Does your height affect 2k pace?

[Alexander the Terrible]

I'm new to rowing, and posting in these forums, and the thing i was wondering was does your height affect your 2k pace (i'm not that tall). Right now i've done 39rows total since Christmas (most of which have been 30min. pieces), and now that i'm starting a new training program i'm starting to realize my best 500m sprint is 2:22 so the best 2k i could hope for is probably a flat 10:00. So when i hear about people upset they can only pull 7:00 i have no idea what's wrong with what i'm doing. I'm athletic, young, and i'm pretty sure i'm using the right form, so the only thing i can think of is height.

Also, if height doesn't turn out to be the problem, what are some ways to lower my 2k pace?

[Bob S.]

I'm new to rowing, and posting in these forums, and the thing i was wondering was does your height affect your 2k pace (i'm not that tall). Right now i've done 39rows total since Christmas (most of which have been 30min. pieces), and now that i'm starting a new training program i'm starting to realize my best 500m sprint is 2:22 so the best 2k i could hope for is probably a flat 10:00. So when i hear about people upset they can only pull 7:00 i have no idea what's wrong with what i'm doing. I'm athletic, young, and i'm pretty sure i'm using the right form, so the only thing i can think of is height.

Also, if height doesn't turn out to be the problem, what are some ways to lower my 2k pace?

Coxswains typically weigh 125 pounds or less and are usually not much over 5'6". Here are the results of a 1k race for coxswains:

http://cdnindoorowing.org/documents/CoxswainMen.pdf

Note that that all three medal winners had paces well under 2:00 and that one is of high school age and that another is a college student. Also the race was for 1k, not just 500m.

If you are rowing only 500m at 2:22, it seems to me that there is a major technique problem involved. Have you had your stroke checked out by an experienced rower? If that is not possible, you can get loads of advice by having someone make a video of you on the indoor rower and then posting it so that it can be viewed by the members of the forum. Notify the UK forum as well, since that is more active than this one and has plenty of members who can analyze rowing technique.

Bob S.

Edit:
I just found another one:

http://cdnindoorrowing.org/documents/Co ... CIRC08.pdf

Note that even the girl that took tenth place had a pace that was less than 2:22. Her 4:42.6 for the 1k would be an average 500m split of 2:21.3.

[iain]

height does make a difference, I think it was on the UK forum that there was a discussion about the fastest sub 6ft and I don't think anyone was quicker than 6:10 for a 2k. But that is at the extreme. There are some extremely quick people who are under average height.

As for how to lower a 2:22 500m and get a good 2k, it would help to know a little about you, weight, age, sex, training/sporting history, any physical restrictions etc. For most men of middle age or youger your time suggests technique issues. The largest improvem,ents should thus come from improving your stroke. key errors to look for are:

Bending arms before your legs are close to straight;
Not keeping your back at the same angle when your legs drive
Not straightening your legs before your arms or back go forward
- these are all failures to convert the power of your legs into acceleration of the flywheel.

Not getting forward to vertical shins with body inclined forward
Not driving hard with the legs (rowing unusually requires an output of high power for a relatively short period - the drive - followed by a longer period to set up for another drive and "recover" from the exertion. As a result the action is more like a squat)
Not pulling a long stroke into your chest
Not leaning back 20 degrees or so from the vertical.
- these are failures to do a long hard stroke.

Examine many of the recommended videos (incl. ones with the rower) and watch yourself in a mirror to make sure your technique is not significantly different. If you are brave, post a video on the forum and people will give their feedback.

A check on technique is that you should be able to generate a strong pace at 22 SPM with a damper setting at 3.

beyond technique it is about endurance first for a 2k (estimated 70-80%) which just requires lots of long rows (30 mins + at modest (<26 SPM) rating but sufficient effort to make you sweat freely and as hard as you could perform while still talking. Strength may also help, but this tends to be a smaller component that can be added later with faster rows and/or weights.

many people have improved from times like yours to sub 8' 2k very rapidly.

Best of luck

Iain

[jamesg]

AT, to go fast you have to put Work into each stroke. This is done by using low drag (damper 3 or lower) and pulling full length strokes. You don't have to pull particularly hard, but the strokes must be long. So take your time for an easy relaxed recovery, getting well forward to a strong position for the catch. Then take that long smooth relaxed one-piece perfect stroke that shifts boats long distances. If it's not perfect, pull another ten thousand or until it is. Then another million. If it feels far too much like hard work, you're on the right track.

[karldiesen]

Height is a definite advantage. The taller the better, but on the extreme side you always have a few exceptions: Rasmus Quist is only 5'8" and pulls 6:08 in the 2k. He has won the lightweight world championships too (2x)

[tditmar]

I once posted a scientific study I found online, done I believe by students at the University of Michigan, that concluded an absolute advantage for height (longer levers) to performance on a rowing machine. A Concept 2 was used for the study. I will try to find and post again, but this was years ago.