Athletic Elitism

[rebeccmeister]

This morning I went to the gym to use their ergometers (rowing machines) since my teammate is out of town and it's not safe to be out on the lake by myself. Every time I go to the gym in the morning, a guy gets on the ergometer next to me when I'm about 3/4 of the way through my workout. He has utterly horrible form, which puts him at risk of injuring himself. I once tried to teach Bad Rower Guy how to improve his technique, and he seemed kind of receptive, but didn't really change all that much. I don't think he was convinced that I'm a credible authority on the matter. (He's an old fart, for all of you who might be thinking I should ask him out--I'm just waiting for the day when some smart, age-appropriate, tall guy hops on an erg. I'm such a gym rat.)

Anyway, this morning, I had my machine set to display calories/hour as its measure of units of force produced (rowers typically look at 500-m splits--how long it takes to row 500m). Bad Rower Guy also had his machine set to calories. I have to admit I found it immensely satisfying to easily outpull him (I also think that out of the corner of my eye I caught him comparing his numbers to mine). The ideal rowing stroke is beautiful, efficient, and powerful, and it's always nice to reinforce the idea that good technique leads to better power output. Hopefully the experience will also encourage Bad Rower Guy to think harder about his technique. I kind of doubt it, but oh well.

It's nice to be getting back into the swing of things.

Comments

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Except the smart, age-appropriate, tall guy, if he's not a rower, will also have such bad form that you'll be too busy cringing to ask him out. Unless of course he's willing to be trained :-)

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

Okay, good point. I'll happily take a pre-trained rower as well--they just seem to be in short supply around here, and I already know most of them. So I'll have to come up with a good excuse to introduce myself...hmm...

[rainswolf.livejournal.com]

I hate it when people at the gym do dangerous things, or just have bad form.

I mean, you're not supposed to hold on to the handrests in front of you while you speed walk on a treadmill, are you?

I think correcting them nicely might be the ethical thing to do if you're sure their form is unhealthy. But it sounds like you tried to already do that with Bad Rower Guy?

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

It's hard to be diplomatic about correcting other people in the gym. Lots of the rowers that I know make a sport out of watching people abuse the rowing machines, without ever offering to help those people improve (you'd be amazed by the number of ways the machines are misused). I tried to help Bad Rower Guy, and he seemed pretty receptive, but I think he's been rowing incorrectly for years, and it's really hard to change such ingrained bad habits. I'm also not sure if he has ever had the opportunity to appreciate how much better the experience could be if it's done correctly.

There's also an aspect of changing one's form or technique that's really hard for a lot of people--making a technical change often requires sacrificing some power output at first. Only once a person learns to properly position his or her body can he or she increase power output again and really see the benefits of the change. So it takes a lot of patience to make an effective change. On the other hand, it's incredibly valuable to learn to be flexible and make such changes efficiently.

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

I've got zero experience with rowers in the gym - more often than not, they're an oddity in a sea of treadmills, elliptical trainers, and stepmills. The SRC seems like the exception rather than the rule for having a few available for use. Having said that, I've worked in gyms (including the SRC) for years, and I've seen it all when it comes to bad form. Unless I'm training someone or they ask, however, I say nothing. It's hard to offer unsolicited opinion in such a way so the recipient doesn't take it negatively, especially in a testosterone-fueled atmosphere like a gym.

[earthlingmike.livejournal.com]

I think I have very good form when jogging, and it helps a lot. I always have the urge to say something if I see someone jogging by not using their arms properly or something.

Do you measure watts too? Cyclists, incuding Lance, have gotten religious about watts. Is calories essentially the same thing just a different number?

[mokey4.livejournal.com]

i erg every day at my gym and about half the days i have some version of your Bad Rower Guy erging next to me. there's one who i often see, and as i imagine your Guy he's older, fit, and pulling hard with horrific form. recently he started talking to me (mid piece... grr! but it was only a UT1) and i tried to talk to him about form. i was surprised that he was sort of receptive, but he didn't really get it. i guess it's those ingrained habits.

anyway, that's cool that you try to help people. generally i'm too shy unless someone starts asking me questions. they usually talk to me if they see me setting the monitor- one lady made conversation by asking me if i knew what "all those numbers" meant. haha. yeah.