Rowing strapless: good or bad?

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bodya
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Rowing strapless: good or bad?

Post by bodya » January 23rd, 2009, 1:29 pm

About two weeks ago I started to feel pain in my left knee while rowing.
My friend recommended that I try to row strapless and see if that helps.
Sure enough I did my first 7.5k row this morning without straps.
It was very comfortable, and my strokes per minute dropped from 30-31 to 23-24, while overall workout time increased very slightly.
Most importantly I did not feel pain in my left knee...

Is there a problem rowing strapless?

Nosmo
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Post by Nosmo » January 23rd, 2009, 3:57 pm

Many coaches recommend it, and many of us perhaps most do the majority of our workouts strapless. It is generally really good for technique, especially if you row on the water. I'd recommend only using the straps for intervals and high ratings.

The only problem may be if you are used to a lot of lay back then you may try to balance by curving your back and putting you head forward. As long limit your lay back instead of doing this it should help a lot.

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