How not to get bored whilst on a rowing machine?

[rayg1]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

Message recieved and understood.

[Bob S.]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

Message recieved and understood.

He is not the only one. I used a static erg for many years, even for a couple of years after I bought my slides. At the beginning of this season I finally forced myself to use the slides for several sessions until I got the hang of the timing needed. In January, I reluctantly went back to the static erg in order to get used to it again in preparation for the winter competition. After the ergatta, I went back to the slides and will stick with them from now on. Admittedly, I am not happy about the large area that the slides take up, but, one of these days, I may spring for the new Dynamic C2.

Bob S.

[goblin]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

Message recieved and understood.

The proper internet term for this breed is not "troll" - it is a "shill".

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill

[Rockin Roland]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

Message recieved and understood.

Yes, on this forum I've been going on about the virtues of using a dynamic erg for years now. It's about time you blokes got the message!!!

Do yourselves a favour and abandon those static ergs for dynamic ones. You'll enjoy erging so much more plus get more out of it. I'm not kidding.

I don't particularily care which of the 5 dynamic options that you choose from because I'm not associated with any of them. Just for the record, I don't hate C2, I love their oars and use them almost every day, It's just their static ergs that I'm not happy with. If you like bland things, boredom and don't mind rowing like crap, stick to your static ergs.

[carlb]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

I'm expecting to see him over in the Women's Forum plugging away...." I used to row times like a 12 year old sheila ... then I got a RowPerfect "

Or maybe suggest "you can use a RowPerfect the next day" as the answer to "I am about to go through a hysterectomy and wondered how long before I can get back on the erg."

[PaulG]

If you like contemporary eclectic music while you erg, try WMVY.com. Live streaming on the web.

[Rockin Roland]

I don't think Rockin Roland could troll any harder even if he tried!

Yes, Roland we all get that you love dynamic ergs and hate static ones, in paticualr C2.

I'm expecting to see him over in the Women's Forum plugging away...." I used to row times like a 12 year old sheila ... then I got a RowPerfect "

That's the sad, sad thing about static erg chain jerkers. No wonder you get bored on those things. The only thing that you can do is chase numbers. You have no concept of anything else associated with erging. Just chasing numbers.

On a Rowperfect erg the monitor is only of minor importance(the RP3 doesn't even come with one as standard equipment). Instead you are more interested is finding that perfect stroke and feeling for that fluid continuous motion.

The problem with static ergs is that your head oscillates almost 2 metres with every stroke. The brain is repeatedly shaken which becomes incredibly fatiguing . On a Rowperfect erg(or any dynamic erg for that matter) you only move backwards and forwards about 20 cm. Consequently your mind is set free to think and the boredom factor is greatly reduced while your muscles are being honed.

When did you say you were selling that erg of yours?

[teddythebeer]

The problem with static ergs is that your head oscillates almost 2 metres with every stroke. The brain is repeatedly shaken which becomes incredibly fatiguing .

Only if the brain in question is quite small.

[aharmer]

I've expressed my disagreement with Roland's C2 bashing on the C2 site in the past, and still feel the same way, but he has a right to his opinion. My question today however, is how much brain power do you need to erg????? Your brain gets fatigued because you're sliding back and forth a further distance? I probably use about 1/2 of 1% of my brain's capacity while erging so a little fatigue isn't going to kill me even if that is true. The other thing to remember is that not everybody is erging to keep themselves in shape for OTW rowing. I use the erg as one of many fitness tools, nothing more. I'd guess a majority of people that look at this forum DO NOT row OTW. For many people it's nothing more than a machine that kicks your ass and wears you out.

[Rockin Roland]

I've expressed my disagreement with Roland's C2 bashing on the C2 site in the past, and still feel the same way, but he has a right to his opinion. My question today however, is how much brain power do you need to erg????? Your brain gets fatigued because you're sliding back and forth a further distance? I probably use about 1/2 of 1% of my brain's capacity while erging so a little fatigue isn't going to kill me even if that is true. The other thing to remember is that not everybody is erging to keep themselves in shape for OTW rowing. I use the erg as one of many fitness tools, nothing more. I'd guess a majority of people that look at this forum DO NOT row OTW. For many people it's nothing more than a machine that kicks your ass and wears you out.

aharmer,
It's not so much about how much brain power you need for erging that matters but rather how fatigued it gets. I'll explain further what I meant in my previous post. On a static erg your body has to stop and suddenly change direction both at the catch and finish of each stroke. Try and picture what you think happens to your brain when your body has to suddenly stop? Have you heard the sound that gasoline makes in your car's fuel tank when you suddenly stop at the traffic lights. It's a sloshing sound. The same goes for your brain in your scull. It gets sloshed around.

As your body on a static erg travels considerably further than the gentle rocking 20 cm action on a dynamic erg, it gains more momentum then suddenly you have to grind to a hault to go back in the opposite direction. Over a 30 minute period your brain would get mashed some 1600 times. This constant sloshing around of your brain in your scull eventually leads to brain fatigue. What do you think happens then? Your brain starts sending signals to muscles that it's had enough. You no longer think clearly and freely. Boredom sets in and enthusiasm to finish your workout wears thin.

Now, on a dynamic erg, because of the different movement, the fatigue is no where near as great. And that's not only the brain. The movement is also kinder to your spine and major muscle groups making for less likelihood of injury. Since changing from training on a static erg to a dynamic erg I've noticed a vast improvement in my body's health. As there is less stress on the body, I recover quicker and can now cope with more frequent hard work pieces on the dynamic erg.

You say that the majority of people on this forum DO NOT ROW ON THE WATER.
I say IT DOESN'T MATTER.

The dynamic erg (regardless of which model you buy) is a BETTER and MORE EFFICIENT way of training than on a static erg. No need to use the excuse that it's only relevant to OTW rowers like myself. They are a better training tool for gym rats too. If there is a better way of doing things then you should embrace it, not knock it. This is only really the first year of dynamic ergs but in about 10 years time static ergs will be history.

[aharmer]

I've never knocked a dynamic erg, only supported the erg that is manufactured by the company that supports this forum. I'm sure I'll own a dynamic erg one day. In your experience is the power output similar? Do your interval workouts on a Model D or E mimic the watts you produce on the new erg? Not that it really matters, just wondering if those thing stay the same when you change to the new style.

[luckylindy]

The problem with static ergs is that your head oscillates almost 2 metres with every stroke. The brain is repeatedly shaken which becomes incredibly fatiguing .

Roland, do you have any documents on the forces on your brain while rowing, or any scientific/research evidence that your brain is subjected to forces large enough to cause fatique? Your body is moving relatively slowly, and has very 'soft' stops, when compared with other activities like running (and particularly when compared with sports like basketball) ... I've never heard of any non-contact sports causing brain fatigue due to "smashing".

If you were a machine and could whip out perfectly square force curves that greatly exceeded the force you experienced when landing a jump, I could see some jarring ... but these types of forces are impossible for a human to create on an erg. By the time you've reached the beginning or end of your stroke, your head has already slowed down considerably (over a decent distance) ... your brain doesn't smash against your skull unless far larger forces are involved.

[Rockin Roland]

Do your interval workouts on a Model D or E mimic the watts you produce on the new erg? Not that it really matters, just wondering if those thing stay the same when you change to the new style.

My 1000m and 2000m times on a C2 model D and the same erg on slides are identical. The only difference is that I have to rate about 4 or 5 spm higher on slides (both ergs at 130 drag) to achieve the same results. I have done many time trials over the last 12 months and no matter how hard I try, there is consistantly less than 1 second difference between the two for me.

However the Rowperfect is a different story. I can't maintain the same 500m splits as a C2 erg on my Rowperfect. I'm consistantly about 10% slower. The Rowperfect(Indoor sculler) erg's monitor is weight adjusted. Hence it is set at my weight of 88kg and the readouts on the monitor are automatically calculated for that weight. But that is only part of the reason. The other reason why I'm slower is because the degree of technical difficulty on the Rowperfect is much higher than on any other erg. The limited tilt seat, which introduces a balance component, and the limited seat travel (much shorter distance than an Oartec slider) make body sequencing during the stroke & recovery critical for a good result.

I find it difficult to maintain a rating over 35 on the Rowperfect as the technique I could hold no problems at lower ratings is tested to the max once the speed (spm) are increased. Without correct body sequence you can no longer keep the rhythm going to keep the pressure on.

[Rockin Roland]

The problem with static ergs is that your head oscillates almost 2 metres with every stroke. The brain is repeatedly shaken which becomes incredibly fatiguing .

Roland, do you have any documents on the forces on your brain while rowing, or any scientific/research evidence that your brain is subjected to forces large enough to cause fatique? Your body is moving relatively slowly, and has very 'soft' stops, when compared with other activities like running (and particularly when compared with sports like basketball) ... I

This was brought to my attention about 5 months ago after reading a document on this topic here in Oz. I'm trying to locate it for you. The document pointed out situations that we are totally oblivious to when training yet they adversely affect our performance. We are not talking about brain damage here but rather a mental state caused by the movement on a static erg. You don'thave to travel at break neck speed to reach this state. For example, while reading this post rock your head from side to side. What do you feel? It's uncomfortable isn't it. Imagine doing it 1600 times. Don't you think that would case mental fatigue? The problem is that on a static erg so many other things are going on with your body that you don't even realise this mental state. Or if you do you attribute the cause to something else like oxygen debt.

Perhaps this will give you something to think about next time you reach the point of boredom during a workout on a static erg.

[hjs]

The problem with static ergs is that your head oscillates almost 2 metres with every stroke. The brain is repeatedly shaken which becomes incredibly fatiguing .

Roland, do you have any documents on the forces on your brain while rowing, or any scientific/research evidence that your brain is subjected to forces large enough to cause fatique? Your body is moving relatively slowly, and has very 'soft' stops, when compared with other activities like running (and particularly when compared with sports like basketball) ... I

This was brought to my attention about 5 months ago after reading a document on this topic here in Oz. I'm trying to locate it for you. The document pointed out situations that we are totally oblivious to when training yet they adversely affect our performance. We are not talking about brain damage here but rather a mental state caused by the movement on a static erg. You don'thave to travel at break neck speed to reach this state. For example, while reading this post rock your head from side to side. What do you feel? It's uncomfortable isn't it. Imagine doing it 1600 times. Don't you think that would case mental fatigue? The problem is that on a static erg so many other things are going on with your body that you don't even realise this mental state. Or if you do you attribute the cause to something else like oxygen debt.

Perhaps this will give you something to think about next time you reach the point of boredom during a workout on a static erg.

hahahahah the lenghts you go to put the static erg down. If movement like on an erg already do this, what do sports where we really move around to our brain? Like almost al ball sports.