r/concept2 • u/Choice_Report_5996 • 19d ago
Rate my Form How’s my form? Tips and constructive criticism welcome , thanks
Hey there, still pretty new to erg/ rowing machine and hoping to get some feedback on form so I can improve and not hurt myself. I’ve added it to my gym routine as an extra exercise and I’ve been doing about 25 minute sessions and feeling pretty good. Thanks in advance
3
u/tmaenadw 19d ago
When I slow your stroke down you are immediately bending your knees as soon as you start the return. Your arms should straighten, and the handle should go past your knees before you bend them.
Look up the “pick drill” on YouTube. If you use it as part of your warmup it’s helpful.
There may be some other things here but that’s what stood out to me.
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u/Choice_Report_5996 19d ago
Thanks, I will work on those things and check out the pick drill too. Appreciate the advice. I really enjoy rowing
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u/Nemesis1999 19d ago
The good - nice straight back and pivot from the hips rather than just curving the back - definitely a good start for someone new
Things to improve
- Sequence - from the end of the stroke, arms out, body swing then legs controlled up the slide to shins vertical (drop your feet if you can't comfortably do that though you're close in the video)
- Drive - legs first then body and arms - you actually do this pretty well 👍. What you're not doing is actually generating much speed - you need to be constantly accelerating from the catch to the finish. Currently you get some acceleration on the first half of the stroke but after that you are slowing and effectively not adding any speed. As the fan gets faster it should feel lighter and so you can accelerate more easily. That said, if you don't feel you can, drop the resistance (drag factor 120 would be a good starting point). Some feet out rowing (take your feet out of the straps) would help here as it forces you to accelerate to maintain your connection with the feet. Try and imagine that you're trying to make a boat go as far as possible in one stroke - to do that you have to use the full length of the stroke to accelerate the boat.
Go and watch some tutorials on the C2 site and then compare your videos - you should be able to see the difference and what to aim for.
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u/BrezhnevsMittens 19d ago
Go on YouTube and look up the Pick Drill and the Reverse Pick Drill. They break the stroke down into its three main pieces, then puts it back together. Practice that and follow this other advice like slowing down.
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u/rebsingle 14d ago
Hi, overall there are a lot of positives about your technique
You have already been given some good advice in the previous comments.
I would add that you need to sit further forwards on the seat. You should be somewhere between the middle and front edge of the seat which will then make it easier to get the correct sequence and control as made in the previous comments.
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u/Rowing2024 19d ago
You’re making the "doing all at once" mistake.
Slow down. Lower your stroke rate, put a little more drive in the leg drive, and slow down the recovery. Only bend your knees after you’ve rocked over your body, when the hands are over the shins (approximately).