Pause Drill Rowing

The Pause Drill Rowing is a technique exercise done on a rowing machine or in a boat. It trains you to control the recovery part of the stroke and hold solid positions. It mainly works the back, core, and lats, with some help from the quads and glutes as you move up and down the slide.

Sit on the rower with your feet strapped in, shins roughly vertical at the catch, and hands gripping the handle. Sit tall with a neutral spine. In a boat, set up the same way: balanced posture, handle level, and body ready to move.

Take a normal drive, then pause at either hands-away (arms straight, handle moving away from the body) or bodies-over (leaning forward from the hips with straight arms). Hold the pause long enough to check your shape. Then set your forward body angle before your knees bend, and slide forward slowly to the catch. Keep the handle moving in a straight line and avoid jerking the seat.

Breathe out during the drive and keep your core gently braced during the pause and recovery. To make it easier, pause only at hands-away and use a slower stroke rate. To make it harder, pause at both hands-away and bodies-over on each stroke, or hold each pause a little longer.

Fault: Rushing the recovery and sliding forward before the upper body is set. Fix: Pause at bodies-over, lean forward from the hips with straight arms, and only then let the knees bend as you move up the slide.

Fault: Bending the knees too early on the recovery, which forces the handle up and over the knees. Fix: Set the body angle before the knees bend; keep the arms straight until the hands clear the knees.

Fault: Slouching or rounding the lower back at the catch or during the pause. Fix: Sit tall with your core gently braced; use the pause at hands-away to reset a neutral spine before continuing forward.