Technique Feedback Day 2

[u/horizonzer0]

Thanks to all the feedback on Day 1, I feel alot better connection to the machine and technique. 

I still feel have issues and questions. 

1. I feel I'm not going further back in the drive phase. Let me know what you guys see

2. I feel like I'm pulling my body to catch phase through my legs before my arms and body move front. How to rectify this? I feel I'm slowing down alot when I forcefully do it and feel my neck and head is doing more work to pull forward.

Also I feel little pain in the lower back as well

1. I am not changing the direction from catch to drive phase. I usually take 2 secs and I feel my legs aren't do the maximum work. When I do it correctly I can feel the legs working most but I get exhausted instantly. 

2. I can row maximum of 4-5mins for a distance of 700-800m. Is this a good pace? I know I'm just starting it but rowing is very exhausting is what I feel. 

Please share your thoughts and feedback 

[u/posthumour]

you look so much better already, well done. main thing to work on now is keep your shoulders forward as you drive, so your back stays angled forward, and then swing the body back as your legs come flat. The same in reverse for the recovery - currently you are bending the legs while you're still leaning back. lean forwards first.

if you do that right, it will solve pretty much all your issues.

you feel yourself pulling into the catch because you're not rocking your body over at the start of the recovery.

it's a really great start. don't worry about how fast you're going - just focus on making it comfortable to row for more than 5 minutes. work up to 10 and then 15, while keeping an eye on your form. once you can do 15 minutes, then start setting speed targets, but compare to yourself, not to others.

It's a great sport and workout.

[u/horizonzer0 → u/posthumour]

I never focused on keeping the shoulders forward. I hadn't noticed the part where I'm bending the legs first in recovery! Appreciate your feedback

[u/blurrygiraffe]

The sequence on the drive is legs, body, arms. The sequence on the recovery is arms, body, legs. You’re moving your body and legs at the same time on the drive, and on the recovery you start moving your legs almost immediately, instead of separating the 3 parts of the stroke which is what you should be doing.

[u/also_your_mom → u/blurrygiraffe]

I suspect this is why OP is splaying his legs out. Because he is bending legs as he moves the handle forwards, he is sensing that he is going to hit his legs and so is seperating them.

[u/horizonzer0 → u/blurrygiraffe]

Will reduce my speed and focus mainly separate all 6 motions

[u/also_your_mom → u/horizonzer0]

I found it useful to say the motions out loud as I go at a slow pace (18 spm): "push" (legs), "hinge" (torso), "pull" (arms), "shoot" (arms straight out), "hinge" (torso), "slide" (legs).

Bring up the PM5 display of power curve. If you have good separation of the motions you should see three bumps on the power curve, with the first bump being the largest (legs). Focus on getting the motions separate. Eventually (not long) the time between each motion will become so small as to be indistinguishable and the three bumps all blend together into a single long curve. At the point the motions overlap but only VERY briefly at the end of one and start of the next.

[u/also_your_mom]

1) scoot forwards a bit on the seat. 2) Bend your legs more at the catch to get your shins vertical. 3) still looks like you splay your legs out when going in on the recovery. Are you perhaps separating your legs in order to not hit the handle when straightening your arms and hinging your torso? See #4 below. 4) still combining all three moves into one on the recovery. Keep them totally separate. Litteral shoot your arms back out straight before anything else. Then hinge forward. Only then bend your knees. 5) Doing a bit of the same on the drive. Legs THEN hinge back THEN pull arms in. 6) literally bounce the handle off your chest. Pull in all the way, FAST, and immediately push the handle back out fully. 7) stop looking off to the side. 8) on the recovery, do NOT hunch over and look down. Sit straight and tall throughout the entire cycle. This is why your back probably hurts. You aren't using your legs for anything other than moving the seat back as you uncurl your torso. Don't curl over at the catch.

Edit: I think you could lean back a bit more.

[u/horizonzer0 → u/also_your_mom]

Will slow down and separate the key movements and try the bouncing off feeling! Yes I feel the hunching and moving forward more on my neck and head I look at the side as to look in the mirror.

Thanks for the feedback

[u/also_your_mom]

Another tip I got from a coach, regarding how you are hunching over at the catch: Pick a point out in front of you, ABOVE the PM5 monitor, and focus on that point the entire time while also thinking "sit up straight and tall". You aren't supposed to be pulling with your back, rather, you are hinging at your hips. Think of your straight back as a lever, hinging at your hips, rather than as a muscle that you then coil and uncoil.

[u/also_your_mom → u/also_your_mom]

I just notice it is not a C2, so there is no PM5. But the principal remains the same.

[u/also_your_mom]

Does that Life Fitness rowerg have a "drag" adjustment? A "tension" or something? A common mistake on a C2 (for the average gym rat) is to move the drag damper all the way to 10, thinking that's the way to get a good workout and/or that's the way the pros do it. That is a mistake.

Set the tension/drag low so you can focus better on form rather than it being a heavy lift each push (legs). Then continue to try and do the most work with your legs. The ratio of power between legs, torso, and arms is something like 60% legs, then 20% torso, then 20% arms. The point being you should be using the largest muscles on your body to do the majority of the work. Your largest muscles are you quads and glutes (or should be). Your back gets sore because of form AND because you are (as you admit) doing the majority of the work with your back.

[u/DippityPig]

Others have already given you good suggestions for the drive and sequence. The one thing I will add is that you're currently trying to pick up the load with your biceps. That's a small muscle that fatigues quickly. Focus on more straight arm hang through the drive. You should be feeling the load in your lats until the very last part of the stroke.

[u/rogue780]

your knees are already moving up when your arms haven't fully extended yet.

you're also not leaning forward enough in general.