Straight legs before recovery?

[Ramius1975]

I have done a ton of searching on the forum as well as on the internet on this issue. I can't seem to find a definitive answer to my issue. At the end of the drive, are your legs completely straight and locked or do you have a bend in them. I have watched countless videos online of indoor rowing competitions and it seems like some people straighten and some do not. Please let me know if you straighten your legs. I am also interested to hear if either way is somehow wrong or dangerous or perhaps it is just a personal preference.

Thanks in advance. This is probably a pretty silly question, but I am trying to work on my form. I have a lot of flexibility, but I feel like I get more power and control when I leave a slight bend in my legs at the knees.

[Citroen]

It is physically impossible (unless you have a strange medical condition or are a large bird (which naturally have backwards knees)).

You can't lock your knees on the drive.

[hjs]

I have done a ton of searching on the forum as well as on the internet on this issue. I can't seem to find a definitive answer to my issue. At the end of the drive, are your legs completely straight and locked or do you have a bend in them. I have watched countless videos online of indoor rowing competitions and it seems like some people straighten and some do not. Please let me know if you straighten your legs. I am also interested to hear if either way is somehow wrong or dangerous or perhaps it is just a personal preference.

Thanks in advance. This is probably a pretty silly question, but I am trying to work on my form. I have a lot of flexibility, but I feel like I get more power and control when I leave a slight bend in my legs at the knees.

Its like you say, some do and others don,t, but that goes naturaly, if you easily can straighten them you should.

[Dangerscouse]

I think I very slightly lock my legs on low rates, when there is a bigger 'lean back' but on higher rates I don't as it slows me down just that little bit too much and my stroke is slightly clipped

[Gabe_G]

I feel like I get more power and control when I leave a slight bend in my legs at the knees.

Same here. I have a slight bend. I never lock out completely. Though I have experimented with locking out, it just seems too awkward, unnatural and uncomfortable, that I leave it as is. Of course, I am generally against locking out joints with any type large force or heavy load placed on them. Though that isn't really this use case scenario.

[KeithT]

I think I always have a slight bend in the knee - close to lockout but not quite.

[Cyclist2]

I don't think of it in terms of locking out or straightening the knee, but more in pressing down my legs, using my quads to their max. (I'll have to pay attention to my knees next row). What I do sometimes when I'm at a fast pace and getting fatigued (like near the end of a hard 2K) is not getting my legs pressed down fully before I start the recovery - they start rising and I lose some power right at the end of the stroke. One of my mantras at that point is "legs down, hands away".

[Dangerscouse]

I noticed this morning that I am close, but not quite, locked out. I did one stroke with them locked and it felt a bit strange

[Burko]

Locked out at the finish can pull the back of the knee if you're not careful.

As long as you're hitting that locked out length right at the finish after all power application you should be fine, but I'll sometimes feel a little pulling behind the knee on a long row which reminds me to just stop a little short.

[Ramius1975]

Thanks to all who replied. Locking them felt so unnatural but I wanted to confirm that it was not just a form thing I needed to train myself to do.

[Tenshuu]

I don't think of it in terms of locking out or straightening the knee, but more in pressing down my legs, using my quads to their max. (I'll have to pay attention to my knees next row). What I do sometimes when I'm at a fast pace and getting fatigued (like near the end of a hard 2K) is not getting my legs pressed down fully before I start the recovery - they start rising and I lose some power right at the end of the stroke. One of my mantras at that point is "legs down, hands away".

My thoughts travel a similar line to this. I also emphasize in my head that I'm shoving all that power all the way down through my heels. I think of it as pushing legs down as well - but I think the idea of "locking" your legs out is actually moving beyond the intended range of motion of the leg in terms of power production. That is to say a mechanically straight leg isn't locked out, maybe it would be considered "overextended" when you lock out? you have to physically flex a muscle to "lock" a leg.

When you lock your legs "straight" I think you lose a tiny bit of total length - this would mean you are using a little bit more energy than necessary at the end of the stroke, maybe even risking injury if you're trying to lock out during high rate showings.

Ultimately you would want to hit the point where your legs are straightened to maximum length, but no flex beyond this point? (Totally unqualified to claim any of this as how the biomechanics work, just how I think towards it)

[jamesg]

Locking them felt so unnatural

Best way to see how rowing is done is watch people who actually do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf84O5cTWY4

[max_ratcliffe]

I've thought before that Shane from DHR must be very flexible through the hamstrings. I don't think I could tilt forward at the hips during the recovery with my anything like legs that straight without having to round my back - not a good posture for power or health and rowing longevity.

[jamesg]

end of the drive, are your legs completely straight and locked or do you have a bend in them.

Neither, just relax the quads an instant before the legs straighten and let them do what they, or rather inertia, wants. If you clench the quads to the very end, you're doing internal work which would be better spent on the handle next stroke.

[Cyclingman1]

If the toes come up off of the foot rest at the end of the drive, the legs can come close to being locked. If the toes stay down, as they should, no way do legs get locked out.