About Technique

The muscles of the legs are the largest and strongest muscle group in the body, and therefore contribute a large portion of the work during the rowing stroke. The muscles of the upper body and torso simply add to the work of the legs as the angle between the calf and the thigh increases and the effectiveness of the legs declines.

The speed at which the leg angle opens is related to the speed of the boat moving through the water and is relatively slow. The speed of the drive phase is anything from ½ second to 1 second (discussed later in section in Ratio and Rhythm).

One of the main elements of the rowing action is posture; poor posture in the rowing stroke will result in injury and unrealized benefits of rowing.

It is therefore essential that a strong postural position throughout the rowing action.

Rowers use length to gain speed, a short rowing stroke will result in a higher stroke rate and low speed. Whereas a long rowing stroke will result in a lower stroke rate and quicker speed.

To achieve full range of motion, the user must think of reaching as far forward with the handle and compressing the legs as much as possible whilst maintaining a strong upright position. This can be difficult for certain body types and those users who have poor flexibility.

A common problem when rowing is using movement of the torso to contribute to the range of motion. This is usually done by bending the torso at the lower back, weakening the posture (most lower back injuries occur when work is being transmitted through a weak posture).

Beginning each stroke with the correct posture will ensure a positive workout.

To achieve correct posture, the torso is simply rocked at the pelvis from a backward (11 o’clock) position to a forward (1 o’clock) position (this is known as the Rock Over phase and is discussed in more detail later on in this section).

Elements of Rowing Technique

Rowing is unique amongst other whole bodied exercises in that it strengthens the static muscle groups of the torso (strengthening posture) and simultaneously it uses the muscle groups of the upper and lower body dynamically and in a full range of motion (length).

The work of the static muscles of the torso is done without them moving. They work to brace the torso (keep a strong postural position) to allow it to transfer work from the lower to upper body. The majority of the range of motion in the rowing stroke is created by the dynamic muscle groups of the arms and legs.

It is a combination of these muscle groups that form the rowing action, this combination then needs to be a smooth, flowing continuous motion and is achieved with the correct ratio and rhythm.

The elements of technique (discussed in the next few pages) combine all the above key issues of the rowing action and are crucial to realizing the unique physiological and psychological benefits of rowing.

There key elements of the rowing technique are: