Concept2 Forum

Hello fellow ergers

I've been seriously erging for about three years and for the past three months or so a problem has surfaced that sounds trivial but is really getting me down.

I get really bad heart burn about 15 minutes into a session. It's so uncomfortable that I have to stop and to take medication for it. The medication does help but I don't want to rely on that

I've tried waiting for two or even three hours after meals and sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Any adice?

Allan

Are you drinking enough water throughout the day? Also, medications might be causing the heartburn. Aleve and ibuprofen give me serious heartburn if I am taking it over a long period of time, Aleve was the worst for me...

jigtime wrote:Hello fellow ergers

I've been seriously erging for about three years and for the past three months or so a problem has surfaced that sounds trivial but is really getting me down.

I get really bad heart burn about 15 minutes into a session. It's so uncomfortable that I have to stop and to take medication for it. The medication does help but I don't want to rely on that

I've tried waiting for two or even three hours after meals and sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Any adice?

Allan

Heart burn.....chest pain during exercise. You should really take it seriously and talk to a doctor.

I should have mentioned that I checked with my physian and had a strees test and there are no heart problems.

About the heartburn-he just shrugs his shoulders

DW wrote:Are you drinking enough water throughout the day? Also, medications might be causing the heartburn. Aleve and ibuprofen give me serious heartburn if I am taking it over a long period of time, Aleve was the worst for me...

Ah ha! I've been taking a cholesterol lowering drug. Off to search the internet.

I drink a lot of water as well.

Thanks
Allan

Allan,
I also have had this problem. Yes, fifteen minutes is about right, when I start to get warmed up and start pulling harder. I've tried several things that have helped.

I found that it helps a lot to eat a protein bar (Cliff Builder's Bar) about 15 minutes before the early morning row. Rowing on an empty stomach was painful. A carb bar also works (regular Cliff bar), but not as well.

In stressful times I also might take a TUMS before I row.

Also, I have been watching my breathing. You could search the forum for a discussion of breathing patterns. I notice that if I hold my breath and tense my diaphram at the end of the stroke, my heartburn is worse. Instead, I think about relaxing my breathing. I haven't decided whether breathing in or breathing out works better at the finish, but having the breath "in motion" is definitely better than holding it or expelling air in a weightlifters' explosive huff at the end.

Also, making sure that my back isn't curved at the finish seems to help. Maybe someone else can describe this better. I am working on sitting up straight, even though I have some layback. My shoulders are at the maximum distance from my hips. I think about leaving as much space for my stomach as possible. Before I was hunching a little, and with the extra weight I carry, it felt like I was putting pressure on my stomach.

The problem seems to have been solved except when I'm rowing at high ratings (greater than 28 spm), and I think that's because when I start getting tired, I hunch and hold my breath again.

My problem with the heartburn started with I was using NSAIDs (ibuprofen) daily over several months for a tendon injury. I read an article somewhere that NSAIDS like ibuprofen interfere with the stomach's production of protective mucus, causing heartburn. It may take months or years for your body to recover. Also, the article said that women are more likely to be affected than men. I don't have time to look up the artcile... maybe some else can?

Sorry for the long post, I hope something here is useful. Please post when you figure out what works for you.

C

P.S. I also did the stress test thing. The doc said "heartburn"

Hi Rocky:

Everything you said makes a lot of sense.

Come to think of it, I used to get heartburn running as well. I tried noot hunching up this afternoon and it worked.

Allan