First experiences with Slides

[gregsmith01748]

I bought a set of slides over the weekend (good bargain!) and I've been trying them out the past couple of days.

I'd be interested in comparing notes with anyone else that rows on slides or on a dynamic regularly.

The things that I have noticed.
- It is a lot more like rowing on the water
- The stroke is much more fluid because any herky jerky motions upset the flow of the machine
- It is much sweatier! On slides, the center of mass of the whole system (you plus the erg) stays roughly centered. That center of mass is right around where my butt is. So, my upper body is not swishing back and forth. Instead I am sitting in a cloud of my own sweat. I think a fan is really needed for rowing on slides.
- My steady state pace has slowed down by a lot (like by 5 seconds/500) perhaps this is just retraining myself with a different stroke dynamic, but my HR is much higher for a given pace than on a static machine
- My stroke rate is higher on slides. On an static erg, if I just start rowing, I settle in around r20. On slides, I settle around r25. I tried to slow down my rate today by doing a wolverine L4 workout at 18,20 and 22 spm and it was a killer trying to get my form right at these rates on slides
- So, the combination of slower splits and higher rates has radically reduced the amount of power I get out of each stroke. I routinely rowed 12 to 13 meters per stroke static for steady state. On slides, it's about 10m/stroke.

I'd be interested to hear if other folks have seen this, and if it gets better with practice, or if it might mean that I have some mechanical issues with my stroke.

[Bob S.]

Greg,

I found a fan to be a must, at least during the warm months or during the more intense sessions.

Higher rates come easier and even more so on the dynamic. But, with practice, rate can be controlled and it gets easier to do it. Also, with practice, your stroke will improve. Since you have a lot of OTW experience it should be easy enough.

Bob S.

[tcattell]

Hi Greg, I switched to slides about 4 years ago. I mostly agree with your thoughts.

It is more like otw rowing. My lower back appreciates the smoother stroke - there is no shock (or hitch) at the catch.
There is less airflow. I row in a basement in the frozen north, so sweating has not been an issue.
The stoke rating for me is higher - 3-5 spm. This is the major advantage of the set-up. You can more easily drive up the rate. This is an advantage for shorter pieces. I think the advantage disappears in pieces longer than 2K. I estimate that slides give me a 1 second per 500 advantage up to 2k. This is not automatic - one still needs good endurance in order to maintain a high stroke rating. I discussed this issue with Dick Dreissigacker few years ago, and he agreed. Advantage for shorter pieces, not so much for longer pieces. I think this is because you don't row long pieces at a high stroke rate, so the "advantage" of being able to drive the rate up isn't as useful.

So I am puzzled by your comment that the pace slowed down by 5 seconds, even as your stroke rating increased. I assume this is a transitional issue. If not, there there is a technique issue. Either the pace should be the same, or somewhat better, not worse. You may need to adjust how hard you pull - the easy sliding effect could be lulling you into a more gentle drive. Also, play with the drag factor.

BTW, with slides I do not strap my feet in. Straps do not seem to be necessary, in fact, strapping my feet in with slides creates problems. Not sure is this is an issue for you.

Once you get used to the slides, you will love them. The problem will be that if you plan to race on a stationary machine (i.e. CrashBs), you will need to go off the slides for a couple of weeks to make the transition (mostly mental).

Hope this helps, Tom Cattell

[gregsmith01748]

Thanks for the reply Tom.

I am getting used to using slides. I am using them about 4 sessions a week. I am doing short intervals off slides and then one session on the weekend at home (my slides at at the gym at work).

I agree with you that slides let you rate up. I also agree that straps are basically unnecessary on slides. I am still slower on slides, based on an equivalent HR metric. I can maintain about 195 watts an my HR will stay nice and low. To achieve the same HR profile on slides, I end up 2 beats higher in rate and about 10 watts lower.

I think that I do have a mechanical issue with my stroke that is impacting my performance on slides. I took some video and my drive looks great, but my recovery looks like it could be improved. I break my knees too early, and I do not rock my body forward enough or early enough. Essentially I am not getting my body prepared early enough. I'm happy to be working on this, because I bet it will help in the boat.

[Rob]

I'll echo Bob's advice: try rowing with a fan pointed at you. I find ambient air temperature makes a difference to my heart rate at the same pace. I'd bet that the same applies to the decreased airflow over your body when on slides.