I'm a huge fan of Hunter, so to have him even say my 'name' was amazing. An incredible athlete that doesn't need my advice. But it WILL help some of you.
No question, Hunter is a phenomenal athlete. His ability to embrace the suck makes him very well suited to rowing, in my opinion. But after doing Crossfit a bit, which has its own rowing technique issues, I know where you're coming from, but I also completely get why the technique isn't on the forefront of the minds of folks who do CF or Hyrox. When fatigue enters the body, technique almost always drops off. I see it in all the exercises I do - weights, running, etc. Even working with a bow and arrow, fatigue enters in, form drops. It's definitely something we can all spend a little more mental energy on while we're "embracing the suck" in training, because how we train will be how we compete. Good job, "Rowalong Guy".
I have learned MORE doing your Rowalongs and here than every other video on rowing! I have increased my efficiency so much ALL my PBs are tumbling down! I now don't even bother with any other rowing videos because yours cover all I need! Awesome work John, and thank you so much! 😍😍😍
Thankyou! I'm really pleased they've helped. New actual RowAlongs will start to appear again from the beginning of December. (I'm posting the warmups in the meantime, but we all know that's not exactly the fun stuff!!)
It shows just how important the back swing can be, doesn’t it? I’m not saying I could row a marathon with just my back. But adding it to the rest of the stroke is a no-brainer IMHO.
Thanks for giving your knowledge and advice for Free. Its hard to find someone who knows what their talking about, but being and ex athlete and fitness site owner, looking for up to date knowledge, you've nailed it - which is why I subscribed
Thanks. HYROX can be a bit of a "Wild West" of opinions - usually people talking about what works for THEM and then trying to filter it down. Hunter is certainly case and point here. His technique 100% works for him - but for the new athlete sitting down on a machine, it 100% doesn't work for them!!!
@@rowalong fair enough that HYROX is an intense event and you need to balance the workloads across major muscle groups, but I’m sure people doing triathlons, heptathlons and decathlons work hard on technique to be as effective as they can on each discipline so that they get the best overall outcome - so why not just row “properly” in HYROX?!
@@jamesray5293 you miss, that the elite 15 in hyrox do train alot too, most of them are above 20, some even above 30 hours a week my friend. they did think about what they do too, and most of them are pretty okay to kinda good triathletes aswell. in fact alot of the best hyrox people are triathletes, because hyrox is basically a cardiodolphinshow, and triathletes / ironman athletes just have the best cadiovascular base. not to fully defend them here. BUT i myself are a ~1.05hr hyrox athlete (non-pro weights tho). and i can pretty easily row 1:35 splits for a while in a non-hyrox setting, but my hyrox tecnique just differss because i get onto the rower while having had a couple red-zone encounters already and beeing sore in especially my lower body and my core. i feel like backswinging "too hard" is a lot of core (especially lower back) effort. my lower back at this point is at a hardh point due to ski followed by push followed by pull, whilst running a fast pace does not recover you that good. and you need to recover your core for the lunges and wallballs. and while i could go 20 seconds faster on the rower, i decide to not do so, because i just win time in the long term when i dont due to less fatigue in my core. i accept beeing less efficient to especially rest my core. sorry for the long wall of text, i want you to know that i dotn disagree, just that there are more facettes then "lo just do it"
As a shorter sculling enjoyer, I have to emphasize opening the hips (backswing) upon completion of the leg drive. Using the dynamic row erg really forces me to practice the body angles on the catch and at the release and it does carry over. This will be my second season ever and I'm glad to be on Team RowAlong.
Just what I would have expected from John, a classy reply from a respectful, gold medal athlete. Listening to hunter for 5 seconds, and looking at him and his glasses told me everything I needed to know about him, he's way too cool to take advice or suggestions, he already knows everything. Well, EVERY olympic medalist and top level professional athlete has a coach, and they are always learning and trying to get better. But then again, it's Hyrox. 🤷♂
Yeah, and it’s the same for me on the HYROX race floor. A 1km TT for me is around 3:15 right now. But by the time I sit on the erg during HYROX, I need to focus on technique in order to relax into 1:58 splits to set me up for the rest of the race.
It doesn't have to be as pronounced as my demo - rowing at full effort / swing will make things worse. But just engaging the back and using the swing should be enough to help the power generation.
What struck me in all this, besides the little squirt Mad Mack, was that I watched Hunter's video and he himself suggested back raises (the exercise), saying that this movement is needed when you row. So why does he not use a back swing then in Hyrox ???
I know!! That's what made me comment on his video in the first place. Like talking about the importance of running mid-foot and then showing a video where someone's running on their toes. The thing is, he's right with all of the training stuff, he just doesn't do it his own race.
the tilt hold is where I suffer. looking at hunter that isn't his normal form. he is way up in the seat so he can bring the legs in tight the seat nearly touches his ankles. its all about running the legs. not getting the full body. I appreciate all these tips. and helping me learn what to look for. i've been working on strengthening my back and core and increasing my endurance. i'm nearing my 40's and closing in on 1million meters for this year. The more effecient and stronger I can get the more meters I can crank out next year. thanks again
It shows just how powerful he is that he rows at 1:44-1:145 pace using just his arms. Yes, his legs connect too - but this is all upper body. The thing is, lots of 'mortals' see him rowing like this, and then use it as an excuse to row in the same way. There's only one Hunter - and unless the other people can match his pace and not suffer from it, they could do with using the rest of their body too!! Good luck with the 1000000 - the first is the most special (or at least, it was for me!)
@@rowalong watching how powerful you row with just that upper swing has also encouraged me to throw in some off days when my legs are tired and sore to still get out there and try to get some time in
I'm trying to figure out whether I should incorporate these techniques in to my hyrox training and I'm not sure of the benefits in my circumstance. I'm a complete Hyrox newbie never having done one before but hoping to do Birmingham 2024 if I can get a ticket. I'm 48 years old and my background is lifelong cardio dodger but I've trained with weights for 30 years and I'm pretty strong despite several injuries. I'm low bodyfat at about 14% weighing in at 100kg 6ft 4"...... Bit of a Mark Lewis type I suppose but I'd smoke him on bench press hahaha..... (not so much the running though..... 🙄) I've only been running since mid-December and can just about manage a 28 minute 5k so slowly building up the cardio..... Anyway on to the rowing issue..... Flexibility!!!! I had a go today and my hips, hamstrings and low back just won't let me get in to that lean forward position at all. If I have vertical shins and lean forward as much as possible I'm maybe a foot away from the end range of the rower...... When I first get in the machine I can't even reach forward to get the handles, I have to awkwardly reach with one hand to have a chance..... I tried the no legs, no arms technique and my hip flexors were on fire!!!! With my sub optimal technique I can muscle my way to a 4:10 quite comfortably albeit with maybe a touch of an ache in the forearms. Thing is with my background in lifting that forearm fatigue won't stop me hanging on to a couple of 24kg kettlebells for 2 minutes running up and down...... So in my circumstance my time would be much better spent improving elsewhere for now and accept sub optimal row at a half decent time. What I am seriously considering is following some of your rowalong workouts to help with my conditioning. Rowing is the one static machine I don't find tediously boring and it's actually the machine that got me finally doing a bit of cardio leading to ski-erg, running and then full on hyrox...... Thanks for this and all your other great videos. Hopefully one day I'll be good enough to start looking for those extra little tweaks here and there which will warrant optimising my rowing.... Hopefully see you in Birmingham
Great video... Can you do the version off this for the normal hyrox competitors (the ones that don't take their tops off). I can just about keep to 4.20 for the 1km but arms are feeling it for the farmers and being more efficient without be great
Yeah, that's the plan, I've started making one. But it was getting quite cumbersome as I needed to talk about this too. So by making this standalone video, I can just point people to it, and then continue with a normal technique thing. Really, it comes down to sitting up. But keep an eye out. A video will be up soon.
for me (im an 1hr5min hyrox normals finisher, so no pro weights), even tho i use a slight backswing, i accept a little inefficiency to rest especially my core in tradeoff for more arm and upper back dominance in rowing in hyrox. whilst i see your point and i do think you are right in some capacity, i fully disagree with needing your arms after the row. thats the exact reason i kill those on the row, because arms are just pretty much needed for ski (where i also use them overly-heavily compared to if i want to be most efficient) and the row. in both ergs if i wanned to be efficient or fast id do it in another way. after the row you pretty much only need your legs a little traps and your front delts. i ( and alot of other athletes) try to not overwork their legs and especially their core (which is heavily involved in the backswing, especially the lower back). since after the ski+push+pull you come into the row with a rather worked core, and you want to have it somewhat rested for the lunges + the wallballs. so i intentionally accept a little slower pace and more fatigue and in my arms and back on both ergs to safe a little core involvement and win time due to having a fresher core in later work. again, not saying you are not right. i just see ALOT of comments of "lol just do it if elite rowers do it". and its just not that easy here, because hyrox is not just about full body efficiency, but of knowing what can get sore when and where to safe some battery. and these athletes ( especially in the elite 15s) work with coaches and put in often way above 20 to 30 hours of training per week into this. they atleast have had their thought about most the things you casuals in the comment section did think about :D. so TLDR: IMO not your upper body is the limiting factor, especially not for as musclepacked athletes as there are in hyrox. it IMO for alot of people in the "better ranks" is the core and the legs ( due to little to no possibilities to rest then in hyrox), hence you, on purpose, want to use the upper body, especially the arms and the back, to catch some additional work, since they are so rarely needed in hyrox (again, pretty much only on the ergs, since for advanced athletes burpees are pretty much a nonfactor for pacs and arms) greetings and dont think i dont appreciate the work you put in, just wanna let you see the world from hyrox-eyes with a little less Ego-driven answer then Hunters :D!
So you're a good 14 minutes faster than me then! I need to improve my runs and my BBJ's in order to get any real performance I think. From an elites point of view, I do get your point. I do think there's an element of not wanting to torch your forearms before the Farmer Carry - and most of the reason I comment on this stuff is off the back of the people at my level looking at these guys and then thinking rowing with awful technique doesn't matter - because the elites get away with it. The elites know what they're doing, they have finely tuned energy systems that they know how to control. The 1:35 guy who blows up by running out too fast on the first lap doesn't have that control, and so needs to look at where they're causing themselves problems. And the row really is a place where they can either get back into control of the race, or just keep sliding downhill fast!!! Talking about the row is a balance of trying to help people who REALLY aren't rowing right, and trying to point out that the Elites, and you 1:05 guys are doing something that they can get away with due to all the training you have done.
Not worth looking at. I row around 1:58 on the race floor, giving around 4:20 in HYROX. Like I said, HYROX rowing isn’t rowing. So I back off to enable my to get through the rest of the race. (For reference, my PB for the 1k is 3:04.6) That said, I’m hoping to have improved the rest of my race enough to use the row as performance instead of as a rest when I’m in London next week.
@@rowalong even tho "using the row as an performance" does sound good, as a hyrox competitor id suggest to just not do this, because you likely will not safe time on the row compard to what you can safe if you use it as a rest. i row roughly 1:50 splits in singles and 1:35 splits in doubles. this just shows how much i need to rest in comparison to doubles where i get the resting time gifted and can row with proper form. you probably are better off trying to rest at like 1:55 pace then leaving time in the run before and after the row to have the row beeing faster. just my 2 cents and what you see on most of the best hyrox performers tho
@@imnear214 Thanks for all your replies. I'll just consolidate them all into this one though. The thing is, I'm not saying that he should row faster, I'm saying that if he had better technique, using his back too, he'd be able to row at the same speed with more efficiency. I keep hearing the top guys talk about how the row should be used "as a rest" to settle the heart rate etc. Well, being inefficient with the technique and therefore wasting energy is counter-intuitive to this. And yes, he's a phenomenal athlete. As much as I rag on his rowing technique, there's no excusing the fact he's a mould of his own. A true athlete that just has that extra magic that other people don't. Plus, he's hilarious.
Hi John, Tobias here. I'm all for technique but here don't entirely agree with you. Use back => should read use Glutes. However the previous two disciplines of sled pull and burpee broad jump are very glute dominant, so I believe the leg oriented technique they're using is fine.
Hey Tobias, great to hear from you! The thing is, I don’t think they’re using their legs either. Hard to tell of course, but most of the top guys talk about how the row is a rest for their legs, and that’s why they are so upper body dominant. Look at Ryan Kent in this video, he’s all pecs!! But - really for these guys it doesn’t matter. It’s the mere mortal on the floor that doesn’t use legs or back to connect, has a weak core and just jerks into the stroke - they are the ones I’m trying open the eyes of here. That just bracing with your back is enough to transfer the power in Which is the next video. However, I hadn’t really thought about glute impact. So when I’m in London for the next HYROX event, I’ll concentrate on how they feel!!
@rowalong the 'shoulders through' method on the sled push also puts more emphasis on the glutes. Tom Hogan explained to me that a Hyrox is a game of efficiencies across all the events. I'm going to try and emphasis the backswing though. I used to row and my wife still does so like to maintain best form I can 😂
Haha. I think Hunter is a carefully curated personality. He knows he pushes buttons, and he doesn’t care. But at the same time he’s incredibly smart and insightful. That’s why it’s fun to try to spar with him about this. The great thing about HYROX is that anyone can do it. It’s not like CrossFit, where there’s complicated lifts or bodyweight moves. So the technique comes down to how to go faster and/or conserve energy.
@@rowalong actually most people in the elite 15 are 10 to even 30 pounds lighter then he is, thats why hes the best at the moment. he just somehow makes running like a 160 pound guy possible even tho hes like 190. his running splits are pretty much not much faster then the ones of the other athletes, he mainly beats them in rowing, ski, pull and push. tho this is not the impressive part because hes heavier then most of them. the impressive part is, that he can run as fast as them with 25 pounds of muscle added to his frame.
It seems he has history. Cameron Buchan got into it with him a while back about rowing technique. Maybe he doesn't like Scottish rowers? To be honest though - Hunter doens't need my help. But there are people out there that watch his rowing - or look to his advice - as a way to do it. And unless you're built like him, there are better ways to get through the row and not torpedo the rest of the race.
Haha! You're right. Hunter's rowing sucks if you're comparing him to a rower. But you can't deny how good he is on the race floor! Honestly, you both need to listen to the other guy and stop talking instead of listening
You’re obviously right but the rowing is , what , 4 minutes out of the whole thing, so marginal gains whether you look at time gain or energy save. Surely the thing to focus on is running since there’s so much if it. Add hunter to the list of people who aren’t interested
Haha. I like Mark (I like Hunter too to be honest). You’re right that the focus needs to be the run. But a lot of damage can be done in the stations too. For me, it’s the Burpees that always torpedo my race. But this can be compounded by people mashing up and down the rowing machine wasting energy to go nowhere. I know I’m preaching into the Abyss here. But when people spend more time discussing the right shoes to wear and the difference between a 2 or 3 lap circuit, it does interest me why they ignore efficiency here too.
It’s pretty sad that you’re having to explain what is common sense and knowledge amongst rowers and ergo users worldwide - leave it to the flat earthers to destroy their backs 🙄
Ooft, that's a tough label to give someone!! There's a TH-cam guy who makes videos, and he's including rowing in some of them. I pointed out to him that he has a wasteful technique. His reply "Fast is fast". I think that says it all. As long as they're going fast, they don't care if they could be going faster, or easier.
Strangely, if you offer advice for a better deadlift I'm sure he would listen... I like Mark Lewis' channel but he has the same approach : "I row fast so I don't to spend a few minutes learnlng to row better" 🙄 (he does Hyrox as well)
Hunter is one of the most arrogant people you will ever meet. He is a good athlete and can learn from you if he just but his stubbornness and arrogant aside.
I do wonder how much of that arrogance contributes to his dominance. Not only that he beleives he's the best, but he's convinced the rest of the field he's the best, and as they can't match his personality, it kinda sinks into their performance too. As a cartoon character, I love him. That said, I've not got (nor to I expect) any response to this video. Maybe I'm just adding to the list of "Rowing douchebags" he has left in his wake...
@@rowalong it adds alot. alot of higher tier athletes say he "baits them into starting out to fast when racing with him", because hes just such an exceptional runner for his size :D
I'm a huge fan of Hunter, so to have him even say my 'name' was amazing. An incredible athlete that doesn't need my advice. But it WILL help some of you.
No question, Hunter is a phenomenal athlete. His ability to embrace the suck makes him very well suited to rowing, in my opinion.
But after doing Crossfit a bit, which has its own rowing technique issues, I know where you're coming from, but I also completely get why the technique isn't on the forefront of the minds of folks who do CF or Hyrox.
When fatigue enters the body, technique almost always drops off. I see it in all the exercises I do - weights, running, etc. Even working with a bow and arrow, fatigue enters in, form drops.
It's definitely something we can all spend a little more mental energy on while we're "embracing the suck" in training, because how we train will be how we compete.
Good job, "Rowalong Guy".
You are the definition of class!
I have learned MORE doing your Rowalongs and here than every other video on rowing!
I have increased my efficiency so much ALL my PBs are tumbling down!
I now don't even bother with any other rowing videos because yours cover all I need!
Awesome work John, and thank you so much! 😍😍😍
Thankyou! I'm really pleased they've helped. New actual RowAlongs will start to appear again from the beginning of December. (I'm posting the warmups in the meantime, but we all know that's not exactly the fun stuff!!)
I need help doing a marathon now! 😢
Rowalong is my man … the one who taught me how to use my legs and get my strokes per minute down ! John is the best … heed his advice.
1:55/500m for just your back swing is incredible! I know you're fast, but wow!
It shows just how important the back swing can be, doesn’t it?
I’m not saying I could row a marathon with just my back. But adding it to the rest of the stroke is a no-brainer IMHO.
Thanks for giving your knowledge and advice for Free. Its hard to find someone who knows what their talking about, but being and ex athlete and fitness site owner, looking for up to date knowledge, you've nailed it - which is why I subscribed
Thanks. HYROX can be a bit of a "Wild West" of opinions - usually people talking about what works for THEM and then trying to filter it down. Hunter is certainly case and point here. His technique 100% works for him - but for the new athlete sitting down on a machine, it 100% doesn't work for them!!!
And let’s be clear about being too humble here, John, you’ve held world records and won rowing events so you do know what you’re talking about!
True. But like I say, HYROX ain’t rowin’.
@@rowalong fair enough that HYROX is an intense event and you need to balance the workloads across major muscle groups, but I’m sure people doing triathlons, heptathlons and decathlons work hard on technique to be as effective as they can on each discipline so that they get the best overall outcome - so why not just row “properly” in HYROX?!
@@jamesray5293 you miss, that the elite 15 in hyrox do train alot too, most of them are above 20, some even above 30 hours a week my friend. they did think about what they do too, and most of them are pretty okay to kinda good triathletes aswell. in fact alot of the best hyrox people are triathletes, because hyrox is basically a cardiodolphinshow, and triathletes / ironman athletes just have the best cadiovascular base. not to fully defend them here. BUT i myself are a ~1.05hr hyrox athlete (non-pro weights tho). and i can pretty easily row 1:35 splits for a while in a non-hyrox setting, but my hyrox tecnique just differss because i get onto the rower while having had a couple red-zone encounters already and beeing sore in especially my lower body and my core. i feel like backswinging "too hard" is a lot of core (especially lower back) effort. my lower back at this point is at a hardh point due to ski followed by push followed by pull, whilst running a fast pace does not recover you that good. and you need to recover your core for the lunges and wallballs. and while i could go 20 seconds faster on the rower, i decide to not do so, because i just win time in the long term when i dont due to less fatigue in my core. i accept beeing less efficient to especially rest my core. sorry for the long wall of text, i want you to know that i dotn disagree, just that there are more facettes then "lo just do it"
As a shorter sculling enjoyer, I have to emphasize opening the hips (backswing) upon completion of the leg drive. Using the dynamic row erg really forces me to practice the body angles on the catch and at the release and it does carry over. This will be my second season ever and I'm glad to be on Team RowAlong.
Is this the Concept2 dynamic? Have you been able to compare it with a RowPerfect?
Just what I would have expected from John, a classy reply from a respectful, gold medal athlete. Listening to hunter for 5 seconds, and looking at him and his glasses told me everything I needed to know about him, he's way too cool to take advice or suggestions, he already knows everything. Well, EVERY olympic medalist and top level professional athlete has a coach, and they are always learning and trying to get better. But then again, it's Hyrox. 🤷♂
I’m not a competitor of any kind but even I find relief during a TT by focusing and refining my form, taller posture, lean forward etc.
Yeah, and it’s the same for me on the HYROX race floor. A 1km TT for me is around 3:15 right now. But by the time I sit on the erg during HYROX, I need to focus on technique in order to relax into 1:58 splits to set me up for the rest of the race.
Great stuff,I do try use a swing ,I'll go through it again before deka race
It doesn't have to be as pronounced as my demo - rowing at full effort / swing will make things worse. But just engaging the back and using the swing should be enough to help the power generation.
What struck me in all this, besides the little squirt Mad Mack, was that I watched Hunter's video and he himself suggested back raises (the exercise), saying that this movement is needed when you row. So why does he not use a back swing then in Hyrox ???
I know!! That's what made me comment on his video in the first place. Like talking about the importance of running mid-foot and then showing a video where someone's running on their toes. The thing is, he's right with all of the training stuff, he just doesn't do it his own race.
the tilt hold is where I suffer. looking at hunter that isn't his normal form. he is way up in the seat so he can bring the legs in tight the seat nearly touches his ankles. its all about running the legs. not getting the full body. I appreciate all these tips. and helping me learn what to look for. i've been working on strengthening my back and core and increasing my endurance. i'm nearing my 40's and closing in on 1million meters for this year. The more effecient and stronger I can get the more meters I can crank out next year. thanks again
It shows just how powerful he is that he rows at 1:44-1:145 pace using just his arms. Yes, his legs connect too - but this is all upper body. The thing is, lots of 'mortals' see him rowing like this, and then use it as an excuse to row in the same way. There's only one Hunter - and unless the other people can match his pace and not suffer from it, they could do with using the rest of their body too!!
Good luck with the 1000000 - the first is the most special (or at least, it was for me!)
@@rowalong watching how powerful you row with just that upper swing has also encouraged me to throw in some off days when my legs are tired and sore to still get out there and try to get some time in
I'm trying to figure out whether I should incorporate these techniques in to my hyrox training and I'm not sure of the benefits in my circumstance.
I'm a complete Hyrox newbie never having done one before but hoping to do Birmingham 2024 if I can get a ticket. I'm 48 years old and my background is lifelong cardio dodger but I've trained with weights for 30 years and I'm pretty strong despite several injuries. I'm low bodyfat at about 14% weighing in at 100kg 6ft 4"...... Bit of a Mark Lewis type I suppose but I'd smoke him on bench press hahaha..... (not so much the running though..... 🙄)
I've only been running since mid-December and can just about manage a 28 minute 5k so slowly building up the cardio.....
Anyway on to the rowing issue..... Flexibility!!!! I had a go today and my hips, hamstrings and low back just won't let me get in to that lean forward position at all. If I have vertical shins and lean forward as much as possible I'm maybe a foot away from the end range of the rower...... When I first get in the machine I can't even reach forward to get the handles, I have to awkwardly reach with one hand to have a chance..... I tried the no legs, no arms technique and my hip flexors were on fire!!!!
With my sub optimal technique I can muscle my way to a 4:10 quite comfortably albeit with maybe a touch of an ache in the forearms. Thing is with my background in lifting that forearm fatigue won't stop me hanging on to a couple of 24kg kettlebells for 2 minutes running up and down......
So in my circumstance my time would be much better spent improving elsewhere for now and accept sub optimal row at a half decent time.
What I am seriously considering is following some of your rowalong workouts to help with my conditioning. Rowing is the one static machine I don't find tediously boring and it's actually the machine that got me finally doing a bit of cardio leading to ski-erg, running and then full on hyrox......
Thanks for this and all your other great videos. Hopefully one day I'll be good enough to start looking for those extra little tweaks here and there which will warrant optimising my rowing....
Hopefully see you in Birmingham
Great video... Can you do the version off this for the normal hyrox competitors (the ones that don't take their tops off). I can just about keep to 4.20 for the 1km but arms are feeling it for the farmers and being more efficient without be great
Yeah, that's the plan, I've started making one. But it was getting quite cumbersome as I needed to talk about this too. So by making this standalone video, I can just point people to it, and then continue with a normal technique thing. Really, it comes down to sitting up. But keep an eye out. A video will be up soon.
for me (im an 1hr5min hyrox normals finisher, so no pro weights), even tho i use a slight backswing, i accept a little inefficiency to rest especially my core in tradeoff for more arm and upper back dominance in rowing in hyrox. whilst i see your point and i do think you are right in some capacity, i fully disagree with needing your arms after the row. thats the exact reason i kill those on the row, because arms are just pretty much needed for ski (where i also use them overly-heavily compared to if i want to be most efficient) and the row. in both ergs if i wanned to be efficient or fast id do it in another way. after the row you pretty much only need your legs a little traps and your front delts. i ( and alot of other athletes) try to not overwork their legs and especially their core (which is heavily involved in the backswing, especially the lower back). since after the ski+push+pull you come into the row with a rather worked core, and you want to have it somewhat rested for the lunges + the wallballs. so i intentionally accept a little slower pace and more fatigue and in my arms and back on both ergs to safe a little core involvement and win time due to having a fresher core in later work.
again, not saying you are not right. i just see ALOT of comments of "lol just do it if elite rowers do it". and its just not that easy here, because hyrox is not just about full body efficiency, but of knowing what can get sore when and where to safe some battery. and these athletes ( especially in the elite 15s) work with coaches and put in often way above 20 to 30 hours of training per week into this. they atleast have had their thought about most the things you casuals in the comment section did think about :D.
so TLDR:
IMO not your upper body is the limiting factor, especially not for as musclepacked athletes as there are in hyrox. it IMO for alot of people in the "better ranks" is the core and the legs ( due to little to no possibilities to rest then in hyrox), hence you, on purpose, want to use the upper body, especially the arms and the back, to catch some additional work, since they are so rarely needed in hyrox (again, pretty much only on the ergs, since for advanced athletes burpees are pretty much a nonfactor for pacs and arms)
greetings and dont think i dont appreciate the work you put in, just wanna let you see the world from hyrox-eyes with a little less Ego-driven answer then Hunters :D!
So you're a good 14 minutes faster than me then! I need to improve my runs and my BBJ's in order to get any real performance I think. From an elites point of view, I do get your point. I do think there's an element of not wanting to torch your forearms before the Farmer Carry - and most of the reason I comment on this stuff is off the back of the people at my level looking at these guys and then thinking rowing with awful technique doesn't matter - because the elites get away with it. The elites know what they're doing, they have finely tuned energy systems that they know how to control. The 1:35 guy who blows up by running out too fast on the first lap doesn't have that control, and so needs to look at where they're causing themselves problems. And the row really is a place where they can either get back into control of the race, or just keep sliding downhill fast!!!
Talking about the row is a balance of trying to help people who REALLY aren't rowing right, and trying to point out that the Elites, and you 1:05 guys are doing something that they can get away with due to all the training you have done.
Great video!
Thank you!
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dude - cannot find your Rowing time in the Hyrox all time ranking or on the C2 page - if you could send through your times
Not worth looking at. I row around 1:58 on the race floor, giving around 4:20 in HYROX.
Like I said, HYROX rowing isn’t rowing. So I back off to enable my to get through the rest of the race.
(For reference, my PB for the 1k is 3:04.6)
That said, I’m hoping to have improved the rest of my race enough to use the row as performance instead of as a rest when I’m in London next week.
@@rowalong even tho "using the row as an performance" does sound good, as a hyrox competitor id suggest to just not do this, because you likely will not safe time on the row compard to what you can safe if you use it as a rest. i row roughly 1:50 splits in singles and 1:35 splits in doubles. this just shows how much i need to rest in comparison to doubles where i get the resting time gifted and can row with proper form. you probably are better off trying to rest at like 1:55 pace then leaving time in the run before and after the row to have the row beeing faster. just my 2 cents and what you see on most of the best hyrox performers tho
@@imnear214 Thanks for all your replies. I'll just consolidate them all into this one though. The thing is, I'm not saying that he should row faster, I'm saying that if he had better technique, using his back too, he'd be able to row at the same speed with more efficiency. I keep hearing the top guys talk about how the row should be used "as a rest" to settle the heart rate etc. Well, being inefficient with the technique and therefore wasting energy is counter-intuitive to this.
And yes, he's a phenomenal athlete. As much as I rag on his rowing technique, there's no excusing the fact he's a mould of his own. A true athlete that just has that extra magic that other people don't. Plus, he's hilarious.
Hi John, Tobias here. I'm all for technique but here don't entirely agree with you. Use back => should read use Glutes. However the previous two disciplines of sled pull and burpee broad jump are very glute dominant, so I believe the leg oriented technique they're using is fine.
Hey Tobias, great to hear from you! The thing is, I don’t think they’re using their legs either. Hard to tell of course, but most of the top guys talk about how the row is a rest for their legs, and that’s why they are so upper body dominant. Look at Ryan Kent in this video, he’s all pecs!!
But - really for these guys it doesn’t matter. It’s the mere mortal on the floor that doesn’t use legs or back to connect, has a weak core and just jerks into the stroke - they are the ones I’m trying open the eyes of here. That just bracing with your back is enough to transfer the power in
Which is the next video.
However, I hadn’t really thought about glute impact. So when I’m in London for the next HYROX event, I’ll concentrate on how they feel!!
@rowalong the 'shoulders through' method on the sled push also puts more emphasis on the glutes. Tom Hogan explained to me that a Hyrox is a game of efficiencies across all the events. I'm going to try and emphasis the backswing though. I used to row and my wife still does so like to maintain best form I can 😂
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Awesome! Remember to keep hunting for the treasure and leaving that comment!
Gosh, Hunter seems pretty obnoxious… But then Hyrox - a bit like cross fit - strikes me as ‘a little bit of everything done badly’. Am I wrong? 😂🎣
Haha. I think Hunter is a carefully curated personality. He knows he pushes buttons, and he doesn’t care. But at the same time he’s incredibly smart and insightful.
That’s why it’s fun to try to spar with him about this.
The great thing about HYROX is that anyone can do it. It’s not like CrossFit, where there’s complicated lifts or bodyweight moves.
So the technique comes down to how to go faster and/or conserve energy.
@@rowalong He certainly looks like a strong guy… I was just teasing really! Is Hyrox classified by age and weight, or is it just an ‘open’ category?
@bensugden3009 age, but not weight. It all comes out in the wash due to the running. But guys of his build win for a reason!!
@@rowalong actually most people in the elite 15 are 10 to even 30 pounds lighter then he is, thats why hes the best at the moment. he just somehow makes running like a 160 pound guy possible even tho hes like 190. his running splits are pretty much not much faster then the ones of the other athletes, he mainly beats them in rowing, ski, pull and push. tho this is not the impressive part because hes heavier then most of them. the impressive part is, that he can run as fast as them with 25 pounds of muscle added to his frame.
RowAlong treasure hunt!
Mad max sure doesn't look like he's ever been on a rowing machine. A little short on someone helping each other.
It seems he has history. Cameron Buchan got into it with him a while back about rowing technique. Maybe he doesn't like Scottish rowers? To be honest though - Hunter doens't need my help. But there are people out there that watch his rowing - or look to his advice - as a way to do it. And unless you're built like him, there are better ways to get through the row and not torpedo the rest of the race.
RowAlong Treasure Hunt
Haha! You're right. Hunter's rowing sucks if you're comparing him to a rower. But you can't deny how good he is on the race floor! Honestly, you both need to listen to the other guy and stop talking instead of listening
You’re obviously right but the rowing is , what , 4 minutes out of the whole thing, so marginal gains whether you look at time gain or energy save. Surely the thing to focus on is running since there’s so much if it. Add hunter to the list of people who aren’t interested
When I say list, I mean mark Lewis 😅
Haha. I like Mark (I like Hunter too to be honest). You’re right that the focus needs to be the run. But a lot of damage can be done in the stations too.
For me, it’s the Burpees that always torpedo my race. But this can be compounded by people mashing up and down the rowing machine wasting energy to go nowhere.
I know I’m preaching into the Abyss here. But when people spend more time discussing the right shoes to wear and the difference between a 2 or 3 lap circuit, it does interest me why they ignore efficiency here too.
It’s pretty sad that you’re having to explain what is common sense and knowledge amongst rowers and ergo users worldwide - leave it to the flat earthers to destroy their backs 🙄
Ooft, that's a tough label to give someone!! There's a TH-cam guy who makes videos, and he's including rowing in some of them. I pointed out to him that he has a wasteful technique. His reply "Fast is fast". I think that says it all. As long as they're going fast, they don't care if they could be going faster, or easier.
Strangely, if you offer advice for a better deadlift I'm sure he would listen...
I like Mark Lewis' channel but he has the same approach : "I row fast so I don't to spend a few minutes learnlng to row better" 🙄 (he does Hyrox as well)
Yeah, that “may” have been who I was referring to…
@@rowalong 😅
Hunter is one of the most arrogant people you will ever meet. He is a good athlete and can learn from you if he just but his stubbornness and arrogant aside.
I do wonder how much of that arrogance contributes to his dominance. Not only that he beleives he's the best, but he's convinced the rest of the field he's the best, and as they can't match his personality, it kinda sinks into their performance too. As a cartoon character, I love him. That said, I've not got (nor to I expect) any response to this video. Maybe I'm just adding to the list of "Rowing douchebags" he has left in his wake...
@@rowalong it adds alot. alot of higher tier athletes say he "baits them into starting out to fast when racing with him", because hes just such an exceptional runner for his size :D
Nice replay