Why is my stroke rate so slow?

[mattflint49]

Hey guys,

So what I have noticed especially with the majority of my 2km ergs is that after about the first 300m that middle 1200m or so section has an average rate of about 25spm which as I am aware is incredibly slow and probably unconventional in getting my best 2km erg! Im 173cm (but im sure u all know that based off of how often i tell u ) and i am quite flexible so i do tend to take quite a long stroke hitting the rim and a lean back as id say my core is relatively strong. my 2km = 7:36 and i weighed 56kg at the time of the testing. also, there doesnt seem to be much in between, during the last 300m or so i could rate as high as 32 - 38 and i tend to row half slide for the last 150m as it drops my split heaps - however for the life of me i absolutely tire out if i try and hold r30 for my 2km and the breathing burns my lungs immensely - i tend to even hold 28-32 for my 5 x 500m sprints. so to put it clearly - i am not a very fast rating person. but i am aware that holding a higher rate could help me heaps so ima make it my goal to get that rate up to at least 28 average once settled into good split.

is it becuase of my fitness level or my overly long stroke lenght (for my height)? Drop suggestions please it would all help!!
Thanks!

[Pie Man]

I'm no expert, but being a similar height to you and relatively flexible I don't see how you can 'hit the rim' at the catch and be in a proper position unless you have freakishly long arms. If you are not in a good position at the catch then you should look at correcting that and see if you can rate up.

[Anth_F]

I would focus on being more efficient in the strokes throughout first. Lots of higher strokes mean nothing if you're not being completely efficient with each one... 25 is not really low unless you were doing 500m HIT then i would consider it low, but not for a 2K piece! 28-30 would be ideal for 2K, but full strokes throughout, with plenty efficiency on each stroke, and really making each one count. Rowing half slide for the final 150m will be costing you massive amounts even though you say you find it drops your split heaps. You are wasting valuable energy doing that in fact (not allowing any or little recovery time between the strokes)

Throw up a video if you can to show us your form/technique etc.

[lindsayh]

is it becuase of my fitness level or my overly long stroke lenght (for my height)? Drop suggestions please it would all help!!
Thanks!

I suspect that like all these things the road to a faster 2k for you is a combination of all these things. Hard to say of course without a video but over reaching and over leaning at the end is an inefficient stroke technique - there is little mechanical advantage in going too far forward by reaching beyond the catch and there is little or no advantage in leaning back beyond about 1 o'clock. A "shorter" (but still full) and stronger stroke will help a lot and allow you to raise the stroke rate.
I reckon though it is fitness that is the key - the best 2ks are well over 30sr and for lightweights the elite guys can be up to 40 so you just have to be fit enough to maintain a 30+ stroke rate for 7 minutes or so

[hjs]

Your failt is proberly you trying to compensate for your height, don,t. Keep a normal strokelenght and less power per stroke and should be able to rate 30 ish

[Anth_F]

This is a very good informative video that might be useful to you, for helping you work toward a faster 2K time. Also note his spm strategy throughout the 2K.

Still find it pretty amazing, that this guy can narrate what he is doing to the viewers and still pull a sub 6:30 2K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5_4upqhYeQ

[Gammmmo]

This is a very good informative video that might be useful to you, for helping you work toward a faster 2K time. Also note his spm strategy throughout the 2K.

Still find it pretty amazing, that this guy can narrate what he is doing to the viewers and still pull a sub 6:30 2K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5_4upqhYeQ

TBF that guy said he was on a boat crew so is probably sub 6 anyway, think how easy it would be for you to row your 2K PB + 30 seconds? Not THAT hard.

[Anth_F]

This is a very good informative video that might be useful to you, for helping you work toward a faster 2K time. Also note his spm strategy throughout the 2K.

Still find it pretty amazing, that this guy can narrate what he is doing to the viewers and still pull a sub 6:30 2K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5_4upqhYeQ

TBF that guy said he was on a boat crew so is probably sub 6 anyway, think how easy it would be for you to row your 2K PB + 30 seconds? Not THAT hard.

Regardless, that is seriously impressive.

[G-dub]

Matt, as others have said, you will get much more power from a more compact and connected position. Think about coming out of a very deep squat with your butt on your heels vs one that is half way down. Half way down is much easier to move more weight (although I have to confess I have been working on deep overhead squats and I swear it is helping my rowing stroke). You also don't want to let your shoulders be too extended, rather more connected and a bit packed in. You have back issues already at your young age, and maybe one reason is you are way over extending and putting too much of the work on your low back. Getting those shoulders hung way out there will eventually wear them out potentially too. One thing that helps me is to have a mirror that allows you to see side view. You can tell when your legs get too compressed or your back gets too laid over. Practice getting shins to vertical only, hinged at the hips with shoulders packed in to see if you can pull with more power. Watching the force curve can be helpful too to make sure you are drawing nice haystacks.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

Hey guys,

So what I have noticed especially with the majority of my 2km ergs is that after about the first 300m that middle 1200m or so section has an average rate of about 25spm which as I am aware is incredibly slow and probably unconventional in getting my best 2km erg! Im 173cm (but im sure u all know that based off of how often i tell u ) and i am quite flexible so i do tend to take quite a long stroke hitting the rim and a lean back as id say my core is relatively strong. my 2km = 7:36 and i weighed 56kg at the time of the testing. also, there doesnt seem to be much in between, during the last 300m or so i could rate as high as 32 - 38 and i tend to row half slide for the last 150m as it drops my split heaps - however for the life of me i absolutely tire out if i try and hold r30 for my 2km and the breathing burns my lungs immensely - i tend to even hold 28-32 for my 5 x 500m sprints. so to put it clearly - i am not a very fast rating person. but i am aware that holding a higher rate could help me heaps so ima make it my goal to get that rate up to at least 28 average once settled into good split.

If you struggle with high rates its most likely because you don't practice high rates. To get better at high rates, practice high rates. It's as simple as it sounds, really.

Unless you're 6'8+, there is absolutely no reason you should be hitting the front of the erg with your handle, regardless of your flexibility. That's poor technique and isn't making you any faster.

[jamesg]

You say 7:36 2k (236W) at 56kg and rate 25.

That's a 9.5 Watt-minute Stroke and 4.2 W/kg.

Well done, you evidently are rowing very well indeed.

If you want to hit say 250W at rate 28 (which is low enough to avoid too much wasted power), you will need to pull a stroke worth 250/28 = 9 W-min, so maybe a little shorter and/or not so hard.

Suggest you try it in training at say 20 and 170-180W for a few months, before doing any more 2k tests.