Injured Runner, looking for advice

[Christirei]

Thank you, so i need to connect the app to the rower first, and then do the work? I think that was my problem, i did the workout and then tried to connect the app and nothing happened. i manually added my workout to the logbook last night when i finally gave up. if i connect first then it will log the work i do, so keep the app open throughout the workout?

Thanks so much for the advice on the heels lifting too. i just wanted to make sure i wasn't doing something very wrong. i do think i have the strap to low on my foot and will raise the foot rest a little for my next workout. i watched several youtube videos about the strap placement.

i appreciate the advice, thank you so much

[Dangerscouse]

Thank you, so i need to connect the app to the rower first, and then do the work? I think that was my problem, i did the workout and then tried to connect the app and nothing happened.

Yeah, always open and connect the app before you start.

[MPx]

i do think i have the strap to low on my foot and will raise the foot rest a little for my next workout.

As a guide, your ankle bone should be roughly in line with the top of the rail...

[Christirei]

Okay guys, still learning and trying to figure things out. thank you for all of the responses about my feet/heels. very helpful!

alot of you guys suggested lowering my stroke rate to 20-22 spm. i have completed two steady rows of 20 minutes each. I pulled 3500m the first row and 3950 the second, so my guess is that by lowering my stroke rate i'm rowing with more power? my watts increased from 70 the first row to 75 the second row. i set my goal spm today through the app for 22 spm. it was HARD. i felt like i was rowing very very slow and it just made me want to ask.... if you are short vs tall, does that affect your avg stroke rate? like, i am barely 5'2" , wouldn't my target stroke rate be a little faster than someone like my husband who is 6'2" ?? i have much less distance to travel. I'm just confused by this, i naturally wanted to pull around 23-24 spm, and i had to concentrate to get it to 22 and never came close to 20

Second question, i understand how you want to be efficient and powerful when you row, so if my goal is 22spm for long steady rowing, what does that mean when i try an interval workout? do i want to increase my stroke rate? or increase power without increasing stroke rate? what i was feeling today was when i was trying to increase the watts and drive harder with my legs, that made my stroke rate go up, so then i had to really really concentrate on slowing down, which then made me feel like i couldn't drive as hard with my legs...

sorry for all of the newbie questions, but thank you all for faithfully answering them for me!

[Dangerscouse]

Okay guys, still learning and trying to figure things out. thank you for all of the responses about my feet/heels. very helpful!

alot of you guys suggested lowering my stroke rate to 20-22 spm. i have completed two steady rows of 20 minutes each. I pulled 3500m the first row and 3950 the second, so my guess is that by lowering my stroke rate i'm rowing with more power? my watts increased from 70 the first row to 75 the second row. i set my goal spm today through the app for 22 spm. it was HARD. i felt like i was rowing very very slow and it just made me want to ask.... if you are short vs tall, does that affect your avg stroke rate? like, i am barely 5'2" , wouldn't my target stroke rate be a little faster than someone like my husband who is 6'2" ?? i have much less distance to travel. I'm just confused by this, i naturally wanted to pull around 23-24 spm, and i had to concentrate to get it to 22 and never came close to 20

Second question, i understand how you want to be efficient and powerful when you row, so if my goal is 22spm for long steady rowing, what does that mean when i try an interval workout? do i want to increase my stroke rate? or increase power without increasing stroke rate? what i was feeling today was when i was trying to increase the watts and drive harder with my legs, that made my stroke rate go up, so then i had to really really concentrate on slowing down, which then made me feel like i couldn't drive as hard with my legs...

sorry for all of the newbie questions, but thank you all for faithfully answering them for me!

Given your height, it will be preferable for you to row at r22-24 for steady state. As you correctly assume, height is a definite advantage on the erg, and I don't see r20 being of any use to you, especially if it's an effort.

Intervals are best done at the highest stroke rate you can sustain, and that doesn't have to be any specific target stroke rate.

[p_b82]

I found when trying to find the right balance with leg drive vs rate to generate power was to slow the whole action down and look at it in the separate sections.

When trying to find out the best rate for myself I kept my leg drive mostly the same speed up the slide, but I slowed the hip swing, arm pull and recovery down - this slows the whole stroke down, but keeps the same power in the legs. From there I was able to slow the leg drive down as I'd got used to the other parts being timed slower, it did take power out my leg drive, but I was able to get my rate down to 18.

But for me it's not comfortable that low a rate - I like 22-24 as my "comfort zone". My CV system can also cope with rating a bit higher to generate my pace that way rather than generating power with a lower rate, so I tend to do the harder/longer sessions around 26/27; finding what works for you takes a little time, so experiment a bit until you find something that feels right.

[Christirei]

Thank you both for your responses! It seems like a running analogy would be that ideally you want to run with a cadence around 180, but that you kind of find your number in that general area, my running cadence was a steady 172-176 and that felt good and comfortable to me. Stroke rate per minute seems kind of like the same idea, if you are to far away from the "ideal" you are probably doing something wrong, but in the area is good. i am definitely going to try this week increasing my stroke rate just a bit to the 22-24 range and see how that feels.

so steady rowing for time, i focus on power and stroke rate... intervals however, i row faster and stroke rate increases. how much power do i give up to increase the rate? intervals work on aerobic fitness right? so, just moving faster and getting HR up is the main goal?

[Dangerscouse]

so steady rowing for time, i focus on power and stroke rate... intervals however, i row faster and stroke rate increases. how much power do i give up to increase the rate? intervals work on aerobic fitness right? so, just moving faster and getting HR up is the main goal?

It's hard to be prescriptive for how much the power / rate ratio should be, so it's more about trying to see what feels right.

Yeah, pace and HR are the main focus for intervals, but you can also do rate capped intervals to change the focus if you wanted to.

[jamesg]

how much power do i give up to increase the rate?

None, power increases with rating, while work per stroke (LxF) stays roughly constant, high but doable. It makes racing much easier, if we've trained the stroke we'll be using.

[Christirei]

just checking in with you guys, I'm not sure how/what stats to post but, here are four workouts I have done, just steady rowing, since I first jumped on this forum:

1/18 20:00 3503m ave pace 2:51/500m ave stroke rate 23 s/m ave power 70 watts drag factor 119
1/20 22:00 3950m ave pace 2:47/500m ave stroke rate 22s/m ave power 75 watts drag factor 121
1/25 30:00 5713m ave pace 2:37/500m ave stroke rate 23s/m ave power 90 watts drag factor 121
1/30 30:00 6028m ave pace 2:29/500m ave stroke rate 24s/m ave power 105 watts drag factor 122


okay, so definitely improvement if I look at my distance, i'm rowing with more power each time. the last workout from Monday I felt the most tired and worked the hardest I think. A couple of questions, besides trying to add on time and build endurance, where should I look to improve. which of these numbers should look better? which of these numbers will stop increasing? Also.... this is going to be dumb....but what is drag factor?? I only included it because it was a number in the logbook

[MPx]

....but what is drag factor?? I only included it because it was a number in the logbook

Improvements look very good...keep it going. A DF around 120 is good - suggest you stick with that. Drag Factor is a consistent measure across all C2 ergs and is sometimes referred to as "resistance" but is really just a guide to how quickly the flywheel slows down during the recovery part of the stroke. It changes with the damper lever on the side of the cage, higher number slows down quicker, makes it heavier to speed up again. But the number shown by the lever between 1 and 10 will not be the same across different C2 machines - whereas a DF of (say) 125 will feel the same even if that is with the damper lever on 3 on one machine and 7 on another. You can find it by menu/more options/display drag factor - then row a few strokes. Most people who dont know think 10 is high resistence so will be what the best rowers use.... it isn't. Its purely about how heavy the stroke feels. What feel YOU like is personal to you. It is a fact though, that for most people - (Beginners to Olympians), for most distances, a DF between 110 and 140 will produce the best results.

[Dangerscouse]

A couple of questions, besides trying to add on time and build endurance, where should I look to improve. which of these numbers should look better? which of these numbers will stop increasing? Also.... this is going to be dumb....but what is drag factor?? I only included it because it was a number in the logbook

I don't think you should be focusing on what to improve until you reach a natural plateau. You've made great progress and it will continue...until it doesn't. When that will happen is anyone's guess.

Doing some intervals, and/or faster paced sessions will always be beneficial in addition to steady state training.

Your question about drag factor isn't dumb at all, as it's a very common question, and Mike has covered it.

[Christirei]

Thank you for the drag factor explanation!!

I have been working in intervals as well, I have done a set of 6 500m intervals with a three minute rest in between each one?? or a one minute rest, don't remember. I also have done a workout where i do intervals of 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min and then back down with only 1 minute rest in between each.

I've been going back and forth i think, one day steady rowing, the next workout intervals. unless that is a dumb idea i'll probably keep doing that for a while. and since i don't know much i've been using the workout of the day posted by Concept 2 for my interval days.

[Dangerscouse]

I've been going back and forth i think, one day steady rowing, the next workout intervals. unless that is a dumb idea i'll probably keep doing that for a while. and since i don't know much i've been using the workout of the day posted by Concept 2 for my interval days.

Good to hear, and if you can recover from it, and keep improving, it's not a dumb idea. It will eventually get too much, and you'll need to limit the intervals but keep going for now.

[jamesg]

A couple of questions, besides trying to add on time and build endurance, where should I look to improve. which of these numbers should look better?

rate 24s/m ave power 105 watts

at 5'2" F is already good enough to suggest strength, endurance and style. Use them.