“Erg”onomics by Dr. Amber Coppola

Crossfitters, how many times have you walked into your gym looked on the board for the WOD and been like… “Great, we are erging”.  Admit it; we all have either a “love-hate” or “hate- hate” relationship with the erg.  So what can you do to learn to embrace those erg workouts or at least limit your potential for injury? The basic rowing motion is a coordinated movement that requires the application of power in a repetitive, maximal and smooth manner in which every large muscle group is incorporated.  There is a common misconception that ergingor rowing is primarily an upper body workout; on the contrary, approximately 70 percent of the stroke is performed by the lower body.  The rowing stroke can be divided into two parts: the Drive and the Recovery and can be broken down further into four distinct phases: 1) the Catch 2) the Drive 3) the Finish and 4) the Recovery. The catch, drive and finish being grouped together as the “Drive” or work portion of the stroke.
 

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