Form check

[ThemickPT]

Hi I am a 62 year old. I've just ordered my first concept 2, it's arriving tomorrow. I had a go on a techno gym erg at my gym yesterday and did 5k, my glutes felt very tight sitting on the seat or is it poor form? I kept a pace of 1:55 per 500, @ 24 -26 spm,took just under 20 mins. Not anywhere near all out but heartrate did climb up to thesehold for last min or so. I know with training fitness will come, but want a bit of advice on form as this to me maybe free speed. Thanks for any advice.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UhfCtSK8iGGQrhft8

[Citroen]

You can usually discount any numbers you've got on a non-Concept2 ergo, they may calculate things in a totally different way. Don't expect your Concept2 numbers to be the same. For the glutes, just slow everything down, don't rush the slide back to front stops - concentrate on technique instead. There's lots of videos on YouTube for rowing technique like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWu1yuJ0_g

[Tsnor]

Back - Strong with shoulders loose and down. excellent. Lats tight at the catch. very nice.

Shin vertical at catch - perfect.

Wrists remain flat throughout stroke - excellent. There is a minor bit of wrist bend at the very end of the stroke, consider losing this. When you pull using arms think "pull my elbows behind me" not "use arms to pull handle into sternum".

Hip swing - Excellent. Most new rowers physically can't do this, hips too tight. Over time (say 6month, 1m meters) you'll stretch a bit and be able to get a slightly better forward lean from slightly more hip rock. You are sitting on the back of your butt, shift a bit forward when you do body over. Your butt will rock on the seat. You will be sitting on a different part of your butt at the catch then at the finish. Currently the same part of you butt contacts the seat throughout the stroke.

heels - perfect. They pop up a bit, but come down quickly and there is drive from heels as well as balls of feet. Do not follow any advice about keeping heels down, that is to correct "shooting the slide" and you don't do that at all -- your seat moves when the handle moves at the start of the drive. Your footwork looks really good.

sequencing. Overall, much better than a beginner should be able to row.

1. On the recovery get your arms away and be into your forward hip swing before you start lifting your knees. You are bringing knees up as you start the recovery. Instead the seat should come to a stop and not start moving again until your arm are out straight and you are in the middle of that hip swing. This change is necessary you ever row on the water, for erging it doesn't matter as long as you continue to get your hands past your knees before the knees rise up and block the handle (which you are doing, albeit just barely).

2. Your arms fire too soon. You can see the arm muscles tense long before hip swing while your legs are still working. HANG from the handle just like you'd hang from a chin-up bar. Your body will *NOT* drive your legs harder than your bent, engaged arm muscles can tolerate (or they would be pulled straight). If you hang instead your body can take more leg drive, and your arms will be better able to finish the stroke.

3. Delay your hip swing a bit more on the drive. Forward body over is safer for your back on a hard leg drive so stay that way longer. Also, as your legs go flat the seat MUST stop (or it'll pull your feet out of the foot stretcher). You want all of your lower body momentum going into moving the handle, none into pulling on your feet. If you sequence correctly your lower body momentum gets transferred into upper body swing which really whips the handle. If you've already completed your hip swing as your legs go flat than all that momentum just stretches your legs and pulls at your feet.

Hands travel a straight line keeping chain straight - excellent. Handle might be a tiny bit low at the start of the drive, but it's hard to tell because your arms are firing too soon. When you fix that make sure when the drive starts that your leg pressure as you hang off the handle doesn't pull the handle up or down. (The shoulders, arms, handle, chain will all be forced in a straight line when the legs drive, you want to not have the handle forced up or down. Straight line gets the most force from the legs into the handle, any bend pulled straight is lost handle distance)

Google/search youtube for "pic" and "reverse pic" drills for sequencing. Here's another good technique video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ82RYIFLN8 , but whoever taught you so far did a really good job.

[ThemickPT]

Hi,thankyou so much for taking the time to critique my form,you sound like you very much know what you are talking about.My concept 2 arrives tomorrow I shall start slowly and try to incorporate the advice you have given.At the moment My cardiovascular fitness is a long way off,but I do a couple of strength sessions a week,just compound stuff,squat,deadlift,overhead press and pendlay row,pull ups.I am keen to nail the technique and work on gradually increasing fitness over the coming months.Thanks again for your time.

[PleaseLockIn]

Hi,thankyou so much for taking the time to critique my form,you sound like you very much know what you are talking about.My concept 2 arrives tomorrow I shall start slowly and try to incorporate the advice you have given.At the moment My cardiovascular fitness is a long way off,but I do a couple of strength sessions a week,just compound stuff,squat,deadlift,overhead press and pendlay row,pull ups.I am keen to nail the technique and work on gradually increasing fitness over the coming months.Thanks again for your time.

I used the Technogym rowers before, found them broadly comparable to C2 though check with a C2.

A 1:55 5k as a first row that only got into anaerobic threshold at the end is pretty strong - your fitness is good especially for a 60+ year old. I am a lightweight junior and I trained serious-ish for almost 8 months - I’d be almost fainting to make a sub 20 5k if I can even make it. What is your weight?

What strength sessions are you doing. I’m doing 5/3/1 wendler for the slow stuff but if you think u can progress further then some linear programs

The shin may be slightly overcompressed but maybe that’s the camera angle

Wrist bend at the end of the stroke - inefficient. Guess you can learn the arm pulling part with wrists straight to start.

Your back is opening as legs are opening - inefficient. Legs, THEN back, only then arms. At the moment the parts are quite blended together.

The hip swing should be 11 o clock to 1 o clock. You are starting at 11.5 o clock and ending at 1 o clock.

You seem to be pulling and recovering with a straight line - this wastes energy. When recovering keep the handle low, when pulling. This is like a cycle gear and translates better to OTW.

The drive:recovery seems closer to 1:1 to 1:1.5 than 1:2. Perhaps be quicker on the drive a tiny bit?

Again in the recovery you are bending legs as you are straightening your arms. Inefficient - arms then back then legs. It’s not a spring, it’s a sequence with a small amount of overlap. It may “not matter” but saving energy you will like when you are going all out and nearly collapsing!

Slightly pronating the scapula imo is OK as long as u have the strength to do so. You want to hang by the tendons. This saves muscular power.

Over the course of a minute I can see noticeably worse form - perhaps it’s exhaustion? Keep the form.

See what you can do on the C2. One hard interval workout for the speed, 2+ steady state (under 70% heart rate reserve is good in my experience. I do this UT2 at 30r20 + 22). 2 strength sessions is enough for me.

set an achievable but slightly ambitious goal. Enjoy your training!

[ThemickPT]

Thankyou for taking the time the have a look at my form,I will try to take on board what you have said,with regards to strength training,I just stick to a 5x5 routine only adding weight every 3rd session,Full body really destroys you for a couple of days,so now I am adding rowing I may have to adjust things,maybe go to one session a week.I weigh 78kg and 178 cm tall.With regards to my rowing I will start very slowly to get the form as best I can,then start adding more intensity.In my younger years I was a Nordic skier so most of my knowledge on endurance training comes from the skiing.Good luck with your training and thanks for the advice.

[jamesg]

Suggest you relax and use the recovery sequence described by C2 on their site (hands away, then swing, then slide); not all at once.

I'd avoid cocking the wrists at the finish, it can cause problems, though you're not doing it so much as some seen here.

[H2O]

Can't see anything wrong.
Congratulations for a very good pace so soon into your rowing career.
You can see literally perfect form here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-0jysU ... x=5&t=528s.

[MPx]

You can see literally perfect form here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-0jysU ... x=5&t=528s.

Really? Its certainly very good, but I'd say the finish was too high on the body and leads to cocked wrists which is very weak, wasteful, and threatening injury. Potentially too much lean back? Although strapless, suggesting well balanced, clearly using the heel rests to stop herself flying off the back and looses contact with the balls of her feet. All not much more than trivial nit picks ... but not perfection for me. Not sure a universal perfection exists actually as we all need at least minor adaptations for how we're put together as individuals.

[ThemickPT]

Can't see anything wrong.
Congratulations for a very good pace so soon into your rowing career.
You can see literally perfect form here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-0jysU ... x=5&t=528s.

Thankyou

[Dangerscouse]

Not sure a universal perfection exists actually as we all need at least minor adaptations for how we're put together as individuals.

IMHO, the perfect technique is the one that makes you the most efficient you can be, and that is bound to be different for different people. Just look at the significant range of running styles we see in the Olympics, Paula Raddcliffe and Usain Bolt are two that immediately spring to mind.