Single-Leg Rowing Drill
This drill for indoor rowing is just as the name implies. You take one foot out of the foot stretchers and only row with one leg. The leg that isn’t rowing hangs out on the side while you row.
I don’t recommend trying this one in a boat at all. There’s really no place to put your other foot that’s not in the water!
In the rowing stroke, the legs account for 60% of the power. Take one leg out, and you’ve lost 30%! You’ll feel that difference. Single-leg rowing will allow you to feel and focus on what muscles you are using in the leg you are rowing with.
Take the time to focus on driving through your heel on the drive and take in what that feels like. You should feel your muscles engage under your butt too. It will feel heavy, but that is on purpose. You’ll be able to feel it much more than you would using both legs.
Switch legs and do the same thing. Row with the correct technique and focus on what driving correctly feels like in your legs.
Once you start rowing with both legs again, look for that same feeling of driving those heels down. Remember what you felt during the drill, and replicate it in your stroke while using both legs
Here is a short video on single-leg rowing:
The Starting Five
One of the easiest ways to improve upon a score for a workout is to make sure you’re starting it off right. It’s easy to slowly build into the piece, but those splits in those first strokes will greatly affect your average. It’s worth it to start out strong so that...
Getting On and Off the Rower Quickly
Getting stuck in the foot straps on the rower can be frustrating when you’re shooting for a good time in the workout that day. Over the years I’ve used the same technique for getting on and off the rower quickly. Below I have a slideshow of the different steps to get...
Initiating the Drive: Heels not Hips!
A common technique fault that I see on the rowing machine is when athletes are initiating the drive with their hips and not their heels. Watch the video above to see what I mean. If you are initiating the drive with your hips, you will lean back and this puts you in...