I'd say that you want to get most of the extra power from your legs.urowgirl wrote:That is accomplished by harder kick offs and stronger pulls?
Schenley
Question about Stroke Rate for Ladies
Schenley
Schenley
Wife of Jeff
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/momofjbn/dudes_small.jpg[/img] Mom of Jonathan (12), Benjamin (10), and Nicholas (8)
Wife of Jeff
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/momofjbn/dudes_small.jpg[/img] Mom of Jonathan (12), Benjamin (10), and Nicholas (8)
Clearly there are different strokes for different (age, sex and weight) folks.
I posted my comments because there are a lot of middle-aged lady lurkers on this forum. Here are my tech-talk conclusions. I confess I'm an engineer by trade, so I did quite a bit of data-gathering on myself and my health when I started rowing.
I did my first marathon when I was 61 yo at a sr of 23. My next one was faster and at a lower stroke rate. Since then I have dropped my regular workout stroke rate to 19-21, depending on what music I have on.
My general build is long legs, short arms, and a torso that is getting shorter as my lower spine slowly collapses due to age, sport injuries, and arthritis. I had trouble getting a bike frame that was proportioned for me because the handlebars are always too far away if the leg length is right.
Guys are proportioned differently. Longer arms, longer torso. And how about the fact that women's hips are wider than guys? That affects the way we apply force during the drive. Has anyone experimented with placing the foot pads farther apart??
My goal is to build my abs and not overstrain my back. Good overall muscle tone is the best way for me to postpone radical back treatment. Having short arms and long legs means I tend to drive back pretty far, (long legs) and hunch over to do the arm pull. A slower stroke gives me more control over my stroke method and keeps me from doing really fast pressure changes on my joints as I go back and forth.
I did a doctor-supervised treadmill stress test to exhaustion and found that my blood pressure medicine causes a delay in my getting my heart rate up with increased exertion. The result seems to be that I can't catch my breath even though the rest of my body can more than keep up.
For gym goers and others who aren't sure of their limits, a heart rate monitor can tell you a lot. The 'normal' max heart-rate charts aren't always accurate for old athletes. I got a watch-based one and strapped the watch receiver on the erg handlebar. You can get the pm-compatible one if you have your own erg.
Regarding power vs speed, going slower means the flywheel slows down more and it takes more energy to get it going faster again. To avoid hurting myself I keep the resistance low.
Regarding elbow and wrists, I did have trouble a few years ago. My cure was to stop sticking my elbows out, and to turn the handle over now and then and row underhanded for a bit. I believe rowing underhanded develops the muscles on the other side of my arms, so when I lift or pull on something I can apply force more evenly.
I worked on my stroke technique by propping one of those $10 'full length' mirrors up in front of myself so I could see what I was doing. It helped me learn not to hunch and to keep my head up.
Lastly, finding what works best for you is a matter of tweaking one thing at a time and then doing a session, paying close attention to how each part of your body is responding. And then going shopping for some new clothes as you lose weight and reshape your body. Enjoy
grams
I posted my comments because there are a lot of middle-aged lady lurkers on this forum. Here are my tech-talk conclusions. I confess I'm an engineer by trade, so I did quite a bit of data-gathering on myself and my health when I started rowing.
I did my first marathon when I was 61 yo at a sr of 23. My next one was faster and at a lower stroke rate. Since then I have dropped my regular workout stroke rate to 19-21, depending on what music I have on.
My general build is long legs, short arms, and a torso that is getting shorter as my lower spine slowly collapses due to age, sport injuries, and arthritis. I had trouble getting a bike frame that was proportioned for me because the handlebars are always too far away if the leg length is right.
Guys are proportioned differently. Longer arms, longer torso. And how about the fact that women's hips are wider than guys? That affects the way we apply force during the drive. Has anyone experimented with placing the foot pads farther apart??
My goal is to build my abs and not overstrain my back. Good overall muscle tone is the best way for me to postpone radical back treatment. Having short arms and long legs means I tend to drive back pretty far, (long legs) and hunch over to do the arm pull. A slower stroke gives me more control over my stroke method and keeps me from doing really fast pressure changes on my joints as I go back and forth.
I did a doctor-supervised treadmill stress test to exhaustion and found that my blood pressure medicine causes a delay in my getting my heart rate up with increased exertion. The result seems to be that I can't catch my breath even though the rest of my body can more than keep up.
For gym goers and others who aren't sure of their limits, a heart rate monitor can tell you a lot. The 'normal' max heart-rate charts aren't always accurate for old athletes. I got a watch-based one and strapped the watch receiver on the erg handlebar. You can get the pm-compatible one if you have your own erg.
Regarding power vs speed, going slower means the flywheel slows down more and it takes more energy to get it going faster again. To avoid hurting myself I keep the resistance low.
Regarding elbow and wrists, I did have trouble a few years ago. My cure was to stop sticking my elbows out, and to turn the handle over now and then and row underhanded for a bit. I believe rowing underhanded develops the muscles on the other side of my arms, so when I lift or pull on something I can apply force more evenly.
I worked on my stroke technique by propping one of those $10 'full length' mirrors up in front of myself so I could see what I was doing. It helped me learn not to hunch and to keep my head up.
Lastly, finding what works best for you is a matter of tweaking one thing at a time and then doing a session, paying close attention to how each part of your body is responding. And then going shopping for some new clothes as you lose weight and reshape your body. Enjoy
grams
(great) grams 71 yo 5'3"
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
OK, tried rowing slower yesterday. Previously, as discussed, I have done basically 7800 meters at 28 stroke rate for 40 minutes. Yesterday, after concentrating on my stroke rate, I accomplished 7812 meters in 41:26 minutes at 22 stroke rate. Should this be what I am aiming for? Is this a better workout?
Thanks for helping out a novice.
Thanks for helping out a novice.
Grams,
Yes, I was strapless; due to a huge blister from the onset, I have only rowed strapless.
How did it feel? I think it was about the same. I was really concentrating on keeping my strokes low and pushing off from my heels. I tried to see if I was going 10mps, and was the times I checked. I think it was a pace that was not as exhausting, so maybe could row for a longer time. My calories burned was slightly less, however. Goal is to maximize efficiency (to lose weight and over all health) in the minimal time that I have free to exercise. (Home school mom of four who thinks that an hour to exercise and shower might be more than I can give.)
I realize that this is a fairly benign response, but I am so new, I'm not sure what to expect from a session.
Thanks for all the insight.
Yes, I was strapless; due to a huge blister from the onset, I have only rowed strapless.
How did it feel? I think it was about the same. I was really concentrating on keeping my strokes low and pushing off from my heels. I tried to see if I was going 10mps, and was the times I checked. I think it was a pace that was not as exhausting, so maybe could row for a longer time. My calories burned was slightly less, however. Goal is to maximize efficiency (to lose weight and over all health) in the minimal time that I have free to exercise. (Home school mom of four who thinks that an hour to exercise and shower might be more than I can give.)
I realize that this is a fairly benign response, but I am so new, I'm not sure what to expect from a session.
Thanks for all the insight.