Hanging on the Oar, When You're off the Water

by John Thornell, Grok Rowing Founder, Stonington Crew Girls Head Coach

Interestingly, a great way to teach rowers to “hang on the oar” does not involve an oar at all.

Of course, we’ve done body suspension drills on the water. A team favorite is to gently row backward, turn the catch, and stand on the stretchers to see which rower can suspend their body the longest. Whether by fours or eights, it burns a bit of time to set up each drill. And rowers only do the exercise for a moment. We also tried drills on land but found there are also limitations. Coaches can’t hold the erg handle (or a strap connected to the handle) for every rower.

We wanted to get rowers to hang on the oar with more repetition. We needed to find a way for rowers do the exercise independently.

So, we created a suspension strap that attaches to the Concept 2 erg. Now, rowers can practice body suspension on their own, several times per week. Coaches can supervise but are not required to perform the exercise. Several rowers can practice at the same time.

As they arrive at the erg room, rowers “hang out” during their warm-up. We also incorporate the suspension exercise as a circuit station, for example:

• 3 x 1 min, 1 min rest

• Timed 250 reps

• 6 x 20 reps, 30 seconds rest

Initially, rowers were not used to the isometric exercise. So, we gradually increased reps and sets.

To mimic the position in a boat, we have rowers lift themselves just a couple of inches off the seat. (Nobody stands up while rowing). Just like any exercise, athletes must maintain control. There’s no bouncing up and down off the seat!

Athletes learn quickly. They learn to use core and back muscles required to maintain connection while they lift their body with their legs. They learn to relax the upper body and hang their body weight off the erg handle. Best of all… when they are on the water, hanging on the oar is second nature.