Strength training for rowing pdf

The hex bar itself also reduces stress and strain on the low back compared to the barbell deadlift from the floor, reducing risk of injury from strength training. Using strength training exercises to work one limb at a time is a highly effective way to offset muscular imbalances. The front leg does all the work in this lift with the back leg just resting. If you notice that one leg is significantly harder to do than the other, make sure to perform your reps with your weaker leg FIRST and then only match that number of reps and weight with your strong leg.

Your weaker leg will catch up to your stronger leg, and then you can push both equally. Rowing Performance: Sweep rowers often develop one leg more than the other due to the rotational factor in the stroke and uneven pressure on the footplate. The stretch in the back leg hip flexors is also helpful for improving hip mobility and getting into a deeper or more stable position at the front-end of the rowing stroke.

Reducing Injuries: Balanced left and right legs and more mobile hip flexor muscles can help reduce low back pain and injury risk.

Dumbbells require greater stabilization and allow for a longer range-of-motion ROM than a barbell. This means we can use less load for more muscular activity, which decreases overall stress and injury risk, especially on the rib cage area where rowers are already at risk of injury. The greater ROM also encourages athletes to really target the goal muscles in this exercise, rather than just slamming the weight from floor to bench.

Focus on keeping the shoulder blades back-and-down and pulling the dumbbells or kettlebells into your body on every rep. Start light. We will also use the variation of the alternating batwing iso-row for increased challenge. Rowing Performance: The batwing row strengthens the mid-back, shoulders, and arm muscles for a great squeeze at the release of the stroke.

Using dumbbells or kettlebells builds up better arm and grip strength than a reduced-ROM, fixed-position barbell bench pull. Reducing Injuries: The batwing row hits the main mid-back postural muscles that rowers are always missing, helping to stabilize the shoulder for better stroke power and reduced risk of injury. Developing the middle trapezius, rhomboids, and posterior deltoid muscles will contribute to better posture and less risk of shoulder injury.

This is another exercise for the mid-back and rear shoulder muscles that is more challenging than it looks. I teach this with just bodyweight at first, and then maybe adding 2. Rowers commonly shrug up their shoulders to use the big, powerful upper trapezius muscle. The trapezius is one muscle, but it has three different fiber alignments at right: upper, middle, and lower that each do different motions. The upper traps shrug up elevation , while the middle and lower traps pull the shoulder blades together retraction and shrug down depression.

We will also use the prone YWT raise for athletes who struggle with the technique or need to reduce any low back strain. Rowing Performance: Developing strength and coordination via the YWT raise builds a strong upper back for a solid connection from lower body and torso power through the shoulders and arms to the oar or handle. Rowers who are proficient in the YWT raise can use their improved shoulder coordination to get more out of all other upper body pulling movements. Reducing Injuries: The YWT raise targets muscles underdeveloped from the rowing stroke and uses very low load to do so.

Like the batwing row, these muscles will improve posture both in and out of the boat and reduce risk of shoulder impingement and injury. The bodyweight row offers several great advantages for rowers. It works the major muscles of the mid and upper back without external loading and with minimal stress on the low back.

It forces athletes to keep the torso muscles engaged, as sagging away from the bar will not allow completion of the lift. The inverted row can also be done in a variety of settings, using a power rack, TRX or gymnastics rings , or even a towel and sturdy post for minimalist or at-home lifters.

We can increase or decrease difficulty of the exercise by lowering or raising the height of the handle, allowing for higher or lower reps per set. Rowing Performance: Strong connection on the drive and powerful release thanks to more developed back, shoulder, and arm muscles.

The bodyweight row is also a great exercise to train the shoulder coordination from the YWT raise in a more dynamic environment, keeping the shoulder blade down avoiding the shrug-up while going through full-ROM retraction cycles.

The bodyweight row lets us really work the back, shoulders, and arm muscles without adding a lot of weight for more systemic stress and load on the spine and rib cage. One-arm overhead press variations from a half-kneeling position or standing position, using a dumbbell or kettlebell, make it easier to work hard with good movement quality.

I usually do not use two-arm overhead pressing with rowers, due to a tendency to lose spinal stability and end up in poor positions. It is also just not necessary to use barbells, as long as we have heavy enough dumbbells or kettlebells available to challenge the athlete. We can achieve better movement quality, plus work to reduce left-right imbalances, by training one arm at a time. Rowing Performance: The upper back and shoulders are the foundation of the stroke and connection to the water.

All of the force from the lower body and trunk needs to go through strong shoulders and arms to get to the handle or oar.

Reducing Injuries: In addition to improving force transfer from lower body to upper body and handle or oar, the overhead press also improves shoulder coordination and helps to balance all of the pulling movements that rowers do while rowing and erging. The shoulder is a four-way joint with lots of ROM, so we need to train it for its many functions for long-term health and stability.

My general goal is that a rower can do 20 pushups with good technique and control before adding external load with dumbbell pressing or other bench press variations. Good technique means a braced torso, stable shoulder blades, and the chin, chest, and pelvis all touching the ground simultaneously at the bottom of each rep, with a controlled tempo lowering and lifting and lockout at the top of each rep. We can make the pushup harder or easier to challenge the athlete appropriately.

Elevate the hands to make the pushup easier so the athlete can build strength with higher reps, and then gradually decrease the elevation to keep increasing the challenge. Make it harder by adding a weighted vest or resistance bands , or using gymnastics rings or a TRX to challenge shoulder stability.

We can also use cluster sets to increase density and challenge from this simple exercise. Get the most out of the pushup before adding external load. Rowing Performance: Like the overhead press, the pushup contributes to rowing performance by improving shoulder coordination, but in the horizontal pushing movement instead of a vertical pushing movement. Rowers who are good at pushups, as well as overhead presses and upper body pulling movements, typically have more stable shoulders for better handle control and stroke technique.

This is a crucial fundamental movement pattern to get down for smooth stroke recovery and efficient power transfer from the shoulder to the handle. Thus, the purpose of this review was 2-fold: to identify strength tests that were reliable and valid correlates predictors of rowing performance; and, to establish the benefits gained when strength training was integrated into the physical preparation plans of rowers.

The reliability of maximal strength and power tests involving leg extension e. Repetition tests that assess muscular or strength endurance by quantifying the number of repetitions accrued at a fixed percentage of the strength maximum e.

Only leg press repetition tests were correlated with m ergometer times e. Muscle balance ratios derived from strength data e. While strength partially explained variances in m ergometer performance, concurrent endurance training may be counterproductive to strength development over the shorter term i.

Therefore, prioritization of strength training within the sequence of training units should be considered, particularly over the non-competition phase e.