Concept2 Forum

Hello all,

I've been rowing since last year in February for three days a week. I'm also 14 years old and I've been wondering what can I do to bring down my erg time. Right now my PR is 7:34.3 (bleh) and I want to bring it down to the 7:20s. It's been a little hard to get workout time at the boathouse since we've been mostly teaching the novices how to row these few weeks. I'm also a vegetarian and I'd like to know what I could eat to beef up along with working out.

Thanks,
Alex.

I clicked all of the above, but I would remove one of those - Soya milk - cause it is RANK!!!! Just stick to the good old fashioned Cow Juice. All the foods listed are good sources of protein (with the exception of potatoes - complex carbs), but dont just concentrate on those and neglect carb intake and get plenty of fruit and veg in for vitamins and minerals.

You are 14 and will still be growing and your body need balance to help it grow. I wouldnt concern myself with bulking up at your age, you only risk doing yourself more harm than good. Just eat plenty and eat well, train hard and work on technique and you will be fine. The best way to get a better erg score is to erg/row - simple as that.

Start introducing some additional distance to your sessions, and dont merely focus on the 2km. Improvement on longer distances will bring your 2km down as well.

all of the above with exception of meat,potatoes and soya milk!

Leaves cheese and beer I think!



Great poll , Alex

WolfPack wrote:Hello all,

I've been rowing since last year in February for three days a week. I'm also 14 years old and I've been wondering what can I do to bring down my erg time. Right now my PR is 7:34.3 (bleh) and I want to bring it down to the 7:20s. It's been a little hard to get workout time at the boathouse since we've been mostly teaching the novices how to row these few weeks. I'm also a vegetarian and I'd like to know what I could eat to beef up along with working out.

Thanks,
Alex.

Just eat enough, search a bit on the internet for Good protein. Some sourches are to fat. (cheese etc) And some are simply not the right ones (soya).
Low fat diary product's and eggs without the yellow are well suited for you.

Ps don,t focus to must on protein, just make sure to eat eat healty and enough.

Cottage cheese and yogurt (especially low- or no-fat).

Add some seeds--pumpkin, sunflower. Throw in cut fruit and raisins for flavor (and energy), and you're in business.

I don't eat any of those.

Corn, peas and green beans are good cooked together with spices such as cinnamon, cayenne, tarragon, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, dill weed, parsley and/or basil.

Bok choy makes a good drink juiced with a few carrots, a cube of fresh ginger root and an apple.

TomR wrote:Cottage cheese and yogurt (especially low- or no-fat).

Add some seeds--pumpkin, sunflower. Throw in cut fruit and raisins for flavor (and energy), and you're in business.

ooo I'll try that...

John Rupp wrote:I don't eat any of those.

Corn, peas and green beans are good cooked together with spices such as cinnamon, cayenne, tarragon, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, dill weed, parsley and/or basil.

Bok choy makes a good drink juiced with a few carrots, a cube of fresh ginger root and an apple.

...and that too.

WolfPack wrote:
I'm also a vegetarian and I'd like to know what I could eat to beef up along with working out.

Thanks,
Alex.

Your only problem is that your a vegetarian. If it's for religious or ethical reasons then that's unfortunate.

The fastest and easiest way to create muscle and power is by eating lean meat. Cheese and milk will bloat you and beans will give you a body like a string bean (pardon the pun).

Power is more important for rowing performance than body bulk. And the best nutrient to develope power is Creatine. Unfortunately for you little or no creatine is found in "rabbit food".

Creatine is normally found in meat and fish in quantities of approx. 5 grams of creatine for every 1 kilogram(2.2 pounds) of meat. Speaking from experience my best 2K erg times have come from eating a meal mainly comprising of steak the night before a competition rather than a pasta based meal. Carbos are very, very important but the timing between carbos and amino acids (not just creatine) in your diet is critical in your training for best results.

Lean meat equals power and power equals fast erg times. All the vegetarians on this forum will try and tell you otherwise but generally just have a look at their erg times before you stick to your vegetarian diet.

it is not true that as a vegetarian you can not build muscle and strength
there are athletes competing at top levels in sports whom are indeed
vegetarians,the most well known among them would be Jack Lallane.

the only point of contention that i can think of is each persons reaction
to the diet of choice.

baguaman wrote:it is not true that as a vegetarian you can not build muscle and strength
there are athletes competing at top levels in sports whom are indeed
vegetarians,the most well known among them would be Jack Lallane.

the only point of contention that i can think of is each persons reaction
to the diet of choice.

Jack Lallane is a vegetarian?! Recent change? I'd have to research this a bit, but it sure doesn't seem to fall in line with the "stories" about him from years past.

PaulS wrote:

baguaman wrote:it is not true that as a vegetarian you can not build muscle and strength
there are athletes competing at top levels in sports whom are indeed
vegetarians,the most well known among them would be Jack Lallane.

the only point of contention that i can think of is each persons reaction
to the diet of choice.

Jack Lallane is a vegetarian?! Recent change? I'd have to research this a bit, but it sure doesn't seem to fall in line with the "stories" about him from years past.

We recently bought a copy of his book "Cooking With Jack." In no way is it vegetarian.

Bob S.

We recently bought a copy of his book "Cooking With Jack." In no way is it vegetarian.

Bob S.

If you cook Jack it won't!

Just eat the book, and get wiser, the mongols did! ( or some other horsebackriding people from long ago! )

eet smakelijk

from what i have read and seen in interviews with him on tv, he claims
that he gave up eating meat and dairy as a very young man do to
some type of illness or reactions to certain foods. my understanding is
that he is indeed a vegetarian and a big fan of juicing.

i will how ever do more research to make sure that i am not relating
something that is not correct. Ok it would seem after doing some further
research that Jack is a ovo-vegetarian whom on occassion will eat fish
but he centers his protien intake around soy and eggs.

Interview with Jack LaLanne:

Question: In your book you mention that you were a vegetarian at one point for 6 years.

Jack LaLanne: I was a strict vegetarian. Then I decided to enter a Mr. America contest (which I won) and in those days they thought that in order to build muscle you had to have meat. So I ate meat for a while.

Question: Why did you stop being a strict vegetarian?

Jack LaLanne: In those days everybody was saying that you had to eat meat to build muscle, so I went on a meat thing for awhile. Now I only eat fish--no chicken, no turkey, just fish. I get all my protein from fish and egg whites.

Question: My favorite healing authority believes in eating fish and dairy on top of the vegetarian diet.

Jack LaLanne: I use no milk of any kind. Anything that comes from a cow I don't eat.

Thanks John, as per my reading from Jack's web site he is what may
well be considered the most common type of vegetarian in the U.S
given the number of them that i have talked to. on his web site he states
that he eats soy protien and eggs as his main source of protien and
does at times eat fish but never dairy,sugar,red meat,chicken or pork.

he likes to eat 10 servings of raw vegetables a day(some of this in juice
form) and also add in fruits nuts and the usual fair.