new to rowing and some question

[hitsuji]

hi
i am new to rowing and bought my concept2 / d just a few days ago. i am 34 years old and within my first few 2000m trainings best time was 8:22.

1) because limited time (1,5y old son) i like short trainings on a daily basis more then weekly long sessions. i am also doing it just for the generel fitness and not to diminish my weight. any training advices for a rowing beginner?
2) unfortunately two different usb sticks didnt work (i formated them to fat32), it still says voltage problem change stick or change battery . but its new and battery status above 80%. pm5 failure?
3) my drag factor was between 78 (1) and 211 (10). i started rowing with df around 118 (5). is this a good thing?
4) first thing you read about rowing is legs-chest-arms. but my power curve during rowing increases more fast then it decreases after the peak (drawn-out). it seems i cannot change this without using the arms too early.

regards

[jadomatis]

1) what is "short"? 30 mins daily can make a great workout. Alternate between a slower steady state for the full 30mins on one day and tough interval training the next day. The Concept2 Workouts of the Day can help keep things different and interesting too. They have options for 30-40 mins a session.

2) no clues here.. maybe Mr Watts will chime in...

3) Drag Factor 100-120 is a good place to be.

4) If I understand you correctly, your power curve is steep on the left and shallow on the right. This is a good thing... means you have lots of power early on in the stroke. "Ideal" stroke may be a perfect bell... but you'll find that a lot of the "sprinters" all have that left shifted curve. If I misunderstood, maybe post a vid of your stroke and a pic of a typical force curve you get.

[MarkEg]

Best advice I can offer, as someone who was new is to keep the meters ticking over with a mix of sessions. For example you could do a 30min at Rate 20 as part of your schedule, as well as all manner of intervals: 6x 500 or 8 x 500. Best thing from my experience is to keep it polarized and focus on developing (a) solid technique (b) power and finally (c) an aerobic base. Keep it going though regardless of what time you have available. Good luck!

[hitsuji]

hi thanks for your replys.

with "short" i ment some 2000m rowing. but in the meantime i am also doing 5000m of rowing.
i still havent managed to use my usb sticks and did not bought a new one. yes "steep on the left and shallow on the right" is what i meant and how my curve looks like. what i read so far is that it is absolutly fine because it means that i use my legs which have the most power.

i have two "new problems"
1) how to save personal trainings. or to be more precise: how can i overwrite some of the presaved ones that i dont need? or it is only possible while using an usb stick?
2) if i am rowing more then 20 minutes my bottom starts feeling numb it completly ruins my technique and i cant continue rowing even if i have power left in the legs and arms. do i just need some more practice? i am feelding prissy..

[jackarabit]

With USB drive inserted in PM5 and functioning optimally, you are able to copy favorite workouts from FAVORITES to CUSTOM either one at a time or replace all five in CUSTOM with the contents of FAVORITES. You will have the ability to store a total of 10 preset workouts when you get your monitor operational. The STANDARD workouts cannot be replaced. See here for specifics: http://www.concept2.com/service/monitor ... e-workouts

One recent suggestion on the USB non-recognition problem has been to avoid sticks of large capacity and try good quality sticks of 1 or 2 gb storage and good quality. I am currently getting reliable operation using a no name 1gb stick. i have seen erratic performance with a SanDisk 32 Cruzer Glide and no initial recognition with a SanDisk 2gb Cruzer Micro. If you have a small cap stick, even of giveaway quality, give that one a try. The other choice is to to proactively seek assistance from Concept 2 (ex.: firmware upgrades, battery door replacement, etc.). Be patient and accept that getting your PM5 operational may be an ongoing process.

Stretching back and butt muscles and time on the seat may eliminate the discomfort at 20', more than likely by delaying the onset to 30'. The first time I did 10k felt like a mini-crucifiction. I have no problem with half marathon distance now.

[Carl Watts]

2) no clues here.. maybe Mr Watts will chime in...

Perhaps I should refrain from making more comments on the PM5 since I don't actually own one. Sufficient to say I will be sticking to my PM4 and a couple of backup PM3's in case the PM4 fails for as long as possible, possibly 5 years or so. When your using RowPro the monitor is largely redundant and all you need it for is super reliable connection of a heartrate monitor and connectivity to the PC. It just has to turn on and provide the core functions with absolutely no trouble. There is no time to muck about with the monitor when its turned on a few minutes before a scheduled online row with other people.

[jadomatis]

@ Carl Watts - just thought you would be the tech expert since your sig line says you're a Concept2 Monitor Tech.

[danielcccook]

Watch plenty of technique videos, if you can put a mirror to watch your form, and dont do hard intervals for at least 4 weeks. Row by time and not distance for however long as you want too. Also the C2 has a list of awesome stretches to get your mobility up to par which (for me) helped prevent injuries more than anything. Yoga is awesome for this too. If your back starts to feel tired, call it a day and go again tomorrow. It takes a while to build up your muscles to go longer.