How to Row - The Single Greatest Drill Ever

This is one of the best drills you can do if you're just getting started on the Concept2 rowing machine to help you understand how to connect to the machine.
It's called "legs only" and "legs and body".
What this does is isolate just the legs and then the transition from the legs into hip swing. This is beneficial to develop because the legs are 60% of the stroke while the hips being 30%.
This is extremely important especially if you're just starting out on the rower because so few people really learn how to push the legs into the machine when it's the biggest driver of force when rowing.
Many love rowing because it can offer a great workout for your legs, your back, your butt and more but it's only as effective to the degree you move properly. This is a great place to start.
For greater detail, coaching cues, and points of performance train with us at www.darkhorsero...
Dark Horse Rowing is built for indoor rowers and gyms who want to use the rowing machine as a tool for their training, workouts, weight loss, and recovering from injury.
You'll get workouts, coaching, and support all around the Concept 2 rowing machine. This is THE place to get great workouts and understand the rowing machine.
If you enjoy this video please give it a thumbs up and share it with a friend - it goes a long way!
Subscribe For More: / darkhorserowing
Facebook: / darkhorserowing
Twitter: / darkhorserowing
Instagram: / darkhorserowing

[@edinborogh]

hey Dark horse! i finished today my first ever 10K row!! i did it in 50 minutes ( 2:30 split ) - nothing really stellar, but hey - its my achievement!!! and.. i lost 13 Kg since i started rowing some 8 months ago!! thank you so much for the videos, advice, and encouragement!!

[@UnknownGunslinger]

edinborogh wow mate, well done! This is stellar 🚣👍

[@edinborogh]

thanks Ivo!!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

HUGE Congratulations Edinborogh. You're an inspiration to many and you should be incredibly proud of what you're accomplishing. Keep up the solid work.

[@AstroBananna]

edinborogh i have 40kg lose, i have been rowing on a concept2 for 1 week. Starting slow, 5x a week 1km row each time in about 5min20s. Please share with me how often you row and how long for. Any tips?

[@edinborogh]

i do a warm up of 2K, slow to get the blood flow. then each day i would do different distances at different intensity. i suggest you to focus on building endurance first ( do 2K - rest, 2k-rest slowly increase the distance ). dont forget to work on the right technic and when you are ready - do short intervals but hard ones like 3*500 meters, 3*1000meters and so on. i recommend you to look for the pete plan. its good for people who are ok with their condition of fitness and want to take it a step forward. AND Dark horse have great training plans as well! i row 5-6 times every week, never less then 45 minutes. i am trying to row a minimum of 10K total each day. today i was only able to row 5K in total.

[@matthewgood3440]

great video- kept struggling with this basic concept and had to revisit this...awesome content

[@DarkHorseRowing]

How awesome Mathew! Keep working at it. None of these things happen overnight.

[@elecaire9094]

Great drill! I'm brand new, the damper setting was a fantastic mention thank you! A+ video A+ drill A+ high-five

[@roboliver9980]

This would make a good warm up and reminder fir how to have correct form. Will do it for a few weeks.

[@patilprasadc2007]

I agree, increasing the damper setting does help in finding the engagement especially for these types of the drill.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Right? It can be such a great tool.

[@hongruma1687]

I love your videos! Thanks for all your hard work

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Thanks so much!

[@esco9158]

Going to try this out for this week. I stop engaging the hips and use a lot of arms.

[@wesseljordaan7781]

TOP TIP .... thank you chaps !!

[@timoshi2k]

I noticed his heels coming up at the end of the return. He obviously is a great rower and he can overcome the lack on connection on the drive. I'm working on the heel raise issue daily, I can feel the connection being lost when they raise up. I am in love with rowing and I hope to be good one day.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

The slight heel raise is not an issue if you hit all points of performance of rowing like positions at the catch and release, correct order of operations and you are feeling the connection to the rower. Otherwise it can result in opening the hip early and not engaging your glutes and hamstrings properly. Keep practicing the pause drills and try to row unstrapped (being really careful). Keep at it! You're gonna be great!

[@timoshi2k]

Thank you so very much! Your videos are a tremendous help in getting me properly situated on my erg. I've got my 2K row time at 6:56, looking to improve it to 6:15-6:30 in the upcoming months.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Great work!!!

[@Smonkey320]

The Pick Drill is one of my favorites to coach to beginners.

[@helenbarrett6451]

Thank you, I think I'll do those 30 reps each each sit on the machine. PS Why not finish with when to bend the elbows?

[@Thyme-to-cook]

Awesome! high 5!

[@seemac70]

Love it.

[@fragranthills]

80 and disabled. Grandma loves your tutorial.

[@AstroBananna]

3:10 great stuff :)

[@PauloSantos-rm1mt]

Thanks for the great clues. What is the ideal drive length? Best regards from Portugal

[@Markhvid]

Hello Dark Horse Rowing. First of all thank you very much for these great videos. Def the best out there. At the moment i am training for the Danish Police School semester rowing test, and as i have basically no "real" experience on a rowing machine other than warm ups, i would love your advise on the best exercises for the 2000 meter timed rowing. Hopefully you can help me out and give me some great advice, so i'am able to beat the others haha-

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Mark, we've got the cure for you. Start here and you won't be disappointed or left in the dust. You'll be ready for your test. How long until you have to take it? marketplace.trainheroic.com/#/program/2k-phase-1-8-week%20

[@Markhvid]

thank you! i will most likely be doing the test in 2 months and in 6 months again. So i got some time to progress. I will definitely try it out.

[@MayerConstance]

Aha! I do have that slippage! I will turn damper up. What are mechanics of my body to keep chain from not slipping at lower damper? The connection to machine is elusive but I am watching your vids, using tips and drills. All the free content is amazing - thanks!

[@Tsnor150]

One way you get slack is having your arms not in a straight line with the chain. When you push with your legs there is a pause while your arms and the chain are pulled into alignment. A second way you end up with slippage is having your arm bent. Without changing your back angle (Which was set when you rotated forward at the start of recovery), and without hunching your shoulders you want to be reaching forward.

[@alexchang8419]

In my opinion saying body swing is better than hip swing. Saying body swing makes you focus on your core which is the muscle group you should be using compared to the hips. Thinking about applying a lot of force in the hips can cause injuries in the future (lower back problems)

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Fair assessment Alex. I'll take that into consideration next time.

[@UnknownGunslinger]

I was wondering if you would ever considering uploading an entire 30min workout?

[@DarkHorseRowing]

The only issue we have with doing that would be the amount of time it would take to record and we're not sure if people would want to watch us for 30 minutes straight haha.

[@UnknownGunslinger]

+Dark Horse Rowing I understand completely, but it would be great for those of us who would like to row with you guys at home :)

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Thank you! It's 100% on our radar as a future development.

[@andrewhillman3693]

For your thoughts. For flexible people stroke length is beneficial (based on power developed by body swing) For less flexible (older / me?), could better acceleration of the handle be a valid option? Building on the leg acceleration by a body swing with arm action starting shortly after the start of the body swing. i.e. exchanging some stroke length for faster handle speed build.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

WOW Andrew, what a great question. To answer, it's best to understand that the machine measures Force, Acceleration, and Distance. So, if one can produce fantastic acceleration it certainly helps to make up for a lack of flexibility or shorter distance because you create good, consistent acceleration. Now would we "exchange" length for acceleration? Not necessarily, but if you can maintain the same length AND add acceleration you have a winning combo.

[@andrewhillman3693]

Thanks. The idea was floated for me was to try and make up a little for not getting as much power or speed in the hip swing that I see in your video's. In a similar vain I noticed in the 500 meter challenge Ryan has a more pronounced wrist curl to finish the stroke. Maybe its gaining him a couple of centimeters in length? It also looks like he holds this curl almost all the way back to a release JUST before the catch. It would be nice to think adding this technique could help knock a little off my times.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Well take it for what it's worth, but make sure you don't confuse the release as a phase of the stroke where you can truly gain extra power or length. While you CAN get longer here doesn't mean you SHOULD. Ryan's wrist curl is do to his sculling work on the water and needing to maintain oar control, it's not an erg performance improvement. If you need more power or speed, always work on a better catch position and transitioning into the drive if you can. Developing better leg strength and drive speed is always beneficial.

[@andrewhillman3693]

Thanks. My impression was that it looked like Ryan was gaining a small advantage over the two of you with it. FWIW as a self taught, late starter (now mid 60's) introducing a wrist curl has been very useful in regularly achieving a good release point for the arms. No more chest bruising impacts each stroke when tired or pushing my limits. Your video's have helped me a lot. Bringing my 2K times down from the mid 22 minutes to a PB of 19 min 56 secs over the last 12 months. Thanks.

[@vidyakane4741]

Hey Dark Horse Rowing, thanks for the video. I bought a Concept2 and when I try to use it, I seem to get a bit sore in my lower back. What am I doing wrong? I am using the damper setting at 3-4.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Hey Vidya, have you checked out our most recent Fix Back Pain series? Video 3 publishes today. Hopefully this can help you.

[@vidyakane4741]

Dark Horse Rowing thanks so much !!! I really appreciate your videos - quite informational!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

You're very welcome Vidya. And thank you, we try to fill the void of knowledge!

[@scott7730]

Is the damper setting taken into consideration by the erg?

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Heat Wave, no, it doesn't affect the way the machine is measuring work. So damper setting is not taken into consideration by the machine.

[@AstroBananna]

Dark Horse Rowing thats good to know. Is it better to have it on setting 10 for weight loss?

[@probitionate]

I've been rowing C2 for about 35 years. And I'm sad to say that (up to this point) I have yet to learn how to properly utilize my legs. I'm a very fit, long-levered 6'3", 230 lb guy, and I know that my 5k time is nowhere near what it should be simply because I don't (yet) row correctly. Hope springs eternal...

[@gabrielherman8930]

It’s actually called the reverse pick drill

[@andrewkitchenuk]

This video is aimed at beginners so telling them that would mean nothing.

[@maddoxtroy683]

I need this because it feels like there’s no tension at all when I’m driving with my legs... then my arms burn out!

[@Tsnor150]

google "shooting the slide". No work by legs, all work by arms is classic. Net is your seat must move with the handle. If your legs drive the seat back without moving the handle then the legs do no work and have it really easy -- then the arms/back need to pick up all the slack the legs left.

[@adamroberts8726]

would you expect one to post a better 2k time on a dynamic or stationary erg?

[@corrie127]

dynamic erg

[@Roderik81]

I am having issues with finding pressure on the chain. (Just started rowing) my legs are almost fully stretched when i feel pressure on the chain. Am i correct that i can change this with the damper settings? Thanks in advance from Holland :-)

[@DarkHorseRowing]

It's going to come down to far more than drag factor to find that feeling BUT a higher damper setting will give naturally more resistance. The big thing is focusing on your catch position and being incredibly tight and organized there before every taking the stroke. Lats tight, belly tight etc. That will improve your ability to find pressure.

[@robertrisboskin6257]

Dark Horse Rowing q

[@mathjoker]

It could very well be that you are shooting your hips back so for all the power in your legs you aren't actually moving the handle as much. Your core should be tight and your body angle shouldn't close. Every inch your seat moves your handle should move at least an inch. If it isn't, that's lost power that you later try to make up for with your back.