An idiots guide…..

[RunningOnWater]

Ok, go gentle on me here!
I was a runner but years of Achilles and calf injuries and I’m facing the fact that 25 years of running is catching up on me and I’ve just bought a Concept 2 Rower.

I’ve used one very briefly at my gym but have little idea what I’m doing, apart from watching the Olympics I have no knowledge of running.

I’m looking for any pointers which might make my foray in to indoor rowing vaguely successful!

I’ve unpacked the rower and set it up which all seems good.
I feel liked I’ve got pretty good technique.
I’ve had a few short workouts and set the dampener to 3 to begin with.
Rowing at 30 spm (because i saw that on a forum somewhere!).
Feel pretty comfortable at pace (?) being 2:15 / 500m.

Anything I should try to get started?
Any apps which I can download on to a phone where I can see a rowing boat travelling over water (is that a stupid thing to ask?)

[DavidA]

Welcome.
Much of that doesn't sound bad.
There are others here who are much more qualified, and will be able to help you better, but some questions that are sure to come up:
Age, weight, height, gender, goals.
C2 has an app - ErgData that has a real time loop, which has a pretend river loop. There are also some youtube channels that have rowing videos to watch as you row. I believe that are a few others as well, some free, some not.
Good luck. Good health, and enjoy yourself.

David

[Rowan McSheen]

Rowing is a great accompaniment to running -- works the legs and everything else nicely without impact.

Anyway, if you are a total total beginner there are some good online resources to hold your hand as you get started. I like RowAlong for his easygoing manner and this is the link to his complete playlist of newbie workouts. But he has plenty of others too at all levels from paddler to racing snake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quxLltq ... NA_UMzrBem

Other motivators on YouTube are available, Dark Horse and Training Tall to name just two.

Also popular is the Beginners Pete Plan, for which there's a thread in the Training section. It starts with a 5,000 metre row and progresses from there, if that's where you are now.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[Rowan McSheen]

Looks like DavidA and I took pity on your 3-day-old thread simultaneously

[jamesg]

I feel like I’ve got pretty good technique.

Don't we all. To make sure, check here and follow the written instructions:
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... que-videos

Pace 2:15 is 140Watt, so you're certainly working, but rate 30 is too high. Rowing training is done very slowly, at 18-20 to start with, so that we can learn how it's done. So rate 20 and 140W would be a better combination, depending on your height.

This is as good as it gets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf84O5cTWY4

[Dangerscouse]

Welcome to the forum.

First of all, watch as many C2, or similar, videos as you can and really think about what you're doing. Correcting mistakes now will pay dividends in the future.

30spm, or what we would refer to as r30, is high but that's to be expected as you sound like you're more aerobically dominant than strength dominant.

As mentioned above, more info /details are very useful as there's quite a difference between what advice we would give based on age, gender, weight etc.

[RunningOnWater]

Thanks for all the info guys,
So I’m
Male
45
1.80m
84kg (hoping to get back down to around 77kg).

Upper body strength is pretty low.
Endurance (for running) is pretty good.

I’ve watched a lot of videos on technique and expected that I’d be uncoordinated, but actually don’t look to bad.

Still learning, but trying to work out if I drop my r from 30 down to 20, but still wanted to be at 2:15/500m pace, I’d really need to put more power (or pull) in to each stroke.

[iain]

Still learning, but trying to work out if I drop my r from 30 down to 20, but still wanted to be at 2:15/500m pace, I’d really need to put more power (or pull) in to each stroke.

that's exactly it! Unlike running or cycling rowing requires all the power to be delivered over a short period (~0.7S), then allows us to rest as the "boat" keeps running. As a result the level of effort during this short stretch is much higher than other endurance sports, feeling a bit like a squat followed by a crawl back for the next stroke. 30SPM is a typical rating for an all out 2k (the usual racing or trial distance). But to get/stay fit requires longer rows. There are some variations, but most people try and deliver a similar amount of work with each stroke in most workouts, while adjusting the rating depending on how hard we want to work (the exact opposite of cycling or running). Rating low has the added advantage of giving you time to concentrate on the technical aspects of the stroke. If you are brave, post a video of you rowing taken from the side and people will be able to give you a critique before bad habits become ingrained.

Its worth reading up about "Drag Factor". This is adjusted with the damper setting on the side. Different machines have different drag for the same damper setting, so it is better to standardise the drag factor used. In case you haven't read about the drag factor, this is not to be confused with resistance. The resistance is variable and increases rapidly with the speed that the handle is pulled (with the cube of handle speed), so a lower drag requires a faster stroke to achieve the same resistance / speed.

Thanks for the stats. Most of the force is delivered by the legs as the stroke is more of a "push" than a "pull", so a weaker upper body shuldn't disadvantage you too badly, core is more important than arms. But you may find that a lower (DF 90-110) suits you better as higher drag puts more of the stress on your arms.

It would be useful to know your main objectives from your rowing and how much time you want to devote to it and also what motivates you as this impacts what training will best suit you.

Best of luck.

Iain

PS: the reason for the limited response is that threads such as these are usually on the "training" area of the forum.

[MudSweatAndYears]

Still learning, but trying to work out if I drop my r from 30 down to 20, but still wanted to be at 2:15/500m pace, I’d really need to put more power (or pull) in to each stroke.

I'd say maximize relaxation at the recoveries and drop the rating even a bit lower to 18 strokes per minute. As a healthy 45 year old male, with a decent technique you should still be able to reach 2:15/500m pace. Over time your upper body (posterior chain) strength and endurance will improve, and you find yourself during trainings putting some 10 Wattminutes of energy in each stroke, which equates to 18 x 10 = 180 Watts or 2:04/500m pace.