Training Guidance from Experienced Members

[Andy M]

About 3 weeks ago I completed the assembly on a used Model B, having not rowed one in over 16 years I started regularly rowing again in between by bicycle trainer and martial arts training workouts. I am looking for training feedback from some of the experienced forum members. My plan is to row 2 times a week and today was my 6th row and on the large spoke I was able to do 6.69 K in 20 minutes which is my planned workout time when I row. Are there variable workouts to do in the 20 minute training period to vary my training and if these are available on the forum where might I find them?. Frankly, I don't know what to expect from my erg training and my goal is overall aerobic fitness. Stats -- 45 years old, 5'4" and 138 lbs (perhaps this helps).

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

Andy

[Nosmo]

6.69K in 20 minutes is a 1:29.7 pace. Something is really wrong, that is below light weight world record pace for the 2K.

Anyway, to answer your question. There are a lot of things you could do. 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy. 45 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy, or any combination of hard easy you could think of. You could limit your stroke rating to say 18 or 20 stokes per minute. You could change your strokerating evey two minutes: say 16,18,20,22,24,26,24,22,20 or something similiar. You could do pyramids in pace rather then stroke ratings. However, what you do really depends on what else you do during the week and want you are trying to achieve. 20 minutes is not that long. If that is all your doing a single hard effort is fine if it fits into the rest of you training.

[Andy M]

Nosmo:

Thanks for the input. It is surely that the original monitor, pick-up or both on my Model B are faulty. I guess that as long as they are consistently faulty, then my times relative to each other is all that matters for me. I will plan on the variable workouts which you referenced below.

Perhaps with the upcoming Holiday Season I will ask for a new monitor and see if that puts me into more accurate readings! Thanks for the valuable feedback.

Andy.

[Citroen]

6.69K in 20 minutes is a 1:29.7 pace. Something is really wrong, that is below light weight world record pace for the 2K.

We see wonky numbers from PM3/PM4 monitors configured for model B/C when they are mounted on a model D/E. But getting it wrong the other way round results in the monitor registering nothing (won't even wake up on the first stroke).

So this model B has something seriously wrong with the electronics. That's either the flywheel sensor or the monitor (or both).

I think you're going to need to call Concept2.

[iain]

Are there variable workouts to do in the 20 minute training period to vary my training and if these are available on the forum where might I find them?. Frankly, I don't know what to expect from my erg training and my goal is overall aerobic fitness. Stats -- 45 years old, 5'4" and 138 lbs (perhaps this helps).

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

Andy

One option is the 20 min plan, pages 49-51 of:
http://www.concept2.co.uk/docs/guide/tr ... ridged.pdf

But as said above, 20 mins is short for anaerobic workout. For a hard session, you should ideally warm up for 5+ mins (some would say 15+) and cool down for a similar period, so with setting the monitor etc. there is little time to train.

Longer programs such as http://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/ may start at this distance, but get longer.

I hope you sort out your erg and find something suitable.

- Iain

[jkalmes]

I have a Model B and purchased a PM2 monitor, it cost about $115, the cable was already in place so I just mounted the monitor and off I went. Just letting you know approx. price. Good Luck

[Bill Moore]

I think the older machines had different ratios or gearing, so that the distances don't equate to what we currently see on the Model Cs or up.

I think Paul S has direct experience with the older machines and can help convert this pace to a comprable pace on today's machines.

Then again, it could just be the monitor/wiring/etc...

[Nosmo]

I think the older machines had different ratios or gearing, so that the distances don't equate to what we currently see on the Model Cs or up.

I think Paul S has direct experience with the older machines and can help convert this pace to a comprable pace on today's machines.

Then again, it could just be the monitor/wiring/etc...

The differences between B and others is small and in no way can account for the discrepancy he is seeing

[Bill Moore]

Nosmo,

I thought the old 2,500m times equated to today's 2,000 times, or something like that. I don't have the experience with Model A, which is what I'm probably thinking about from posts by Paul S. Regardless, one of the older machines had a very different calculation of distance than what we have now. I used Model Bs before, and like you said, I don't recall there being that big of a discrepancy.

The only reason I brought up the gearing discrepancy, is because Andy mentioned a Large Spoke. That sounds like different gearing, and sounds very much like a discussion thread from Paul S. Did the Model B have different spokes? I don't recall that they did, but it's been about 15 years since I was on one.

[Nosmo]

Bill,
I believe the switch to 2000m was after the B was released. My Original A had a bike speedometer and measured distance in "Miles". 10 miles was roughly equivalent to 500m on a newer monitor. I thought the PM1 was release with the B and retrofitted on to mod A's but I'm not sure.

The Mod B did have two cogs* that one could switch to change the resistance in addition to changing the damper to adjust the air flow. These are technically two different things and change slightly the feel of the B vs other machines but practically it didn't matter much.

*I think B has 14 and 16 teeth, C,D&E have 15 tooth cogs I think. Changing the cog effects the force required to accelerate the fly wheel at the catch without changing how much is slows down on the recovery.

[Bob S.]

Nosmo,

I thought the old 2,500m times equated to today's 2,000 times, or something like that.

No that is not the case at all. My best time in the 2,500m in 1995, the last year of the 2,500m competition was 9:35.8 (1:55.2s/500m). The next year the C-B was switched to 2000m and my best competition time in that season was 7:39.6 (1:54.9s/500m). As you can see, the shorter race was at just a tad faster pace as might be expected but not by very much. However there was also a year of aging (70-71) in between, so my 2k in 1996 was probably a little slower than it might have been in 1995.

The switch to 2000m had nothing to do with the C2 models. It was done to bring the indoor rowing competitions in line with the most popular OTW distance. I once saw how the 2.5k was chosen. I believe that it had something to do with the relationship of the Model B and the Model A, but I don't really remember. Paul S. probably has the details.

Bob S.

Added in edit: I just managed to find the old 2.5k open record, 7:10.7 set in 1992 by Siejkowsky. His 2k record was 5:39.7

[Bill Moore]

Ah, yeah, the bike spedo and miles. Not quite the same thing as what we have now, thank goodness. It's good to have good standards now. I'm in SF on a consulting assignment, but found a gym through the C2 website with model Bs, and have continued my training. Tomorrow is a travel day and a day off from workouts, but it's back to the program at home on my model C with Row Pro on Saturday.

So it definitely appears that the original post is truly a faulty PM or wiring.