Concept2 Forum

There are a fair few of us who have come to this sport a bit later in life (maybe a tad after our prime ) .... but no one said you cant have dreams and aspirations after a certain age

I guess I want to encourage all of you to have a dream, set a goal, and work towards it

George

Hello,

Yep past prime as you suggested.

Current dream is to realise improvements prior to inevitable lack of improvements due to aging.

I keep thinking of 1 graph (realising potential) rising and getting higher but someday its going to hit that other descending graph (current physical capability) thats going down and the big question is do I get my 2k 7:00 before the lift starts going down again ?

Bill

billw wrote:...... big question is do I get my 2k 7:00 before the lift starts going down again ?

Bill

If you want to Bill I believe that for most of us the determining factor as to whether we achieve our dreams/goals is our commitment to the process.

George

yep

Hi George,

I have to admit this truly strikes a chord with me. Having had to give up a sport I dearly loved ( running ) after 20 yrs. due to injuries, I thought taking up another sport after 50 would be just an "exercise" in staving off the inevitable. However, 4 yrs. hence I'm happy to say I'm still improving. My goal is to get a 6:45 2k within the next year (currently at 6:59 for 2k).

Chase that dream and chase it hard!!!

Good luck all,

Dan

Hi George,

Well I started erging 4 years ago at 57 after about 30 years as a runner now with suspect knees. That wasn't enough of a challenge so I've been doing some OTW rowing this summer. So far about 9.5 million meters on the erg and about 210K OTW. OTW is has been a real challenge. My current goal is to row hard enough OTW to get my HR to max.

Frank

As I have already achieved my goals on the erg there are no realistic challenges left for me in indoor rowing. I have won many Aust. Indoor Rowing Champ. races and represented my country in Crash Bs. Achieved my distance goals on the erg such as sub 20 minutes for 6000m and over 17,300m in one hour. Sub 6 minutes for 2Ks is unrealistic for me given my size, hence it was always a dream and not a goal (there is a difference between the two).

Hence now my focus is purely on OTW rowing, that is until I turn 50 when there will be new challenges on the erg. My ultimate goal in OTW rowing is to make the State Masters Rowing Crew and win a World Masters rowing event.

Just like I put in heaps of time and meters on the erg to achieve my goals on the erg I'm now doing the same OTW. After several months of rowing OTW approx. 85K per week (Frank your 210K total for summer isn't enough to pay dividends in the boat) I've noticed some big improvements already and people are now getting surprised by it. There's still work to be done in the boat but the erg is starting to float.

I'm at a point, like I was on the erg, where performances, race results and acknowledgement from my peers is spurring me on to keep achieving my goals and setting higher goals.

My advice to anyone trying to achieve goals is that, whatever it is, you really have to put the time and distances in to achieve them. Most importantly, you need to leave your comfort zone and make it hurt. Junk meters won't get you there.

Roland, I believe I know what you mean by:"stuffed up my technique in the boat", but could you elaborate a bit more. I'm curious to see if you're experiencing the same things as I am. Thanks dennis

After 25 years of rowing and erging my dreams is simply to spend an evening in a hot tub full of warm jello with Fiona Apple. For me, it's about as likely as being sub-6:00 again!

SlugButt wrote:After 25 years of rowing and erging my dreams is simply to spend an evening in a hot tub full of warm jello with Fiona Apple. For me, it's about as likely as being sub-6:00 again!

Fiona Apple is cute but far too skinny for my tastes. Madonna at 47, who holds her age very well, would be a better choice. She still has a very fit and agile looking body and obviously works out to stay that way. Wearing those spandex loetards in her music video clips does her no harm.

dennis wrote:Roland, I believe I know what you mean by:"stuffed up my technique in the boat", but could you elaborate a bit more. I'm curious to see if you're experiencing the same things as I am. Thanks dennis

Dennis,

Essentially there were two technique issues that crept into my OTW rowing from spending too much time on the erg.

Firstly there was the problem at the catch, where on the erg due to the usual chain slack you get at the first part of the drive, in the boat I lost the feel for grabbing the water with the oar in a strong body position. This caused the first quarter of my drive to be far weaker in the boat consequently losing valuable boat run.

Secondly, on the erg it is advantageous to use the upper body more than what you would in the boat. In this way you can apply more pressure on the handle and get more spin out of the flywheel. In the boat this made me become too tense in the arms and shoulders causing balance problems. Leverage of the oar through the water during the stroke suffered and likewise I couldn't relax enough to feel for the balance during the recovery phase.

There were other minor issues, which is typical of ergers who take to the water, such as the cranking and dumping that you do on the erg. The erg may be a great fitness and time trial tool for OTW rowers but is too unlike a boat to do serious rowing technique work.

Hey Roland,

After reading various posts over last 3 years I do lots of erging at approx 70% of HRR - are these junk metres in your opinion ?

Should I be pushing self a bit harder than that to build up an aerobic base ?

Bill

Thanks Roland, Indeed much as I expected. My misery is also the catch. As I read your post it was almost verbatim what I would have written. One of the things that I had to do was slow everything down. And square blades for huge chunks of time at practice. A coach with a good eye and one willing to spend some time also seems essential. Our club is so small and the opportunitites for coahing nonexistent, so its go to camps and bang away on your own. Niether is a really good solution but all thats available currently. But it is very helpful to know that others are working through similar problems and making headway. Thanks dennis

Rockin Roland wrote: (Frank your 210K total for summer isn't enough to pay dividends in the boat)

My summer OTW rowing was limited by the fact that I did not get a shell until July 1 and my schedule only permitted 3 days a week OTW. Next year I will be retired and Yvette has already given me permission to row every day if I want.

Frank

billw wrote:Hey Roland,

After reading various posts over last 3 years I do lots of erging at approx 70% of HRR - are these junk metres in your opinion ?

Should I be pushing self a bit harder than that to build up an aerobic base ?

Bill

Bill--

How often do you row? How long/far do you go at 70%.

Based on what I've read, if you are doing lots of hour to hour-plus sessions, 70% is probably a good target. If your sessions are shorter and if you are only doing a few of these a week, then you might benefit from pushing the intensity a bit.

Tom