How can a dangly man scull comfortably?

May 7, 2008 6:40 AM

Please help me solve a problem with the, er, anatomical logistics of men's rowing.

Thanks to years of long-distance running and cycling, I have thighs like ham hocks...which is great, but I recently decided that it would be nice to balance things out and work on having some upper-body strength too.

I just joined a rowing class and it's good so far, except somehow the combination of the rowing motion and having meaty legs means my man parts keep wandering down into uncomfortable (and squeeze-prone) places--which to say the least is rather distracting. I don't really know my coaches well enough yet to ask them about this, especially not in front of my (co-rec) classmates.

To address the obvious: I already wear briefs. (I mean, I'm a runner; testicular support is very important.) Do experienced rowers have some trick for keeping things up out of the way?

posted by kittyprecious to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 comments total)

Have you tried an athletic supporter?
posted by YoungAmerican at 7:17 AM on May 7

In either case, Gold Bond powder will be an ally on long rows.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:30 AM on May 7

Never had that problem when I rowed... Sorry, though....

As an aside, which might not be too helpful- rowing primarily works your legs if you're doing it right.
posted by JMOZ at 7:37 AM on May 7

I tried some searches, but their search function seems to have exploded... at any rate, posing this question on the Concept2 forums will give you some good answers almost right away.

Personally, I adjusted over time -- nothing specific, just minor changes in leg position, my body retraining itself, etc. It wasn't an acute problem in the first place, but you are far from alone.
posted by Shepherd at 8:10 AM on May 7

Like JMOZ, when I rowed I can't remember ever having this issue (despite having ham like legs myself).

Most rowers will these days race in quite tight fitting lycra - are you training in running shorts or similar? Lycra leaves little to the imagination, but equally it also tends to leave things where you put them ...
posted by unsliced at 8:42 AM on May 7

This is one of those times I wish you could answer anonymously, but...

I didn't do this for rowing, but for another sport which I needed to keep the goods out from between the legs for. Same problem here - beefy thighs from running / skiing / lifting.

Anyway, the answer is sports tape, run from the sack up to the waist. You have to run it kind of high up towards the belly button to make sure it sticks to last the whole workout. I preferred two pieces, both running at slight angles to get around the junk, as opposed to straight up. Once the sack is pulled up the rest of the junk stays up relatively on its own. Not comfortable at first but you'll get used to it pretty quick. Best to use a sports tape that won't come loose with sweat - oh and consider shaving first, or you'll wish you had.
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:04 AM on May 7

2nding unsliced. There's a reason that there is an abundance of spandex in the sport. 1) Spandex will not get caught in the slide, on an erg or in a shell. 2) It is snug. It keeps things where they're supposed to be. i.e. not in the slide. Ponder that one.
posted by msamye at 10:20 AM on May 7

I know that lycra will be important later on, but at the learn-to-row stage I'd rather not (ahem) show all my cards just yet. I do appreciate the point, though.

For now I'm incredibly curious about this heretofore unpondered application of sports tape.
posted by kittyprecious at 10:33 AM on May 7

I'm just going to sit here and enjoy the idea of someone by the name of kittyprecious exploring said applications.
posted by allkindsoftime at 10:59 AM on May 7

Just wear something (like board shorts) over the spandex.
posted by randomstriker at 12:48 PM on May 7