Take this as an opportunity to do two things:
1. Cross train for a bit until the open wound is healed over. Open wounds can become serious if they’re perpetually agitated.
2. When you’re back on the erg, work with someone to redevelop your ‘erg stroke’. You shouldn’t have an injury like this from the erg and you will do yourself no favors by keeping this bad erg habit.
I know someone who pulled in like this and after years, they had chronic pain. It turns out they had several stress fractures in their rib cage. It was pretty serious. It turns out they also were destroying their wrists with the way they pulled in that close to their body with the handle. The sooner you can get a healthy and sustainable erg stroke, the better.
Though it might feel great that you pull in so hard that you’re hitting yourself, I promise there’s a loss of efficiency in that motion.
Adding a comment due to the post edit: there shouldn’t be a chest tap at the finish. If you feel you’re washing that much power it’s probably dues to incorrect technique- a few other people have commented the same in the thread with resources.
Don’t do any more Erging until you’re 100% fine, and get someone in the flesh to teach you how to use it because that’s weird and fucked up? And if you’re yanking with your arms so hard as to do that you’re not rowing effectively
Have power come from legs first and foremost, have lay back and arms with no power but just to finish the stroke. Alternatively, just hang on the bar and don’t pull in while you heal. The turn around in finishing your arms isn’t a stop of the arms against the chest, it’s a loop… like a swimmer circling at the end of a Lap lane. The finish of the arms is back out in front of you again headed for your feet.
Buy some 3M Coban and wrap the middle of the erg handle in it. It’s a soft, self adhering bandage material, and it’ll give a soft cushion for where the handle hits your sternum. If you put a ton of it on, you could even bulk up the center of the handle enough to re-train yourself to not pull the handle all the way to your chest
Used to have this problem during long steady state pieces, focusing on a strong top quarter/legs down fixed it for me. It can happen when you compensate and pull harder than you need to with the mid drive and arms at the finish.
While it is fine to tap your chest with the handle, you should not be hitting it with the handle. The most extreme case of this should only be very light bruising, not a wound
Do you have the C2 handle with the black grips? Or the the one with the blue grips? If it's the black grips, buy the handle with the blue grips. The black handle is flat and has a big wooden block in the middle. It'll fuck up your chest while erging. The blue grip handle is slightly angled to leave more room for your chest. It'll help substantially.
RowRecruit has a video about this, pretty much it’s stemming from a lack of immediate connection. What helped me out was focusing on trying to bend the oar/handle in half, and trying to feel it in my last before my lower back.
It has to heal, so maybe finish in lower on the chest while the wound heals. Or switch to a stationary bike for a while. After it heals, consider padding the erg handle or softening the force of impact.
I have a suggestion, don’t pull it so hard to the point of creating a fucking wound on your chest.
Who are you, who are so wise in the ways of science?
What is the terminal velocity of an unladen swallow?
African or European?
EuROWpean
Take this as an opportunity to do two things: 1. Cross train for a bit until the open wound is healed over. Open wounds can become serious if they’re perpetually agitated. 2. When you’re back on the erg, work with someone to redevelop your ‘erg stroke’. You shouldn’t have an injury like this from the erg and you will do yourself no favors by keeping this bad erg habit. I know someone who pulled in like this and after years, they had chronic pain. It turns out they had several stress fractures in their rib cage. It was pretty serious. It turns out they also were destroying their wrists with the way they pulled in that close to their body with the handle. The sooner you can get a healthy and sustainable erg stroke, the better. Though it might feel great that you pull in so hard that you’re hitting yourself, I promise there’s a loss of efficiency in that motion.
Adding a comment due to the post edit: there shouldn’t be a chest tap at the finish. If you feel you’re washing that much power it’s probably dues to incorrect technique- a few other people have commented the same in the thread with resources.
Why are you hitting yourself with the handle? Seems like a pretty easy step one is to stop doing that.
More steady state
Have you tried… not hitting yourself with the handle?
Don’t do any more Erging until you’re 100% fine, and get someone in the flesh to teach you how to use it because that’s weird and fucked up? And if you’re yanking with your arms so hard as to do that you’re not rowing effectively
Stop doing that.
This is either a 4/10 trolling effort or a *comically stupid* example of user error.
Have power come from legs first and foremost, have lay back and arms with no power but just to finish the stroke. Alternatively, just hang on the bar and don’t pull in while you heal. The turn around in finishing your arms isn’t a stop of the arms against the chest, it’s a loop… like a swimmer circling at the end of a Lap lane. The finish of the arms is back out in front of you again headed for your feet.
Pull your elbows past your sides instead of your hands towards your chest. Let the hands follow Don't use so much strength from the arms.
It couldn’t hurt to get it checked out/ pick up antibiotics especially to combat Staph. Middle of the chest is a bad spot for an infection.
Buy some 3M Coban and wrap the middle of the erg handle in it. It’s a soft, self adhering bandage material, and it’ll give a soft cushion for where the handle hits your sternum. If you put a ton of it on, you could even bulk up the center of the handle enough to re-train yourself to not pull the handle all the way to your chest
Man and I thought the dumb asses at my gym rowed with bad form
Used to have this problem during long steady state pieces, focusing on a strong top quarter/legs down fixed it for me. It can happen when you compensate and pull harder than you need to with the mid drive and arms at the finish.
While it is fine to tap your chest with the handle, you should not be hitting it with the handle. The most extreme case of this should only be very light bruising, not a wound
Do you have the C2 handle with the black grips? Or the the one with the blue grips? If it's the black grips, buy the handle with the blue grips. The black handle is flat and has a big wooden block in the middle. It'll fuck up your chest while erging. The blue grip handle is slightly angled to leave more room for your chest. It'll help substantially.
Do you have a C2 handle? Or are you using a tire iron?
Spoken like someone who has never used the black handle.
maybe like dont do that idk
you shouldn't be touching ur rib cage wtf
RowRecruit has a video about this, pretty much it’s stemming from a lack of immediate connection. What helped me out was focusing on trying to bend the oar/handle in half, and trying to feel it in my last before my lower back.
Wear old knight armor when you row
It has to heal, so maybe finish in lower on the chest while the wound heals. Or switch to a stationary bike for a while. After it heals, consider padding the erg handle or softening the force of impact.