Concept2 Forum

I can dead lift 585lb, and I have squatted 405lb many times. However, I am thinking of starting rowing maybe. If I jumped in on a Concept 2 rower, what would my 2k time be, after putting in a maximal effort. I have decent cardio, and I can comfortably run, an 8k with ease. Inb4: just do it on an erg. FYI my gym doesn't have one.

I don't think you can make that kind of comparison or calculations for that matter.
Rowing is not like squatting and vice versa.

Specially 2k wich is more or less an aerobic distance.
On short distance like 500m and lower down to 100m sprint.....then maybe pure strength has an effect, the shorter the distance the more benefit from anaerobic capacity.

Hang on, where's my crystal ball....

Only one way to find out!

Gammmmo wrote:Hang on, where's my crystal ball....

Only one way to find out!

Yep -- just do one and you'll have the answer.

Look at it this way, I know what my 2K time is but based on that I don't have a clue what I could squat.

You could jump on the erg and pull a time. You could then spend a couple of weeks learning the rowing stroke and how to hold a consistent rate and pace and knock 20 seconds off that time.

gamist1 wrote: If I jumped in on a Concept 2 rower, what would my 2k time be, Inb4: just do it on an erg. FYI my gym doesn't have one.

Well your gym doesn't have one so whats the point of asking

gamist1 wrote:I can dead lift 585lb, and I have squatted 405lb many times. However, I am thinking of starting rowing maybe. If I jumped in on a Concept 2 rower, what would my 2k time be, after putting in a maximal effort. I have decent cardio, and I can comfortably run, an 8k with ease. Inb4: just do it on an erg. FYI my gym doesn't have one.

Height and your weight matter a lot. If you are 6.6 and 110 kg you pull a great time. If you are 5.5 it will be a lot less.

But if are average build I would expect a 6.40 ish time. Rowing 2k is more endurance then strenght. Although some strenght is needed. A 500 needs much more strenght.

Anth_F wrote:

gamist1 wrote: If I jumped in on a Concept 2 rower, what would my 2k time be, Inb4: just do it on an erg. FYI my gym doesn't have one.

Well your gym doesn't have one so whats the point of asking

That is the point of asking. I can't just go ham on the erg and see what my time is. However, I might want to join a rowing club, and I want to know if I should just stick to weightlifting or if I would make a good rower. BTW, I am 6'1 and 211lb with clothes and shoes on.

gamist1 wrote:

Anth_F wrote:

gamist1 wrote: If I jumped in on a Concept 2 rower, what would my 2k time be, Inb4: just do it on an erg. FYI my gym doesn't have one.

Well your gym doesn't have one so whats the point of asking

That is the point of asking. I can't just go ham on the erg and see what my time is. However, I might want to join a rowing club, and I want to know if I should just stick to weightlifting or if I would make a good rower. BTW, I am 6'1 and 211lb with clothes and shoes on.

Well, we/you won't really know anything until you try your hand at rowing. You need to first take the plunge and find out for yourself. Then come back with some feedback for us to assess. Your stats are good for it though!!!

It also seems to me by what you say, that you wouldn't have easy access to an erg.

I can dead lift 585lb, and I have squatted 405lb many times.

Many times means 10-20 a minute? Rowing's not as hard as that. You only have to pull about 80-100 kg to go fast, but once every 2 seconds.

Try lifting a feather 200 times from floor to ceiling, using your arms too. Or climb 60 flights of stairs. Your time will not be a lot different from a 2k.

The same exercises can be used for endurance training, doing from 500 to 1000 lifts or climbing stairs for an hour. Very boring, but then so is erging. In rowing at least we see the scenery. When I last did the stairclimb it was only 8 floors so I repeated. The view from the top floor was nice, and I could take the lift back down, tho of course for a good workout one should walk or run down too.

FWIW I swim 1 km in 20-22 minutes after a few days trying and my 5k erg time is about 22½. I might be able to freestyle 400m in 8 minutes, but an 8' 2k erg is somewhat doubtful now. You'll likely have a similar ratio.

Get a free trial session or week at a local gym that has an erg

I imagine it will take you less than 7 and a half minutes to find your answer

Using a calculation, if you can squat 200 kg, 100 on the erg will be fine. Stroke length = 1 meter and 30 a minute lead to 100 * 1 * 30 * g / 60 = 500W. So the first 500m will take you around 90 seconds. The remaining 1500 depend on you, so I'd guess 7-7½ minutes total if you have endurance.

aussieluke wrote:Get a free trial session or week at a local gym that has an erg

I imagine it will take you less than 7 and a half minutes to find your answer

Couldn't agree more with you here, luke.

I mean, surely there must be a local gym somewhere that has a C2 for the OP to use.

But when he says will i make a "good rower".. thats being very vague. He needs to elaborate further what he means by good!! Good as in wanting to eventually race OTW!! Or just good, as in just good enough to incorporate it into part of his training regime.

If your gym doesnt have an erg then I would assume you have very limited erg time under your belt. For that reason, your first 2k will be slow as you will fly and die (we all do/ did). However, strength looks good so if you are doing the right level of steady state and interval training between weight training sessions (assuming you are predominantly a weight lifter) I would expect you to get sub 7 minutes within 2 or 3 attempts if your heart and lungs are able to carry your strength through!

Just go join the rowing club. You need to diversify and there is nothing better than the C2. You may not even like it at first. I commonly have guys half my age (71) plop down next to me and pull a quick 500m and are spent in less than two minutes. The key is to learn proper technique and then get into a good training program. You will appreciate it so much more and get better results. Everything you need to know is available to you right here on this site. All you have to do is start rowing.