No limits - indoor rowing explained - The Ergometer

The Ergometer is a very important and useful option to train basic fitness and strength for professional and amateur rowers. Johan Flodin (SWE), Norwegian Head Coach thinks of it positively too: “It’s very important that we use it a lot. I think for an outdoor rower, being so much on the Erg(ometer), can be demotivating itself. So we try to find technical key points to work with.”

The Training on the ergometer is also a full body workout that keeps rowers motivated and focused during off season. The 23 years old and new member of the GB rowing team senior squad, Alice Beats (GBR) shows the right technique and gives tips on how to use the ergometer: “The first thing he’s going to do is, send his hands away from his body and then rock his body over from his hips, keeping his back really nice in straight. The next thing he’s going to do is, brake his knees and bring his body forward all the way in to what we call the ‘cat position’. Then from there it’s completely the opposite. Move your legs out fast so, extending the legs. Then extend the back out again, moving from the hips and then bring the handle in towards the body with your arms. Basically that is the rowing stroke.”

Alice Beats took up rowing at Bangor University, and continued to develop her talent through the GB Rowing Team Start centre at Agecroft RC. Alice enjoyed great domestic success in 2016, winning the Senior 4x at Henley Women’s Regatta. In the same season she represented Wales at the Home International Regatta in Cardiff, winning gold medals in the W1x and W4x.

Alice describes some more advantages of this helpful advice: “The indoor rowing stroke is very similar to what it would be like in the boat. That’s really where we get a lot of our training done on the Ergo. I think it’s really great like full body workout. It works like your legs, your arms, your core. So it’s not like going for a run, where you’re really working your legs or doing something army in the gym. It works your whole body. Once you’re finished on a specific workout, you feel really good afterwards.”

Olena Buryak from the Ukraine made headlines when she pulled 6:25.0 for 2000m (world record) at February’s European Indoor Rowing Championships in Poland. “My goal is to row 100 kilometers under 6 hours”, Olena says.