As much as rowing looks like an arm exercise, most of your power for each stroke actually comes from the leg drive. It is also important to remember that it is not about how many strokes per minute you can do, but the quality of each stroke and how much distance you can generate with each stroke. Remember, if you were rowing on water, you would expect to glide through the water after each stroke – if you brought your oar back too soon, you would actually slow yourself down and the Concept 2 mimics this very well – so don’t be afraid to take a good pause at the end of each leg drive, letting the arms return to a straight position before you start bending at the knees to move forward. CrossFit Seminar Staff member Julie Foucher takes us through the points of performance of rowing on the Concept 2.
Points Of Performance
- Arms extended and hips slightly behind shoulders at catch
- Legs extend while maintaining the hip angle
- Hips extend until torso leans backwards
- Arms pull the handle to the sternum keeping the elbows back
- Lumbar curve maintained
- To return, extend arms, lean torso forward, then bend knees as much as possible