How many meters did you row/erg today?

Originally Posted by rjmaiorano

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Also, unclesam, I got the impression you were no longing rowing... are you still competing?

I'm no longer a collegiate rower. I've only been able to make it out 4 times in the single this season. I do plan on racing this summer, but I need to get on the ball. I run a 5.5mi loop when I can't row in about 40m 30s or so, that's a decent base for the rowing. But I really need to get out and do some drills and pieces at rating/higher rate drills (high rate/low pressure to get dexterity with the hands, starts, etc).

Originally Posted by bach

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did a 2k today, finally went sub 7

500 26 SPM 1:44.4
1000 26 SPM 1:44.8
1500 26 SPM 1:43.9
2000 27 SPM 1:41.7

avg/500m 1:43.7
total 6:54.8

avg HR 175 (92.5% max HR)
peak HR 187 (98.9% max HR)


i was trying to follow this strategy: 800m (40%) @ Goal Pace (GP) +1; 600m (30%) @ GP; 400m (20%) @ GP - 1; and 200m (10%) @ GP - 2.

it was pretty painless for a 2k. not much lactic acid burn till 1000 left or so. ofc this means i need to row harder next time -__-

Good work on the 2k! Negative splits like that are great - Try to start at your pace, then walk it down 1s per 500m as you go thru. If you can do that, it's a GREAT way to row. I watched a current USNT rower from UMich do that on his 2ks at an indoor race. He'd start at 1:31 then finish at 1:28 for a 5:59.x 2k.

It sounds like you really can push and hit a much better 2k, probably 6:45 or better. Especially if you work around the ends a little quicker. I think I used to row a 2k at a 29-30 for the body and 31-32 at the sprint (~400m to go).

Originally Posted by chobochobo

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Just noticed this thread. I'm too lazy to think about regimes and just do 12K on alternate days. I'm using a communal machine, an old basic concept 2. I wanted to ask if the model D is going to be a major step up as someone is selling one.

The D is a really nice machine, very quiet with many, many nice/different display options on the new monitor. I wouldn't upgrade from my C, but I would from an A (bicycle wheel) or a B.

off the water wkouts 5/2 through 5/8

5/2

5 min warmup
15 min recovery avg HR 151

5/3

lifting:
squat 185 3x8
bench 160 7 reps, 7 reps, 5 reps
dips 3x8
pull ups 8 reps, 7 reps, 6 reps
weighed situps

erg:
5 min warmup
20 min recovery avg HR 152
5 min cooldown
avg/500m 2:16.7

5/4

6k 1:59.9 avg HR 162, peak 173
was supposed to do another 6k... too tired

5/5
10 min warmup
8x500m, 3:30 rest (1 min passive recovery followed by 500m @2:30 pace)
500m 142.8
500m 142.8
500m 142.8
500m 142.6
5 min rest
500m 142.8
500m 142.8
500m 142.7
500m 142.3
5 min cooldown

5/6

fukken seat races (no off the water wkout)

5/7

lift:
deadlift 225 3x8
barbell shoulder press 95 7 reps, 5 reps, 5 reps
cable row 110 3x8
chin-ups 3x8
incline situps

erg:
6k 1:54.1 (~22:49) avg HR 175, peak 190 (new max heart rate!)
not a test piece.

5/8

rest

Originally Posted by unclesam099

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It sounds like you really can push and hit a much better 2k, probably 6:45 or better. Especially if you work around the ends a little quicker. I think I used to row a 2k at a 29-30 for the body and 31-32 at the sprint (~400m to go).

thx. i wanna be sub 6:30 by the end of the summer. we'll see.


how far do you guys lay back and how high do you pull the handle when erging?

i've seen some good rowers laying back substantially and pulling the handle above their nips. ex,


currently i don't do a lot of layback and only bring the handle to my belly button or so.

Originally Posted by bach

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thx. i wanna be sub 6:30 by the end of the summer. we'll see.


how far do you guys lay back and how high do you pull the handle when erging?

i've seen some good rowers laying back substantially and pulling the handle above their nips. ex,


currently i don't do a lot of layback and only bring the handle to my belly button or so.

Good luck with the goal!

I try to row on the erg like I row in the boat. Swinging the back to around 1 or 2 o'clock and pulling in right to the middle of my chest. Supposedly you can gain a little power by laying back a bit more and exaggerating the pull through, but that could also translate to OTW and mess your boat up.

Originally Posted by bach

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thx. i wanna be sub 6:30 by the end of the summer. we'll see.


how far do you guys lay back and how high do you pull the handle when erging?

i've seen some good rowers laying back substantially and pulling the handle above their nips. ex,


currently i don't do a lot of layback and only bring the handle to my belly button or so.

I pull into my chest, about 2" or so below the line across my nipples. Sounds like you're losing a LOT by pulling in so low. Think of where your hips are vs. where the handle is. You want leverage/torque, so pulling higher will 1.) give greater leverage and 2.) be where you SHOULD be pulling when you're in the boat so that the blade stays buried all the way to the finish, at which time you can allow the bend of the oar shaft to whip/straighten to throw the boat along, letting the water release from the face of the blade, gently push down on the handle to lift the blade out while still vertical, and then feather gently.

Your coach may have different theories about this. The Canadians row more upright at the catch and then lay back quite a bit, for example. In a small boat, you may find that it causes the boat to 'porpoise' down the river - the bow digs at the finish since you don't move your body astern quickly, the bow then comes up when you are at the catch.

You may end up tiring yourself out by doing somewhat of a situp if you lay back too far. The erg demands that you reach forward and stay a little more upright so that you don't get 'caught' at the finish.

Another vote for "erg as you row," more or less. I think in the long run it will do you more good to focus on being quick at the catch and applying the power early but smoothly, especially as you're a fellow lightweight (right?) with a bit less mass behind the handle than a guy like Triggs-Hodge.

That said, bellybutton does seem a little low; I would shoot to bring the handle up to about the bottom of your sternum.

I'm not really a paddler. I did it for fitness. I look out for it, in collaboration with my form and my way / speed for some time.

A newbie question, do you guys wear gloves to protect from blisters, if so what's recommended please?

Originally Posted by chobochobo

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A newbie question, do you guys wear gloves to protect from blisters, if so what's recommended please?

No gloves, sir.

Originally Posted by rjmaiorano

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No gloves, sir.
sometimes i put a band-aid and athletic tape over open blisters, but yah, you should be able to survive 1-2 hrs OTW without gloves. ppl say my form is really messed up. this is what i think.. -the oar handle is too high at the catch -this means the blade's in pretty deep at the beginning of the drive -in order to extract the blade w/o it getting stuck at the finish, the blade gets less and less deep during the drive -this causes the oar handle to travel in a circular motion (high at the catch, traveling downwards during the drive, ending up low at the finish) -the oar's motion should be more rectangular; flat during the drive. also, how do you guys feather and square up? i've heard you let the hand closest to yr blade do all the work. do yr hands stay fixed on the oar? i.e., are yr wrists flat on the drive and then the backs of yr palms face towards you during the recovery? the other possibility is that yr wrists are flat during the recovery and then the backs of yr palms face AWAY from you during the drive. or maybe some in-between... i wanna learn how to row, but we have a coach who doesn't talk

Cheers, I'm doing 12.5K alternate days, it's getting better but blistering was quite bad initially.

Originally Posted by bach

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ppl say my form is really messed up.

this is what i think..

-the oar handle is too high at the catch
-this means the blade's in pretty deep at the beginning of the drive
-in order to extract the blade w/o it getting stuck at the finish, the blade gets less and less deep during the drive
-this causes the oar handle to travel in a circular motion (high at the catch, traveling downwards during the drive, ending up low at the finish)
-the oar's motion should be more rectangular; flat during the drive.


also, how do you guys feather and square up? i've heard you let the hand closest to yr blade do all the work. do yr hands stay fixed on the oar? i.e., are yr wrists flat on the drive and then the backs of yr palms face towards you during the recovery? the other possibility is that yr wrists are flat during the recovery and then the backs of yr palms face AWAY from you during the drive. or maybe some in-between...

i wanna learn how to row, but we have a coach who doesn't talk

Tough to tell from the video, since the camera's on the wrong side and your teammates aren't doing you any favours stopping before the finish line, but...

I agree there's a lot of vertical motion in your stroke that you could probably do without. In particular your hands seem to dip as you come up the slide into the catch. This means you have to make a larger upwards motion to bury the blade, which would tend to cause it to sink too deep. This will also probably lead to your "rowing it in," though I can't be sure without seeing the splash at the other side of the boat.

To correct this, you want to focus on raising your hands as you come into the catch--in a way you want to think about the catch more as a process rather than an instantaneous motion. Paradoxically, this should make your catches quicker, which is a good thing, within reasonable limits. Make sure to raise the arms from the shoulder rather than opening the back before the legs are engaged.

If you have persistent problems with blade depth, it might be worth looking at the pitch on your oar and the pin--improper pitch can make a boat impossible to row properly.

Regarding bladework, your wrists should stay as close to flat as possible through the stroke, though they will dip a bit as you feather after the finish. You don't want a deathgrip on the oar--it should be possible to rotate the handle within your outside hand's grip. Think of the outside hand as a hook or claw with which you "hang" off the oar--don't squeeze it. With the inside hand you want to carry the handle forwards in your fingers rather than in your palm, so that you can feather and square by opening and closing your hand, "rolling" the handle over and back. A good drill while rowing low pressure is rowing with open palms on the recovery and trying to feel that rolling motion.

Yo Bach, you rowing for the Cal Lightweights?

Originally Posted by bach

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ppl say my form is really messed up. this is what i think.. -the oar handle is too high at the catch -this means the blade's in pretty deep at the beginning of the drive -in order to extract the blade w/o it getting stuck at the finish, the blade gets less and less deep during the drive -this causes the oar handle to travel in a circular motion (high at the catch, traveling downwards during the drive, ending up low at the finish) -the oar's motion should be more rectangular; flat during the drive. also, how do you guys feather and square up? i've heard you let the hand closest to yr blade do all the work. do yr hands stay fixed on the oar? i.e., are yr wrists flat on the drive and then the backs of yr palms face towards you during the recovery? the other possibility is that yr wrists are flat during the recovery and then the backs of yr palms face AWAY from you during the drive. or maybe some in-between... i wanna learn how to row, but we have a coach who doesn't talk

Your biggest problem is that you drop your hands as you move up the slide. This causes your blade to lift farther off the water, so you really have to drive your hands up at the catch. Doing so causes a variety of problems: 1. You miss a lot of water. This causes your drive to be shorter and less efficient. 2. You're driving before the blade is locked in. This causes a lot of check in the boat, which slows down your forward momentum. 3. Lifting your hands so high causes your back to open early, robbing some of the power from your legs 4. You're pulling right into your lap. This is going to make it hard to get a clean finish, and it's going to throw the set off. Like you said, you need to focus on a rectangular motion. Pop your blade out at the catch and then keep your hands at that level. After you square your blade do not drop your hands. When you're a couple inches from the end of the slide start to raise your hands. Doing so will cause your blade to back itself into the water, creating a slight "v-splash". Your stroke doesn't do this well, but he is doing a better job then you. Once your back your blade into the water, hang off the arms and make your legs do the work. Once your legs have gone down, swing with the back and then pull with the arms. When you're actually rowing there will be some overlap, but think of it as a sequence. Make sure to pull in high, this will help stop you from washing out. If you can I would move your foot stretchers towards stern one notch. This will give you a little more angle at the catch. Doing so allows your legs to get connected quicker, and your finishes will be a little shorter. At the finish: Couple of inches before your handle hits your chest tap down. You tap down with the outside hand and feather with the inside one. Make sure that you tap before feathering, or else the boat will go down to your side. When you square up you once again use the inside hand; the oar just rotates in your outside hand. Inside hand takes care of feathering/squaring. Outside hand controls the level of the oar. Keep up the good work! You're obviously working hard and that's the most important thing to correcting any technical faults.

Think of your handle and pulling thru the stroke as a teardrop that's cut in half and laid on its side - that's about the shape it should make. Where the fat end of the drop is at the finish and the thin end is at the catch. That's (sort of) how you want your hands to look like.

Your coach may not like it, but watch your blade at practice sometime. Look at the shaft of the oar and ensure it's not getting wet too far up (that's what she said?). When you're working on slow paddles, feel the blade enter the water and almost have the handle push back on your hands. You should develop that habit so that the blade is in the water before you start your leg drive. Notice the backsplash from your oar. Watch at the finish when the hole in the water starts to close up on your blade. Let it close up and the water release from the finish, then GENTLY push down. It takes patience and feel. If your oar is throwing water, you're feathering too early. The oar should come out of the water and the puddle closes up, causing the water to make a vertical splash on its own.

The whole stroke takes awhile to learn the feel. I'm having to re-learn everything now that I'm sculling (16mi in the past 2 days; another 4 or 6 tonight; 6 or 8 tomorrow night). My left hand (starboard oar) is fine but the port oar requires a lot of thought because it never used to be on the oar to feel.

As for feathering, you only want to use your inside hand to feather. Your wrists should be flat on the drive, your outside flat on the recovery as well. Try to hold the oar with a little bit more of a pistol grip rather than straight across the knuckles, you will find that you have to roll your fingers rather than having to break your wrist so much.