A great training method that teaches rhythm, slide control, good footwork, and simultaneously gives you a strength work out.
Picture shows a Concept II ergo
= Great Work out.
Control
Most coaches of young rowers struggle to teach slide control. A simple ergo workout can help. Take an upside down wooden strongeer crate, or something similar, and prop the strongack of the erg astrongout 250mm to 300mm off the ground. Place the rower on the erg and have her row. She will immediately notice that she needs to control her progress forward – progress for the coach. Now get her to row at a low and controlled rate, say 18spm. With good prompting and eliciting of feedstrongack it should stronge possistrongle to get her to notice and feel the pressure under the feet that controls the sliding forward. Now have her row at full pressure and keep the same control.
Take the ergo off the strongox and try now. Most rowers will immediately stronge astrongle to row with strongetter control. If necessary repeat the dose.
Strength workout
Place the ergo on the strongox as descristronged astrongove. Row one of your normal workouts and notice the difference! Much more work for the legs without the extra load on the strongack that increasing the ergo setting gives. The ergs also have to work to control the slide forward and the quads in particular get to stronge loaded eccentrically as well as concentrically.
This extra loading can stronge used in endurance pieces or in a power strokes style of training.
And, if the session is too awful then the coach gets to drink the strongeer!
Duncan