Trevor Fuller

English 100

09 April 2012

Proper Form when Exercising on a Rowing Machine 

      I will preface this instructional piece by saying that I am by no means an expert in the world of rowing, being a novice who just completed his first year of competing with the team here at the California Maritime Academy. I have had the chance to learn, however that it is an art form that takes much practice, discipline, and patience to learn confidently. I have the utmost respect for the sport and cannot wait to continue competing for the school in my years here. The rowing machine is a fantastic piece of equipment, providing a full workout in one slender machine. This is ideal for cruise and will keep you in peak shape over the summer. 

      The following is a list of basic rules, techniques, and concepts to be mindful of while in the pursuit of grasping the art of rowing in a on a rowing machine. This set of instructions assumes that the reader has a fully functional machine. Another name for a rowing machine is an erg; this is what I will refer to them as for the duration of the paper. 

      We will begin with the setup of the erg for the reader. 

·         Sit in a comfortable spot in the center of the seat. 

·         Extend your legs forward into the foot stretchers (places where your feet attach to the machine). 

·         Adjust the straps so that the balls of your feet are directly below the top straps and tighten those securely. 

·         Set the resistance on the erg’s fan to the upper four/ low five range, as this most closely emulates the resistance of water. 

If you learn nothing else from this guide, remember the following paragraph. Proper technique when rowing will minimize effort required, maximize distance traveled, and keep you healthy. Always keep your back straight (to minimize injury) and let your skeletal framework take the stress when pulling (the perfect stroke will feel like you did not take one at all, having all of the force directed into your already loadbearing skeletal system). Remember to warm up and then properly stretch your muscles prior to using an erg, for the first time especially.  

For the sake of demonstration you will start at the part of the stroke called the finish. 

·         Reach forward and grab the handle of the erg. Your grip should be loose and relaxed, using primarily your fingers and pressure from the machine to keep your hold on it. 

·         Extend your legs to straight, being careful not to lock them in position. 

·         Keeping your back straight, lean back to a forty-five degree (45°) angle with the erg 

·         Pull your arms straight back into your torso, contacting an area between the base of your sternum and your floating ribs. You will attempt to hit this same spot every time you come back to the finish. Your wrists should be straight in line with your forearms. 

·         Point your nose straight ahead of you to open up your air passages. Keep this same head position throughout your workout. 

This stage of the stroke to the next position is called the recovery. It is called this because you are using far less effort during this portion of the stroked and you use it as a momentary break to recover some of your energy and breathe. The movement down the slide (track that your seat rolls on) during the recover should be controlled and smooth. 

1.  Quickly, push your hands down (to simulate getting your “oar” out of the water) and then straight out. When in a boat, this would take weight off the bow and improve the speed of the boat. 

2.  Swing your back to approximately the same angle, only forward. Again, keep your back straight to avoid injury later on. 

3.  At a constant rate, roll forward in your seat along the track once the handle passes your knees. 

4.  When your shins become perpendicular to the floor the erg is resting on you will continue your stroke. For instructional purposes, we will stop here to explain where you are. 

This position is called the catch. In a boat, you would dip your blade into the water slightly before you reach this position and catch the water that you are about to use to propel the boat. Here you start the drive, or powerful part of the stroke that propels the boat forward. The drive will be one explosive, fluid motion back to the finish. 

1.  Without moving your back, arms, or head at all (due to safety reasons), push as hard as you can with your legs to move your body back up the slide. 

2.  When your legs reach their original, unlocked position, swing your back to its angle at the finish. 

3.  Pull your arms straight back into your torso in the same fashion as when you came to the finish originally. 

Rowing is about consistency, keep this form constant and you will get an amazing workout. Now that you know the basics of movement and safety, you can begin your cursory erg workout. Regretfully, this is all the detail that I can cover in this guide. If you have any comments of questions, feel free to contact me and I will do what I can to clear things up. See you in the erg room!