Rowing machine

Rowing machine

Postby Ken » Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:27 pm

NoCleverName wrote:
Ken wrote:When I teach sliding seat rowing, no one is allowed to bend their knees this far.


I use this Concept II sliding seat rowing machine at my fitness club. Could you post a few technique pointers in the fitness section?

The Concept II video is very good. I recommend and use that. The point I was making about retracting the knees too far is that if the knees are brought past the feet, the shin beyond vertical, rowing reach is gained but the legs are in a weak position. You have no power until the knees are pushed past the feet. Exchanging reach for strength is a bad bargain. Reach as far as you can without getting into a weak position.

No video?...a few tips:
-Always keep your back straight, never hunched or curved. Maintain a strong, natural concave curve in your lower back.
-Keep a loose grip on the handle just pulling with your fingers hooked over the handle. Blisters on your fingers are a good sign. Blisters on your palms is a sign of bad form.
-Keep your fingers loose, keep your wrists straight, and allow the angulation when the handle is near your chest to happen in the fingers, not the wrists.
-Pull with the stronger, slower muscles first, the weaker but faster muscles last. Pull with the legs, then the hip extensors (back swing), then the arms, and recover with the arms, back swing, legs in that order...1,2,3,3,2,1. Do it by the numbers at first, then develop flow. When the legs are half extended, begin the back swing. When the back is about vertical, begin the quick, short arm pull. But get the sequence right before you let them flow together.
-If you have to lift your hands above your knees, re-read the item above. If you've extended your legs first, your hands easily clear your knees. Ditto for the recovery...arms extend, back swings up, then retract the legs.
-Recover about half as fast as you pull. One breath for the pull, two breaths for the recovery. In a boat, recovering too fast stops the boat's glide.
-Do not swing the back too far back...again, don't exchange reach for strength.
-Don't row too fast. 20 strokes per minute is OK, 30 is max.
-Remove your feet from the foot straps and develop control with your momentum.
-Join a rowing club next summer. Rowing a machine instead of a boat is like making love to an inflatable...forget it.


Ken
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Postby fredm8 » Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:57 pm

Just another question on fitness and exercise machines.

How does the Skiers Edge machine improve both fitness & technique ?

http://www.xmission.com/~skiedge/

Using one at my local gym seems to be good for leg strength & general fitness, but I'm wondering about technique ?
Douglas


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Postby NoCleverName » Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:12 am

Thanks, Ken. I guess I'm doing most of that intuitively right (particular the part about recovering the arms first).

The part I've never really done right is 1 beat for stroke, 2 for recovery, as on the machine that seems to leave the back unbalanced and stressed for too long.

I generally run the machine at 27-28 per minute to get the 750-830 cal/hr that actually feels like a workout. Any slower feels like a waste of time.

Now that I know I'm more or less "on course", I can refine my technique.

P.S. About the rowing club: the only one I've seen around our little pond is one for college girls. Yes, that would be nice, but not likely. :lol:
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Postby comprex » Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:57 pm

NoCleverName wrote:Thanks, Ken. I guess I'm doing most of that intuitively right (particular the part about recovering the arms first).

The part I've never really done right is 1 beat for stroke, 2 for recovery, as on the machine that seems to leave the back unbalanced and stressed for too long.

I generally run the machine at 27-28 per minute to get the 750-830 cal/hr that actually feels like a workout. Any slower feels like a waste of time.


Me neither, usually at 33-34 with short bursts of up to 38. 190-205W

I suspect that I'm actually trying to use the legs (1) too much and too fast, possibly to compensate for muscular imbalance as they're so much stronger than anything else.
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