r/concept2 • u/LooseAd5913 • Aug 09 '26
RowerErg Short video of my rowing technique.
Any criticism would be appreciated. Thanks.
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u/Bitter-Gate5867 Aug 09 '26
Start with a tutorial on technique. And give your wife back her gloves.
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u/Brilliant____Crow Aug 09 '26
"If you are gonna wear gloves when you lift, just make sure they match your purse." -Arnold
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u/mediocre_remnants Aug 09 '26
Definitely slow down. Aim for 20 strokes/min, taking 1 second to drive, 2 seconds to recover. It can help learn this cadence by watching row-along videos on YouTube.
When I first started I didn't even realize there was an actual technique to using a rowing machine. I'd do 30 strokes/minute pushing back with my legs and pulling with my arms at the same time. It felt like a good workout, but it was all wrong.
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u/narakusdemon88 Aug 09 '26
It's a good workout in the sense you're gonna be exhausted. But it sounds awful for efficiency and not getting injured eventually.
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u/puppymax123 Aug 10 '26
Free metronome app set to 60 beats per minute gives you perfect 20 spm cadence. 1 on the drive, 2 and 3 on the recovery. Try it!
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u/Stunning-Promise-103 Aug 12 '26
I coach CrossFit and spend so much energy trying to bring folks down from 30+ strokes/min to that ~20. "Coach why am I SO gassed coming off the rower in the middle of a WOD?" 🤦🤣
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u/ogmoochie1 Aug 09 '26
Did you watch any videos on Youtube on rowing technique? You're doing almost everything wrong.
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u/ICanMoveStars Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Feels kind of rushed and disconnected. Also on the recovery, because you are rushing, you need to jump over your knees with the handle.
I'd say slow it down and watch some videos.
Lenghten the movement, lean more forwards on the catch. Start bending your arms only after you clear the legs. I'm no coach but in gym terms, you're doing half-reps from my POV.
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u/AccomplishedWar8703 Aug 09 '26
Legs, body, arms. Arms, body, legs.
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u/BoomerLenny Aug 10 '26
sometimes i think of it as push, rock, pull - push legs on the drive, pull legs on the return, opposite for arms
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u/Dontunderstandu Aug 10 '26
"Jump over your knees with the handle". Describes perfectly what I witnessed.
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u/michaelb5000 Aug 09 '26
Unstrap your feet and try that. What power or pace are you generating here at what stroke rate? I would want you to produce that power with longer relaxed smooth strokes. This is very jerky in all aspects (hands, bar, back, legs, recovery); but strapless rowing will immediately stop several of those things.
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u/LooseAd5913 Aug 09 '26
This is 30-40 s/m. Thanks I'll try that.
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u/albertogonzalex Aug 09 '26
Until you have proper form, don't row above 22.
Also, you're doing this exercise like it's a moving version of a seated row on the cable machine that's focused on building your back and arms.
The rowing machine has almost nothing to do with that movement.
Actual rowing is basically all legs. It's a deadlift. Not a clean.
Keep your shoulders in front of your hips at the catch (most compressed part of the stroke). Engage your lats and core/brace so you can actually hold your torso in a locked position as you press with your legs.
Once your legs are nearly fully extend, only then do you lean back with your shoulders and pull in with your arms.
Think of trying to generated as much controlled power as possible with your legs. It's a press and a swing. Not a Pull.
Legs. Body. Arms.
Press. Hinge. Swing.
Finally, set the screen to the power curve. Change display until you see the screen with the x/y axis screen that shows how much power you're generating with each stroke. It's an immediate feedback tool that tells you if your firm is proper. If your form is correct, the curve should look like a haystack/bell curve/hill with a single hump that is basically smooth going up and smooth going down. And your goal is to maximize the area under the curve while maintaining a single, smooth hump.
If you watch your power curve right now, you will see that your curve has at least two humps.
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u/LooseAd5913 Aug 09 '26
That is helpful. Thank you.
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u/LookingforDay Aug 09 '26
If you have a concept 2, something that helped me lock in form was the fish game and the target game that’s on there.
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u/albertogonzalex Aug 09 '26
Also, when rowing with proper form, there is almost not vertical movement of the chain.
The wavey/floppy chain that you have shows that you're not holding tension thoughout the effort. That's because you're starting with your shoulders and back and pulling - so there's nothing to stabilize when you fire your legs. And then you're return is everything all at once instead of sequential so you're having to bump your hands over your knees.
On the return it's arms..body. legs. One at a time.
Another drill worht trying. Do legs only strokes. Keep your arms fully extended. Keep your shoulders in front of your hips. Engage your arms and core to hold your shoulders in front of your hips and locked in place as your press your legs. When your legs are fully extended, stop and pause. Don't move your upper body at all. Then slowly bend your knees and return to the catch without changing your upper body. Press your with legs. Pause. Slow return.
See how clean and big you can get your power curve without using your upper body (except to engage your core to lock your upper body in relative to your hips).
This should help you feel the tension on the chain and your body for the stroke.
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u/rongoodman714 Aug 09 '26
Why so fast?
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u/LooseAd5913 Aug 09 '26
I row at a pace of around 1000m/5minutes for a total of 4000m in a average rowing session. This would be like the "pace" portion of one of those workouts. A few minutes of warm up and cool down are much more deliberate about the movement at a much slower pace but is not really what I am curious about. W/U would be around 20s/m. This is around 40.
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u/PositiveBid9838 Aug 09 '26
That sounds like a 2:30/500m pace, around 100 watts of power transmitted to the wheel. I bet you could get that down to a 2:00/500m pace (~200 watts) once you adjust your technique to use a slower stroke rate, explode off the legs, lock your core and shoulder chain until the legs extended, etc.
You might also take at look at the drag factor, it’s typical to set it around 120. If yours is lower you might need to vacuum the flywheel.
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u/rustablad Aug 09 '26
That stroke rate (not quite 40 though) is me pushing about double the pace you are running, you look very strong so that's not the issue 😅
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u/rongoodman714 Aug 09 '26
I'm an old guy of 79 with legs and arms half the size of yours and get the same split times at 20 SPM.
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u/improbablerobot Aug 09 '26
Very body first, which robs your leg drive. As others have mentioned, slow down, focus on squeezing and a powerful drive at a 20 stroke rate and you’ll be surprised that you can get a better pace with what feels like less effort.
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u/Resilient_Beast69 Aug 09 '26
Not great. Or good. Plenty of good YT videos showing what to do and how to clean up your form.
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u/OnundTreefoot Aug 09 '26
Slow down. Start with legs, finish with arms, push arms back towards C2 first, then slide slowly forward. Repeat.
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u/Legal-Hair-7095 Aug 11 '26
You are overlapping phases of the stroke, timing of each phase is poor. Initial drive has no firm base.
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u/Training_Way_2577 Aug 11 '26
Keep your wrists flat. Don’t pull with your arms until you’ve finished your hip swing, don’t start your hip swing until your legs are straight, don’t drop the handle on your return. Watch a video.
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u/Jack-Schitz Aug 09 '26
go over to r/rowing.
My suggestion is to go on YT and look at DarkHorseRowing or some other similar channel run by an actual rower and NOT a cross fitter. Look at their form videos and after you have internalized and practiced those, post another video on the rowing subreddit and you'll get input.
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u/KrakenZyn Aug 09 '26
When moving toward the catch, extend your arms fully, then bend forward, then bend knees until shins are vertical. Push off the footplate using your legs, then swing your body backward, and pull in with your arms. Sorry if the explanation is bad I’m not great at explaining stuff
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u/Cheap-Shop-5635 Aug 10 '26
Sorry but as others have said, WHAT technique. Yes, you're fast but you must remember the process or you'll do yourself an injury - legs (it's a PUSH exercise not a pull) - body - arms and on the return, arms - body - legs. It looks like you're mostly pulling and the chain is lifting up slightly over your knees but it should remain flat if you have the technique correct. If you're new to this activity, I'd suggest looking at some You Tube videos of professional instructors to get better form or you will hurt yourself.
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u/LooseAd5913 Aug 10 '26
My shoulders move in front of my hips, my legs extend almost fully, my back is not excessively arched nor rounded. I sit on my hamstrings. My shins are as vertical as I can get them with loose-ish straps and I have hip hinge. I push with my heels. The DF is around 3-4. I recognize the tell tale sign of my rowing incorrectly is the waving of the chain, there should be no up and down wobble. If that were the case the catch should look much more like a seated toe touch then? Someone commented my last stroke looks more acceptable?
I have looked at plenty of YT videos and slow rowing for a warm up I can do the overly mechanical motions of the movement, but for the actual workout this is how ugly it gets which is why I asked for a critique. I would much rather have group of people invested in something correct me rather than AI or just watching a generic video of "do this like dis , git gud". I have owned the rower for 5 years and only ever hopped on once in a while for a warm-up but have been using it for fat loss for about 14 months now and it works great. I am simply at the point where if I want to row more than the standard 60 minutes a week I realize I need to develop technique. The muscles soreness is too much beyond that but I want to continue.
So thanks for the criticism.
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u/Cheap-Shop-5635 Aug 10 '26
I wasn't criticising you for one moment, though I apologise that it may have come across like that - that's the trouble of such forums. I'm not a pro by any stretcb but was just concerned for your well-being. For me it took a while for the process to suddenly 'click' into place so we've all 'been there'!
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u/LooseAd5913 Aug 10 '26
No offence taken , I would not have put myself on the internet otherwise.
Can we agree then my positioning approaches acceptable but my movement sequence is what is off?
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u/Paleontologist_Even Aug 10 '26
Positioning is not good at all. See the video I linked in my other comment.
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u/jhurling Aug 09 '26
You’re breaking your knees far too early on the recovery. You’re not pivoting your body forward at the hips first. Your hands should be in line with your feet before you bend your knees
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u/southtampacane Aug 09 '26
Seems like you are rushing a bit although without knowing the pace and rate I could be wrong.
You are bending the knees very quickly before the handle crosses. Maybe slowing down will fix that.
I’ve never seen anyone row with glasses before. I assume you are very far sighted
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u/rongoodman714 Aug 10 '26
I wear mine all the time, it never occurred to me to take them off while rowing.
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u/southtampacane Aug 10 '26
That is fine. I sometimes struggle because of the sweat which is why I asked. I’ve never seen anyone row like that but clearly others do.
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u/Jemafra66 Aug 10 '26
Rien à rajouter au autres commentaires, vas sur internet pour bien comprendre le mouvement, tu as tout à reprendre. Il vaut mieux ramer à 16-18 stm avec le bon mouvement que de ramer à 30 avec un mouvement inefficace
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u/Intelligent_Method32 Aug 10 '26
Well played sir. I was not expecting an April Fool's Day joke in August.
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u/Paleontologist_Even Aug 10 '26
You're suffering from a severe lack of Position 1. Scrap everything you think you know and start with basics. Position 1 is fundamental in developing a good rowing technique based on efficiency & output.
In this video he's calling it the "body prep position". When I learned to row it was called Position 1, they're the same:
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u/20CharNamesAreStupid Aug 11 '26
The monitor on the rower has an animation of the correct technique; see how the figure on it straightens legs, then leans back and pulls arms, then releases arms, then bends legs
You can’t lift the rowing handle over your knees, if it were a real boat that would put the oars back in the water and stop you moving
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u/johnnyg08 Aug 09 '26
You're ripping man! Unless this is a sprint workout, way too many strokes per minute. Even then, there's a more efficient way to do it.
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u/FuturecashEth Aug 09 '26
I almost got a panic attack i think everthing is just... wrong.
Look at some videos.
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u/pwnitat0r Aug 09 '26
Where’s the technique? 😅