Lower back trouble.

[sarequads]

I was having an issue while rowing, more so at lower speeds. Looking at a muscle diagram its possible that its the illiocostalis, internal abdominal oblique, gluteus medius or something else in that region. Its only on my right side.

It kind of feels like that muscle is getting inflated with a bicycle pump with each stroke i take (feels like it not actually becoming larger).

My idea was that my glutes were perhaps not firing. So i did a session of lower back stretches, quad stretches and glute activation exercises. I rowed the next day and everything seemed fine but it seems to have crept back.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

[mitchel674]

What's your drag factor?

[JimS]

A couple of suggestions.

1. Try and see whether you are balanced or assymetrical on each row.

2. At lower paces, my form goes to hell unless I use a lower rating. Try rating lower and focusing on good hard rows.

3. If you have a glute priblem, and many people do, this isn't a fix once and done thing. Ensure your warm up has glute activation excersises.

As with anything like this, it's likely a complex combination of many things.

[jamesg]

Judging from your times, you are probably trying to work too hard in the short pieces. This is risky since if technique is not perfect it will overload the wrong muscle-tendon units and cause damage.

[sarequads]

What's your drag factor?

125

[sarequads]

A couple of suggestions.

1. Try and see whether you are balanced or assymetrical on each row.

2. At lower paces, my form goes to hell unless I use a lower rating. Try rating lower and focusing on good hard rows.

3. If you have a glute priblem, and many people do, this isn't a fix once and done thing. Ensure your warm up has glute activation excersises.

As with anything like this, it's likely a complex combination of many things.

1. Ill try that, video from behind or something?

2. Ill try that too.

3. I have been doing activation and stretches before a session, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Thanks for the response

[sarequads]

Judging from your times, you are probably trying to work too hard in the short pieces. This is risky since if technique is not perfect it will overload the wrong muscle-tendon units and cause damage.

Its quite possibly that but also I've not renewed my longer distances times so they're still from when i first began.

[JimS]

Video yes. Mirror yes. Also just be aware of your technique as you row.

Is the chain straight in line the whole way Or going off to one side. Are you knees and ankle symmetrical. Do your shoulders and arms feel square.

A lot of this just come from rowing mindfully a lot and making minor tweak over thousands of rowing motions.

[Gammmmo]

In my case it was because I wasn't habituated enough to the Concept2 and my CV system was stronger than the rest of my body. I don't think this probably applies to the OP (sorry) so more of a general comment for anyone checking in here with the same issue....