The Recovery
A series that aims to get you up to speed on the WaterRower and help you get the most out of your rowing machine.
Whether you’re chasing better scores, or simply want to get the most out of your indoor rowing, this series is here to help. By reading these articles and understanding the rowing stroke fundamentals, you will go further and gain more fitness for no added physical effort.
In Part I, we covered the ‘drive sequence’. Here we look at the other side of the equation - the ‘recovery’.
If the drive is the bit when the oars are in the water and you are pulling on the handles, the recovery is the return journey, where the oars sit clear of the water and you prepare to take the next stroke. As the name suggests, it's also the period that you get to do no work and can briefly recover ahead of the next explosive drive.
Start from the finish
At the end of a properly executed drive (see how in Part I here) you should reach the ‘finish’ of the stroke with the legs flat, handle touching the sternum and your trunk leaning back 5 - 10 degrees past vertical, as per the image below.
If you have mastered the drive sequence, the easiest way to approach the recovery is to think of it as the exact same sequence, but in reverse. And just like the drive, each movement leads to the next.
Starting from the finish position shown above, do nothing but extend the arms forward. Stay sitting backwards and watch the handle move away from the body in front of you. Keep your shoulders relaxed and core engaged.
Once the arms are almost all the way straight (see above), pivot from the hips and rock your trunk forward until the handle passes your knees and you feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Note the legs are still flat at this point.
With the body rocked over from the hips, and arms and shoulders reaching forward so the handle is passed the knees, allow the legs to break and your knees to rise. The knees remain inside the elbows as they rise and you roll forward on the seat towards the catch position.
Allow the heels to raise off the footboard as your legs compress, and feel the stretch between your shoulder blades as the arms and shoulders reach forward. You are looking to take the longest stroke you can while maintaining a strong body position. This length comes from getting the handle to the furthest forward position you can while maintaining a strong posture. Don’t over-compress the legs - you are looking for shins to get to about vertical.
When the seat stops rolling the recovery is complete and you are primed for the next stroke, in a position known in the rowing world as the catch. The next movement will be the drive of the legs.
Tips
Relaxation is key to the recovery phase. This is the moment you get to take a micro-break. Think “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. The recovery is the floating part - you are doing no work here. Make the most of it and let go of any tension from your arms, shoulders and face.
Take it slow. Rhythm is also essential to good rowing, and this rhythm is generated by not rushing the recovery. The drive is a fast explosive movement, whereas the recovery should be the opposite. Think of a 3:1 ratio. Aim to take three times as long on the recovery as you do on the drive.
Throughout this sequence - from finish to catch - the handle should stay on a flat trajectory as if it was being slid across an imaginary tabletop. If you are having to lift the handle over your knees you are getting the sequence wrong and should refresh yourself on the order of movement described above.
By executing the correct sequence of movements during the recovery you are putting yourself in the strongest possible position to take a powerful, efficient stroke.
Try This
To help drill in the pattern, try breaking down the sequence into its component parts and practice each as you build up to full strokes. This is a common exercise used even by elite rowers. Make it part of your warm up every time you row.
How to do it?
Start with ‘arms only’ rowing: While sitting back in the finish position, isolate the arm movement, watch the arms as they extend in front of you, and then draw back into the sternum. The body, seat and everything else remains locked in place while just the arms row. Do this for ten strokes and then add the body swing. Keep the correct order of movement: arms extend first, followed by the body rocking forwards.
Row for another 10 strokes with just the arms leading away followed by the body rocking forward, but keep the legs locked down throughout.
Finally add in the legs, again in the correct order, so you are rowing full strokes for 10 strokes. Remember the arms extend, body rocks forward, then knees rise.
In our next Indoor Rowing 101, we explain how to get the most out of the performance monitor.
