I'm a huge fan of Hunter, so to have him even say my 'name' was amazing. An incredible athlete that doesn't need my advice. But it WILL help some of you.

I have learned MORE doing your Rowalongs and here than every other video on rowing! I have increased my efficiency so much ALL my PBs are tumbling down! I now don't even bother with any other rowing videos because yours cover all I need! Awesome work John, and thank you so much! 😍😍😍

1:55/500m for just your back swing is incredible! I know you're fast, but wow!

Thanks for giving your knowledge and advice for Free. Its hard to find someone who knows what their talking about, but being and ex athlete and fitness site owner, looking for up to date knowledge, you've nailed it - which is why I subscribed

Rowalong is my man … the one who taught me how to use my legs and get my strokes per minute down ! John is the best … heed his advice.

And let’s be clear about being too humble here, John, you’ve held world records and won rowing events so you do know what you’re talking about!

I’m not a competitor of any kind but even I find relief during a TT by focusing and refining my form, taller posture, lean forward etc.

As a shorter sculling enjoyer, I have to emphasize opening the hips (backswing) upon completion of the leg drive. Using the dynamic row erg really forces me to practice the body angles on the catch and at the release and it does carry over. This will be my second season ever and I'm glad to be on Team RowAlong.

Great video!

Great stuff,I do try use a swing ,I'll go through it again before deka race

the tilt hold is where I suffer. looking at hunter that isn't his normal form. he is way up in the seat so he can bring the legs in tight the seat nearly touches his ankles. its all about running the legs. not getting the full body. I appreciate all these tips. and helping me learn what to look for. i've been working on strengthening my back and core and increasing my endurance. i'm nearing my 40's and closing in on 1million meters for this year. The more effecient and stronger I can get the more meters I can crank out next year. thanks again

Just what I would have expected from John, a classy reply from a respectful, gold medal athlete. Listening to hunter for 5 seconds, and looking at him and his glasses told me everything I needed to know about him, he's way too cool to take advice or suggestions, he already knows everything. Well, EVERY olympic medalist and top level professional athlete has a coach, and they are always learning and trying to get better. But then again, it's Hyrox. 🤷‍♂

Great video... Can you do the version off this for the normal hyrox competitors (the ones that don't take their tops off). I can just about keep to 4.20 for the 1km but arms are feeling it for the farmers and being more efficient without be great

for me (im an 1hr5min hyrox normals finisher, so no pro weights), even tho i use a slight backswing, i accept a little inefficiency to rest especially my core in tradeoff for more arm and upper back dominance in rowing in hyrox. whilst i see your point and i do think you are right in some capacity, i fully disagree with needing your arms after the row. thats the exact reason i kill those on the row, because arms are just pretty much needed for ski (where i also use them overly-heavily compared to if i want to be most efficient) and the row. in both ergs if i wanned to be efficient or fast id do it in another way. after the row you pretty much only need your legs a little traps and your front delts. i ( and alot of other athletes) try to not overwork their legs and especially their core (which is heavily involved in the backswing, especially the lower back). since after the ski+push+pull you come into the row with a rather worked core, and you want to have it somewhat rested for the lunges + the wallballs. so i intentionally accept a little slower pace and more fatigue and in my arms and back on both ergs to safe a little core involvement and win time due to having a fresher core in later work. again, not saying you are not right. i just see ALOT of comments of "lol just do it if elite rowers do it". and its just not that easy here, because hyrox is not just about full body efficiency, but of knowing what can get sore when and where to safe some battery. and these athletes ( especially in the elite 15s) work with coaches and put in often way above 20 to 30 hours of training per week into this. they atleast have had their thought about most the things you casuals in the comment section did think about :D. so TLDR: IMO not your upper body is the limiting factor, especially not for as musclepacked athletes as there are in hyrox. it IMO for alot of people in the "better ranks" is the core and the legs ( due to little to no possibilities to rest then in hyrox), hence you, on purpose, want to use the upper body, especially the arms and the back, to catch some additional work, since they are so rarely needed in hyrox (again, pretty much only on the ergs, since for advanced athletes burpees are pretty much a nonfactor for pacs and arms) greetings and dont think i dont appreciate the work you put in, just wanna let you see the world from hyrox-eyes with a little less Ego-driven answer then Hunters :D!

I'm trying to figure out whether I should incorporate these techniques in to my hyrox training and I'm not sure of the benefits in my circumstance. I'm a complete Hyrox newbie never having done one before but hoping to do Birmingham 2024 if I can get a ticket. I'm 48 years old and my background is lifelong cardio dodger but I've trained with weights for 30 years and I'm pretty strong despite several injuries. I'm low bodyfat at about 14% weighing in at 100kg 6ft 4"...... Bit of a Mark Lewis type I suppose but I'd smoke him on bench press hahaha..... (not so much the running though..... 🙄) I've only been running since mid-December and can just about manage a 28 minute 5k so slowly building up the cardio..... Anyway on to the rowing issue..... Flexibility!!!! I had a go today and my hips, hamstrings and low back just won't let me get in to that lean forward position at all. If I have vertical shins and lean forward as much as possible I'm maybe a foot away from the end range of the rower...... When I first get in the machine I can't even reach forward to get the handles, I have to awkwardly reach with one hand to have a chance..... I tried the no legs, no arms technique and my hip flexors were on fire!!!! With my sub optimal technique I can muscle my way to a 4:10 quite comfortably albeit with maybe a touch of an ache in the forearms. Thing is with my background in lifting that forearm fatigue won't stop me hanging on to a couple of 24kg kettlebells for 2 minutes running up and down...... So in my circumstance my time would be much better spent improving elsewhere for now and accept sub optimal row at a half decent time. What I am seriously considering is following some of your rowalong workouts to help with my conditioning. Rowing is the one static machine I don't find tediously boring and it's actually the machine that got me finally doing a bit of cardio leading to ski-erg, running and then full on hyrox...... Thanks for this and all your other great videos. Hopefully one day I'll be good enough to start looking for those extra little tweaks here and there which will warrant optimising my rowing.... Hopefully see you in Birmingham

What struck me in all this, besides the little squirt Mad Mack, was that I watched Hunter's video and he himself suggested back raises (the exercise), saying that this movement is needed when you row. So why does he not use a back swing then in Hyrox ???

Hi John, Tobias here. I'm all for technique but here don't entirely agree with you. Use back => should read use Glutes. However the previous two disciplines of sled pull and burpee broad jump are very glute dominant, so I believe the leg oriented technique they're using is fine.

dude - cannot find your Rowing time in the Hyrox all time ranking or on the C2 page - if you could send through your times

Mad max sure doesn't look like he's ever been on a rowing machine. A little short on someone helping each other.

You’re obviously right but the rowing is , what , 4 minutes out of the whole thing, so marginal gains whether you look at time gain or energy save. Surely the thing to focus on is running since there’s so much if it. Add hunter to the list of people who aren’t interested

Gosh, Hunter seems pretty obnoxious… But then Hyrox - a bit like cross fit - strikes me as ‘a little bit of everything done badly’. Am I wrong? 😂🎣

It’s pretty sad that you’re having to explain what is common sense and knowledge amongst rowers and ergo users worldwide - leave it to the flat earthers to destroy their backs 🙄

Hunter is one of the most arrogant people you will ever meet. He is a good athlete and can learn from you if he just but his stubbornness and arrogant aside.