How to Train Your Rower

Knowing the lifts is one thing, doing them properly is another. This

guide covers my instructional cues, FAQs, and a video for each lift.

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The Squat: Training

The Squat: FAQs

Deadlift: Training

Deadlift: FAQs

Overhead Press: Training

Overhead Press: FAQs

Table of Contents

I'm a strength coach who just wants everyone to row stronger so they can row faster,healthier, and longer. 

As a junior rower, I tried it all from bodybuilding programs to powerlifting to Crossfitto high-rep machine-based training and it was always missing something. I wasgetting stronger in the gym, but it wasn't carrying over to my water performance orerg times. Now I know why, and I want to share that with you and how you can dothings differently to train better than I did and be faster than I was.

I wrote "How to Train Your Rower" for all of the rowers and coaches out there whoaren't necessarily as familiar with the lifts as they are the technique of rowing. Forcoaches to safely instruct athletes in the weight-room, you should be certified instrength training instruction. There are many levels of certification out there that canprepare you for instruction of the lifts. For athletes intending to begin strengthtraining, you should find a qualified personal trainer or strength coach who can teachyou the basics in-person first. The following information is intended to supplementthis knowledge, not replace it.

This "How to Train Your Rower" series contains my system of breaking each major liftdown into a version of catch-drive-release. This is a simple and effective way to focusthe athlete on the immediately relevant cues in a way that is familiar to them fromstroke after stroke of rowing. Read on and make sure to check out the videos!

Thanks for reading and happy training,

Will Ruth aka Strength Coach Will

BS, MA (in progress), NSCA-CSCS, US-Rowing Level 2

Rowing Stronger The online home of strength training for rowing.

When 100% of coaches agree on something, it’s probably best to listen. In a recentresearch survey, 32 out of 32 GBR coaches agreed that strength training enhancesrowing performance. The next step after developing a strength training program foryour team is instructing them in the execution of the lifts. Nearly all injuries thathappen from weight training at any age are due to poor instruction or poorsupervision, not inherent flaws of the exercises themselves. It is essential that athletesunderstand the basic form on barbell lifts and that they are supervised by a qualifiedcoach whenever they are lifting. Just like in rowing, the better the coaching, the betterthe results.

Now, most rowing programs arefortunate to have one strength coach, letalone a sufficiently sized coaching staffto adequately instruct 20+ athletes all atonce. This is the system I use to teach alarge group of rowers the basic exercisesin a manner that is both time and spaceefficient while making sure that athletesreceive quality instruction.

Rowers are used to thinking of things in 3-4 parts, for example, “arms, body, legs,catch.” I broke each of the lifts down into 3-4 parts and made that the basis of myinstruction.

I first get all of them in the weight room and instruct the athletes to organizethemselves by 4-5 athletes of similar heights per platform. This it the basis for how toform groups per my article, Efficient Circuit Training for Team Sports, and the easiest

The Squat: Training

way to minimize adjustments once they start lifting. I also find assigning groups to bemuch more successful than asking them to come up with groups on their own, as itavoids developing cliques and helps new athletes quickly assimilate into the group.

Once they are organized, I instruct the warm-up and hip mobility sequence, then wemove on to the lifts. I demonstrate each lift or have a veteran rower demonstrate thelift, explaining the cues I’ll use and what I’m looking for at each point in the sequence.Each platform has one athlete lifting, all following the same lift sequence, with anempty barbell. This is just instruction, not an actual workout, so we're not worriedabout really loading up the movement.

For the squat, familiarize yourself with the basic cues for Back Squat and Front Squatfrom my exercise guide, then watch the instructional video below as I demonstrateand explain the lifts following the whole-part system.

#1: Rack position—“Walk it out”

On the back squat, the first position is simple. Look for straight wrists, braced abs, andgood posture. On the front squat, teach the proper rack position with either the cleangrip or the cross grip. For the clean-grip, cue the athletes “elbows up and in” to createa stable shelf for the bar and reach full thoracic extension, then look for abdominalbracing and good posture. Check stance width here too. Front squat stance should be

just inside shoulder width, while back squat stance should be outside shoulder width.

#2: Descent—“Down, ready DOWN”

Look for controlled descent, not dropping into the hole, with proper form. On squats,many athletes initiate the descent with the knees and need to be cued to break fromthe hips first. Check depth. Athletes should be close to, if not slightly below, paralleldepth. One common problem with rowers seems to be collapsed arches. Since rowingdoesn’t develop the muscles of the foot the same way a field sport does, many rowershave either poor motor control for their feet or poor musculature to support them.Many rowers also use minimal shoes, which can exacerbate this. I recommend an archsupport for these athletes. Good foot stability leads to better knee and hip stability,which means safer, more effective squats.

#3: Halfway up—“Halfway up, UP”

Watch for athletes to rise evenly from the chest, torso, and hips. The hips should not“pop up” out of the hole, nor should the rower over-extend the upper back, throwingthe chest backwards. The hips and chest should rise evenly and simultaneously toroughly 45 degrees at the halfway up point. One issue that will often arise at this pointis caving, or valgus, knees. Many rowers have weak glute muscles, which can causethe knees to cave when squatting. Glute activation work can help, but athletes whoare unable to correct knee cave need to use a different squat variant until they cansquat correctly. Many will be able to correct this when cued and when the weight islight enough, so make sure to give them time to work on it before ruling the backsquat out. In my few years of working with Western, I’ve only had two rowers who Ideemed unable to squat. 

I am demonstrating this common technical fault in the picture below, knee cave onthe left and correct technique on the right. Always rule out instruction first. Make surethat the athlete knows that they should be pushing their knees out to keep them inline with the toes on the descent AND ascent! Next is weakness. If the athlete can keepthe knees out at light weight, but caves under heavy weight, they need to do morereps and more work to master the lighter weights and increase the weight gradually.Finally, if the athlete is unable to keep the knees in line at any weight, they may have amobility restriction, structural problem, or significant muscular weakness and shouldbe referred to a physical therapist. 

#4: Finish—“Finish”

Make sure that all athletes lock the weight out under control. I rarely see problemsfrom halfway up to the finish, but sometimes an athlete will hyper-extend or finish ina poor postural position. If an athlete is hyperextending, cue them to squeeze theglutes to complete the lift. This will get them using more of their hip musculature andcreate a better brace.

That’s one rep. I’ll usually have the group do 5 broken-down reps while I make anyadjustments to their technique, then they do 1-2 full reps on their own. We then cyclethrough athletes and repeat the process until everyone has gone through the lift.

The squat is the king of lowerbody lifts. If you're looking for alift to inject power into yourstroke and build a pair of thighsworth having out on race day,look no further. However, this isalso a lift that can be intimidatingfor the beginning lifter or athlete.Familiarize yourself with the lift,how I teach it, and what cues Ifocus on first, then check out myanswers to some frequentlyasked questions about this awesome lift.

Front squat, back squat, or single leg squat?

I like to use a variety of squats with my rowers as I think all variations have differentmerits and are excellent when combined to produce a strong and powerful rower.

Front squat: Tend to be easier for tall athletes to learn and get to parallel depth. Barplacement puts a high demand on postural muscles of the upper back and abdominalmuscles, making it very applicable to rowing.

Back squat: More athletes have prior experience with back squatting than othervariations, so they often come in already knowing this lift and can perform itproficiently. High demand on all lower body muscles, excellent developer of glutealmuscles. Should be done in high-bar placement on top of traps, not a low-barplacement, with an emphasis on keeping torso as upright as possible.

The Squat: FAQs

Single-leg squat: Excellent unilateral exercise, promotes even development ofleft/right legs. Requires less loading (weight) than front squat or back squat, making ituseful in-season and as an assistance exercise, as well as useful for an athlete withback problems or anything preventing them from heavier loading.

I'll often use the following rotation:

Week 1 / Day 1: Front squatWeek 1 / Day 2: Deadlift and Single-Leg Squat (lighter, higher reps)Week 2 / Day 1: Back squatWeek 2 / Day 2: Single-Leg Squat (heavier, lower reps) and Romanian DeadliftRepeat.

Don't squats hurt your knees?

Every lift has the potential to cause injury if you don't learn or demonstrate properform. The squat is an exercise that most people need taught to them, rather than justnaturally being able to learn on their own. Many people are reluctant to seek outqualified coaching, so a lot of people end up squatting incorrectly. 9 times out of 10,when someone says "squats hurt my knees," I can find a correction to their form thatalleviates the pain. However, if you have a prior injury or if correctly performed squatstruly do hurt your knees, experiment to find a variation that doesn't. Maybe the higherloads of back squatting hurts your knees, but the lighter single-leg squats don't.Maybe an above-parallel close-stance box squat is necessary for you. At the end of theday, you want to find some way to strengthen your legs in a manner that doesn'tcause you pain.

How often should I max out? If I don't max out, how will Iknow I'm improving?

I very rarely have my rowers test 1-rep maxes (1RMs). In the fall and winter seasons, Iwill often have them do 3-5-rep maxes or max reps at a set percentage, usually 90%.This gives me a good idea of where they’re at and it’s a more sustainable test (not asmuch recovery required from the lower percentage) and it’s more similar to rowing(five heavy strokes to start, in the case of a squat/deadlift, rather than one). I think afew rep max tests per year is a good way to gauge progress.

The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) chart is very useful for selecting weights and

tracking progress. If you're selecting weights, 8.5 RPE = 85% 1RM, 8 RPE = 80% 1RM,etc. If you're tracking progress, the same weight done at a lower RPE equals progress.If 225 x 1 was a 9.5RPE and now it's an 8.5RPE, you got stronger.

Is it better to go heavier or go deeper? How deep is deepenough?

Range of motion is more important than maximum weight lifted. I've seen coachesuse the box squat with new athletes to teach them to squat, but I think that the boxbecomes a crutch rather than a teaching tool. It supports the athlete at the bottom ofthe lift, the hardest part, and removing it can make athletes panic and go back tocutting the lift high. I think the box squat has utility for injured athletes, but that'sabout it. With new athletes, I willoften set up a light band acrossthe power rack to give them adepth measurement, like this. Thishas the advantage over a boxbecause it provides a depth checkwithout taking any weight at thebottom. It’s just an indicator andsaves coaches and athletes fromwondering if every rep was todepth.

Watch the video of how I set thisup here.

A lot of new lifters struggle withthe mentality of a full depth squat. I don’t think “butt to heels” is necessary, butparallel depth is attainable for everyone and is a good compromise of requiring abaseline level of mobility and still being able to load the exercise appreciably. In myexperience, rowers who can reach a good catch position can usually squat to paralleldepth (top of thigh parallel with the ground) with minimal extra instruction. Thosewho can't reach parallel on a squat probably aren't getting to full catch either. Checkout Mobility for Rowers to figure out what's limiting them.

Should my stance be as narrow as it is in the boat? Is it OK if Iturn my toes out?

Foot positioning on the squat IS different than in the boat. For back squat, I advocatefor a stance just outside shoulder width with individual modifications made for athletecomfort. For front squat, a little closer. There’s a lot of variation in athletes’ hip shapes,particularly from girls to guys, so I don’t think a “one size fits all” approach is effective.As I general rule, I encourage athletes to be as narrow as they can while still achievingparallel depth and as upright of a torso as possible. This tends to be just outsideshoulder width. If athletes have to turn their toes out more than about 45 degrees,there's usually something limiting their mobility and that will show up in the boat too.I've noticed that rowers who really splay their knees out at the catch tend to turn theirtoes out too much when squatting as well, and this tends to be an ankle mobilityrestriction. Check out Mobility for Rowers to figure out what's limiting them.

More: In episode 7 of the Strength Coach Roundtable podcast,co-presenters Blake Gourley, Joe Deleo, and I discuss ourteaching progressions, favorite (and least favorite) variationsof the squat to use for rowing training, and how we programit in-season and off-season. Check it out here.

The deadlift is one of the best exercises out there for rowing performance. Correctlyexecuted, the deadlift teaches the rower to apply force through the legs whilemaintaining a braced torso to transfer power through the arms to lift the barbell. Thedeadlift also requires great torso strength from the abdominals and back, making it anexcellent exercise for the entire trunk stabilizing muscles. Finally, the deadlift forcesthe rower to go through a full hip extension cycle, something that doesn’t happen inthe normal rowing stroke, and using the hip muscles through a full range of motion isgreat for injury prevention. Swap out the barbell for an oar and you’ve got an athletewho knows how to put power down with the legs while keeping a tight braced torsoand putting all of their strength to work.

Using the whole-part system of breaking the lift down into separate parts, here is thedeadlift. The deadlift is the only lift that I will use more than an empty barbell toinstruct at first. Blocks or boxes may be used to elevate the starting position to thestandard height if bumper plates are not available. Bumper plates are the best optionas they can be loaded lighter while still maintaining a standard height. I also find thatmany rowers, particularly those over 6’6 (198cm), have trouble getting into a correctstart position. Rather than work endlessly on mobility exercises, I’ll often have theseathletes always pull off 4-6” blocks. Remember, we’re training rowers, notpowerlifters, and the goal of the deadlift is just to improve posterior chain strengthand coordination to carry over to rowing performance.

First, familiarize yourself with the deadlift cues, then watch the instructional video.

Deadlift: Training

#1: Start position

I have every athlete start standing straight up before touching the bar. Standingstraight up, I can check their stance width to ensure that athletes are in their “jumpstance.” I then have them hip hinge backwards, arms straight down in front of them,then grab the bar and squat down to it when they can hip hinge no further. This istheir start position, and they hold it while I make necessary adjustments. Many rowersoften have trouble with the hip hinge, which manifests as excessive forward kneetranslation or a rounded spine. In the video, I demonstrate two teaching techniquesfor the hip hinge. The first is the simple "butt to the wall" drill and the second involvesusing a PVC pipe and 3 points of contact on the body while the athlete practices thehinge.

#2: To the knees—“Halfway up, UP”

Pausing at the knee ensures that athletes are breaking the ground correctly, risingevenly with the hips and torso, and maintaining a braced spine. Many rowers used torowing with a rounded upper-back will deadlift with the same style, but I prefer thatrowers maintain a totally neutral spine when deadlifting. Athletes should also havetheir weight balanced more toward the hindfoot when deadlifting, not on the balls ofthe feet. I have them hold this position at the knees for 2-3 seconds so they can findthat sweet spot of balance on the feet and torso tightness.

#3: Finish—“Lock it out”

Check that athletes are simply standing straight up, not hyper-extending to finish thelift. From the knees, I will cue athletes to think “hips to bar” to finish the lift. This notonly helps activate the glutes and alleviate some pressure on the spine, but it helpsthem recognize when the lift is complete. The end position of a deadlift is standingstraight up, with knees locked out, not leaning backwards or rolling the shouldersback.

#4: Down

I instruct the athletes to control the weight down. This is not to be confused with aslow eccentric, where the purpose is fatigue, but simply control to help them stay in a

proper starting position for the next rep without having to reset for each rep. Not onlyis dropping the weight from the top of the lift loud, obnoxious, and potentiallydamaging to the equipment, it makes the athlete re-set up before each repetition.Maintaining control of the lift, rather than flopping to the floor, helps the athletemaintain torso tightness and proper technique.

The deadlift is a lift that has the potential to have excellent utility and carryover torowing. I emphasize potential because many rowers perform the lift with the goal inmind of lifting the absolute most weight or reps that they can, rather than the goal ofbecoming a better rower. Training for rowing always comes back to this question—amI using this activity correctly to become a better rower? In many cases, lifting theabsolute most that you can is NOT actually making you a better rower.

The biggest mistake I see with rowers’ deadlifts is turning the lift into a pull with theback rather than a push from the legs and hips. Performed correctly, the deadliftshould look almost identical to a half-slide stroke. Rowers tend to incorrectly set up atthe bottom of the lift, often turning the lift into a squat or a stiff-leg pull or failing tomaintain a braced torso and neutral spine. Make sure your instruction and technique issolid, then read on for some frequently asked questions about the deadlift.

How should I set my stance? Should I do sumodeadlifts?

As demonstrated in the video above, your stance width should be roughly your “jumpstance.” This is also very close to where your rowing stance in terms of foot width.Your feet may be slightly turned out, but should not be further than 45-degrees. If anathlete is unable to deadlift without turning their toes out severely, look to mobilityrestrictions in the hip flexors or glutes. Sumo deadlift does not have much carryoverfor rowing and it is a very complex lift from a technique perspective, so I don’t use itwith rowers. Just like Olympic lifts, if you are already proficient at the lift and want toinclude it in your program, do so in the General Preparation Block furthest away fromyour competitive peak as a general strength lift.

Deadlift: FAQs

Should I use straps, double-overhand, or mixed gripwhen deadlifting?

Many rowers are natural workaholics and are unsatisfied with a single weak link intheir body. It is very, very rare to be able to double-overhand grip a truly maximalweight. Lifters who you see doing double-overhand are likely actually using the hookgrip, which is another technique of its own. Thinking about this logically, your backand legs should be stronger than your hands, so it is natural that your grip gives outbefore you reach a maximal weight. Some rowers may be comfortable using a mixedgrip, and others are not. I encourage my rowers to use wrist straps so that they cancontinue lifting double-overhand without grip fatigue limiting the amount of weightthey can lift. You get a lot of forearm and grip work in through rowing anyway, sokeep the goal of deadlifts the goal and focus on developing a stronger posterior chain.

Tip: straps have a left/right. Align your straps so the loop is on the little finger side ofyour hand, not your thumb side, for the most secure grip on the bar. Clockwise from

left: Double-Overhand, Mixed Grip, Strap Grip, proper strap alignment

 

Should I wear a belt?

It is a popular myth that lifting belts are designed for safety, and that there is a certainlevel or weight one needs to reach in order to earn wearing a belt. Belts exist for thesole purpose of helping the lifter lift more weight. Belts act similarly to a sprintersprinting out of start blocks. By providing something for the trunk muscles to pushagainst, torso bracing is more effective and more weight can be lifted. Using a belt inthe absence of proper torso bracing is neither safer nor will result in more weightlifted. You can use a lifting belt as long as your technique without a belt is solid first.

Should I reset every rep or do touch-and-go?

Coming back to the question “is this making me better at rowing,” I coach a dead-stopfor every rep rather than using touch-and-go (TNG). TNG deadlifts tend to turn into anawful bouncy affair by the end of a hard set, with athletes slamming the bar down tomaximize the rebound out of the bottom. This can put you in a terrible position andcause injuries, so I avoid even introducing the idea of TNG with my rowers. Dead-stopdeadlifts allow you to put yourself in a correct position to deadlift for every rep,minimizing risk of injury, and also build the most strength at of the bottom position ofthe deadlift, which is where we want to build power for the rowing stroke.

Should I do 25+ reps for endurance or 1-rep maxesfor strength?

Neither! The deadlift should always be done with attention to correct form. At superhigh reps, it becomes impossible to maintain your focus and you're likely to suffer aninjury. I have noticed more people hurting themselves with high reps with low weightthan low reps with higher weight--it's too easy to get sloppy and make a mistake. Thesweet spot for the deadlift is in the 2-8 rep range. If we go above 8 reps, we areusually using a Romanian Deadlift (RDL). The 2-8 rep range does a good job buildingstrength and power without being overly taxing to recovery or exposing the rower tounnecessary injury risk. We will also often perform peak power work using thedeadlift to build power and connection for starts and pressure pieces.

Deadlift Variations 

I do not always use the barbell deadlift from the floor for my rowers' training. Most

often, I will use a trap bar (also known as a "hex bar") for deadlifting or the Romaniandeadlift variation only. I have found that rowers often respond better to theseexercises for the purposes of developing the hip hinge and are less likely to strugglewith technique than they are with the barbell deadlift. If you find that the barbelldeadlift from the floor is not working well for you or your rowers, feel free toexperiment with different versions. The block pull, trap bar deadlift, and Romaniandeadlift are all great ways for rowers to improve their hip hinge and posterior chainpower for healthier hips, backs, and stronger starts.

More: In episode 6 of the Strength Coach Roundtable Podcast,co-presenters Blake Gourley, Joe Deleo, and I discuss thedeadlift--how we teach it, train it, and program it in-seasonand off-season. Check it out here.

The overhead press is one of the best upper body exercises for rowers. Not only will ithelp you go “up and over heads” with ease, the overhead press is a great exercise forscapular function and strengthening the whole upper back and shoulder muscles.However, this lift is often executed incorrectly in ways that fail to reap the rewards ofthis great exercise and have the potential to cause injury. Quality execution is critical inall exercises to gain the full benefit of strength training.

 Now we will cover the finalbarbell exercise and mainpressing exercise I use withrowers—the overhead press. Inaddition to tight hip flexors,many rowers have mobilityrestrictions in their mid back, orthoracic spine. I first instruct theathlete as best I can, thenprescribe scaled-down versionsof the exercise while the athleteworks to develop mobility. Scaled-down versions of the overhead press include theunilateral dumbbell overhead press, the half-kneeling dumbbell press, and the inclinebench or incline dumbbell press, but the goal is that each athlete can do an overheadpress safely and effectively.

Watch the strict overhead press and push press cues, then watch the instructionalvideo below.

Overhead Press: Training

#1: Rack position—“Walk it out”

The rack position for the overhead press is one of the harder positions for athletes tomaster, particularly rowers who often have restricted thoracic spine mobility. I firstinstruct athletes on what a “packed” shoulder feels like. “Packing” refers to puttingthe scapulae in a position of depression and retraction. If you know anatomical terms,great. If not, extend your arm straight overhead, then bend at the elbow and reachdown to grab the tag of your shirt. Take note of what your scapula does when you dothis—it should go “back and down” into a position of depression and retraction. Watchthis video for a demonstration. Try to get back to this position when you unrack anoverhead press. It often helps for athletes to begin the press with the barbell at chinlevel, imagining creating a shelf with the latissimus dorsi. Several attempts may benecessary to find the right position. Many athletes will want to point the elbows outto the sides in a position of internal rotation. Cue these athletes to point their elbows“up and in,” similar to a front squat but less extreme. You can see me do this with Carlin the instructional video to get him to create a better rack position.

#2: Halfway up—“Foreheads, ready UP”

The next instruction is to press the barbell to forehead height, or halfway up tolockout. This allows me to check that the bar is close to their forehead, not pressed outin front of them, and that they are maintaining a braced torso and neutral spine. Most

rowers who exhibit faults in this position tend to have poor thoracic spine mobility,poor starting position, or shoulder/mid-back weakness in maintaining the packedshoulder position.

#3: Finish—“Lockout”

Unlike in the squat, many athletes exhibit poor form at lockout for the overhead press.Athletes with restricted thoracic spine mobility will struggle to lock the bar outstraight overhead without compromising the neutral spine. These athletes need toimprove their thoracic mobility and find other pressing variations they can do inthe meantime. Others will be able to reach the correct position when cued to do so.Make sure you provide complete instruction and give the athlete a few chances to getit right before diagnosing a mobility restriction. Common postural faults at the lockoutof the overhead press. Lack of torso bracing at left, lack of thoracic mobility at right.

#4: Down—“Down”

As with the deadlift, I emphasize the down position because it helps them find thatcorrect rack position to start the next repetition. I cue them to initiate the descent withthe elbows, going from locked out overhead to aiming them forward, then bendingthe arms into the rack position. This controlled descent makes it much easier to hit thesame rack position for each rep and teaches the shoulder a correct range of motion.

The overhead press is a lift that has great potential for rowers, but also carries morerisk than other lifts. The unfortunate result of this is that most tend to discard it fromprograms when a few simple technical tweaks, adjustments, or mobility drills may beall you need to get on the right track. Executed correctly, the OHP strengthens theentire upper body and builds a bulletproof upper back for better connection andpower transfer through the entire stroke. Many rowers with weak shoulder girdlescan't sustain the amount of force that their legs can produce. Their legs go down hard,but their upper-back rounds and all that pressure never makes it down the oar handle.The OHP is also a great developer of many muscles that rowing fails to, making it agreat "bang-for-your-buck" exercise for the scapular muscles, triceps, and deltoids.

Thoracic spine, or mid-back, mobility is crucial to being able to perform the overheadpress. While thoracic mobility is something that many rowers DO struggle with, it isimportant to make sure that the athlete receives plenty of instruction before making adiagnosis. Often, what looks like a mobility restriction is actually just an athletewho doesn't understand the correct technique.

The most common errors I see are starting from a poor rack position, not pressing thebar back toward the forehead, and arching at the low-back. Check out the video belowfor a detailed explanation and demonstration of these errors and fixes.

Overhead Press: FAQs

The first error is most often caused by a lack of instruction. Everyone should have themobility to get into a good rack position. However, like the hip hinge, it is not anintuitive movement and some athletes can require extra instruction to get there. If anathlete can get into a good rack position, but flares their elbows or presses the bar outin front of them the second they start to apply force, that athlete likely has weak mid-back and shoulder muscles so their triceps and anterior deltoids take over the lift.Strict rowing variations like the batwing row, facepulls, band pullaparts, and YWTraises, as well as something like a bottoms-up kettlebell hold/walk to work shoulderstability at that range of motion should help build up the shoulder girdle strength tobe able to press.

The second error is similar to the first. If an athlete starts in a poor rack position, theywill have a hard time correcting that once they start applying force and will end uppressing the bar out in front of them rather than back toward their forehead and thendirectly over their head. The ideal bar path is as close to a straight line as possible, sothe bar should start under the chin and move toward the forehead as the bar clearsthe face. Most often, I find that athletes who start in a good rack position are alreadyin a good position when the bar is at the forehead.

Finally, a strong lockout for the overhead press is with elbows straight, head neutral,and bar directly in line with the feet. Many rowers, either for lack of mobility ortechnical knowledge, either press the bar out in front of them at lockout or arch theirlow-back to keep the bar in line above them. Cue the athlete to brace their torso(flexed glutes and abdominals) and then lock the bar out directly overhead. Inability to

do this may be the result of poor mobility.

What do I do if I have a mobility restriction?

I thought you'd never ask! We spent all this time so far talking about thoracic spinerestrictions, so let's take a moment to address why it happens, how to fix it, and whatto do in the meantime.

The Why

Most often this is down to what muscles rowing does and doesn't develop. Rowinguses a lot of lats and a lot of upper traps as the power muscles, but not a lot of thefiner postural muscles that contribute to thoracic extension. Combine this heavy usagewith the amount of sitting that almost all of us students, employees, and commutersdo, and you get very strong and very tight lats and traps that restrict shoulder andthoracic extension.

The Fix

"Mobility for Rowers: Thoracic Spine" contains your answers in detail, plus video. Inshort, stretch and foam roll the lats and traps, strengthen the rhomboids, lower andmiddle trapezius muscles, and external rotators of the shoulders. Loosen the restrictedmuscles, strengthen the weak muscles, attain better balance between the two.

In the meantime

Continuing to try to OHP while working on mobility restrictions is likely to just ingrainbad movement patterns and make it harder to truly fix the problem. Try to find avariation of press exercise that you CAN do without running into the same restriction.Often, using dumbbells, doing one arm at a time, or using a seated variation of press(seated overhead or incline press, for example) can be performed without as greatdemands on mobility.

Why should I OHP instead of just bench or incline press?

If you have the mobility, the standing overhead press offers greater benefits to rowersthan prone or seated presses for the additional demands on torso stability, corestrength, and mobility. Mobility is very much a "use-it-or-lose-it" quality. Once youhave the mobility required to OHP, simply performing the OHP is also performingthoracic spine mobility maintenance which will also help you when rowing. The OHP

also prioritizes development of the deltoids and mid-back muscles much more than

the bench press, which focuses more on triceps and chest. I will often program theOHP as a main work exercise and a bench press variation (incline or dumbbell) asassistance work.

Strict OHP vs. Push Press

In the strict OHP, the knees do not move once the athlete begins the lift. In the pushpress, the athlete dips from the lower body and then explosively drives the weightoverhead with the use of both upper and lower body strength and power. Both ofthese lifts are excellent for different reasons. The push press can be loaded heavier,forces the athlete to transmit force from their lower body to their upper body in asport-similar pattern, and equally works the muscles of the mid-back and shoulders,all of which make it seem like the superior exercise. However, sometimes it is simplytoo much. It is often best to give rowers' sore and tired legs a workout off and havethem strict press, using lighter loads with less systemic stress. I also find that thesimpler strict press is easier for athletes to master.

Is barbell OHP the only option or can I use dumbbells orkettlebells?

The main advantage that a barbell offers over other forms of loading is its ability toachieve maximal loading. In an exercise like the squat, the barbell allows us to loadsignificantly more weight on the athlete than they could hold with dumbbells orkettlebells. For the deadlift, most gyms do not have dumbbells heavy enough to comeclose to what can be loaded on a barbell. However, the overhead press is naturally amuch lighter exercise than either of these two, and therefore, maximal load is easier toattain. Dumbbells and kettlebells offer the advantage of unilateral training (one arm ata time) as well as greater priority on the stabilizer muscles of the mid-back andshoulders. If you prefer these variations over the barbell and have heavy enoughdumbbells or kettlebells to load the lift sufficiently, go ahead! The half-kneelingoverhead press can be loaded with a dumbbell or kettlebell and is a great variation onthe overhead pressing exercise.

Check out my free Youtube Exercise Guide for 50+ videosdemonstrating and coaching the lifts used in this guide and

the rest of my rowing programs.

Click here for a playlist of just the exercises from this guide.

www.youtube.com/c/strengthcoachwill

The Exercise Guide

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