Intro & (vague) targets

[tincat12]

Hi all!

I signed up to run a half marathon in October, and have just completed my first month of training. Due to not wanting to aggravate a chronic achilles issue, I've been doing plenty of cross training in the gym. I've found that the spinning bike is simply too boring for me, since I have to spend much longer on it to get a similar stimulus to running - for this reason I have gravitated toward the erg.

I've completed three sessions on the c2 so far, and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I rowed for about six weeks when I was at college and didn't get on with it too well - but I think the training program was a bit too much too soon back then. So far, all my efforts have been at a low rate of 18 s/m:

- a 40 minute effort where I hit 9.05km
- a 5km erg where I bonked hard pretty quickly, 21:21
- a 5km erg where my forearms bonked hard at 4.5km, 20:23, although my lungs and legs felt quite comfy.

Although it is important for my training that I get a good amount of volume in on the machine, I think I need a target to keep things interesting. I'm probably going to do a 2k test mid-august. I'm planning to increase the number of erg sessions I do per week. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the following:

1) With my injury history, I'm quite strict about always doing a full warmup before I run. What kind of things do you do before you erg to look after your forearms/knees/backs/other? Do you just do some easy rowing, or do you have a non-erg routine that you follow as well? I have found my forearms really cramp hard when I increase the pressure, and my back has been slightly unhappy after these efforts (I may reduce the distance and build up to it in future).

2) What kind of sessions can you recommend to help me practice rowing at a higher stroke rate? Rate 18 clearly won't cut it if I'm going for time, but I'd like to build up from a stroke rate where I feel like I'm in control.

3) What kind of weights do you do? I've always struggled with this - in my opinion, doing the actual activity (i.e. erging or running) is the most important part of your training, simply because it is specific. In the past I've struggled with weights because DOMs interferes with my running/other sport.

4) How much of your training involves hard sessions (tempo/intervals), and how much (if any) is easy 'conversational' rowing?

If the erging continues to go well, I may even join a club!
Some details if they help:
I'm 24, male, 6'1". I was never much of an endurance guy (always preferred short distances on the track).

So far I've really enjoyed browsing the forum and look forward to getting involved!

[jamesg]

Learn to row, so that the effort shifts onto your legs and off your arms. See the C2 technique pages.

[Dangerscouse]

1) With my injury history, I'm quite strict about always doing a full warmup before I run. What kind of things do you do before you erg to look after your forearms/knees/backs/other? Do you just do some easy rowing, or do you have a non-erg routine that you follow as well? I have found my forearms really cramp hard when I increase the pressure, and my back has been slightly unhappy after these efforts (I may reduce the distance and build up to it in future).

2) What kind of sessions can you recommend to help me practice rowing at a higher stroke rate? Rate 18 clearly won't cut it if I'm going for time, but I'd like to build up from a stroke rate where I feel like I'm in control.

3) What kind of weights do you do? I've always struggled with this - in my opinion, doing the actual activity (i.e. erging or running) is the most important part of your training, simply because it is specific. In the past I've struggled with weights because DOMs interferes with my running/other sport.

4) How much of your training involves hard sessions (tempo/intervals), and how much (if any) is easy 'conversational' rowing?

If the erging continues to go well, I may even join a club!
Some details if they help:
I'm 24, male, 6'1". I was never much of an endurance guy (always preferred short distances on the track).

So far I've really enjoyed browsing the forum and look forward to getting involved!

Welcome to the forum.

1) If you want to do a warm up, even if it's an easy row, I'd suggest air squats, moving into a 'good morning', and other hip opening exercises eg bridges, 'the world's best stretch', squat holds.

If your back is bad, that is probably a technique issue. Watch some videos to understand the flow of the movement.

Your forearms issue is probably easily fixed by just hooking your fingers, and not using a death grip. I never have an issue with forearms and mine aren't mega strong.

2) Building up from r18 is best done with small bite sized intervals eg 8 x 750m or 10 x 500m, but done at no more than 85% effort. Don't race them, as you need to make sure that you finish them, so don't hesitate to slow down if you have to.

I'd recommend building up your stroke rate slowly, say 1spm every 7 to 10 days, or you might want to do a ladder session eg r18, r20, r22, r20, r18 for, say, six minutes, or 1k each, and slow down your starting pace.

If your lungs and legs were fine, there is a good possibility that you just need to build confidence as higher stroke rates are based on better aerobic fitness.

3) I only do weights once a week, and I do full body workout. Squats, bent over rows and planks have been stated as being the most beneficial, but I'd add deadlifts too, although I don't do them. I also do a hot dynamic Pilates class once a week too, and I thoroughly recommend doing that, as Pilates is perfect for injury protection.

4) It's probably best to use a 80/20 split, with 80% being easy. Personally I also like to throw in an occasional longer distance grey zone session (circa 85-90%) as it just keeps you engaged with a different type of discomfort. Intervals are usually quite short, so you don't get that feeling from them.

I'd recommend rowing for as long as you can on the easy days, but don't worry about the pace. As you say, keep it a conversational pace, or use a HR monitor.

Good luck with it all.

[tincat12]

Many thanks for your advice! Hip openers sounds like a smart move. I also had forearm issues when I tried rowing before (whilst someone vaguely knowledgeable watched us erg), I'll try a 'thumbs on top' hooking drill and see if it helps me out. RE back, it looks like I crumple forward too much at the catch which isn't helping, especially when I get tired. Something to work on.

The ladder session session sounds like a great place to start - I just know that if I dive into intervals at 1000 spm it'll end in tears (especially whilst I'm working on form). Pilates has actually been something I've been meaning to start doing (just need to find a class) - just sensible prehab really. Glad to hear you find it beneficial!

Cheers!

[Dangerscouse]

Many thanks for your advice! Hip openers sounds like a smart move. I also had forearm issues when I tried rowing before (whilst someone vaguely knowledgeable watched us erg), I'll try a 'thumbs on top' hooking drill and see if it helps me out. RE back, it looks like I crumple forward too much at the catch which isn't helping, especially when I get tired. Something to work on.

The ladder session session sounds like a great place to start - I just know that if I dive into intervals at 1000 spm it'll end in tears (especially whilst I'm working on form). Pilates has actually been something I've been meaning to start doing (just need to find a class) - just sensible prehab really. Glad to hear you find it beneficial!

Cheers!

I found that Pilates meant that I intuitively kept myself more tense in the core, plus adding overall strength to my core. I've been doing it regularly for about 10 years now, but you do need to find a good teacher / class, as they're not all the same.

If you're running a lot Pilates is even more important as you'll find that your core isn't working anywhere near as much as it will when you're rowing.

Ladders are a great way of attacking a higher stroke rate, as you've got an end in sight, so as long as you don't start off too fast, you can feel fairly comfortable with the upper range.

Thumbs on top is ideal. They're useless for me when I row