Concept2 Forum

hey
im 15, 6 foot 6 inches, 240 lbs (i know, quite large)
im in my second year of rowing for my high school, Thomas Jefferson
i recently rowed a 2K of 6:50.7, a personal record by 30 sec from last year
my coach wants me to get a better time since my weight is alot
he goes by the power to weight ratio (avg watts in peice divided by weight) a 1.0 means ur pulling ur weight only, higher the better
i got a 1.35, which is alright, but i think it should be higher
but than i have to pull like a 6:30
any tips for training, thoughts on wieght ratio?
thanx

15 years old and ur 6'6".... wow, my dad is 6 6 280 and he's not too 'large' in the tummy area. you are pretty slim for that tall i suppose. you have extreme potential.


you should get into weight lifting if you dont already, if you dont have the motivation then try going with a friend. definatley definatley eat right too, (get big muscles!) sounds like you got some fat to turn into muscle, you will weigh more...but more muscle. P.S. if you havnt already you should go to World Indoor Rowing Championships ( C.R.A.S.H.-B ) next year, you would be very very good im sure and colleges would absolutley love you because you have so many years ahead of you and already your at sub 7. im positive that a heathy mix of eating right, erging, lifting, and cardio, would get your time down to a 6:30. i mean 30 seconds off of last year, wow! so even if you only improve 15 seconds this year, you still have a close to winning time there! sorry i dont have too much advice, i was just astounded when i read your post.

nebfootball7 wrote:hey
im 15, 6 foot 6 inches, 240 lbs (i know, quite large)
im in my second year of rowing for my high school, Thomas Jefferson
i recently rowed a 2K of 6:50.7, a personal record by 30 sec from last year
my coach wants me to get a better time since my weight is alot
he goes by the power to weight ratio (avg watts in peice divided by weight) a 1.0 means ur pulling ur weight only, higher the better
i got a 1.35, which is alright, but i think it should be higher
but than i have to pull like a 6:30
any tips for training, thoughts on wieght ratio?
thanx

That power to weight ratio seems a bit dodgy to me. The proper way to do weight adjustment is as follows:

Adjusted Time = Time (secs) x (B/77.27)^0.222

Where B is Bodyweight in kilograms.

E.g. a 75kg rower who does 6:20 would have an adjusted time of:

380 secs x (75/77.27)^0.222 = 377.5 secs = 6:17.5

The above formula is what someone would get, in theory in a 4- (i.e. a boat full of clones). For an 8+, the principle is the same, but the adjustment factor is different as it's a different boat class; the formula is:

Adjusted Time = Time (secs) x (B/122.45)^0.222

E.g. same rower...

380 x (75/122.45)^0.222 = 340.8 secs = 5:40.8.

As you're very big, 108.8 kg, you're going to have to go VERY VERY fast to win at the top level (I reckon ~ 5:45) but with your age and size, you could go far...

At your age, though, focus on technique, the power will come later. Without good OTW technique, you'll never be able to apply all your power effectively, so all the above calculations would be a bit irrelevant. Hope that helps.