Slides Are ........

[[old] Bill]

Hello,<br /><br />Am curious about slides - have seen a couple of posts that imply slides decrease risk of back injury.<br /><br />Keen to see how many of us have used them and what the general consensus is.<br /><br /><br /><br />Bill

[[old] Mark Keating]

Good topic Bill. I have never used them either, but they are high on my list based on some of the discussion on the forum. <br /><br />Mark

[[old] Carl Henrik]

I voted "Great I dont hurt my back any more". I didn't hurt it before either but switching from on water training to stationary erging makes the muslces in the lower back a bit soar. My back gets used to it again without problems though...so far. There is definitely more strain without slides. When using slides I highly recommend using a fan of some sort because you no longer create a draft around yourself from moving yourself up and down the slide (you move the slide instead).

[[old] tditmar]

I just posted a long note a couple of days ago regarding my experience with slides, but suffice to say I know for a FACT they reduce the strain on the lower back. I personally believe it is the only way the erg should be used.<br /><br />By the way, when someone says it has done nothing for their backs, it really says nothing. You will not find anyone saying it hurts their lower back more. It is probably just that with some people they didn't feel strain before (yet), and so for them with slides, the difference is imperceptible.

[[old] nkoffler]

Slides are great but the back is not the primary reason to have them. If you have the room, it provides the opportunity for a more varied and interesting workout while also encouraging better form and a more realistic (on the water being the reality) experience.<br /><br />BTW, I am convinced that they are easier on the back but that has never been and issue for me.<br /><br />Neil

[[old] PaulS]

Slides Are...<br /><br />A potentially useful tool for training on the Erg.<br /><br />While making sure to stay clear of back injuring practices is a very high priority for me, proper technique will aleiviate that concern either on the ground or on slides. When on slides, collapsing at the catch due to lunging, rushing, poor momentum management, etc.... is simply not as punishing as it is when on the ground bound Erg, for one simple reason, you are not able to accelerate your body mass relative to the ground very much when on slides, thus do not have to bring it to the rather abrupt stop at the catch. This can be partially solved by going strapless, if slides are not in the buget or fit in your space.<br /><br />It's better to fix the cause, rather than mask it, IMO. But better to mask the problem than to become injured.<br /><br />Can you still row crappy on slides? Oh yeah, it just hurts less.

[[old] gw1]

I have been fortunate enough to not have any back problems. I tried slides for a few months and found that i had to rate higher to reach my training goals. I prefer to rate lower! <br />All the other athletes (non-water rowers) that use my facility prefered using the slides!<br />GW<br />

[[old] kjjpdx]

We used slides in college--in the midwest where the lake was frozen for three months each year. Our coach would seriously hook up the whole 8 together and we'd do 10ks, 2ks, whatever on the slides. It was awesome for controlling stroke rate, and adds a whole new dimension to "seat racing" because you really can see how everyone stacks up. It was also great for practicing starts, because you can feel so much more when you're early/late and make corrections. <br /><br />The only bad thing was it took up SO MUCH ROOM.

[[old] kwadams]

I've been using the slides almost exclusively for indoor workouts and find they are great--very smooth and seem to help me get a better leg drive. And if you don't have an extra fan around to cool yourself off, order a "CBreeze" from Paul Smith and you'll be glad you did!<br /><br />Kevin<br />

[[old] John Rupp]

Two of the choices are great and two are neutral.<br /><br />Where is the choice for don't plan to use them. <br /><br />For one thing, there is no category for slides in the rankings, so there would be no point to getting them for that.<br /><br />I might try them some day, or might save and get a RowPerfect instead, although the latter is much more expensive.

[[old] Bill]

<br />PaulS : "A potentially useful tool for training on the Erg."<br /><br />......<br /><br /><br /><br />Paul,<br /><br />Thanks for the response - I should've allowed for extra options in the poll ......<br /><br />Can you help us to understand the potentially useful things one one might be able to do on slides that cannot be done on a "floor erg" please ? <br /><br />What useful or different training is possible on slides that you wouldnt do on a floor erg ?<br /><br />Thanks <br /><br /><br />Bill

[[old] Canoeist]

I haven't hurt my back with the stationary erg, but I can tell that using slides is better for the back. So I voted for the first choice.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Paul Flack

[[old] fiftyeggs]

I erged 9 months without slides, and have used them for the last 11 months. Without them I was conscious of my lower back but never injured it. With them I am not conscious of it at all. Since getting the slides I have rowed without them 2 or 3 times and each time became aware of my lower back again. Probably because I pay for sloppy technique that doesn't cost me as much when I use them, as PaulS said. I much prefer them, even though it takes a bit longer to set up. It is an overall more enjoyable experience. The negative side for me is that I can't imagine rowing my best 2k time with the slides. (6:43.6) Haven't tried because aroung the time I switched I pulled an intercostal and haven't pulled for time since then. (the pull came without slides) My own experience, and others will differ, is that slides slow you down. Higher rate comes easy, but more difficult to muscle the machine. My suspicion is that while I no longer go as fast I am probably using better technique. How that would translate to time should I ever walk into the valley of pain again I couldn't tell you. Long slow rows (for me these days around 1:58) helped me recover from the injury and have become my staple. Very smooth, very meditative.

[[old] Bayko]

After four and a half years without them, I got slides a little over a year ago. My back was injured at the time (about the sixth or seveth time since I took up the erg), and unfortunately the slides didn't save me from having to take a long rest to heal up. Since starting up again though I've now gone 14 months without having to take an injury break. Maybe the slides are the critical difference.<br /><br />My sense is that they may have altered my stroke a bit by making it harder to pull with the arms & back as soon as I do off slides. But that's just a guess. I used to hit the front stops on the second or third stroke every time for the first few months, but that doesn't seem to be happening anymore. I hope that means that my technique is getting a bit better. I'm slower on the slides when using the same stroke rates, but try to do S10MPS on or off to avoid just using the ease of higher stroke rates on the slides to accomplish a given pace. Then, when I go grounded again as race preparation, I'm happy to get a boost in pace over the pre-slide training.<br /><br />Rick

[[old] Roland Baltutis]

Many years ago, when I first started erging, I often had back problems. That was because, back then, my rowing technique was crap. I tried all sorts of things to alleviate the injuries but the best thing that worked for me was getting a coach.<br /><br />Once my technique was sorted I have never had any back problems, either in a boat or on the erg. Most of my erging since has been at high intensity with no injuries to speak of. So my advice is; if you have a back problem don't try and mask it with a "band aid" approach, such as getting slides. Get your crappy technique fixed first.<br /><br />My first use of slides was just after the 2004 Crash Bs was at Paul Flack's place. I enjoyed the rhythm you can get into and can understand why people enjoy using them. I wouldn'r know if they help a bad back because my problems were cured a long time ago. However, when you have a river nearby that offers great flat water rowing for about 360 days of the year, slides aren't very high on your must have wish list.<br /><br />Keep it smooth, keep it relaxed<br />Roland Baltutis