Rowing Core Exercises By John Davis

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Rowing Core ExercisesBy John Davis
Rowing demands strength in all areas of the body,
not the least of which is in the lower torso and
hip girdle. The purpose of doing core exercises
is to give the rower stability, improve posture,
reduce back injuries and maximize the connection
of the powerful legs to the handle and blade.
Core weakness leads to slumping, leaning, loss of
connection and an inability to sustain power over
distance. A strong core is more than a six-pack
stomach. Of importance are transverse strength
(rocking side to side - for all rowers) and
rotational strength (especially for sweep
rowers). It is common with experienced rowers
that the obliques, gluteus maximus and the
interspinal muscles that surround and support the
spine internally need the strengthening. Strength
here means more than sit ups or crunches it
involves the entire range of torso motion. Rowing
alone will not do the job. Improvement in core
strength is noticeable in the way a rower stands,
walks, sits and, of course, rows, and improvement
in total core strength leads to greater
flexibility, injury prevention and very often,
pain relief.
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Posture at Finish

• Sitting on bottom of the back, not top of legs
• Quads, glutes, obliques and stomach muscles
  remain engaged until hands away.
• Sit Proud
• Chin over sternum
• Rower has more room for finish.
• Easier to swing weight on drive and to swing
  forward.

Susan Francia, USA Gold Medalist
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Catch Posture

• Sitting on bottom of the back, not top of legs.
• Hips rotated forward.
• Reaching out from sternum
• Armpits over the knees
• Taller means its easier to reach the water
• Core engaged
• Sitting proud

Andrej Synek, Czech World Champion
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Poor Posture

• Sitting on haunches
• Hips not rolled forward
• Lower back curved, not flat
• Abdominals not engaged
• Sitting low in the boat
• A lack of connection from feet to handles

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Core Exercises

• The following are some of the exercises we have
  used with good results at Twin Cities Youth
  Rowing in Edina, MN. Many thanks to Tina Cho,
  whose masters degree work and training in Ju
  Jitsu and Crossfit brought these and more to our
  program.
• We do from 12-30 minutes of core work 3-5 times a
  week. These are not the only effective exercises
  we do, but they are some of the more creative
  ones.

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Scorpion
Purpose Strength and flexibility for hips, low
back and obliques. Motion. Start by laying on
belly with arms spread. Rotate hips so toe
touches opposite hand. Try to keep chest flat to
floor. Alternate. Basic 15-20 reps, 1-2
sets Advanced 20-30 reps, 2-3 sets
Face down on mat
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Penguins
Purpose Builds obliques, hips, abdominals, and
interspinal muscles Movement Sitting on butt,
with knees up and shoulder blades off the mat,
rock torso left and right, touching heels.
Alternate at a moderate rate. Basic 20 reps, 1-3
sets Advanced 35 reps, or 90 or more seconds,
1-3 sets
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Lemon Squeeze
Purpose Abdominals,hip flexors,
interspinals. Movement Isometric. Balance on
butt with straight legs up and lower back off the
mat. Stay as low as possible. Basic 30-45
seconds, 2-3 reps Advanced 1-2 minutes, 3 reps
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Medicine Ball Sit-ups
Purpose Builds abdominals while causing the
rower to keep core stable Movement Just like a
regular sit-up but include a medicine ball or
weight. Keep arms straight and weight high and
directly above hips. Basic 5-12 lbs, 12-25 reps,
2-3 sets Advanced 15-35 lbs, 12-25 reps, 2-3
sets.
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Russian Twists
Purpose Builds abdominals, obliques,
interspinals. Improves rotational strength and
flexibility Movement Torso at 45 degree angle
to mat. Touch weight to floor next to hip.
Alternate sides. Basic Feet on mat. 0-10 lbs.,
15-30 reps, 2-3 sets Advanced Feet off the mat,
15-35 lbs, 15-30 reps, 2-3 sets
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Superman / Swimming

• Purpose Builds lower back, glutes.
• Movement Keep arms and legs straight and off the
  floor. Head up.
• Superman Isometric. Hold position.
• Swimming Paddle arms and legs up and down.
• Basic 20-60, 2-3 sets
• Advanced 60 2-3 sets. Can put a 5-20 lb. weight
  on mid-back

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V-Sits
Purpose Build abdominals and hip
flexors. Movement Pike up and touch ankles. Keep
toes pointed, legs straight and get lower back
off the mat. Basic 10-25 reps, 2-3
sets Advanced 30-50 reps, 2-3 sets. Or hold at
top for 5 seconds in sets of 10-15
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Opposite Toe V-Sit
Purpose Abdominals, hip flexor, obliques.
Movement Same as v-sit but lift just one leg
and touch opposite toe. Basic 10-25 reps, 2-3
sets Advanced 30-50 reps, 2-3 sets. Or hold at
top for 5 seconds in sets of 10-15. Can also lift
both legs and touch opposite toe
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High-5 Situps
Purpose Build abdominals and hip
flexors. Movement Lock left feet at ankles. Sit
up and high-5 at top with both hands. Swap
feet. Basic 20-40 reps each foot. 2-3
sets Advanced 50-100 reps each foot, 2-3 sets.
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Bus Driver
Purpose Rotational strength Movement With
weight bar and one plate, stand with feet apart
and arms straight. Hold onto weight plate like a
steering wheel and rotate the bar so hands swing
out. Keep shoulders over hips. Do not bend over,
just twist over hips. Basic 5-10 weight on bar,
15-30 reps, 1-2 sets Advanced 20-40 lbs, 10-30
reps, 2-3 sets
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Lunge with Weight
Purpose Rotational strength, quads, glutes,
obliques, hamstrings, shoulders, interspinals,
etc. Helps posture. Movement Like a regular
lunge, but rotate toward side of extended leg.
Arms straight out, control posture. Basic 0-10
lbs, 10-20 reps, 1-2 sets Advanced 15-30 lbs,
15-40 reps, 2-3 sets
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Lunge and Hold
Purpose Hips, lower back, quads,
glutes Movement Same as a lunge but hold at
bottom. Basic Hold for 10-12, 5-10 reps, 2-3
sets Advanced 12-25 reps, 2-3 sets. Can hold for
longer or can use weight. Also can hold in
rotated position
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1-Legged Ball Toss
Purpose Balance, coordination, interspinals, hip
and ankle strength, arm strength. Movement Toss
medicine ball to partner. Remain on 1 foot at all
times. Basic 5-15 lb ball. Vary distance. 10-25
tosses each leg. 2-3 sets
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Pike and Lever
Purpose Hip, abdominal strength. Flexibility.
Movement Partner stands with arms out high
enough to make the rower reach high to touch.
Hold onto partners ankles, and lift legs to touch
partners hands. Shoulder blades should come
completely off mat to that only shoulders are on
mat. Advanced only 10-30 reps, 1-3 sets
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Push-Aways
Purpose Hip, abdominal and rotational strength.
Flexibility. Movement Partner stands with heels
in armpits, arms straight out or higher. Active
person holds onto partners ankles, and lifts
straight legs. Partner shoves legs down hard,
forward or to either side. Shoulder blades should
remain on mat. Advanced only 12-30 reps, 1-3
sets
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Manual Twist
Purpose Stability and rotational strength.
Obliques, interspinals, hips. Movement Wide
stance, knees slightly bent, arms straight out
and elbows locked. Keep spine aligned and head
over base. Complete rotation from far left to far
right and return as hard as you can. Partner
resists with enough force to keep the hands
moving at a very slow but steady pace. One
rotation should take 15-30 seconds. For strong
rowers, this should be made brutally hard by
partner. Basic 3-8 rotations, 1-2
sets Advanced 10-30 rotations, 2-3 sets. -
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Plank/ Side Plank
Purpose Isometric Exercise for general core
strength Movement Body remains perfectly rigid.
Can rest on elbows or in pushup position. Also,
side planks, resting on elbow with upper arm
straight overhead. Basic 30-1 min, 2-3
sets Advanced 1-2, 2-3 sets. Can do on lower
pushup position. Also, can pull knee up with foot
under hips into spiderman position.
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Plank w/ Shoulder Touch
Purpose General core strength. Motion From
plank position, with legs slightly spread,
slowly alternate touching the opposite shoulder.
Move should take 5 seconds. Do not allow the
body to rotate or move in the least. Keep butt
down. Basic 8-10 reps, 2 sets Advanced 12-20
reps, 3 sets If someone can do 15 slow reps
without shifting their weight, they have good
core strength.
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Reverse Torso Lift
Purpose Lower back, glutes, hamstrings.
Stretches hip flexors. Movement. Put hips on edge
of high bench (bench pull station). Lift legs to
horizontal. Basic 10 reps, 2 sets Advanced
15-25 reps, 2-3 sets
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Bulgarian Squat
Purpose Quad, hip, lower back, glute. Balance
and coordination. Movement Stand 16-20 from
low bench or jumpbox. Put one foot on box and
squat other leg so thigh is parallel to
floor. Basic No weight or up to 20lb bar. 5-15
reps each side, 2-3 sets Advanced For 16 years
and over. 35-60 lbs, 10-20 reps, 2-3 sets
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Sit Up Push down
Purpose Abdominal Strength Movement Same as
Ball sit-up except that partner pushes down when
youre at the top. Keep arms straight at
top. Basic 5-12 lbs, 10-20 reps, 2
sets Advanced 15-25 lbs, 12-20 reps, 2-3 sets.
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Figure 8s
Purpose Stability and rotational strength.
Obliques, interspinals, hips. Movement Stand
18-24 apart with feet shoulder width apart. Pass
ball or weight around your back to the opposite
side of partner, who brings it around the front
and passes it around to you, Ball travels in a
figure 8. Basic 10-15 lbs, 2 sets, 15-20 reps
in each direction. Advanced 20-35 lbs, 2-3
sets, 25-50 reps each direction