New to Rowing - Help with Technique

[gadgetware]

I am new to rowing. I have had my C2-D for about a week and have been working into it gradually. I have only been rowing 2K workouts this week after 3-5 minutes warm up / stretching session. My main goal is to get back in shape. I am not overweight but my cardio and core could use some work. After research I concluded that a rower was probably the best all-around way to do this. I studied a bunch of the instructional videos and have been recording my sessions so that I can monitor my progress. At first my form was horrible but it's starting to get better, IMO.

I am not terribly concerned with my times right now but I do want to make sure that I don't do anything that will hurt me as I have had a history of minor lower back pain. My back is actually feeling better since I've started rowing so hopefully this will help and not hurt my back in the long run.

Anyway, I was wondering if some of you experienced rowers could take a look at my last workout and give me some pointers on my technique.

Here's the info from my last workout:
Drag: 103 (Damper at 3)
2K time: 9:55
Rate: 23 s/m

and here's a link to the video:



The main thing I see is that I'm a bit past parallel at the catch and occasionally I'm doing some weird things with my hands at the end of the finish. I'm sure there's more... Sorry for the long post but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[sheehc]

Sequencing is off on drive and recovery. On the recovery your knees are popping up long before the handle comes out or your body rocks forward. Instead, you want the arms reaching out and straight, followed be the body rocking forward, then the knees come up as the seat slides forward. Watch about 2:50 - 3:30 of the following link to see what the early part of the recovery should look like, then compare it against your own video. You will see the difference in body preparation.



On the drive, you can see and hear that the arms are doing the bulk of the work. Looking at the video you can see the lats and biceps engage immediately at the catch and doing the work through the stroke. You want to keep those arms straight essentially until the legs are down and the body half open. Prior to that point the only purpose for the arms is to connect your legs to the handle. Watch the previous link from about 5:30 in. You will see the catch is taken with the arms straight and they don't actively bend until nearly the end of the stroke. Remember, the legs supply about 70+% of the power in the stroke, use your body to maximize that number.

[gadgetware]

Thanks for the analysis. I see what you mean about the knees coming up too early and I've always felt that I haven't been using my legs enough on the drive. It feels like I'm keeping my arms straight but now that you point it out, it's pretty clear that I'm not on the video. I had watched the instructional video you linked numerous times before and while I think I understand what I'm supposed to do, it's not as easy as I thought it would be getting my body to do it smoothly in the right order. I'll keep working on it and hopefully will be able to post some better results in the coming days/weeks.

[jamesg]

A useful exercise for the recovery sequence is to row first with arms only, sitting straight, then add swing as if on a fixed seat. Then gradually add legs, after the swing forward. You'll see the rating drop and the Watts increase; starting from maybe 60r 60W to 40r 100W to 20r, 200W. It's useful for warm up too.

The sequence arms away, then swing, then legs aims to get your weight on your feet, which is what enables a long stroke and a fast catch, with a recovery/pull time ratio of at least 2. In other words, let the boat run, she will.

As for back pain, rowing should cure it. Some sports that involve spine twist can also help, such as kayak, cycling and freestyle, and even plain walking. Imho, lack of exercise whatever is the main cause of backpain.

[gadgetware]

Haven't had as much time to row the past week but I did try to slow things down and work on my technique. Would appreciate some updated comments on the following video I shot today. Also wanted to say thanks again for your comments and suggestions. It's really great that there's a forum like this where those of us just starting can get such great advice.

[hjs]

Not much wrong with your erging, you simply have to start training and get fitter. The stroke looks fine, except for one thing: you put no power in the stroke, you should try to keep the handle accelerating the hole stroke. You now are just going true the motion, without much effort.

[gooseflight]

You are still well past vertical at the catch. You could try setting the footplate a hole or two higher to see if that helps.

I saw a good idea the other day where someone put tape across the slide at the point of verticality. Going beyond this into the catch caused the seat to bump so was a useful indicator.

Worth a try since, as Henry says, if you put a bit more oomph into the stroke you will probably be even more over vertical.