New rower with a few questions

[aaronshiller]

I have been rowing for three weeks now and I am totally hooked. I am rowing primarily to get my weight down and to get into shape. I try to row 5 times a week, and I row between 5000- 10000 meters a day. I have noticed a difference already in my arms. I can feel the cut between the muscles. SO here are my questions:
I set the resistance to 10 the highest, and I am working hard from the get go. I have considered turning it down and trying for 10000 meters every day, I'm not sure if that will bare better results.
Also I get tremendously thirsty and would like to break for water but I am also watching my time. So far I have always waited it out, but boy would I love to be wearing a camelback. What do more seasoned rowers do?
Lastly, I am embarrassed to say that when I row I sweat a lot and boy do I stink. Makes no difference where or how much deodorant I put on before- I reak to hell like ammonia and other nastyness. I shower before I workout as well but that is to no avail. I have been asked to move at the gym. Anybody else with this problem.
thanks for all your help.

[Buckiller]

just my opinion, from an average user i guess, but I think you should definitely lower the damper to 3-4 if you row for longer periods of time.

As for water... im not sure what we do for longer pieces (6k+) since i generally always stay under 6k in one sitting... i imagine keeping a water bottle by you and taking a 5 second break to take a gulp to please the mouth wouldnt be a horrible idea.

Try some deodorant spray (spray it on your problem areas like arms, chest, back etc) a light spray should suffice since you are spraying it in more places than just the armpit.

[Ray79]

I have been rowing for three weeks now and I am totally hooked. I am rowing primarily to get my weight down and to get into shape. I try to row 5 times a week, and I row between 5000- 10000 meters a day. I have noticed a difference already in my arms. I can feel the cut between the muscles. SO here are my questions:
I set the resistance to 10 the highest, and I am working hard from the get go. I have considered turning it down and trying for 10000 meters every day, I'm not sure if that will bare better results.
Also I get tremendously thirsty and would like to break for water but I am also watching my time. So far I have always waited it out, but boy would I love to be wearing a camelback. What do more seasoned rowers do?
Lastly, I am embarrassed to say that when I row I sweat a lot and boy do I stink. Makes no difference where or how much deodorant I put on before- I reak to hell like ammonia and other nastyness. I shower before I workout as well but that is to no avail. I have been asked to move at the gym. Anybody else with this problem.
thanks for all your help.

First off there is a good thread on the UK forum about Drag factors (different than damper setting, but ultimately controlled by the damper - if that makes any sense)
http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... sc&start=0

Secondly as far as drinking goes - just make sure you hydrate well before hand - keep yourself topped up with water all during the day. If you are dehydrated before you start you will suffer later. I never drink during a session on the erg - that is anything up to 16km.

Thirdly - the sweating thing - it cant be helped, you are working hard, it is one of those things. You are paying your gym membership the same as everyone else, so you are entitled to use the facilities as much as anyone else. So if anyone asks you to move, complain to the gym staff - but not before you finish your session - and if it is the staff that ask you, refuse, tell the management and take your membership elsewhere and suggest to others that they do the same. You are at the gym to work out, not to prance around posing in a mirror, which we all see alot of.

[ancho]

If you have just started excercising reguarely, you sure will be sweating lots of acumulated toxines and other stuff.
It should get better in e few weeks.

Try to wash your sweaty workout clothes as soon as possible after each workout, don't just leave it piled up and fermenting n some corner until the next full washing machine is due...
Use cheap shirts, and renew them often.
And never, never leave your closed bag with sweaty stuff in the trunk of your car wirth the car parked in the sun!

[aaronshiller]

thanks for your all of your input. I will lower the damper on my workout today an I will try for 10,000 meters.
Also how do you join a team and what are the benefits of being on one?

[aaronshiller]

Before I started rowing I was lifting weights after I ran on the treadmill, or used the elliptical machine. Now after I finish on the rower my arms are all spent and can't seem to muster anything else for lifting. I had considered that the rowing workout also worked my arms and chest to suffice a workout. I really would rather not give up a day on the rower as I am really enjoying pushing myself and look forward to the feeling I get when I really put a bruising on the ergometer. Any thoughts?

[Liquid]

I do 5-18K non-stop also at the highest resistance. Drink before and you should be good for 40-45 minutes. On long rows I grab a bottle and swig some quickly enough to lose only 15-20 meters.

Not much you can do about sweat although I wear those special fast drying light shirts which helps to reduce the problem a little. These dry so fast that after a wash you almost don't need to put them into the dryer.

[Storm Petrel]

Also I get tremendously thirsty and would like to break for water but I am also watching my time. So far I have always waited it out, but boy would I love to be wearing a camelback. What do more seasoned rowers do?

Lastly, I am embarrassed to say that when I row I sweat a lot and boy do I stink. Makes no difference where or how much deodorant I put on before- I reak to hell like ammonia and other nastyness. I shower before I workout as well but that is to no avail. I have been asked to move at the gym. Anybody else with this problem.
thanks for all your help.

Also how do you join a team and what are the benefits of being on one?

If you have just started excercising reguarely, you sure will be sweating lots of acumulated toxines and other stuff.
It should get better in e few weeks.

In addition to eliminating toxins through your sweat, your sweat can take on odors peculiar to foods and/or medications you consume. For example if you eat alot of garlic your sweat can smell garlicy. In some people red meats can cause a strong smell in their sweat as can alcohol or meds.

I do longer pieces regularly also and don't drink while erging. I'll drink a small amount before starting and then a pint or more of water with Emergen-C added immediately after. As others mentioned be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Why be part of a team? Camaraderie, support, challenges, training partners, working for common goals, fun, cool team shirts

[aaronshiller]

how do I join a team?

[Bob S.]

Before I started rowing I was lifting weights after I ran on the treadmill, or used the elliptical machine. Now after I finish on the rower my arms are all spent and can't seem to muster anything else for lifting. I had considered that the rowing workout also worked my arms and chest to suffice a workout. I really would rather not give up a day on the rower as I am really enjoying pushing myself and look forward to the feeling I get when I really put a bruising on the ergometer. Any thoughts?

Several comments here. In reference to this specific message, if your arms are too spent, you may be working them too hard. Your quads are your strongest muscles and should be doing the major part of the work. Have you had your technique checked out by some one that knows something about rowing? This would not be the usual gym owner or instructor. My old coach (who took three college eights to Olympic gold) always used to say the the thighs were the drivers and the arms and back were just linkage.

In your first message, you mentioned the odor of ammonia. I can't speak for the medics, but as a chemist, I would suspect that you might have too much protein in your diet. Ammonia is a nitrogen compound and proteins (or amino acid supplements) are the predominant source of nitrogen in the body. If your workout is causing your body to burn up proteins as fuel it would be contra-productive to building yourself up. If you are using protein or amino acid supplements, you could probably cut back on them some and make sure that you are consuming enough carbohydrates and fats, the main body fuel sources.

Bob S.

[Buckiller]

Before I started rowing I was lifting weights after I ran on the treadmill, or used the elliptical machine. Now after I finish on the rower my arms are all spent and can't seem to muster anything else for lifting. I had considered that the rowing workout also worked my arms and chest to suffice a workout. I really would rather not give up a day on the rower as I am really enjoying pushing myself and look forward to the feeling I get when I really put a bruising on the ergometer. Any thoughts?

Dont pull with your arms so hard.

My arms are NEVER that tired after any piece except for a time trial or really really short pieces.

Like Bob said, make sure you have the right technique.

[ancho]

how do I join a team?

There are quite a few teams around. They are very active on the UK forum
http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/viewfor ... 7125861fa2.

Some have open membership policies (Free Spirits, Forum Flyers...), others are restricted (Ancient mariners, Sub7...), there are "local ones" (Paddypower, Taff Attack...) and very competitipon oriented (MAD).
Have a look on theur threads, talk/mail to some of the members, ask for membership conditions (if any), and see which one fits you the best.

Cheers!

[Byron Drachman]

If you have just started excercising reguarely, you sure will be sweating lots of acumulated toxines and other stuff.
It should get better in e few weeks.

Try to wash your sweaty workout clothes as soon as possible after each workout, don't just leave it piled up and fermenting n some corner until the next full washing machine is due...
Use cheap shirts, and renew them often.
And never, never leave your closed bag with sweaty stuff in the trunk of your car wirth the car parked in the sun!

To add to what Ancho said, after my workout at the gym I used to carry my (wet) gym clothes into the shower with me and wash them with plenty of soap, wring them out, and then carry them home in an open bag. As Ancho said, there is no need to have them fermenting.

Byron

[Storm Petrel]

In your first message, you mentioned the odor of ammonia. I can't speak for the medics, but as a chemist, I would suspect that you might have too much protein in your diet. Ammonia is a nitrogen compound and proteins (or amino acid supplements) are the predominant source of nitrogen in the body. If your workout is causing your body to burn up proteins as fuel it would be contra-productive to building yourself up. If you are using protein or amino acid supplements, you could probably cut back on them some and make sure that you are consuming enough carbohydrates and fats, the main body fuel sources.

Excellent point..


From: http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id= ... tters09-05
Ammonia is produced in skeletal muscle during prolonged exercise, enters the blood stream, and is secreted by the sweat glands.
Ammonia is generated in skeletal muscle as a byproduct of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) breakdown into adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and inorganic phosphate. During high-intensity exercise, the rate of ATP consumption exceeds ATP production and AMP begins to accumulate in the cell. Ammonia is released from the excess AMP by the enzyme, AMP deaminase. During prolonged, exhaustive exercise, skeletal muscle generates ammonia from oxidation of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) to make ATP. In the process, the amino group is removed from the BCAA, producing ammonia.
Elevated ammonia within the skeletal muscle and blood negatively affect performance. Neuromuscular function is impaired by ammonia, leading to local muscle fatigue. Ammonia can cross the blood-brain barrier. So it accumulates in the brain when blood levels are high. The brain's capacity to get rid of ammonia is adequate for short-term maximal exercise, but it is overwhelmed during prolonged, exhaustive exercise. Abnormally high levels of ammonia in the brain can disrupt normal neurotransmitter function.
Ammonia depletes the excitatory neurotransmitters, glutamate and its precursor, gamma-amino butyrate, leading to central fatigue. Training and diet affect the production of ammonia during exercise. Endurance training decreases the amount of ammonia produced in skeletal muscle, thereby lowering blood and sweat ammonia concentrations. Depletion of muscle glycogen following a low carbohydrate diet increases the blood ammonia response to exercise due to increased use of BCAAs for energy. Carbohydrate consumption during prolonged, submaximal exercise reduces muscle ammonia production from BCAA degradation.

An article:What is that Ammonia smell?
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ammonia.htm

Article: Ammonia Produced by Helicobacter.
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6187.html
To smell like ammonia, you have to eat a lot of protein or be infected with a germ called helicobacter. Many weightlifters eat tremendous amounts of protein because they mistakenly think that it will make them stronger. The food you eat contains carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Of the three, only protein contains nitrogen. The body has no way to store extra protein, so when you take in more protein than your body needs, your liver knocks nitrogen off the protein and the nitrogen is eventually converted to ammonia and passes through the sweat glands and kidneys.
Some people smell like ammonia when they do not take in large amounts of protein. An article in the February issue of the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology showed that many people who smell like ammonia are infected with helicobacter, a bacteria that knocks nitrogen off protein also. When helicobacter grows in your stomach and intestines, it causes ulcer symptoms characterized by belching, burping, a sour taste in your mouth and a burning pain that often become more severe when you are hungry and better when you eat. More than 80% of people who have duodenal ulcers are infected with this bacteria. If your sweat smells like ammonia, ask your doctor to do a blood test for helicobacter. If you are infected, you can be cured with a one week course of metronidazole, amoxacillin and omeperazole.