Rowing strapless

[lidocaine]

So I get the point of rowing strapless with regards to the recovery, but I'm less clear on what you're supposed to concentrate on when doing the drive strapless; I keep forgetting to ask my coach about it, and I searched some threads on here, but they mostly dealt with the recovery.

So I did a 10k yesterday and concentrated on emulating a strapless piece without actually going strapless, ie, trying hard now to use the tops of my feet against the straps at any time. On the recovery it's no big deal; in the boat you just let it run under you, and on the erg I use a combo of the chain tension and heels to bring myself forward. On the drive when I'm approaching the finish with my arms pulling in, I feel it a lot more in my core and my glutes feel like they're pushing more into the seat, while I'm putting a lot more weight into the handle through my arms as it's coming to my chest. Weirdly enough, just doing this actually cut 1/2 a second to a full second off my splits, and I felt like I was doing less work. When I was done with the 10k piece, I did a 1k strapless and actually managed it fine (low stroke rate, high power). This is more than I can say the first time I rowed strapless (in the boat) years ago and my feet would go flying at the finish like I had caught a crab or something

Anyway, can someone explain to me what I should be thinking about / working on with regards to going strapless and the drive? Or point me to threads or articles... I'd appreciate it!

[chgoss]

I would think that a strapless drive and a strapped in drive are identical.. Strong leg drive, back then arms. As far as I know the only aspect of the stroke that strapless is intended to correct is making sure you transfer all of the energy into pulling the handle, and none into pulling the straps..
HTH
-chad

[Snail Space]

As far as I know the only aspect of the stroke that strapless is intended to correct is making sure you transfer all of the energy into pulling the handle, and none into pulling the straps..

I have been doing all my ergo work strapless for the last 3-4 weeks. I find it as good for the drive as for the recovery, especially as the stroke rate goes up. It is quite easy to row feet out at low rates because you just use a strong leg drive and then ensure the arms are used late, but at high rates you have to be a lot more disciplined about correct sequencing and attending to prompt body rock-over. I managed a 500x6 @28spm without compromising pace and felt that I was using my core and glutes a lot more than I would have done with straps on.

Cheers,
Dave.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

If you are a rower, then there's a point to strapless rowing. If all you do is erg, I would say erging strapless is pretty much pointless.

Anyway, the reason erging strapless is good for rowers is because it forces you to maintain contact with the foot stretcher, thus making it easier to keep the boat set at the finish as well as during the recovery. If you don't maintain contact, your body weight is being thrown around and makes it much more difficult to maintain the set of the boat. If you erg strapless correctly (maintaining contact with the foot stretcher), your splits should not be lower than your splits rowing with straps IMO. Also, you should 'pull' yourself up the slide during the recovery with your hamstrings, not your feet.

[Alissa]

If you are a rower, then there's a point to strapless rowing. If all you do is erg, I would say erging strapless is pretty much pointless.

Perhaps not as obvious a point, but there is a point... Rowing strapless, you're learning to channel all of the effort into the handle, rather than wasting it elsewhere (using the straps as a "brake," or, strapless, flying off the back of the erg).

Less energy wasted = a faster registered pace (potentially)!

Just saying...

Alissa

[lidocaine]

Anyway, the reason erging strapless is good for rowers is because it forces you to maintain contact with the foot stretcher, thus making it easier to keep the boat set at the finish as well as during the recovery. If you don't maintain contact, your body weight is being thrown around and makes it much more difficult to maintain the set of the boat.

Well that makes sense because when I row / erg strapless, I'm much more stable.

If you erg strapless correctly (maintaining contact with the foot stretcher), your splits should not be lower than your splits rowing with straps IMO.

I'm guessing my splits are going lower because I'm concentrating more on very deliberate steps to maintain separation between leg drive / back swing / arm pull, and it's just forcing me to be ever so slightly more efficient with my technique; when I forget about proper form, I'll slip into starting the arm pull too early (somewhere mid-back swing) and end up flying off the end/trying to stop myself with the straps instead of dropping that effort into the arm pull. It's kind of hard to explain but it feels WAY different rowing strapless with regards to the arm part, and a lot more efficient.

Also, you should 'pull' yourself up the slide during the recovery with your hamstrings, not your feet.

I'm not really sure about that, but I'll clarify on what's happening. I'm definitely not pulling myself up by the *tops* of my feet (which is clearly not correct), but when I'm on the recovery I dig my heels into the foot stretcher for stabilization, which is basically engaging my hamstrings. However I'll try the recovery without any foot pressure whatsoever and see how it goes.

[Bob S.]

I'm guessing my splits are going lower because I'm concentrating more on very deliberate steps to maintain separation between leg drive / back swing / arm pull, and it's just forcing me to be ever so slightly more efficient with my technique; when I forget about proper form, I'll slip into starting the arm pull too early (somewhere mid-back swing) and end up flying off the end/trying to stop myself with the straps instead of dropping that effort into the arm pull. It's kind of hard to explain but it feels WAY different rowing strapless with regards to the arm part, and a lot more efficient.

That's the whole point of rowing strapless on the erg. It trains you to use the proper leg-back-arms drive sequence, which is the most efficient way to row OTE or OTW. It has its own built-in penalty of flying off the erg at the end of the drive, because your arm pull has not properly stopped the momentum of the backward movement of your body. I no longer bother with strapping in unless I expect to get to rates well over 30 spm.

Bob S.

[Tinus]

If rowing strapless would be the fastest way to row than people would also row strapless during contests. It is an exercise and one should bear in mind that it is not an instruction of how to row best.

[lidocaine]

If rowing strapless would be the fastest way to row than people would also row strapless during contests.

I don't think anyone's saying you can go faster rowing strapless. The whole point of doing it, at least from everything I've come across, is that it makes you improve your technique so that when you DO row with straps (erg or OTW), you're operating with the most efficient stroke possible and you DO go faster. So far in my experience it's spot on - I'm getting more out of the drive and using less energy to do so (which means I can go harder overall) when I apply strapless concepts while rowing with them.

It is an exercise and one should bear in mind that it is not an instruction of how to row best.

I'm not following your logic here. Rowing strapless teaches efficient technique; isn't that the point? I somehow doubt people are doing it / coaches make you row strapless because it's just some throwaway exercise that doesn't lead to anything.

[detlefchef]

Speaking as a novice, I've found working strapless forces me to make sure I initiate the recovery with my hands and not bend my knees until my hands passed them. Because doing so causes the chain to pull your body forward. Try rowing strapless if you don't make a point of doing this and you'll get maddeningly frustrated.

So, since I'm still nowhere near out of the woods in this regard (as the bad habits all start creeping back as soon as I get tired and/or dig deeper), I always at least warm up doing so. I don't train on the erg exclusively enough that I'm going to spend a full workout doing so, but I still make a point of starting the session out that way.

[johnlvs2run]

If rowing strapless would be the fastest way to row than people would also row strapless during contests. It is an exercise and one should bear in mind that it is not an instruction of how to row best.

Excellent point. I agree.

[Bob S.]

If rowing strapless would be the fastest way to row than people would also row strapless during contests. It is an exercise and one should bear in mind that it is not an instruction of how to row best.

Perhaps a time trial would not be considered a contest, but I have done a lot of the longer time trials without straps and some of them have resulted in WRs.

Actually it has not been recommended as the "fastest way to row," but it is a damn good way to train to learn to row best.

Bob S.

[susanNM]

So I'm a beginner with a total of 5000 meters under my belt. I haven't used the straps yet. Will there be a problem if I continue training strapless, do you think? My goals are to learn good form and, in the bigger picture, to lose some pounds.

[bloomp]

So I'm a beginner with a total of 5000 meters under my belt. I haven't used the straps yet. Will there be a problem if I continue training strapless, do you think? My goals are to learn good form and, in the bigger picture, to lose some pounds.

Besides incorporating the proper technique into your drive faster, there would be nothing different. You are doing yourself a favor by ignoring the straps for now. It also forces you to keep a lower stroke rating - something that most new rowers do not do.

[Tinus]

It is an exercise and one should bear in mind that it is not an instruction of how to row best.

I'm not following your logic here. Rowing strapless teaches efficient technique; isn't that the point? I somehow doubt people are doing it / coaches make you row strapless because it's just some throwaway exercise that doesn't lead to anything.

My feelings about rowing strapless is that coaches make you row strapless because other coaches do the same. And, like the Chinese whispers game something which has been copied eventually loses it's original meaning. At some point it becomes the strapless rowing itself which is seen as good but it is the effect of strapless rowing which should be regarded as good.

Exercises are by definition not the same as the regular motion. An exercise is only performed to focus on a certain part of the motion. Rowing strapless is not about teaching a rower not to use the straps (or keep contact with the stretcher which rowing strapless is exactly teaching the opposite). It is about teaching the rower to decrease momentum earlier just before the finish (such that the straps are less needed). Finishing stronger with the upper body is one way to do this (but not necessary). In the end you want a rower to both finish strong and use the straps. Because of that I prefer to just simply point out to the rower that he or she should finish stronger. In that way the mind is not occupied with a silly and awkward exercises and the rower can focus with the entire working memory on the goal.

It is possible to row strapless but it is dogmatic to believe that it is some magic cure for bad technique. The effect of rowing strapless depends on the person. It is not wrong per se to pull on the straps in order to initiate the recovery. Some will use the straps a lot others will use the straps less. In the same way some will row Adam style others will row DDR style.