You’ve heard all of us say “Don’t let your form go” at some point in class. Whether we are lifting heavy or rowing hard, we want to make sure we are doing all of our hard work correctly, so we continue to get stronger while minimizing our injury risk.
This week, we’re going to be talking about rowing form and everyone from new clients to seasoned regulars can always use a refresher.
Legs – Core – Arms – Arms – Core – Legs
If you’ve taken a row class with us, you’ve heard us say this.
Multiple times.
This is the fundamental part of rowing, is getting this form and order down. The initial push through your legs allow you to really drive that split time down, while bringing those arms back first, allows your legs to get a little recovery on the way back to catch.
When we start to get tired, it’s easy to let that form go.
What are some of the biggest mistakes we see?
Bringing those legs back in first
60% of your power comes from those legs, but 40% of your power is split between your core and arms. When you can leverage that arm reach and core power first as you come back, you can effectively recover those legs back to catch… getting them ready to stomp hard on your next push.
Letting your back round
When you’re pushing through that last 100 of a 300 meter sprint, it’s tempting to just try to hang on and muscle through it. However, when you round your back, you’re hunching your chest down – making it harder for those lungs to fill up with the air that you need to get through that final push! If you feel like your back is starting to round, roll those shoulders back and try to keep your chest open. You should be able to look yourself in the mirror as you are sprinting – no matter how tired.
Elbows coming out wide
Keep those elbows close to your body! The most effective and fastest way to get to a place is to travel in a straight line – so remember to keep those elbows and arms traveling in a straight line, instead of bringing them out wide. When you drive those elbows close to your body, you’re able to quickly snap those arms back out to catch efficiently.
So, that’s your row form for this first iteration of #FormFriday. Next time you hop on the rower, remember to focus on that form. Your form will help you snag that PR and help you get stronger each and every day.