80% legs?

Citroen · Post by **Citroen** » February 17th, 2009, 11:09 am

onekgguy wrote: My wife took this video when we first got our C2. You can see a few seconds of my technique at the beginning and end. Maybe you can see what I'm doing wrong in it. Thanks.

Kevin

Why do you pause at backstops? Make the stroke one fluid continuous motion legs-body-arms-hands away quickly-arms-body-legs.

onekgguy · Post by **onekgguy** » February 17th, 2009, 1:41 pm

Alissa,

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to analyze my rowing technique (or lack of it) for me as thoroughly as you have. All of this information you've given me is much more than I've been able to glean by watching videos. My forearms are especially grateful. I hope to be back on my C2 tomorrow to practice what you've diagrammed for me. My forearms are still too sore and I don't want to further injure them by getting back on today.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Many thanks and thanks to all who've offered their comments.

Kevin

Nosmo · Post by **Nosmo** » February 17th, 2009, 4:32 pm

tdekoekkoek wrote: you need a strong core and strong arms only so that the power generated from the legs is properly transferred into the oar handle. In fact the legs are so much stronger that if we row properly we have to have strong arms and core just to keep from being left behind.

It is always risky to disagree with tdekoekkoek....
I don't think you need strong arms to transfer the power. When your arms are straight (which is the vast majority of the leg drive), then the power is transfered through the bones not the muscles. The arms really only come in after the legs are down.
He is absolutely correct about the core muscles. These are absolutely critical for power transfer and to prevent back injury (good technique pivioting forward from the hip as described so well by Alissa is also critical to prevent back injury).

tdekoekkoek · Post by **tdekoekkoek** » February 18th, 2009, 8:37 am

Nosmo wrote:
It is always risky to disagree with tdekoekkoek....

I don't think you need strong arms to transfer the power. When your arms are straight (which is the vast majority of the leg drive), then the power is transfered through the bones not the muscles. The arms really only come in after the legs are down.
.

Hmmm.... Well I don't know why it's risky to disagree with me. I don't think I've been belligerent on the forums. Opinionated... yes.

Anyway I agree with you about the arms. My point was only to say that if you need strong arms at all, it is just as a complement to what the legs and body are doing. The power comes almost all from the legs and the arms and body really round out the technique. So I think we're on the same page...

rlholtz · Post by **rlholtz** » February 20th, 2009, 11:54 am

From the UK forum: Re: Leg Drive

Start quote----

Here's something I was emailed the other day:
Erg Technique vs. Water Technique

This issue discusses handle and force measurements taken from a rower while rowing an erg and while rowing a single. On an erg, foot-stretcher force develops sooner than in a boat, but leg velocity is higher in a boat. This higher leg velocity means a higher percentage of power comes from the legs in a boat when compared to the erg. On the erg then, more power comes from the arms than in a boat. There is, however, greater acceleration of the arms on the drive on the water. If you look at the power breakdown among legs, trunk, and arms, it looks like this:

Erg - 37%,41%,22%
Boat - 45%,37%,18%

Quite often you see some rowers with good erg scores, and many land only rowers, whip the handle in a way you know wouldn't work on the water. Maybe this is why. There is no claim here that the tested rower has perfect form, only that given the same rower, one rows differently in a boat than on an erg. The Newsletter's author, Valery Kleshnev, concludes that, a comparison of various rowers’ profiles show that the power production differs between ergo and on-water. Rowers with fast legs produce more power on-water, while athletes with slower legs and stronger upper body have relatively higher ergo scores.

This may be stating the obvious, but even before accounting for technique and chemistry, rowing an erg isn't quite the same as rowing a boat

----end quote

Could this possibly be true?

onekgguy · Post by **onekgguy** » March 2nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

I got back on my C2 on Saturday after being off it for nearly 3 weeks with what I think may be tendinitis. I went easy and this time focused more on driving with my legs rather than pulling with my arms. It was an easy transition to make once I knew where the power was supposed to be coming from. My previous approach to my rower had been all wrong. Thanks, Allisa.

I did the same (easy) workout today as I did a couple days ago and I plan to stick with what I'm doing until the pain in my right forearm improves. It doesn't appear to be getting any worse and in some ways feels better in that the pain doesn't feel as acute as it had been but it's still there.

It's a fun workout and I can see where this could be addictive. Thanks for all your help.

Kevin

Markopolo400 · Post by **Markopolo400** » March 9th, 2009, 11:04 pm

onekgguy wrote:My wife took this video when we first got our C2. You can see a few seconds of my technique at the beginning and end. Maybe you can see what I'm doing wrong in it. Thanks.

Kevin

You need to get your arms back over your knees before you break your knees on the recovery, and don't pause at the finish, it should be one smooth motion.

jamesg · Post by **jamesg** » March 11th, 2009, 1:22 am

Did a quick test on the arms/legs ratio..
Could pull quite comfortably with no legs (ie arms and swing only) but for not more than 5 minutes, 80W @ 40: work = 2W'/stroke.
I usually wo with full action for >30' at 160-170W, rating 20-21, so 8W' work per stroke. I can get this to 10, but not for long.

So I'd say at least 75% of the work in my full stroke is legwork. Within my limits, this is a decision, not a fact of life; I decide how long the stroke is and how far my slide travels. I pull max 150cm overall, for 188 height, with 50cm slide.