Concept2 Forum

i am new here - and very new to the concept2 and rowing. but i am very excited. i'm wondering, is it okay to strength train while also rowing? i know when lifting that you need to give muscles a day to rest so that they will properly recover. does rowing on one of these off days still allow that or no? i would like to row 4-5 days a week and alternate my workouts as well. here is something i am thinking about:<br /><br />monday - upper body, row 30 min<br />tuesday - lower body, row 30 min<br />wednesday - upper body, row 30 min<br />thursday - lower body, row 30 min<br />saturday - upper and lower body, row 30 min<br /><br />can i safely do this and still allow my muscles to recover from the weight training?<br /><br />thanks!

Erging is mostly for CV training, and this happens even at very low power levels, with HR say 130-140, known as UT2. If you do some warm-up before the weights, which sounds reasonable even to someone like me who knows nothing about weight training, maybe it could be that type of UT2 work.

Hardlynot,<br /><br />Rowing (erging) a 2k (the major distance in world-wide competitions) is a power-endurance event. So, develloping strength and strength-endurance is a crucial task for rowers. Doing so by cross-training, using weights is fine.<br /><br />My advice to you is to schedule a routine based in 3 kinds of goals: maximal strength / strength-endurance / building volume (if you don't want to be a lightweight). <br /><br />Be sure you work your strength in your erg, too. There are plenty of topics in this forum about this issue.<br /><br />Rowing and weight training are compatible; but, if you want to weight-train every day, make lighter rowing workouts, or you will be over-trained or even injured (e.g. lower back injury).<br /><br />AM

[FONT=Arial]<!--QuoteBegin-hardlynot+Jul 24 2005, 10:23 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(hardlynot @ Jul 24 2005, 10:23 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->i am new here - and very new to the concept2 and rowing.  but i am very excited.  i'm wondering, is it okay to strength train while also rowing?  i know when lifting that you need to give muscles a day to rest so that they will properly recover.  does rowing on one of these off days still allow that or no?  i would like to row 4-5 days a week and alternate my workouts as well.  here is something i am thinking about:<br /><br />monday - upper body, row 30 min<br />tuesday - lower body, row 30 min<br />wednesday - upper body, row 30 min<br />thursday - lower body, row 30 min<br />saturday - upper and lower body, row 30 min<br /><br />can i safely do this and still allow my muscles to recover from the weight training?<br /><br />thanks! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I have started off with a very similar routine combining weigth training and rowing in late 2003. After a while (6 to 9 months) I gradually lost the desire for weigth training and focussed more on rowing. I do now between 10 - 12k per day early in the morning ca. 5 x per week. As far as I am concerned indoor rowing gives you both great CV fitness and a nice body (my wife says that) provided that you train with some intensity and variation. <br /><br />Good luck with your rowing<br /><br />Roger<br /><br />

I used to do a lot of weight training whilst also working on the erg. Since I bought my own C2 at home I hardly weight train at all and have to say not only do I not miss it, I am in better shape now and have actually improved my muscularity and lowered by body fat.<br />I still do some functional training and core stability work with light weights but as for spending hours lifting hunks of iron in a limited range of motion - forget it.<br />You will notice big improvements on the erg if you knock the weights on the head.

As someone who came to rowing from a weight training background, I agree with the previous two posters.<br /><br />While my power is above average, and I can pull a reasonably fast 500m, I have extended my rowing to five or six days a week, and I only do one weights type workout per week. The exercises I do are pretty much geared towards improving my rowing, Leg Press/Leg Curls/Cable Rows/Lateral Raises/Bench Press. If I miss the weights workout, it doesn't worry me too much, I can always do it another day.<br /><br />Like the others, I also do some core stability work, again to support my rowing.<br /><br />Since I started rowing in April 2004, I have lost 35lbs and I can now run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, when previously a slow 10 minute jog was a struggle. I feel a lot fitter and as others have said, my wife thinks that I look better too. Another benefit is that having lost the 50 inch chest I previously had, I also find it is easier to buy shirts that fit properly.<br /><br />By all means keep doing occasional weights workouts to maintain your strength and power, but focus on the rowing. You should see significant benefits.

<!--QuoteBegin-PeterWilkinson+Jul 27 2005, 04:51 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(PeterWilkinson @ Jul 27 2005, 04:51 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->As someone who came to rowing from a weight training background, I agree with the previous two posters.<br /><br />While my power is above average, and I can pull a reasonably fast 500m, I have extended my rowing to five or six days a week, and I only do one weights type workout per week. The exercises I do are pretty much geared towards improving my rowing, Leg Press/Leg Curls/Cable Rows/Lateral Raises/Bench Press. If I miss the weights workout, it doesn't worry me too much, I can always do it another day.<br /><br />Like the others, I also do some core stability work, again to support my rowing.<br /><br />Since I started rowing in April 2004, I have lost 35lbs and I can now run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, when previously a slow 10 minute jog was a struggle. I feel a lot fitter and as others have said, my wife thinks that I look better too. Another benefit is that having lost the 50 inch chest I previously had, I also find it is easier to buy shirts that fit properly.<br /><br />By all means keep doing occasional weights workouts to maintain your strength and power, but focus on the rowing. You should see significant benefits. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />I forgot to mention that I do a fair amount of stretching (pre and post) ca. 15-20 min in total per session. With increasing age I find stretching more important and enjoyable because one maintains flexibility.<br /><br /> <br />

A year on from starting my ergo training its relavent to review how its gone so far and look at what helped. I thought weights would be essential and spent months building myself up to reach the magic 100kg before considering prolonged ergo row training...how wrong i was. My experience is that there is no replacing rowing if you want to row well. Weights have there place eg post injury but i wish now i had just stuck to building endurance and not muscle power (i worked mainly on leg plyometrics). So if anyone is starting their rowing experience - just row and enjoy how your body composition will change with endurance rowing alone. Have a look at the Wolverine P - especially thoses L4 sessions!<br /><br />cheers

<!--QuoteBegin-hardlynot+Jul 25 2005, 04:23 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(hardlynot @ Jul 25 2005, 04:23 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->i am new here - and very new to the concept2 and rowing.  but i am very excited.  i'm wondering, is it okay to strength train while also rowing?  i know when lifting that you need to give muscles a day to rest so that they will properly recover.  does rowing on one of these off days still allow that or no?  i would like to row 4-5 days a week and alternate my workouts as well.  here is something i am thinking about:<br /><br />monday - upper body, row 30 min<br />tuesday - lower body, row 30 min<br />wednesday - upper body, row 30 min<br />thursday - lower body, row 30 min<br />saturday - upper and lower body, row 30 min<br /><br />can i safely do this and still allow my muscles to recover from the weight training?<br /><br />thanks! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Hallo,<br /><br />It depends on what you want to achieve. To row really hard you also need power and to get power you need strengt as well. <br />But you have to plan your training around your goals, out off the rowing season more enfieces om building strengt en during the season must less and only just once a week per bodypart to just keep your strenght.<br />Your scedule now is way to demanding. One day rest after a serious workout is far to less.<br />It offcause depends on the intensitie but 3 weight trainings a week is enough. Train every bodepart 3 times in 14 days. No more. Train hard enough then.

When I initially started erging, I lost interest in strength training. The muscular demands of rowing sort of hindered my desire and recovery for lifing iron. It seems this is not an uncommon trend based on some of the posts on this thread.<br /><br />Recently, I have tried to re-introduce weight-training as I think long-term, it's good to work at building and (later as you age) preserving muscle mass. A lot of erging may reduce your bodyfat - making you look more muscular - but as primarily a CV exercise - once the initial adapations to the rowing stimulus are gained - I don't think it's going to lead to the slow but long-term increases in muscles one sees with weight-training over a period of years.

I usually row about 4-5 times a week (one session On The Water). The 3-4 ergo sessions are varied, from steady state long rows (30 mins/40 mins/10km etc), intervals (8 x 500m 3:30 rest etc) and rate pyramids. The water session is to build technique by doing blade drills, sprints, square blades etc.<br /><br />I also do 1 session of circuits, and 2 sessions of weights (done after 2 of the ergo sessions). The weights are however not to "Build myself up" as the saying goes, but aimed more at building my strength for rowing. So i do 3 x 15 reps at 60 - 70% max which helps to increase muscle size but also endurance.<br /><br />I agree that building yourself up for rowing is the wrong way to go. Much better to increase your rowing ability and endurance, CV fitness etc. alongside a structured weight training program so as any muscle you do build is "trained" for rowing from the start

Years ago, the work I did pushing my leg press max from 200 lbs to 360lbs made a difference. Later work on bench row achieving a high of 175 lbs definitely made me a more powerful oar. These were in 3 sets of 10-12 reps , achieved over 6 months or more of training. Low back work is also important, and maintaining push/pull (flexor/extensor) muscle balance.<br /><br />Bench row / bench press<br /><br />Low back lifts (squat, goodmorning) / abdominal work, hip flexor work (running, sprints, stairs).<br /><br />Leg Press / Hamstring work (more of the running)<br /><br />Good safe increase of a maximum 5% every 2-3 weeks. Done with patience, one can double strength in a year. Most weight training injuries come from trying to move up to fast, or having poor technique or joint angles. Never strain. That's when you are at greatest risk of injury. Warm-up with 10 minutes or more of cardio. Its for your heart. <br /><br />When you plateau. Relax, back off a little. Plateau's are at high strength, and limits of body parts strain tolerance. Body may be healing from high strain, where connective tissue is struggling to deal with its physical limits. Your object is strength and power, not how strong you WERE when something tore.

just a comment here: there is NO such thing as cardiovascular training, i.e., there is no way to involve the cardio/respiratory cycle UNLESS the skeletal muscular system is also involved. Point is real simple: if "steady state activity" were to produce the maximal CV gains, then the most steady state activity we engage in should produce the maximal CV gains. What would that be? SLEEP!!<br /><br />The only way to engage the CV metabolic pathway is to work it via the skeletal/muscular system. Hence, HIT strength training, judiciously done x1 per week, with one set to complete failure, on a 5 pos and 5 neg rep cycle, using leg curl, leg press, calf press, neck extension/flexion, chest press, compound row, abs and lower back extension, will get you to Dodge, provided of course that you are doing the strength training in strict form: no heaving, no jabs, no thrusts, no fall throughs, no start/stops: nothing but a controlled rep cycle.<br /><br />I'm 67 yoa and 164# w/ 8.9% BF out of the shower and will this coming March give my best shot at 2k in 8 minutes or less. I will follow the just noted HIT schedule and incorporate a C2 rowing program that my trainer will prescribe.<br /><br />tony