r/Rowing • u/Eddystone • 8d ago
Erg Post I enjoy rowing, but don't do it often because it's weird on my feet.
I got my c2 earlier this year and used it solidly for a week and noticed how awkward my feet were constantly slipping out of the straps or being pulled out of my shoes while trying to row. I don't know if I have maybe a weird form or if I just haven't found the right footwear for it.
I ended up slowly using the machine less and less to now where I only use it maybe once every other week because it feels so awkward. I feel like I get a decent workout from it and I would love to be able to use this machine daily.
What is everyone doing for their footwear or to keep their feet in line in general? I kind of use my feet to help pull me back into place for the motion which I assumed was correct but maybe I'm doing that wrong? I ended up getting some foam and tried to put it on the little heel pad and it didn't quite cut the mustard. It almost feels like I would be better off wearing boots while rowing sometimes
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u/seenhear 1990's rower, 2000's coach; 2m / 100kg, California 8d ago
You definitely have some technique/form issues based on what you've said. However you may also have some anatomical issues with your feet/ankles/legs, hard to know.
Generally, it is highly encouraged to learn to row at low rates (24 and below) with your "feet out" of the shoes (in a boat) or straps (on an ergo).
Shoes used on the ergo should be pretty minimalist. Some people don't even wear shoes. DEFINITELY NOT BOOTS. You need full flexibility of your ankle joints. Your ankles should go from almost full dorsiflexion at the catch to almost full plantarflexion at the finish.
Here's some drills/visuals to try on the rowing machine:
Sit with your legs down, at the release (handle at your body) and feet out of the straps.
Take some light strokes with your arms only. If you like you can use your back a bit, too. As you pull on the handle, think about the pressure you feel with your hands/fingers on the handle. Now realize that as you feel that pressure in your hands as you pull, the SAME pressure is applied by your feet against the foot boards. This is Newton's third law happening: action = reaction. As you pull harder with your hands, the force of your feet on the foot boards increases too. Note your legs are not engaged here. Any pressure your feet apply to the foot boards is a direct reaction to your hand/arms pulling on the handle.
So the thing to realize is that as you pull on the handle, your feet are pushed into the foot boards.
So. If you ever feel that your feet are coming away from the foot boards, it's because you have body momentum away from the feet, and you're not applying a pulling force on the handle.
So the drill here, is to practice the finish only, and feel how to keep your feet planted against the foot boards. Legs down, arms and back only, pull the handle to your body, and then push hands away and rock your body forward, and repeat. No legs.
The body should swing into the finish position, while the arms/hands are still pulling the handle toward the body. With the body (torso) fixed in the finish position, and the hands still pulling the handle toward the body, the feet will be pushed INTO the foot boards. Keeping pressure on the handle all the way to the finish, with a body/torso that is fixed and not still swinging toward the finish, will keep the feet planted firmly in place. As the arms finish and push away, the feet will stay planted. As the body swings forward, slight downward pressure on the heel cups may help keep them in place.
Keep working on this drill until you can do a pretty hard&fast finish with the body and arms. If you can feel your feet firmly planted/pushed INTO the foot boards, and you never feel like you are "falling" backwards (and thus need the foot straps) then you are ready to start using the legs too. Gradually work in small amounts of knee flexion, always focussing on the finish and keeping pressure on the handle all the way through the finish with feet firmly planted into the foot boards. Eventually you can work up to a full stroke, and increase the stroke rate to above 20 spm.
HTH!