Concept2 Forum

I am new to the erging world and am using this form of exercise to loose
some weight,for general fitness and overall health. as i read through the
posts on this forum i see that everyone seems to be mostly concerned
with getting high spm's and the fastest time in the various meter segments
that they can. is this the way to go about all trining or is this just the
competitive race fever that prevails. i myself tend to do 60 min sessions
but i know that my distance is not so good when compared to what i see here. i will never be a racer as so many here seem to be so what is the
propper way to go about it.

IF your looking to lose weight, your long rows definately help a lot.
My advice would be to concentrate on technique and to vary your workout and do what ever it takes to remain interested.
A lot of what you read here is because of the competitive nature of people. The concentration on 2000m is because of the history of on the water rowing.

I wouldn't worry too much about that unless it helps motivate you. The proper way to train largely depends on what you are trying to accomplish. So if we have more of an idea of your goals then we could give you more advice.

hello Nosmo,

my goals are quite simple loose weight,controll bloodpressure and
get fit. my stats are as follows age 44,height 5'11",weight 198 lbs
i have asthma(controlled) and my bloodpressure tends to run a little
high(thus trying to reduce it without drugs). i enjoy the rowing and
it gets the sweat rolling for me but i am not fast i would say that my
average spm is 22-23 over the 60 min session,but in that time i do some sprints for a minute here and there in which i will get up into the low
30's but at this point i cannot susstain that for much time.

thanks for your time and help. Gordon

Don't have a whole lot to add. Again concentrate on technique and do what you find interesting. If you keep at this you will probably continue to loose weight. If you want to loose weight fast then read the weight lose forum and see what other poeple do. Otherwise you will loose weight as you get fitter so my feeling is you should concentrate on getting fit. I loose weight when I work at least 45 minutes on the erg (or more then 1.5 hours on the bike) twice a week, with another 3 or 4 days that are shorter. Aso not eating too late at night works for me. (But then again I've never had to loose more then two or three lbs)

Setting goals is a really good way to get motivated to stay in shape. For most poeple making a plan really helps. I would figure out how much you want to row per week. INcrease the milage by a small percentage each week (something like 2 -7 %) until you have reached your desired amount. I would recommend one row that is significantly longer then others each week. One or at max two rows that are shorter but significantly faster then normal. The fast rows should probably be intervals but if you are not concerned with racing, you could do a long warmup and long cool down, and do a hard single distance of 2,000 to 5,000. The intervals you do, do not have to be really tough. Again you need to figure out what you find interesting. The rest you want to do at a moderate pace with maybe a few sprints thrown in. THe plan and goals needs to be realistic for you.

IF you only want to be in shape and healthy then you should mix up sports. Swimming once or twice a week is really good and it provides some rotation that rowing does not do. But again do what is fun--this should be a life style change. What is important is that you remain active and healthy for decads, not that you lose weight or get fit this year only.

IF your interested, you may want to read up on the various plans (wolverine interactive, pete plan--do a search). I'm not recommending that you do these since you aren't racing 2K, but they will give you some ideas for the principles of training. Also Check out the workout of the day at the C2 web site for ideas.

Thanks Nosmo your input is well received.

Baguaman,

There are many people who do NOT try to row at high SPM (high ratings), and there are many that are not into racing. I suspect that folks who are more competitive and who favor higher ratings are just posting more... it's a selection effect.

If you look at the forum more closely you will find advice about rowing with good form at lower ratings (18-22 spm) for long pieces.. 30 minutes or more. This kind of training will improve aerobic conditioning. Other kinds of training focus on short sprints or intervals at higher ratings. My own experience is that I need to intersperse the days rowing at high ratings with days rowing at low ratings. When you start, working at low ratings is good. It's harder to maintain technique at higher ratings. (Other people may disagree with these statements, and I suspect that they will post their contrasting opinions).

One reason that people complete set pieces of 2K, 5K, 6K, 30 minutes, etc, is that they can track their improvement over time. So, it's really a way of competing with yourself. It's particularly gratifying to do this when you start rowing, because the improvement is rapid. Later, when you become more addicted to the sport, the improvements in time are much more difficult to come by.

If you can row regularly without increasing your caloric intake, you will lose weight. A word to the wise, however... it is very easy to eat a bit more, counteracting the effects of the rowing. (This seems obvious, but I found it very easy to forget when the afternoon hungries hit).

In the two years since I have been erging regularly, my resting heart rate and blood pressure have dropped considerably. My BP was 130/86, now routinely runs 116/78. I'm having more trouble with the weight, but that's another story.

Good luck!

Hello Rocky,

Thank you for the reply and the thoughts,i do think that i will do as you
and some others have stated and mix things up a bit in terms of length
of rows and in terms of S.P.M i have Xeno's set of training DVD's and
will try to find something in them that i can work with but i may have to
tone them down just a little for myself. maybe one day i do as well as
the rest of you.

thanks again. Gordon

Hi baguaman - just to let you know that tons of very successful (including olympian) crews & scullers train at very low rates (spm) for a good part of the annual training cycle. With the aim of giving themselves the widest aerobic base they will row at low pressure at rates of 16-18 spm in the boat and on the erg for up to 90 minutes. It's easier in the boat as the rowers can focus on getting more distance per stroke - but you can also do this on an erg by using the distance countdown or recording functions. You should aim to do 4-5 20minute pieces with a 2 minute rest in between each one during which you paddle light for 30 seconds and then get off the erg and stretch your lower back & shoulders for 1 minute before paddling light into the next piece. Many people do short bursts to break up the monotony of the piece - I do this and also make sure I listen to something interesting at the same time. Your body should be able to access stored fats as an energy source very efficiently at this level of effort - and this will not necessarily happen if you are pushing your body too hard. Try using a HR monitor to pace yourself, keep the spm below 18 and put a bit of tape over the 500 min split readout. If you really want to lose weight - Australian sports scientists found that a group of overweight women who did 3 weekly 20 minute bike sessions alternating 8 seconds maximum effort with 12 seconds very light effort lost more weight than a control group who did 3 weekly sessions of steady state - see latest copy of runners world for details!
keep paddling

Hi again - I should have said that the 8/12 second workout is not something you would try on an erg - but does work well on a bike!

hello Tincup,

thank you for the info,it is contrary to the way that i have been thinking
about things i had never realy considered rowing for 90 min at a time and
the thought of 18 spm or lower never would have occured to me at all.

it seems to be against all that i have read here so far but perhaps i have
not read enough to make a judgement on that,now may i ask you how
many days a week should one perform such an exercise program and
would it be intermixed with different rowing practices. last night i worked
with Xeno's 3 by 6 rate change dvd and was pleased to be able to keep
up rather well but given that my main goal is weightloss and cardio
conditioning are longer slower rowing sessions perhaps a better way to
go.

well i am getting to be long winded here so i will say thank you for your
time and help.

Gordon.

Hi baguaman - the 90 min routines can be a bit daunting and are not the only way to lose weight - on the other hand your technique and aerobic conditioning will obviously benefit. I would direct you to the weight loss forum where there is a lively debate about the 12/8 second exercise bike regimen.

I fit in three 20 minute bike sessions every week and do one long (60 minutes +) and two less long erg sessions every week, which works for me.

Good Luck

baguaman wrote:my goals are quite simple loose weight,controll bloodpressure and get fit. my stats are as follows age 44,height 5'11",weight 198 lbs

i enjoy the rowing and it gets the sweat rolling for me but i am not fast i would say that my average spm is 22-23 over the 60 min session

Hi Gordon

I started erging in Oct 06: I was 49 (still am), 6'5" (still am), and 111kg. I had been on atenolol 50mg for blood pressure for about 10 years, and hadn't got above walking pace for 20 years.

I aborted my first session on the ergo after 3 mins because I couldn't breath! Since then I've built up the exercise duration gradually. Since January I've been doing 40 minute sessions about 4x per week on average. I prefer low rates (18-22 spm) and at a pace that varies from 2:05 to 2:12/500m for most sessions. By the end of 40mins I aim to be sweating (profusely); breathing deeply, but in time with the rowing cycle, and not gasping for breathe or panting; and tired, but not exhausted. Each session should end with me eager for the next one: not dreading it.

I am now 95kg, and feel fit and rejuvenated. An unexpected bonus is that my blood pressure is now lower than it was when I was 30 years old, and I no longer need medication at all.

You are doing fantastically well. Don't feel you have to row faster, or become a race-monster - just enjoy what you do. Keep it up, and enjoy the benefits.

Cheers
Dave

baguaman wrote:my goals are quite simple loose weight,controll bloodpressure and get fit. my stats are as follows age 44,height 5'11",weight 198 lbs

i enjoy the rowing and it gets the sweat rolling for me but i am not fast i would say that my average spm is 22-23 over the 60 min session

Hi Gordon

I started erging in Oct 06: I was 49 (still am), 6'5" (still am), and 111kg. I had been on atenolol 50mg for blood pressure for about 10 years, and hadn't got above walking pace for 20 years.

I aborted my first session on the ergo after 3 mins because I couldn't breath! Since then I've built up the exercise duration gradually. Since January I've been doing 40 minute sessions about 4x per week on average. I prefer low rates (18-22 spm) and at a pace that varies from 2:05 to 2:12/500m for most sessions. By the end of 40mins I aim to be sweating (profusely); breathing deeply, but in time with the rowing cycle, and not gasping for breathe or panting; and tired, but not exhausted. Each session should end with me eager for the next one: not dreading it.

I am now 95kg, and feel fit and rejuvenated. An unexpected bonus is that my blood pressure is now lower than it was when I was 30 years old, and I no longer need medication at all.

You are doing fantastically well. Don't feel you have to row faster, or become a race-monster - just enjoy what you do. Keep it up, and enjoy the benefits.

Cheers
Dave

Thank's to Tincup and Snail Space for the ideas,help and support it is
truely needed and much appreciated. this is a wonderful thing to beable
to have such a tool to use . Snail Space i must say that ifind your story to be particularly very much to the point of my problem,congratulations
on your success and may it continue.


Thank's again, Gordon

hi snail space - you have achieved awesome results which goes to show what can be achieved by listening to your body. HR monitors also give me some important biofeedback and I try to keep my HR in the high 40's to low 50's - gradually the 500m split times I can comfortably endure for 3-5 x 20 minutes intervals have started to come down and I find this a great reinforcer. Like you I'm losing weight (also by other types of workout) and I also feel that in a few months I will be pleased with my performace over shorter intervals when I aim to start pushing up to anaerobic threshold pace.

Stay paddling