On track?

[Skippy]

Hello - I just started using the C2 rower at my gym. I'm 45, 6' 213lbs (overweight) - havent really been excercising very much in the last year. I started using the C2 rower on Dec. 29, 2006 with the settings left by the person ahead of me (airflow setting 10) and have stayed with that setting for all three workouts. Trying to keep ~ 28spm and ride for 30 minutes. The first try I quit atfter 25 mins and 5400m. On my second two attempts I was able to make it to 30 minutes with 6400 and 6588 m. Q: am I on track for newbie?

[BobD]

Most of us erg with the damper (air flow) set between 3 and 4.

[Skippy]

Thanks. Will that help me go longer or faster? Or is the damper more of a muscle building control?

[PaulS]

Stroke rate should probably be in the low 20's for the pace range you are seeing. The large display in the middle can be set to "/500m" which means time to cover 500m and is refered to as "Pace".

Better to check Drag Factor rather than Damper setting, and find a value between 105 and 135 that suits you. The method to find Drag Factor (DF) vary by the type of Performance Monitor (PM), so if you describe the buttons on the PM, i.e. "two rows along the bottom" (probably PM2), or "one bottom row and a column up the right side" (PM3 0r PM4), then it will be easier to let you know how to find the DF, though on the PM3&4 it is just a matter of going to more options on the menu.

Searching on "Drag Factor" will surely bring up endless reading material.

Weclome to the fray...

[Bob S.]

Hello - I just started using the C2 rower at my gym. I'm 45, 6' 213lbs (overweight) - havent really been excercising very much in the last year. I started using the C2 rower on Dec. 29, 2006 with the settings left by the person ahead of me (airflow setting 10) and have stayed with that setting for all three workouts. Trying to keep ~ 28spm and ride for 30 minutes. The first try I quit atfter 25 mins and 5400m. On my second two attempts I was able to make it to 30 minutes with 6400 and 6588 m. Q: am I on track for newbie?

At this stage, the most important item is to develop the proper technique. For one thing, 28spm sounds roo fast for 30 minutes for a guy your size. The following is an edited copy of a message that I sent my daughter, who is also a newbie at rowing:

I hope that you have the technique down right. There was one website that showed a New York City gym in which the gym owner was giving instructions to a visiting TV exercise advocate. The instructions were excellent. The owner, Josh Crosby:

http://webpages.charter.net/adventurera ... /josh.html

is the grandson of Thomas Crosby, who was at the Crash-Bs when I was there in 1995 and 1996. At the time, he was the M 90+ world record holder.

The video is available at:

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2747064

The biggest problem that most people new to the erg have is trying to take too fast a stroke rate and ending up with a bad drive to recovery ratio. The drive should be quick and hard and you should get the hands away and past the knees rapidly. After that the slide should be brought up slowly as you relax on the rest of the recovery. At a rate of 20 strokes per minute (spm), the recovery should take about twice as long as the drive. On the drive, the arms should be straight until the legs have straightened. On the recovery the legs should stay straight until the arms have straightened. Note that straight legs does not mean locked knees. The body motion (about 10 degrees in each direction from the vertical) can be practiced as a separate movement in between the leg drive and the arm (and the reverse on the recovery), but eventually generally gets blended in, bridging the arm and leg movements.

Another important item is getting in enough warm up time and taking the time to cool down. Each of them will take about 10-20 minutes. 10 minutes for a long easy piece and 20 minutes or more for a hard, fast piece like a 2k trial.

Check out:

http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/interactive.php

for a comprehensive training program that is tailored to fit any individual's need. There is one error in the Pace Guide. It says, "Training in the TR band should be equal to or less than TR pace, but not less than the figure in the AN column." That should read "the figure in the AT column." Note that there is a gap between the TR band and the AN band.

Another URL has a brief, but good description of the proper technique:

http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp? ... ay&uid=828

I hope that this information is of use to you.

Bob S.

[Skippy]

Paul - I feel pretty sure it's a PM2. So far, I have not been keeping track of the output for each stroke so whaterver information you can pass along to help understand it would be appreciated.

Bob - Thanks for the advice. I will slow down and work on my technique. I was laughing with one of my friends about how hard I was breathing during the first 30 min row - the gym spotter came a stood beind me for about 5 minutes - I think he was waiting for me to pass out - or have a heart attack! Although he did not say anything. One thing I have not been doing is gradually speeding up or slowing down - it sounds like this is important - at least for a novice.

Thanks again to all.

Barry