Technique Flaws Waste Energy
I’ve watched a lot of people row and have done a lot of video reviews to improve athletes’ positions, sequencing, or force production. This blog is a collection of the common faults I see time and time again plus some fixes in the forms of cues or warm up drills to get you working smarter, not just harder on the machine. Whether you are a seasoned CrossFit veteran or new to the sport, this article on common technique fixes is for you.
Flaw #1 – Feet too high in the foot stretchers
The first piece of advice to almost every athlete I’ve watched row is to lower their feet. Many CrossFit athletes row with their feet set too high, whether it’s because of some arbitrary advice that the strap should go across a certain part of their shoe or that they just don’t even pay attention to where their feet are set in the first place. Ideal foot height is determined by ideal catch position, and what I’m looking for there is can he or she be relatively comfortable in a position where shins are vertical, shoulders are in front of hips, and their knees are out of their armpits.
Feet set at 4 (first photo) vs feet set at 1 (second photo)
The next time you get on the machine, try rowing with your feet lower by AT LEAST one hole (this means using a higher number setting). Usually I gradually work that position down as low as possible while still having the strap sit across their shoe. It makes a big difference in force production, but it can also help with breathing and even rowing-induced back problems by creating more space for your legs and upper body in that fully compressed position.
Flaw #2 – Leaning back at the start of the drive
This flaw is probably the most obvious issue I see when I watch someone row in a CrossFit setting. The reason this issue needs to be addressed is because the sequence of an efficient rowing stroke is initiated with a strong leg drive. A majority of the force produced when you row comes from your legs, but if you start by leaning back first, you’re moving out of sequence and bleeding power.
Initiating the drive phase with your legs (first photo) rather than your back (second photo)
My favorite cue for this is to think “handle and seat move together.” The reverse pick drill is a great add to your warm up to work on training your brain to use your legs first for maximum power production.
Flaw #3 – Pulling early with your arms
Rowing is a PUSH (with your legs) not a PULL (with your arms). Usually this flaw goes hand in hand with flaw #2 because if you are leaning back too early and missing the contribution of your legs to the pull, the only thing you have left to produce force is pulling with your arms. In an efficient row stroke, the arms provide very little help when you compare to what your legs can do. A telltale sign you are using too much arm oomph is if the chain is wobbling all over the place and maybe even hitting the top or bottom of the cage. You want the chain to stay still and horizontal and not wobble up and down.
Try to keep arms straight as long as possible through the drive (first photo) vs bending them at the start (second photo)
One way to minimize an early arm pull is to practice rowing without your thumbs wrapped around the handle and to focus on a loose, relaxed grip. Death gripping the handle will not make you a better rower. Another cue to think about is “long arms” or “reach” but make sure you are thinking of the reach as coming more from your elbows rather than your upper back. We want a tall, strong back, not rounding forward because you are reaching through your scaps.
Flaw #4 – Bending knees before returning the handle
The one step most athletes miss is a rock forward to bring shoulders in front of hips as you move forward towards the monitor. The reason you need to focus on what your body is doing at this point in your rowing stroke is because good positioning as you move towards the monitor sets you up for a strong and powerful push away from the monitor. If you are running into your knees or having to move the handle around your knees, this is for you.
Arms away then body over (first photo) vs knees bending before your arms are straight (second photo)
Two of my favorite cues to get your body organized at the very start of the return is “body over” and “knees down”. The pick drill is a great add to your warm up to work on training this phase of your rowing stroke.
Efficiency is Your Secret Weapon
You could be a better rower. No matter your height, weight, or previous experience on the machine, I can say with almost certainty that YOU could be better. Rowing in CrossFit is often thought of as simple cardio without much emphasis on how to actually be efficient on the machine, but just because it’s a simple movement doesn’t mean skill aspects aren’t important.
Technique changes can happen at any point in your journey. Focusing on the basics from the get-go allows your initial progress to be a bit more linear instead of the “1 step back, 2 steps forward” approach of re-learning technique that’s been ingrained in you for years, but even if you’ve been rowing for years and suspect your technique contains these flaws, you can make improvements with a back-to-basics approach. And, as Max talks about in his whiteboard video about the ski erg, that kind of training focus can have a big benefit, seeing as most improvements in performance over the long-term come from efficiency rather than increasing performance metrics such as vo2 max or lactate threshold.
Your current technique may be sufficient enough to get by in your group class workout or your training piece for the day. Effort will get you far but efficiency will get you there will less fatigue. If you work on mastering the technique basics, you can seriously upgrade your performance.
Bonus Help
Not sure if you’re doing it right? The machine has built-in efficiency feedback in the form of something called the force curve. This link on the Concept 2 website goes in-depth on what it is and how to use it to improve your rowing. And click here for a few photos of what ideal and less than ideal curves look like.
