How do you focus?

[H2O]

If I put the PM5 on but cover it so I am not following anything just rowing I cant hold any steady pace at all.

You can, if you row slowly enough. Actually it is a good idea to work on this.
For me personally pace comes first, stroke rate a close second, heart rate is only there for entertainment afterwards.
I use heart rate seriously only to keep the pace down on low intensity rows.

[Sakly]

My surgery want me to be 72kgs!!!! I haven't been that since I was in my 20's. 85/90 kgs or 14 to 15 stone was my riding weight 10 years ago.[...]

Food wise I have less than 2000 calories a day.
[...]
At 115kgs[...]

As I have said before, 10 years later I am now diabetic, over weight so something has to be done while trying to not damage me any more.

That's all indicating you ate the wrong foods, not the wrong amount of foods.
T2D is clearly a sign of that and can be reversed with changes in diet. So can diet have huge influence on damage of body structures.
Sports activities cannot prevent bad outcomes from a diet not matching your body's needs.

Salky, I have changed the diet greatly plus portion sizes. I've had to relearn eating habits, portion sizes, when to eat, etc etc etc. For anyone who has never been there it's a hard journey finding the keys and what you have done. I've been doing this for 2 nearly 3 years now.

From the age of 11 I have played sports. Football, rugby, cricket not to mention swimming and cycling. I had a very active life. What held it all at bay was my sport and exercise. Finding a way to exercise without impact with all the issues I have after the knee specialist said to stop exercising has been hard. For a person who has played sport for most of his life it was like taking a huge part away from me. I was in shock for months without the sport. That lead to the sitting watching films and TV eating crisps and pop (comfort food.) It's all my own fault and I am doing something about it now.

Yes, I agree and my diet changes have brought the levels down.

At home and work I stay very similar in weight. I go to Norway to cross country ski and in a week I can lose a stone! The key was more exercise.

No local gym would allow me to use a rower or be a member as the risk of injury on there site was too great. Even the gym I went to from 1990 to 1994. So it's been down to me. The final push was the last diabetic review in January 2025. I had to make the choice between sitting and doing nothing for exercise or find a way to exercise. The one I knew would be Ok was a rower. One came up locally to me for a small sum so here we are. It might only have been a dusty Concept 2 model C with no monitor and a squeaky seat........

Since getting it on the 6th February and rowing every day I have lost 4 Kgs. (Its too fast to keep off but its a start.)

1980 - 2 x motorcycle crashes
1991 - Broken right ankle at work
1994 - Gym injury, ripped front deltoid on right arm from bone while doing 120kgs squats!!
1994 - Cricket injury, throwing cricket ball right shoulder, rotator cuff.
1997 - Cricket injury, broken ankle. (Stepped on the cricket ball while running!)
2012 - Cricket injury, ruptured meniscus left knee. (I still rode 2 time trials in pain before diagnosis.)
2022 - Xray showed evidence of broken neck (old damage suspected done in one of the 1980 motorcycle crash.)
2022 - Diagnosed type 2 diabetic
2024 - MRI shows no cartleage and meniscus in left knee. Bone on Bone.

All these injuries are kind of accidents - they happen, that's life (or higher risks, that you tolerate by things you do).
But the diabetes diagnosis and your overweight indicate you ate the wrong foods - again, this was your choice, but probably you didn't know it better. Some can get away with it, some not. Each body reacts differently, so for one it takes longer to develop, for the other it happens fast.
I don't know since when you changed your diet and what exactly you changed, but if that had no effect on your overweight and long term blood sugar levels/T2D, it's not the right change.
Even doing lots of sports activities you can develop type 2 diabetes, that's clearly showing it's not about sports activities, it's about the food you eat and how your body can deal with it.

At least you started losing weight, so that's great. Get moving again is great too, even without losing weight, as it strengthens the body.

[KevinJGK]

What should a 'Newbie' like me be looking at to keep focused while rowing but using the technology to help them and see improvements?

I try to follow the Wolverine Plan as best I can and one of the prescribed sessions in that plan is called 'Level 4' where you have to maintain specific stroke rates at specific splits for specific times.

Maybe trying some of these Level 4 sessions will keep you focused as there is quite a lot to concentrate on, especially as you are getting used to the sessions.

I used to find it hard to keep to the exact stroke rates (see the last paragraph in this post) which could be for an example 10 minute sequence - 2 mins at 16 spm, then 2 mins at 18spm, then 2 mins at 16 spm, then 2 mins at 18spm, then 2 mins at 16spm. That 10 minute sequence is called a 168 because it consists of 168 strokes, and over time you will increase both the number of sequences, and also the number of strokes in each sequence by using higher stroke rates. For a 30 minute workout maybe you could try 3 consecutive 168s for starters.

The plans creator (Mike Caviston) created charts to indicate the required pace at each SPM based on your current 2K time, and also the number of metres you should be covering for each sequence so at the end of each workout you can check if you have covered the correct distance, which you will if you achieve the prescribed splits at the prescribed rates. One point to note is that if you are not used to low rate rowing it will seem tricky at first, but the trick is to really slow down your recovery but still drive quite hard on each stroke which you will need to do to get the required splits.

As I said earlier, I used to find it hard to keep to the exact stroke rates, so I now create a simple MP3 file for each of my workouts that includes a 1 minute countdown, then an audible click to signify the start of each stroke and a bell sound to signify whenever the stroke rate changes. You can download my 168, 168, 168, 168 sequence from the link below and play it through earphones as you row. Based on your post I would hazard a guess that a reasonable split for you would be 2:30 for 16spm and 2:25 for 18spm which would be 2028 metres per 10 minute sequence. To do 1 sequence just program a 10 minute row, or program in 40 minutes to do all 4 straight off, and best of luck with it. I find these sessions fly by and they are great for building your endurance.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Auxd8hwn1EAanblsae1 ... A?e=aS2lO3

[Rowan McSheen]

Some of these plans, in particular the Wolverine, require as much effort to understand and remember as to actually do!

I like to keep it simple and go by just one metric in each workout. Eg, yesterday's session was intervals at 28 spm with pace prescribed as 2k+5. I went by pace with just half an eye on the stroke rate - I actually came in at 27 spm. Next time I might stick to the stroke rate as priority ovr pace. In other workouts I'll use heart rate (usually to stay below a ceiling), or go for an exact distance. With just one thing to think about you have more bandwidth to focus on technique.

I row for fitness and pleasure not for competition, mind, but this approach has served me well.

[KevinJGK]

I like to keep it simple and go by just one metric in each workout. Eg, yesterday's session was intervals at 28 spm with pace prescribed as 2k+5. I went by pace with just half an eye on the stroke rate - I actually came in at 27 spm.

I know we are all different but I really try to keep it simple as well.

You mention you were going for a specific rate at a prescribed split, but then say you missed your rate so hopefully you hit your split?

I was just trying to explain how my mp3 files take all of the guesswork out of the rate side of things and enable you to focus solely on the split. Its quite therapeutic to check the overall distance travelled at the end of a session and see it usually tallies with the target within just a few metres

[KevinJGK]

Plus - I find doing long sessions where the rate and split change every few minutes, seem to be over a lot faster than the same duration steady state sessions where the same rate and split is maintained throughout.

Having said that - although these level 4 sessions help to keep the mind focused, there primary purpose is to build endurance.

[H2O]

I've notice that the slower I go the less watts I use and the worse my stroke gets.

A good exercise is low rated rowing with concentration on the rate and stepping up the rate, e.g
Duration / strokes per minute
6 mins / 15
5 mins / 16
4 mins / 17
3 mins / 18
2 mins / 19
1 min / 20
where the pace has to go up every time the stroke rate goes up. You could set the monitor to Watts and try to hit 5W per stroke.
It's not easy to hit these low rates and Watt targets. In this way you get some control over your stroke.

[old wobbler]

Thanks for all the input into my question.

I looked at my force curve and its a very low flat curve. Its not great so the internet says. See Travis Gardner on youtube 'power curve 101 for the concept 2 rower.' My curve is the first red one he draws.

On a normal row I am at about 3 watts per stroke average so very poor. Best I can get is 4.5 watts a stroke. Less strokes, so 14 or lower I am at about 1 watt. 18 strokes I am about 4 watts. 24 strokes I am dropping back towards 2 and 30 strokes or more I am stuck at 2.

I have found I cant row in Zone 1 (UT1) easily as my heart rate is close to the upper end of the range when I start. I am more comfortable when the machine shows I am in zone 3, that feels normal to me.

For me I am just going to do what was working when I started rowing. Stick the Alexa on (other units are available) put my Ipad up with wood chipping videos and look at keeping my 2.30/500 splits going and thats fine. I will work with my 10 meters a pull between strokes and 18 strokes a minute format. As for heart rate and training zones I am just going to row with what feels right on the day.

I am only rowing for 30 minutes so why make it complicated.

Good luck to all those doing what they do. Glad it works for you.

[Dangerscouse]

I am only rowing for 30 minutes so why make it complicated.

That's the best advice you can take heed of. Just enjoy it and don't worry.

[old wobbler]

I am only rowing for 30 minutes so why make it complicated.

That's the best advice you can take heed of. Just enjoy it and don't worry.

I mulled over what every body said. Some was tough to take onboard but when I just thought about why I was rowing and what I wanted the whole data/training/focus just was not important. Does it mater if I am rowing at 5 watts a stroke? No. Does it mater if I am rowing at 2.40 or 2 minutes for 500 meters. No. It only maters that I do 30 minutes and enjoy it. Simple.

I am sure somebody said 'Keep it simple stupid.' Cant think who.

[agross29]

An iPad and a streaming service should do the trick. I’m a fan of youtube and learning all kinds of stuff during each session. Yes, its a distraction, but it gives you something to focus on. If its a newer rower, it show have the ipad holder already, if not they sell them on C2s site. Glad you’re back into it!

[jamesg]

My experience after 20 years erging, swimming, walking and kayak, at 84y, is that any exercise is good and the more the better.

But the killer is cholesterol. It clogs the coronaries and stops blood getting to the heart itelf.

Luckily all I needed was a triple bypass. The only people still alive and in rehab with me were all non-smokers, non drinkers, active.

After 3 months I'm back aboard at about 15' a day, 80W, 77kg; I've seen 150W and 140HR peak. Plus, since it's Spring, an hour in the woods.

This a.m 5+15', 920+2825m, 87W rate 19.