Concept2 Forum

Hi,
I have just purchased the model d.
Both, me and my husband using it. We have watched a lot of videos with techniques, etc. , to make sure we do it right.
But I don’t feel my abs at all, while my partner says he feels it a lot.
We do the same distance 5 k, the difference is he does it in much shorter time 23 minutes vs 27 minutes.
Is this the reason?
Any help?
Thanks in advance
Sylwia

Congratulations, you must both be fit and strong. The erg can be a great help staying that way.

Erg technique lets us use legs and hips the most, but the muscles there are large and strong already, so not easy to overload. Usually the CV system gives way first.

Abs pain could be caused by a long lean-back at the finish and subsequent lift. This style is not used today. In a 5k we pull about 500 strokes, so any action like that, repeatedly overloading small muscle, will cause pain.

https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... que-videos

The backstop drill can help develop the stroke so that it is strong but not damaging. The key point is the recovery sequence, hands-swing-slide.

The connection between time for any given distance and total work follows a square rule, and a cube rule for the average Power. 23 minutes as against 27 implies 60% more average power and 38% more work done.

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. We are checking the technique ourselves and it seems my partner does it right, he doesn’t lean back to much. I am thinking now, that maybe I don’t feel my abs, as they are quite strong already- I walk 13 km a day. I hope this is the reason.
When he told me about how his abs are burning after the workout, I was just worrying I won’t get as good results as him, as my abs don’t burn at all.
Well, I hope I do it right and get everything possible from this wonderful machine!
Good luck everyone

Sylwana811 wrote: ↑

November 10th, 2018, 3:03 pm

Hi,
I have just purchased the model d.
Both, me and my husband using it. We have watched a lot of videos with techniques, etc. , to make sure we do it right.
But I don’t feel my abs at all, while my partner says he feels it a lot.
We do the same distance 5 k, the difference is he does it in much shorter time 23 minutes vs 27 minutes.
Is this the reason?
Any help?
Thanks in advance
Sylwia

Abs do some work, but mostly due to leaning backwards. After a short while no rower will get musclepain in the abs, they simply don,t do much during rowing.

Legs, back, and arms do the work.

If you want to work your abs, do other exercises for them, same for chest, shoulders, glutes, triceps.

I strongly suspect that it's due to you having stronger abs than your husband.

I do notice that I have a slightly tensed core but they don't hurt in any way, as I do a weekly Pilates class as well as a lot of other core workouts

If you want to work your abs harder, try rowing without your feet strapped in. This will work your abs harder as you can't rely on the straps to hold your feet.

Abs don't do much, as HJS says, relative to other muscle groups. They do help you to sit up straight, as a lot of beginners tend to slump and lean forward with a bent back to (incorrectly) extend their reach at the catch. A strong core overall is necessary in rowing to transfer the power from the very strong legs to the handle to move the boat/flywheel. Here is a sheet that C2 references: https://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/t ... esUsed.pdf.
I suspect your husband is not in quite the condition you are and will feel it until his core gets in shape.

Thank you for all answers.
I’m going through all videos and info given.

I also wonder if your husband is generally tensing up as he rows. It can be a common mistake as you are expecting it to be tough a natural consequence can be upper body tension.

Also, what drag factor is he using? It might be due to it being too high and the load being heavy and needing too much effort to keep it moving.

My abs are engaged, but certainly not sore after erging. I would wonder why your husband feels this way. Perhaps your abs are much stronger than his?