Litewait wrote:BPP Week 13.2 4x1000m r3' DF121
16:29.6 4,000m 2:03.7 185 936 28
4:09.2 1,000m 2:04.6 181 922 30 148
4:09.2 1,000m 2:04.6 181 922 28 152
4:09.8 1,000m 2:04.9 180 919 28 157
4:01.4 1,000m 2:00.7 199 984 28 163
The knees held out. Took a bit off the first three out of fear it would start hurting. Pretty impressed I almost hit 2:00 the last rep considering how tired I was, making sure my calves didn't go past vertical made it a challenge to keep a smooth stroke. Knees feel less swollen, only heard one crack, and only medium pain is on the upper inside of my calf bone post row.
@luke, glen, piers - thanks for the tips, really helped kneading the muscles and making sure didn't go past vertical.
My right knee pops and grinds all the time. Doesn't hurt bad, it's just degenerative (and from the old injury where I ripped a lot of my meniscus off the bone). Popping doesn't bother me as much as pain. Pain, especially sharp pain, should be paid attention to. I think the advice of using a roller is great. You might also try knee compression sleeves as well. I bought one recently that's fantastic for rowing when my right knee is sore.
Unfortunately, if you have Runner's or Jumper's knee, the best fix is a strap that goes at the bottom of the knee to keep the patella and knee cap tracking correctly (but you can't wear a strap like that rowing because it would rub your knee raw).
I would consider some compression wraps. Also not going past vertical (like someone mentioned) should help too. I have one like this and bought one too for my wife (she's 55 and has arthritic knees). I love this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Flex-Athle ... sion+wraps
Though it sounds counter intuitive, I think the thing that has helped me the most is lifting. I do a lot of squats, deadlifts with kettlebells and also lunges. One really great exercise is to just stand on the last stair of a flight of stairs, looking down while holding the rail. With one foot solid on the stairs, take the other foot and do just light toe touches to the floor below. Works the heck out of your quads (and builds knee strength). For the hamstrings, nothing beats deadlifts or bridges (you can also do one legged bridges to really burn your hamstrings). Also, if it is runner or jumper's knee, it helps to work laterally too. You might want to look into getting an elastic band and tie it to something and work the muscles to the side of the knees. One of my favorite simple devices is a resistance band with cuffs that go around each ankle and you just walk side to side. Great little cheap device to really work the sides of your legs.
Stretching AFTER a row is great too. I use the rowing machine itself to stretch on. If you simply let the seat slide back, bend forward while keeping your feet in the pads (and balance with your arms), it's a great hamstring stretch. I also cross my leg over the other one and bend forward (really releasing the lower back and glutes). Then I finish with twisting all the way around and looking behind me in each direction holding the rail with one hand for balance. Since I've been doing this (along with a cool down) after every row, I've had less injuries.
