New Erg, New Rower...advice?

[old] KPet1 · Post by **[old] KPet1** » December 29th, 2004, 10:34 am

[FONT=Times] Our biggest Christmas gift to our family ( and primarily my 15 year old crew team daughter) was a brand new erg. I'm very excited about the opportunity to row, and hence share training with my daughter, and hope that rowing will help with my resolve to both quit smoking and get into better shape.I'm 43 years old, 5'1" and 126 lbs. I rowed yesterday for the first time, 4 pieces of about 5 minutes each and find today that although a little tight I am not sore and feel encouraged to continue! ( I do lift weights, and walk about 20 miles a week and have been doing that for some time, hence the lack of soreness.) Any advice, encouragemant etc etc would surely be appreciated !

[old] SimonB · Post by **[old] SimonB** » December 29th, 2004, 11:24 am

Good for you and your family. The only advice I can give is keep it moderate and sane to begin with so your body gets use to the new excercise. You don't want to injure yourself early on and then be put off. Watch the technique video and concentrate on getting this right. It's very important. (Also ignore the insane times and training schedules of some of the elite rowers on this board ). Then build up the pace and schedule. You need to understand your goals (weight loss, speed, distance, general fitness) and then find the appropriate training schedule. Search and read this forum for information. You can also find good info on the UK site as well <a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/' target='_blank'>C2 UK</a> The first ten years are the worst, then it's all downhill from there

[old] SlugButt · Post by **[old] SlugButt** » December 29th, 2004, 11:54 am

Welcome to you and your daughter! I agree with SimonB's suggestions, and might also add one possibility. There is a company called Digital Rowing (I don't know their website address off hand, but it should be easy to find with a Google search) that sells software so that you can practice with others online by connecting a PC to your erg. Although it's still being Beta tested (they sell the Beta version, and give free upgrades as they make improvements) I've really enjoyed having others with whom to row. It seems like the number of folks using the program is gradually growing and, hopefully, the pool of people to practice with will hopefully grow and become more diverse. Have fun! David

[old] SimonB · Post by **[old] SimonB** » December 29th, 2004, 2:09 pm

<a href='http://www.digitalrowing.com/' target='_blank'>Digital Rowing</a> That's a great suggestion SlugButt. I also use RowPro and find it a great motivator and lots of fun. (Redefinition of fun = hard freaking work ! ) It will also design training plans based on you experiance and level of fitness.

[old] grandslam · Post by **[old] grandslam** » December 29th, 2004, 3:30 pm

Definately get the Rowpro program. On-line racing is the future of indoor rowing. In addition, I highly recommend you upgrade your rower with a set of slides; the biggest improvement in the erg since the model A. Feels much more like real rowing, and your back will thank you for it. Unless you are going to limit yourself to venue races at the 2K distance where slides aren't used for logistical reasons (I assume), you will have a huge variety of racing distances with Rowpro, where slides can be used. They are worth every penny. Good luck! Cheers, Jeff Sauter

[old] KPet1 · Post by **[old] KPet1** » December 30th, 2004, 10:15 am

Thanks so much for replying to my questions/ fear/ apprehension ! I'll surely look into the digital rowing program, it sounds like it'd fit what I'm planning. I've rowed since my first post of course, and in all honesty find it hard to stay away.It's like the erg is just sitting there in the den calling my name. I'm not getting insane with it and luckily haven't hurt myself, other than general achiness. Having my daughter so familair with the it is a help to me and I ask her about her times and for advice on getting better. She might not be a good sounding board for me though... there have been times when I've picked her up from crew practice where she's told me .. If I go to hell... I'll be on the erg for all of eternity! Her perspective is a little different and having a coach screaming at me while I row would probably change my feeling I'm sure. I did another 4000 last night; not a great time but I felt satisfied, and beat up as well. I'm certain at this pace I'll work up to where I want to be, and again feel encouraged. Thanks again.. Kathie

[old] Rocket Roy · Post by **[old] Rocket Roy** » December 30th, 2004, 11:00 am

Well done Kathie, Keep at it and the distance you do daily will slowly creep up. Listen to your daughter especially about technique, that is the most important thing to get right. Are you posting on the rankings board, that will motivate you to go faster and longer, well it did for me.

[old] KPet1 · Post by **[old] KPet1** » January 6th, 2005, 1:28 pm

Well the training seems to be going well as does the quitting smoking thing. I've been using the patch for the latter and yes have slipped but find that the more I erg the less likely I am to actually enjoy the smoking. I've been taking all of your advice to heart, and haven't gone nuts ( well not really anyway ) with the erging, even though my daughter swears I am. I've been pretty much sticking to about 4000 a day split up of course and this morning did a half an hour at a nice easy pace with the hopes of encreasing my endurance. I am determined anyway and am happy to say that the erg has taken a nice place in my life. Yeah,... it's hard freaking work at times.. and when I get off of there I sometimes feel as though I'll just melt into the carpet but.. I get on again and again and find that the challenge of bettering my times for not only the longer distances but for my splits as well is what's egging me on. I have yet to look into the digital rowing but plan to and know that it'll add to everthing and help me to accomplish more. Oh .. and why didn't one of you guys tell me that erging is ADDICTIVE?????

[old] little weed · Post by **[old] little weed** » January 6th, 2005, 2:00 pm

hi kathie, there's a newbie section just started up in General which might interest you. i'm 41 and have 15 year old (well, nearly, 10 days to go) and 13 year old girls - cox and rower respectively. i started rowing in november and, like you, i'm lovin' it! jane

[old] Judy T · Post by **[old] Judy T** » January 7th, 2005, 11:26 am

Hi Kathie I'm fairly new to indoor rowing having started in September after doing no exercise whatsoever. You'll find your fitness level improves really quickly and you're right it is very addictive! I've even got to the stage where I'm aiming to compete shortly. Good luck and enjoy yourself! Judy

[old] KPet1 · Post by **[old] KPet1** » January 7th, 2005, 2:01 pm

Jane, seems we're in the same boat ( no pun of course lol ) . My daughter's a rower too , the season starts Feb 4th I think. She's off and on the erg, and has a time of 8:24 for her 2000, and is aiming for a split time of about 1:50 ( I think she's nuts ). I have been posting in the online rankings area and that is encouraging to me to see my times going down. I can feel a difference already even after a week and half of doing this, and have been excited about being able to breathe when I do it because I'm not smoking, not as much anyway. I know there are quite a few " elite" rowers on this board and seeing their posts isn't disheartening thankfully. I know I have a long way to go really, but am up for the challenge!

[old] CAROLE MAC · Post by **[old] CAROLE MAC** » January 7th, 2005, 2:16 pm

Kathie/Judy and Jane keep it up you are doing brilliant... just think how many people even get on the machine never mind stick to it not that many .... erg on girls .... plus we need more ladies posting ggggg

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