Modernizing the Model B Suspension Sequence
John Thornell
by Kevin MacDermott, Head Coach Trinity College Men’s Rowing, Associate Director Craftsbury Sculling
I don’t know the exact origins of this particular version of the suspension demo (maybe a question for an upcoming Dr. Rowing article), but I was first introduced to it circa 1995 by Chuck Hamilton, a former teacher, and coach at Northfield Mt. Hermon School. I also remember watching the legendary coaches Norman Graf and Larry Gluckman using this simple, effective exercise with many athletes through the years.
In my junior year of high school, I recall Chuck guiding a group of rowers through the deep basement recesses of the NMH gym to a cramped, dimly-lit “erg room” (closet) and having each individual, in turn, sit on an ancient Concept 2 Model B erg. He would jam a screwdriver through the open metal cage of the front assembly, and, wedged against the flywheel, teach a critical element of suspension through the drive phase of the stroke.
If you have a Model B erg (which we do have at the Friends of Trinity Rowing Boathouse, just for this exercise) and a screwdriver, you can easily replicate this demo. The first photo shows the initial set-up, with the athlete (Jack Reid) sitting near full compression and the coach (me), using the screwdriver to prevent any motion of the flywheel. This allows the athlete to build connective tension through their entire frame and practice the critical connection between the footboard and the handle.
The next image shows the athlete approximately at a mid-drive position. Again, the coach stops the flywheel and prevents it from spinning by wedging the screwdriver between the cage and flywheel, which allows the athlete to experience an isometric contraction near the position when peak force is produced through the footboard and the handle.
In the final image, you can see another variation of the exercise and a more-extreme example of suspension with the athlete lifting their entire body weight off the seat (the seat slides forward, so be careful when lowering back down to the seat).
This is a wonderful suspension sequence demo. However, it does require the open-cage design of a Model B erg, which hasn’t been produced since 1992 and is somewhat difficult to locate.
Grok Rowing makes an erg suspension strap that can be used on the more common Model C and D ergs. The ease-of-use and effectiveness of the strap are outstanding. We are able to use the strap to quickly, easily, and efficiently execute this same suspension sequence using any erg in our boathouse. Well done on the design and manufacturing of this product. We use ours regularly and highly recommend the suspension strap for every program.