Rowing technique

Question
I have been rowing for over a year, and unlike other members of my team, who feel pain in their glutes and quads, I feel mine in my calves. I'm fairly certain this means I'm rowing inefficiently and improperly, and I抦 afraid this will put me out of consideration for the top boats; could you tell what I could do to change this?


Answer
Hi Julia: That's a weird one.  I never heard of someone having sore calves during a hard workout.  It could be shin splints.  But that's more from jogging on hard surfaces and is felt more in the front of the lower leg.

It's hard to diagnose this problem without seeing you row.  Are you flexing or using your calve muscles coming up to the catch?  That could cause cramping.  Just let the boat slide under you as you come forward on the recovery.  Don't pull your way forward with your feet.  Are you pushing down on the drive with just the balls of you feet instead of the correct way of distributing the drive through the entire foot?  Mentally check on those things.  If you still feel pain, talk to your coach.  If that doesn't work, see a doctor.

Good Luck/AP