jurgwhitehouse wrote: ↑February 19th, 2021, 8:52 amYour current situation sounds very similar to mine a few years ago. I was metabolically broken, pre-diabetic, over-fat. The erg saved my life.
A few things that worked for me:
Do something every day. You don't need rest days. Use discipline and routine because motivation isn't enough. Even if you're too tired or fatigued, do something - even if it's a 5-minute row followed by some light stretching.
Rowing fasted before breakfast stimulated a lot more fat-burning for me. Also, early morning rowing is best for discipline. Lay out your workout clothes the night before. My rule is to always get dressed into my rowing clothes when I wake up. Getting onto the erg is often the hardest part. Remember that black coffee has zero calories!
Keep the intensity low. Very low. I noticed that anything too hard just meant that I had to replenish with more carbs. Keto and hard exercise doesn't mix.
Eat your daily allocation of carbs immediately after a workout. It'll get shuttled directly to your muscles without stimulating an insulin response.
Don't confuse over-weight with over-fat. You're going to gain muscle mass with rowing, so don't be a slave to the scales. I was 115kg in 2017 before I started rowing. I dropped to 90kg with keto, IF, and 10-15 hours/week of low-intensity rowing. Then my ego took over when I realized I could be competitive. I'm now back to nearly 115kg. It ain't all muscle but I'm definitely a different shape now. Put simply, the best measure of progress is how much your gut gets in the way on the rowing machine.
Get a big fan. All that extra body insulation makes rowing miserable in the heat. Wristbands and a headband are a must.
Injury is your enemy and you have to do everything to avoid it. Look after your back, don't row for longer than 15-20 minutes at a time because it's not healthy to be in that cramped position for any longer then necessary. My favourite is 3x20 minutes with a 1-2 minute break in-between: time enough to get up, shake out stiffness, grab a drink, wipe off the sweat.
Although your fat loss is still predominantly about food intake, think of exercise as a way to add to flexibility to a restricted diet. That doesn't mean 'rewarding' yourself but be mindful that you need to get the caloric balance right. Trial and error. For example, being hungry before bedtime can affect sleep, which means you can't exercise as much tomorrow, which gets you into a cycle of despair. Rowing every day is going to increase your need for food, but as long as that extra food is keto-friendly fat & protein, you're all good. Personally I found <50g of carbs/day to be utterly miserable but 100-200g was about right. That's not strictly keto but it worked for me.
Get support from friends & family because you cannot do this alone. Discipline, keto and endless rowing can be alienating to those uninterested in your goals. Cut out those people who think they're being kind by telling you to relax, go easy, eat cake.
Keep a personal training diary. Upload everything to the Concept2 log. Take a photo of your erg screens. Note how well you slept, any aches & pains, how hard the workout felt, etc. Be sure to post ALL of your workouts here and/or on Instagram & Twitter and you'll soon realise that you're not alone. For me, this was the biggest motivation and source of inspiration. Don't be shy. Likeminded people will naturally want to support and help others going though the same personal struggles.
I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. Best wishes.
Well Said Jurgen , i agree !
