Forearm seized up so failed a 5K test, retesting tomorrow. Technique advice pls

[throwaway78748]

Yeah so pretty much the title. Could feel them start to go after about 2k, thats where my splits started to go down the shitter. Finished with 500m left because the muscle just stopped working. Obviously this wasn't race pace as I had just done the test. Thanks

https://vimeo.com/297603195

[sdr2017]

I think your form looks good. You might be opening up your back a little early. Focusing on your arms, it looks like you grip is relatively relaxed and open. Your wrists appear to be flat throughout, which is good. I am not identifying any issues, and will be curious what others will find.

If you just want to change it up, you could move your hands in and out on the oar to change the angle a bit. Your thumb looks like it is on top, and I usually keep my thumb on the bottom of the oar in a loose grip.

Good luck!

[Dangerscouse]

I'm not sure but I can only assume that you are holding the handle too tight. I haven't ever had this issue so I'm not sure.

[hjs]

I'm not sure but I can only assume that you are holding the handle too tight. I haven't ever had this issue so I'm not sure.

That, plus maybe rating to low, to high a drag?

Re technique, short piece, main thing you are leading with you back instead of your legs. Could again be to high a drag.

[Gammmmo]

I get alot of lactic when I'm emphasising the arms too much i.e. not allowing the legs to do the required % of work contributing to the whole stroke, or when overdoing getting the hands back away from the body quickly with a "snapping" type motion. But...the OP's form doesn't appear to show this. Hmmmmm.....

[jamesg]

Drag far too high so slow, and that heave at the end of the stroke is a real killer.
Set the drag as low as it can go and use legs only.
NB, boats go fast, so we must too; but slow recovery, since they keep going.

[Lucasium]

For the test they set the drag at 130, I was pretty tired so the form looks more sluggish that usual. Thanks guys

[H2O]

Happens to me from time to time (like once a year). No explanation. Seem to be rowing as always.
All you can do is grin and bear it.

[G-dub]

Happened to me tonight in a 4+. Rowing a hard piece and then couldn’t feather. Sucks getting old

[Remo]

I've been rowing off and on for 43 years. The last 15 or so I have had some problems with my forearms. It is an overuse issue. (It is also exacerbated by typing, of which I do a lot)

First off, your hands and fingers are controlled by tendons (basically wire cables) attached to the muscles in your forearms. It is the stress initially born by the hands and fingers which are causing the problematic forearm pain.

For most people your grip is not a problem, but for you, because you are having forearm pain, it is a problem. You are holding the handle too much with your finger tips. You need to adjust your grip and use your hands as a hook for the handle. This means the you need to roll your hands a little farther over the handle so that the first set of finger bones are perpendicular to your hands. This is not a cure all. At first, it may feel a bit funny and less powerful, but it will relieve some of the strain on your forearms.

You would benefit by using compression sleeves for your forearms. I use these: https://www.amazon.com/CEP-Compression- ... dpSrc=srch . More specifically, I use the "II" size even though my forearms are 30.5 cm around. I was looking for extra compression.

Also, buy a lacrosse ball and message out your forearms both top and bottom spending extra time on any trigger spots. Here is an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf72fBX0zvk. You should also stretch out your forearms: http://redboxfitness.com/forearm-stretc ... 9ioyuJRfGg

Lastly, as hjs noted, you are opening up your back to early and strongly. This is set up, in part, by a rapid and inconsistent acceleration of your seat into the catch during the last 6 inches of the recovery.