Warming up...

[Pdunford]

Is there a warm up or stretching routine that you guys do befor rowing for more then say 3000m ?

[Erik A]

i always do 10-20 mins on the bike prior to a session... and hard enough to just break into a sweat. then another 10 - 20 mins after the session as a warm down.

[Pdunford]

i always do 10-20 mins on the bike prior to a session... and hard enough to just break into a sweat. then another 10 - 20 mins after the session as a warm down.

No streching?

[jamesg]

Once on the erg or afloat if cold we warm up automatically: rowing generates heat. +2C should be enough. Just start slow and short/high rating and gradually shift to fast and long/low rating. The PM numbers can be used for navigation. The onset of sweat is also a good guide, but local climate can interfere.

The rowing action is in itself stretching, since when using standard rowing technique the stroke has to be long.

[Ombrax]

No streching?

There are several different schools of thought regarding stretching (e.g. before & after vs only after).

To keep things simple I only stretch after rowing (actually right after rowing I do some core / lifting then at the very end I stretch). You definitely should not stretch "before" without having having done some warming up first.

[Dangerscouse]

Personally i hardly ever warm up, and if I do it's only for a hard session under 2k.

It's not something I would advocate, but it works for me as i have never felt any notable benefit from a warm up. Any session over 3km I don't think I have ever warmed up for. As I get older I probably will have to factor in a warm up but it's not an issue for me at the moment.

I never stretch before rowing but I usually do some stretches and core work afterwards for 10 mins

[Allan Olesen]

When training, I am almost religious about "heart rate economy": How fast can I row or run at a given heart rate? So I always compare heart rate to pace or power during a training session.

What I have found in my running sessions is that if I skip my warmup, my economy will be bad all throughout the run. I will not be able to keep my normal pace without exceeding my normal heart rate. One should think that even if some body systems need time to wake up, they should eventually do that, and the running economy should settle on the normal values. But it doesn't happen to me. So I always warm up.

I have to admit that I have not really tested if the same happens to me in rowing. I have just assumed that it does, so I always warm up for at least 10 minutes, slowly building up my HR to my (assumed) aerobic threshold.

[mitchel674]

For long rows I do no stretching or warm up. Perhaps I take it a bit easier to loosen up during the first 500m. If I'm doing higher intensity intervals, I will usually warm up with an easy 2k before the hard work begins.

[Pdunford]

I think my issues and the whole reason I asked was because at about 1500 my legs and back start to tighten up. Granted I haven’t been working out like I use to but rowing isn’t very “fun” when your sore from pretty much the start of your row.

[Dangerscouse]

Do you do a sedentary desk job? It might be your using muscles that you aren't used to using. Do you do any weight training or any other sports?

Is this the same for slow and fast sessions? What drag factor do you use?

[Mark E]

Warmups are for young people.

Seriously, I typically go with a minimal warmup of 5-8 minutes before an interval session or short time trial. For longer efforts I just warm into the work.

Dynamic stretching before rowing, slow and long stretches in the evening (if I do them at all).

I've run in a few dozen marathons and never understood why people felt a need to do striders or such before such a long race. Of course, I'm not that fast (marathon PR of 3:12) but still.

[mitchel674]

Do you do a sedentary desk job? It might be your using muscles that you aren't used to using. Do you do any weight training or any other sports?

Is this the same for slow and fast sessions? What drag factor do you use?

Good question about the drag factor. Perhaps start out a bit lighter on the drag factor and then increase to your preferred setting once you are loose.

[Erik A]

if i remember i do some stretching but really only arms and shoulders and i dont appear to get any tightness etc while rowing . i do have an ongoing injury with my left arm that i am working through but once im fully warmed up and into a session that pain disappears until the next day when it returns with interest. I have since stopped rowing to try and sort it out with no luck so far.

[Minimoof123]

I usually complete a slow 1k as a warm up just to make sure i'm happy with the machine, as others have said on the longer sessions I generally just start rowing as I know im going to be on there for a long enough time with out having to do the extra time of warm up. RE drag factor, if I have had a considerable amount of time away from the machine I choose DF in region of 90, more lately have returned to 120, longer rows I will choose somewhere in between,

[Remo]

I always start a workout by rowing easy with feet out for about 5 minutes starting out with partial strokes -- hands, hands and body swing, 1/2 slide, then full slide, all while gradually raising the pressure from about 2:45/500m down to 2:15/500m. I then strap my feet in and adjust the drag if necessary. At which point I am stretched out and kinda warm.

If I plan anything easy like long steady state, I am ready to go.

If I am going to do anything hard, I will want to get my body ready for the pace of the workout. I usually start with a 5 minute build going from the 2:15 pace and slowly driving the pace down my 5k pace or the pace of the intended piece, which every comes first.

If I finished the build at the pace I intended to row the piece at, I will then row easy for ~30s followed by 15 stroke piece @ a pace 3s faster then my intended workout pace. After which I will rest a minute then do my planned workout.

If I stopped at the build at my 5k pace and have not yet reach my intended workout pace, I will keep doing the 15 stroke pieces, with rest in between each piece, at a pace 3s faster than the previous piece until I reach, then exceed, the pace of the intended workout. I will then take 2 min off, at which point I am ready to go.

If I am doing something serious like a race or a season best attempt, I will add a little more to the above and include a bit more cool down including some active cool down of rowing lightly