Used at the base to complete rowers’ training weeks in rowing and to refine the movement outside the water, the ergometer has gradually been installed in fitness and bodybuilding gyms. Why? Because it is above all very complete and you will work at the muscle level but also cardio.
Settings to adopt
In the family of ergometers, you will find two types of rowers: chain rowers and water rowers. As a regular sportsman and in classic gyms, you will usually find chain rowers. Those with water are specifically designed for top athletes in rowing. The equipment consists of several pieces including a computer that calculates your power at the time of the draw. Here’s how to adjust them.
- The position: sitting on a kind of stool that will slide on rails, be sure to keep your back straight, ie sheathed, both at the time of the draw that returns to the base position. Place your feet in footpegs. “It must be ensured that the strap of the footrest covers the first lace of the shoe and that it is tightened without being painful. To have a benchmark, your feet should not come off but you must not have a loss of power, ” says the specialist. The heel must be well anchored in the footrests.
At the handle, be sure to position your hands in pronation (ie hands turned towards the ground) and as wide as possible, without exceeding the width of the shoulders. This makes it possible to finish the pulling movement with maximum amplitude by bringing the elbows as far as possible. “You shoot a lot harder if you have an alignment of the shoulder, the hand and the chain.”
- The resistance : visible on a small computer in front of you, the resistance varies from 1 to 10, knowing that the level 4 corresponds to the resistance of the water. “Overall, we work between 1 and 4/5 for cardio work. Beyond this, it concerns a specific audience in rowing. Level 10 is a fictional resistance.
fitness
The rower: techniques and exercises for an athlete’s cardio
More and more used in cross-training circuits – it is also part of the CrossFit Games program – the rower or more commonly called the ergometer is one of the exercises that has a remarkable burn-fat effect.
Used at the base to complete rowers’ training weeks in rowing and to refine the movement outside the water, the ergometer has gradually been installed in fitness and bodybuilding gyms. Why? Because it is above all very complete and you will work at the muscle level but also cardio.
Settings to adopt
In the family of ergometers, you will find two types of rowers: chain rowers and water rowers. As a regular sportsman and in classic gyms, you will usually find chain rowers. Those with water are specifically designed for top athletes in rowing. The equipment consists of several pieces including a computer that calculates your power at the time of the draw. Here’s how to adjust them.
- The position: sitting on a kind of stool that will slide on rails, be sure to keep your back straight, ie sheathed, both at the time of the draw that returns to the base position. Place your feet in footpegs. “It must be ensured that the strap of the footrest covers the first lace of the shoe and that it is tightened without being painful. To have a benchmark, your feet should not come off but you must not have a loss of power, ” says the specialist. The heel must be well anchored in the footrests.
At the handle, be sure to position your hands in pronation (ie hands turned towards the ground) and as wide as possible, without exceeding the width of the shoulders. This makes it possible to finish the pulling movement with maximum amplitude by bringing the elbows as far as possible. “You shoot a lot harder if you have an alignment of the shoulder, the hand and the chain.”
- The resistance: visible on a small computer in front of you, the resistance varies from 1 to 10, knowing that level 4 corresponds to the resistance of the water. “Overall, we work between 1 and 4/5 for cardio work. Beyond this, it concerns a specific audience in rowing. Level 10 is a frictional resistance.
The posture of the back, but sheathed, at the time of the final draw.
- Movement: during all movement, care must be taken to keep the back straight in its sheath. At the beginning of the movement, the back is straight but leaning forward and at the end of the movement, it is the opposite: it will be straight but leaning backwards. “If you release your back, it’s a buffer: you lose power because your back absorbs that power itself.”
There are two main phases: the first is to push hard through the lower limbs keeping arms outstretched. The idea is to fully unfold the legs, then a quick transition to the second phase is to pull very hard on the handle to bring it to the bust.
The elbows will go as far back as possible. In terms of pace, count about 1 second on the way to 1 and a half seconds back. “The slower return helps to breathe and it follows the following movement: back to a forearm – arms stretched – legs bent” .
- Breathing: at the time of the draw, take a moment of apnea on the first phase then exhale. Inhale at the end of the draw, the moment when you are at the end of the chain, then on the return.
