Concept2 Forum

Hi All, Just purchased a model D and starting to really enjoy it but I have one problem, I find it so hard near impossible to do 20, 22 or 24 SPM on the Work out of the day, I find 32 SPM comfortable for Steady state then increasing, am I doing something wrong

Use more time for the recovery part of the stroke. Then your rate will come down.

If you don't change the drive part of your stroke, your pace will be slower / watts will be lower. So if you want to keep the same pace or watts as you did before, you will have to put more work into each stroke.

Tomofg wrote: ↑

February 3rd, 2019, 5:44 am

Hi All, Just purchased a model D and starting to really enjoy it but I have one problem, I find it so hard near impossible to do 20, 22 or 24 SPM on the Work out of the day, I find 32 SPM comfortable for Steady state then increasing, am I doing something wrong

You row like we cycle, or walk, thats a natural way of moving. Rowing is a non natural way of movement.
If you row at rate 32, you don,t put much effort in your stroke, if you did you simply can,t do 32 reps per minute. Our fitness does not allow so.
You should focus on building a stronger stroke, make every stroke count, and use the recovery fase to get in position again.

You could try one min on one min off reps. First one start at your natural spm, say you pull 2.30 av pace. The next one use 1 spm less, but keep your pace at 2.30, etc..
This way you slowly build more power in your stroke.

Other point, you should be able to row without the straps, if you did now you surely could not, strapless forces you to end the stroke strongly. If not you would fall of the seat.

am I doing something wrong

Not really, you got the first step (onto the erg) right. However it's best to learn to fly/swim before jumping off a cliff/diving into the deep end.

Rowing has the advantage of not being fatal if we don't first learn how, though the boat won't go far. So when all else fails, read the instructions, which are here:
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... que-videos

Sorry to say the technique shown here is designed to make us use the legs and hips; lots of muscle there, so it can be very hard work. It's this aspect that makes us want to row at low ratings.

Congrats on the new rower!

You have a weak stroke. You are compensating for this by increasing your strokes per minute. Obviously you cannot get to 20 directly from 32spm, but you should try to focus on each drive and then allow yourself a long recovery. I like the 1 second drive followed by 2 second recovery. The cadence of 1 followed by 2 and 3 in my head helps slow me down and keep me at r20 or r22 for those long rows. Give it a try.

Fair chance you're rushing your recovery. It all happens at once.

At low rates the recovery should take around three times longer than the drive. It's three phases: hands then body then legs. The longer it takes the more rest you get.

1. Hands away
2. Swing your body forward from the hips
3. Only lift the knees when the hands are past

The drive is the same sequence in reverse. Legs down, swing the body and finally draw the handle to your chest.

Acid test is to row strapless.

Tomofg wrote: ↑

February 3rd, 2019, 5:44 am

Hi All, Just purchased a model D and starting to really enjoy it but I have one problem, I find it so hard near impossible to do 20, 22 or 24 SPM on the Work out of the day, I find 32 SPM comfortable for Steady state then increasing, am I doing something wrong

I know exactly what you mean because I thought the same thing when I started rowing almost two years ago. Low rates of around 20 just seemed like I was moving in slow motion and I couldn't help thinking everyone else was crazy to suggest such a slow stroke but it has helped me build a strong stroke (i.e. I can generate power more efficient without zipping back and forward too quickly as I did at first).

But as people have said, for longer rows slower stroke per minute is what you need. For a fast 2k 32 may be appropriate (I do it at about 30spm) but it takes time to get used to the different stroke rates.

The majority of my rowing is done at about 20-22spm, 5k PB at 27spm and 10k PB at 25spm. I'm not an expert like lots of the folk here but I do know that what at first seems wrong now feels right but it takes time to get there.

Having said all this, you have the machine and the motivation so you're doing a lot right already.

Reduce down the stroke slowly, maybe one or two SPM a week, and get used to the slower pace.

Trying to slow it down too quickly will feel very strange. I always used to row at r28 now I frequently row at r21/22 now for steady state and also 28/30 for TTs

Tomofg wrote: ↑

February 3rd, 2019, 5:44 am

Hi All, Just purchased a model D and starting to really enjoy it but I have one problem, I find it so hard near impossible to do 20, 22 or 24 SPM on the Work out of the day, I find 32 SPM comfortable for Steady state then increasing, am I doing something wrong

I was in the same boat (pun intended). I purchased my model D about 3 weeks ago. Today was the first day that I had my HR elevated with lower SPM (22-26). I had to work on form, slow down on the recovery

It’s all about the recovery. Hands away, body over, ease up the slide. No need to rush any of those parts. Be deliberate about each part. Save the quick stuff for the drive off the footboard.

and I think it’s easier to learn with a low drag

No its a common problem for beginners.

When I started everything was done at 28spm now all my training is 20spm or less.

You need to build power to be able to rate low and still maintain the pace you were doing at 32spm, this can take years.

Don't forget, you want to push HARD with your legs. That's how you generate lots of power.

Right now you're generating more power by increasing your "rpm" (like an engine at high revs). To get better and faster you want to generate more power at lower stroke rates. Once you can do that you can then work on generating even more power at higher stroke rates.

I want to thank everyone for all the advice, I understand what you are all telling me, I know it is going to take a while but I will start looking at my form and gradually bring my rate down, it’s a steep learning curve but your help has been inspiring

Tomofg wrote: ↑

February 7th, 2019, 8:18 am

I want to thank everyone for all the advice, I understand what you are all telling me, I know it is going to take a while but I will start looking at my form and gradually bring my rate down, it’s a steep learning curve but your help has been inspiring

For an exercise that looks technically fairly simple it's actually quite complicated! The effort and fitness required is never in doubt though