercises, John. I'll give them a shot.

If your forearms are hurting it's possible that you are rowing too straight-armed. Try dropping the elbow slightly and rolling outwards slightly. This transfers the pulling into the lats and away from the neck, shoulders and forearms. This way your power gets transferred better from your legs, through your core.

Hope that helps,

Trevor