Newbie - Feel "lopsided"; Sweaty hands; Sore butt

[blaperriere]

I have been rowing for about six weeks trying to average 5k to 10K 3 to 5 times a week. Have watched a lot a videos and done a lot of pick drills and think my form is about average for a newbie, But... I feel like I am rowing lopsided - as though there is more power on my right side than on my left. I am right handed and a desk jockey by day.
Any thoughts on how to level out?

Also, I am building callouses on my hands as expected, but my hands sweat a lot making the bar slippery. I am thinking about gloves. Any advice? Pros? Cons?

Lastly, I have very little padding on my butt and am finding the the top of my butt is getting sore. Maybe leaning back a little too far to try to extend my stroke length (109-112). Thinking about adding a seat pad. Any advice? Pros? Cons?

Thanks for the help.

[Citroen]

Use weight lifter's chalk. Gloves will just make your sweaty hands worse as the skin will go soggy (like being in the bath after your mum wants you in bed).

[jamesg]

Side, hands, butt.

Rowing is indeed a very uncomfortable sport, with aches all over the place, sweat pouring off, hands like leather. At least we get to sit down while working, runners have to stand up, cyclists can fall off, lifters can drop things on their toes or worse, gymnasts can fall from great heights and take up impossible shapes. But when we do get afloat, there's not much like a flat deserted lake early on a spring morning..

I still feel lopsided, sixty years since I last rowed stroke side. We have to get used to it, we are not symmetrical.

If you hook on with the fingers, no grip, and come forward slow and relaxed, the chain tension will hold the handle in place. Sweat is a good sign.

Length is needed forward, where there's rowing to be done with the legs and hips, after a recovery using the rowing sequence: first hands, then swing, then knees. Not all at once. At the backstop it's too late to do much work. Feet low, weight forward on the feet, back straight and shove hard to lift the weight off the seat. Don't let the pelvis roll back.

[Dangerscouse]

I use liquid chalk for my hands. It doesn't totally stop them sweating but it's a lot better.

If you feel like you're lopsided, try and alternate your leg drive ie push more with the left for one stroke, then the right, then both. Obviously you still push with the non-dominant leg for the strokes but try and make it circa 70/30 power difference. This will help build up some mind/muscle connection.

As for a bony butt, you need to do squats, bridges and lunges; just bodyweight will be fine if you don't have weights. Weak glutes will eventually lead to back problems if you're sitting down too much.

[Gammmmo]

Use weight lifter's chalk. Gloves will just make your sweaty hands worse as the skin will go soggy (like being in the bath after your mum wants you in bed).

Do you still live at home then, Citroen?

If you feel like you're lopsided, try and alternate your leg drive ie push more with the left for one stroke, then the right, then both. Obviously you still push with the non-dominant leg for the strokes but try and make it circa 70/30 power difference. This will help build up some mind/muscle connection.

Yeah, pretty much everyone is asymmetric with a LHS or RHS being dominant. As Stu says, consciously thinking about your weaker side will help. I do this with weight training when using dumbbells with the weaker arm in an attempt to even things up...works to some degree. Funnily enough I have noticed of late I am sat to one side on the ergo seat. I think using a mirror would help the OP "check" his form. I think correcting *some* asymmetry could actually be counter-productive but for a newbie initially going for textbook form is the right way to go.

As for a bony butt, you need to do squats, bridges and lunges; just bodyweight will be fine if you don't have weights. Weak glutes will eventually lead to back problems if you're sitting down too much.

This is a right of passage (so to speak!) for a newbie...your body will most likely adapt on its own. Otherwise get a C2 seatpad or fold up a towel to sit on.

[winniewinser]

I have been rowing for about six weeks trying to average 5k to 10K 3 to 5 times a week. Have watched a lot a videos and done a lot of pick drills and think my form is about average for a newbie, But... I feel like I am rowing lopsided - as though there is more power on my right side than on my left. I am right handed and a desk jockey by day.
Any thoughts on how to level out?

Also, I am building callouses on my hands as expected, but my hands sweat a lot making the bar slippery. I am thinking about gloves. Any advice? Pros? Cons?

Lastly, I have very little padding on my butt and am finding the the top of my butt is getting sore. Maybe leaning back a little too far to try to extend my stroke length (109-112). Thinking about adding a seat pad. Any advice? Pros? Cons?

Thanks for the help.

Most of this has already been mentioned but from a relative noob (8mths) I have been through some of it.

Sore butt......I suffered with this big time and eventually tried the C2 seat pad which for me was enough to lift my tailbone off the hard seat and prevent it rubbing. I combine that with Chamois Butt'r for a bit of extra protection from rubbing and haven't had a problem for a while. The right shorts are also important.....anything with a seam down the middle can get wedge in sensitive areas and cause rubbing. At it's worst I found it painful to sit down . If it's just dull aches then you'll build up resistance to that.

Hands.....I user think Nike weight gloves sometimes but have pretty much hardened up enough not to need them. I also loosen my grip on the recovery allowing some air flow to get to the hands and keep them a little drier.

I also feel a little lopsided at time with my left side being a little weaker. As previously mentioned try leaning to that side and rowing with just that leg for while. It gives a good feeling of what it should feel like when fully loaded.

Good luck with it......it's a great sport and very addictive!

[stephparm]

These gents said it well. I'm still quite new myself but have found favor in using gloves. My hands have calloused but not nearly as bad as they did in the beginning, when I was going without. I've never used chalk but with only a month under my belt, there's a lot I haven't tried.

I've not used the seat pad but have been told it's great for keeping your tailbone off the seat. If what you're feeling is better described as general discomfort, rather than actual sores on your tailbone, it might just be your bones getting used to it.

Good on you for posting the questions - there are a lot of excellent supporters here on the forums.

[lindsayh]

there has been a lot of discussion here about gloves over the years such as:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=188273&p=488919&hil ... es#p488919

[dsoucek]

This may seem counter intuitive, but I use hand lotion immediately before starting a piece to prevent blisters.
I suffered with blisters for a longtime. Tried gloves, tape, weight lifting chalk, etc. and nothing helped. On one occasion I used an erg at a public gym, and it was apparent that the previous user had used hand lotion (I could feel it on the handle). I noticed that there was no friction, and no blisters when I was done. So I tried using it myself and have been doing it for some time and never get blisters anymore. I just hook my fingers over the handle and thumbs are loose. No slipping. Works for me.

[blaperriere]

Thanks all. Great advice and great support. I appreciate it!

[Gammmmo]

Since this thread was started I've become alot more conscious of being sat on the seat shifted to the left (as one looks at the monitor). As said, my dominant RHS seems to want "more" of the seat. I wonder if it's also to do with leg length?? If so, it might be that one is rotated slightly to compensate??? Can of worms for anyone with even the slightest bit of OCD.....

As said, I do think there is something to be said for letting the body mould somewhat to the machine rather than striving for perfect symmetry. Might be counterproductive. When I first started erging (and even now to a degree more than most) I overextended at the catch. I am very flexible in my lower legs and so this felt natural. Combined with the fact it a) lengthened my stroke and b) gave me a slightly longer rest between strokes giving a low spm (typically 26-27 even for longer PB efforts IIRC) I think it helped. Of course you could always say I might've had additional speed if I'd over-ruled what my body wanted to do but I'm not so sure...I will say though that in the last 1-2 years where I've focused more on shorter efforts my stroke rate has HAD TO shorten in order to get the higher speeds esp as my stroke power is not that high being naturally weak/light.

[Dangerscouse]

Since this thread was started I've become alot more conscious of being sat on the seat shifted to the left (as one looks at the monitor). As said, my dominant RHS seems to want "more" of the seat. I wonder if it's also to do with leg length?? If so, it might be that one is rotated slightly to compensate??? Can of worms for anyone with even the slightest bit of OCD.....

As said, I do think there is something to be said for letting the body mould somewhat to the machine rather than striving for perfect symmetry. Might be counterproductive. When I first started erging (and even now to a degree more than most) I overextended at the catch. I am very flexible in my lower legs and so this felt natural. Combined with the fact it a) lengthened my stroke and b) gave me a slightly longer rest between strokes giving a low spm (typically 26-27 even for longer PB efforts IIRC) I think it helped. Of course you could always say I might've had additional speed if I'd over-ruled what my body wanted to do but I'm not so sure...I will say though that in the last 1-2 years where I've focused more on shorter efforts my stroke rate has HAD TO shorten in order to get the higher speeds esp as my stroke power is not that high being naturally weak/light.

Interesting point that Paul. I generally get worse blisters on my right hand, worse but pain in my right cheek and I have a far tighter right hip flexor that has caused me issues with a wonky back for quite a while.

I think I can over extend at the catch too. It doesn't happen as much anymore but I used to have the handle bang on the monitor stanchion/arm (?) quite often. Now it's usually 2k or less where it happens occasionally.

I do think that sometimes there's a tendency to strive for perfection, but it doesn't always work out for everyone, especially if that comes at the price of feeling natural. It's worth trying different ideas but not slavishly persevering when it's not working.

It reminds me of Michael Johnson's comments about Kirani James' 400m at London Olympics. Technically he had a lot to improve on but he still managed to outclass everyone else.