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Row, Row, Row
When people get on a rower they want to make it feel hard. They want to be validated that they are in fact doing work. They want to feel load behind that handle as quickly as possible. Those desires are all admirable, but making it feel hard isn't the point. In fact, making it feel hard is messing up your row.
Fault 1: Early Arm Bend.
Same rules that apply in the Olympic lifts apply to the row: when your arms bend, your power ends. Its why we wait until after our hips have fully extended to pull ourselves underneath the bar. The moment you bend your arms you disconnect that clean line of energy and your lift will not be as powerful. Same thing with your rowing stroke. If you bend your arms at the catch your stoke will not generate the same power than if you wait until your legs extend.Practice Patience.Your arms should stay straight, you should hang on that handle like you would a barbell until your legs extend. Then, and only then do you bend your arms.But remember: do less. Do less, means being patient in bending your arms, but it also means dont yank that handle into your body by pulling like a mad human when your legs extend. Do less. Let the resistance on the chain get lighter. It should get lighter throughout the progression of the stroke.
Fault 2: Opening Your Back at the Catch.
By opening up your back, by swinging your shoulders behind your hips before your legs have extended, youre hijacking potential power from your legs, just like bending your arms early. Youre also putting your back in a decidedly not good position, as all the power or your stroke gets concentrated into your low back (if your back hurts when you row this is probably why.)If I were to give you one global hint on how to make your rowing better it would be: dont make it look like work.Make it look easy.Do less.
