Does anyone watch tv while erging?

stargazertechie · Post by **stargazertechie** » December 18th, 2006, 10:53 pm

I tend to flip my monitor back and/or row with my eyes closed on anything longer than a 20 minute piece.

My goal is to row through all three LOTR movies this week.

Widgeon · Post by **Widgeon** » December 18th, 2006, 11:37 pm

I generally watch TV for long steady state workouts. 30+ min stuff. My split times are generally about 2:15 to 2:25, depending on how overtrained I am feeling. If I am doing speed work, or going for a PB, no TV. I also don't get as much learning from my CME conference tapes while I am erging, I guess I'm too hypoxic to learn as well!

I have two children, 6y and 8y. Sometimes the only way to get a workout in, spend time with the kids and get professional stuff done is to combine tasks. I do a little competition, but am really not a serious competitor, do my workouts for conditioning mostly. I also like xenos DVD's they are great for training and technique.

Pam

RR1 Kirk · Post by **RR1 Kirk** » December 19th, 2006, 12:38 am

Not all the time but...

Intervals during the commercials, recovery during the program. With the number of commercials on some shows this can become a good workout.

Cheers,

Kirk

Slow Boat · Post by **Slow Boat** » December 20th, 2006, 12:50 am

I can't figure out why anybody would want to watch (the wasteland) on TV while rowing. I tried it and made my workout intolerably long. A bad distraction. I found it so annoying, I couldn't stand it.

I find it's much better to concentrate on pace and form, and get into a zone where the meters fly by. Concentrate on a stroke every 10 meters.

Turn off the electronics, shut the door, and enjoy the energy.

Ducatista · Post by **Ducatista** » December 20th, 2006, 3:32 pm

Slow Boat wrote:I can't figure out why anybody would want to watch (the wasteland) on TV while rowing.

Wasteland, schmasteland. There's a buttload of crap on TV—just as there are lousy books at the library and trashy tabloids at the newsstand. But offerings like Frontline, P.O.V., Nova, Nature, The Daily Show, the various Mystery! series, Sopranos, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, any of Michael Palin's travelogs, and of course World Superbike and MotoGP racing are brilliant little windows onto worlds and ways of life you'd never otherwise see.

I prefer to roll around in the lowbrow mud with House and Project Runway and Weeds and South Park and Sex and the City and CSI,, but the great stuff is there if I want it.

albailey · Post by **albailey** » December 20th, 2006, 4:27 pm

i do 40-60 minutes each morning, and tend to watch either the news or a portion of an action/drama style movie. the tv sits just past and above the monitor, so it's right in my sightline.
audio is piped through my stereo and i have a pair of wired earbud-style headphones which eliminate most of the fan and wheel noise.

some of you must be much more concerned about form than i am. i'll consciously go over the basics in my head a couple times a session, but other than that, i don't ever think about it.
i'm never too far off, and it's usually a pretty obvious feeling when i have a stroke that's not quite as sharp as usual.

oh, and i tried watching comedies, but that *totally* wrecked my form each time i laughed.

mpukita · Post by **mpukita** » December 20th, 2006, 5:52 pm

Ducatista wrote:
Slow Boat wrote:I can't figure out why anybody would want to watch (the wasteland) on TV while rowing.
Wasteland, schmasteland. There's a buttload of crap on TV—just as there are lousy books at the library and trashy tabloids at the newsstand. But offerings like Frontline, P.O.V., Nova, Nature, The Daily Show, the various Mystery! series, Sopranos, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, any of Michael Palin's travelogs, and of course World Superbike and MotoGP racing are brilliant little windows onto worlds and ways of life you'd never otherwise see.

I prefer to roll around in the lowbrow mud with House and Project Runway and Weeds and South Park and Sex and the City and CSI,, but the great stuff is there if I want it.

Terry S. · Post by **Terry S.** » December 20th, 2006, 8:26 pm

Long, slow distance rows--50 minutes plus. No PB's or intervals. Best way to make the meters pass--get courses from The Teaching Company and learn while you burn. Great subjects, nearly all at college level, fine lecturers. Find them on the web. All courses are on DVD and all go on sale at least once a year (wicked expensive unless on sale).

tbartman · Post by **tbartman** » December 28th, 2006, 2:02 pm

I think TV is a fine way to pass the time. Don't let the "super-atheletes" who poo-poo anything but focusing on every stroke get you down. If you're doing a 2k race, or really working on form, I'd leave the TV off, but if you're trying to burn calories - I've been doing 10k 4-5x/week and have lost 30 lbs in 3 months - you need something to keep you going.

The commercials on TV drive me crazy, so I actually put on any sporting event (football/basketball games) on mute and listen to my iPod through a stereo while I row. During the commercials I can re-focus on form, pace (I get slower when not paying attention to the monitor), etc.