Feet Position: High or Low for Mechanical Advantage?

[Hansink]

My question is about feet position: high or low for Mechanical Advantage?

At my gym there is a leg press machine that has both high and low feet positions. The lower foot position is easier due to a mechanical advantage in the machine. So I was wondering if there is an optimal foot position for power on the erg.

BTW, this is my first forum post and I am new to rowing (I’ve been a cyclist). I got my Concept2E less than two weeks ago and yesterday rowed 1k in 3:22.8. After reading in the forums I decided to set the goals of 2k under 7 minutes and 90th percentile in all distances. I’m really happy to find the subculture of Concept2!

[gregsmith01748]

Generally, higher is means that you can apply greater peak power since your legs are more parallel to the force on he chain. However, the higher foot position means that you can't compress as far at the catch, so it is (IMO) less efficient for longer distances, and less comfortable for me.

When I do sprints (<=1k) I set it on the fifth holes, otherwise, I set it on the fourth. It's probably more superstition than science though. I suggest you try different positions to get a feel for how it changes your stroke. A little change can make big difference.

Welcome to the twisted world of indoor rowing.

[Carl Watts]

I beleive the adjustable foot straps are more to do with compensating for differnt foot sizes rather than "Higher" or "Lower" settings. The ajustment in hole position is made so the strap comes across the ball of your foot.

[Hansink]

Thank you, Greg and Carl.

And Carl, if I appear to be OCD it must be the influence of the cycling culture on me. But I can’t help but think that in a 500m time trial, an inch difference in foot position might be significant—perhaps a second. So if Greg is correct, then maybe one can go faster over 500m when the strap is over the arch rather than over the ball of the foot.

I welcome other opinions.

[Citroen]

The feet should be positioned so you shins don't go past vertical at the catch. The ergo doesn't allow as much scope for adjustment as a boat. So the normal simple rule is to get the strap over where your shoe has the natural bend. For me with euro size 44 feet that's two holes showing (position 4).

[Carl Watts]

Size 45 here and mine is setup in position 4.

[tewbz]

size 10 here and i set it with 1 hole showing.

[gregsmith01748]

Tewbz: Wow, thats low. I'm a size 11.5 and I usually have 3 holes showing. If I go lower I fell like I'm rowing in a hole.

[bobkwan2007]

It does feel like there is a mechanical advantage having the feet in a higher position. I could make do with 3 or 4 holes showing, but I purposely put my shoes in with 5 showing. I'm size 9.5 U.S. I do have the flexibility to be able to bend my hips at the catch to be able to do this. It resembles the feel of a deadlift, which, I think, has the same sequence of movements as the drive.

[Hugh Trenchard]

I'm fairly new to the erg machine, but having experimented with different foot positions, I find I generate more power with my feet as high up as I can get them. 5'9", shoe size 42 (8.5 - 9). If I put my feet in the usually recommended position with the strap higher up on my shoes (foot lower down) while I have more foot flexibility, I feel less connection through my heels and I also tend to feel like I'm pushing more vertically than when my feet are positioned higher up. Obviously one wants as much horizontal force as possible. I have noticed a loss in butt comfort with my feet in this position, so for more relaxed sessions, I tend to put my feet one-hole lower. I also like to use shoes that are as flat on the bottom as possible with very little cushioning (I like cross country running shoes without the spikes of course). I suspect optimal foot position is quite variable for each person, and depends a lot on height, foot and shin length.

[Dangerscouse]

The feet should be positioned so you shins don't go past vertical at the catch. The ergo doesn't allow as much scope for adjustment as a boat. So the normal simple rule is to get the strap over where your shoe has the natural bend. For me with euro size 44 feet that's two holes showing (position 4).

Agreed and also position 4 with size 44 feet

[MPx]

I've been playing with this since getting my new Model D after 20 years of a Model C. The "C" footplate is angled up under the ball of the foot but is otherwise a smooth surface. I did change from 4 holes for sprints to 3 holes for longer pieces on that machine which I found more comfortable. However, on the "D" footplate the angled piece is raised a few mm above the general level of the plate so the choice has more of an impact on comfort. If I have the strap in the comfortable position across the natural bend of my foot (as Dougie suggests and is my normal default) then the edge of this raised section is about a third of the way from toe to arch across the ball of my foot - quite uncomfortable really for maximum drive and I can end up pushing with my toes. If I want to get the ball of my foot flush in the centre of the raised pad - toes above it, then the strap passes right over the arch of my foot - again uncomfortable and very restrictive for getting forward at the catch. After much experimentation over the last few weeks, for nearly every session I'm sticking with having the strap in the right place and compromising on where the ball of my foot is (basically too low relative to the angled section). The exception is for the ultra short sprints 100m and 1 min where I put the plate 3 holes higher to get the optimum drive platform but a very poor strap position. As these ultra sprints favour higher rating over drive length its a better compromise. Its resulted in my best low pull in several years and a lifetime best at those two pieces in my 60s beating anything I managed before. I'm tempted to modify the footplate by elongating the slots to allow the straps to go higher, but I cant help feeling that would be cheating, so I wont!

[mdpfirrman]

Just to complicate things further, with my new lifting shoes (that I love) I've gone back from four holes to three. Think my old shoes that I got used to the three were closer to old running shoes than proper rowing shoes. Now I have a pair of Vibram lifting shoes (minimalist shoes). That can change things too.

[T_M]

Size 13 US and use the lowest setting when doing steady state work. When testing low pull or 100m I bump it up one or two holes to help keep me from losing the seat.