Is the leg press a good exercise for rowers?

[Wyatt12]

I recently started rowing, and I've come across opinions on the net suggesting that the leg press would be a good exercise for rowers. I wouldn't replace my squats with leg presses as my main exercise for reasons explained in SS, but what about using them as a supplementary exercise? Could they be useful in the context of rowing? I'm on a HLM program (after doing SS for a year) and was considering doing them on the medium day instead of the 90% squats.

[mrcosmic]

If you are going to do them, do them unilaterally and take care to avoid letting your lower back round. Also, do not think your training has to resemble your sport in order to get better GPP for that sport.

[Beau Bryant]

Your time would be better spent doing something else to improve your rowing.

[Philbert]

Do you often find that leg weakness or fatigue is the limiting factor in your rowing performance while your back is still feeling strong and fresh? If you do, then maybe leg press would be a good idea, but this seems like a highly unlikely problem.

[Dastardly]

I talked to a few people who did competitive rowing while at university, they had to row something like 24k every morning and did various cardio on top. They all said that strength in the lifting sense and bodyweight disappears when training for rowing seriously, that its pretty hard to fit lifting in at all.

With this in mind, it would surely be a good idea to put in the "best value" all encompassing full body strength movements. i.e squats, deads, bench etc... but by the same token, if time and recovery does not permit the big lifts do leg press instead.

[Rower]

Ok, I am qualified to answer this.

Strength training - heavy - is off season but leg presses aren't great. Squats and jumpies especially. Get used to running stairs at many colleges.

Pure core strength is essential. You can't let your back take the load in rowing. It's a pushing not pulling sport.