This past week I got the opportunity to work with a HYROX competitor. As a frequent competitor he was confident in every exercise in the event with the exception of rowing. This athlete was looking for technique coaching and a fundamental understanding of the indoor rower. In this case study I describe how it all started to click for him.
Key Takeaways
Here are a few things of note that may be helpful to you:
- The screen on the rowng machine works like a calculator - so be exact with your plan for conquering it
- High rate and no WATTS is not the way to go - the calculator punishes inefficiency
- Think of you shoulders as the handle - the hands themselves stay loose and "hooked" on
- The damper should stay at the setting you compete at while you train
Once the athlete I worked with understood these things, his form and understanding changed dramatically. As a starting point, my challenge to you is to see if you can establish consistent rowing at low a low stroke rate per minute. Then, put a bit of work into at low rate to increase the WATTS or decrease the split (2:00/500m for example). When this clicks for you you will understand that distance per stroke is more important than high stroke rates alone.
If you think you need some extra help with your technique, please get in touch with me to organise an online or in person session. Perhaps you need help planning your attack, if so check out my free race plan strategy here. This athlete was delighted with his session and I am pretty sure the improvements he made will knock at least 2.5minutes off his 1k time on the HYROX rower. We worked drive and recovery phase technique to give him the best chance going forward.