Newbie.

[rksford]

Just got my 2nd hand model D with PM5 over a month ago.

40yo.male 5ft8in 94kg still carrying a little holiday weight (just don't ask how many holidays I am carrying for :lol.)
I've worked up to a 30 min session and usually row on 6 days a week.
My best metres is 6430m.
I have to start somewhere. What would be a reasonable distance to aim for, for my height?

[Citroen]

You should be able to get 7500m.

You're going to have to learn about the damper/drag factor setting (NOT 10)
You're going to have to learn a good technique (using your legs to push the machine away more than your upper body).

[rksford]

Thanks .7500 is a big target,, need to lose 15kg or so...I think technique is not too far,away.. well for the 1st 20min.....alot of work ahead..

[Dangerscouse]

Welcome to the forum. At the moment don't worry about distance targets; refine your technique, vary your sessions / stroke rate and enjoy getting fitter.

Some of us are more suited to sprints and some more suited to endurance (based on amount of fast twitch and slow twitch muscles) but your ability to row a specific distance will improve over time.

Keep chipping away at your 30 mins PB, and reaching 7.5k may, or may not, be some time away yet. No problem if it is a while, as there are no short cuts and when you see some results don't forget that some of us have been rowing for many years. "Comparison is the thief of all joy"

[rksford]

Thankyou....alot of my 94kg is not muscle .....so if I work on technique and weight loss hopefully everything else will fall into place..times/distance.

[max_ratcliffe]

Thankyou....alot of my 94kg is not muscle .....so if I work on technique and weight loss hopefully everything else will fall into place..times/distance.

Welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get training advice and support from a lot of experienced rowers. Some of the rowers here are undoubtedly talented (and a few are record holders), but there are plenty of mere mortals here who just enjoy the erg and the great benefits that it can provide to your physical and mental well-being.

FWIW, my view on the 7500m objective for a 30' piece is that yes, it's probably a reasonable goal for many of us. Given a body that does not have any serious limitations due to illness or injury, we can probably get there or thereabouts... eventually. Fitness improvements sometimes seem quite consistent with training, and at other times appear in an apparently random fashion, just when you think that progress has stalled.

So, enjoy the process and keep us informed of how you're going. We all benefit from a thriving forum, and even if a particular workout wasn't what you hoped it would be, it is still valuable for others to read about it.

[jamesg]

At 5'8 you have an ideal weight of around 75 kg. That weight and your age imply you can train at around 150 W without being forced to stop too soon, i.e. remain aerobic. No doubt a couple of minutes sprint at the end will give you an idea of how you are progressing.

Any difficulties can be overcome by working on posture, style, drag, foot height and rating; this last need not be higher than say 22. Using ergdata, you can see both stroke length and handle force, which may help perfect technique, if necessary.

Using low ratings strengthens the stroke, so that if and when you want to go fast by rating higher, you have both the stroke and the endurance to do it.

[rksford]

Thanks for the encouragement...always appreciated....I've taken the first few baby steps in trying to get my health and fitness back on track.

[lindsayh]

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