New to Rowing...Want to lose 15-20lbs...suggestions?

[shorelinelaw]

@corkster - Let me know if you find a good way to coordinate kettlebells. I've always found them to make a lot of sense - but I can't get the motion right. It appeals to me in the same sort of way that rowing does - a broad based movement that would help with weight loss.

[Corkster52]

@shorelinelaw I probably won't get to the kettlebells until this weekend. Used the workout display today Set it for 10K and just rowed, paying closer attention for technique. I had gotten into the habit of going too far on the recovery and having my keester hit my achilles, so my shins were past vertical. Corrected that and, at a pace of 2:30, just pulled. Felt good even though HR got to 142 towards the end. Felt guilty a little, but it felt good getting off the machine 10 minutes sooner.

[Corkster52]

Well, I got to the 15 pound weight loss mark! Didn't think it would take this long. Have cranked up my distances a bit, but still struggling with calorie intake during the evening (after my workout). Have been doing 15K per day for over a week now, and have completed my 4th half-marathon in the past month. Will try to do one per week from now on. Still having seat pain from not exactly sure what. Have experimented a bit with different cushions, form during stroke, etc...but still haven't hit on anything to stop the pain after about 45 minutes in the saddle. Great to have finally lost some weight!!

[gregsmith01748]

Great work on the weight loss, corkster.

The bad news is that your losing some of your personal "cushion". Try to sit as far forward on the seat as you can. It helps me a lot.

[Corkster52]

Greg, I did try drilling a couple of holes in the pad I have been using. It did seem to make the pain a bit less. Maybe I don't have them the right size or location yet.

[gregsmith01748]

Most of the seats I've seen in boats have two holes. The seat pads from concept2 seem to have slots that would accomodate a wider range of, pardon the expression, butt widths.

The vespoli pad looks like this:


The concept2 pad looks like this:


I think the best thing to do would be to sit on a flat surface and feel with your finger tips each hand for where your sitz bones are contacting the surface, then keep your fingertips in the same location, scoot off your hands, and measure the distance between them. Perhaps there is an easier way? But I think having the holes in the wrong place could do as much harm as good.

[Corkster52]

Greg. Tried several trial and error versions, but ended up ordering a pad from C2. Glued it to the seat and did a HM and...wow...what a difference! Not completely discomfort free, but a drastic improvement! Also, I hit a couple of milestones. I have lost 20 pounds and completed my first million meters on my model D. Did both one week short of having the machine 3 months! I still have a lot to learn, but am excited about the future. Thanks for all of your sound advice!

[gregsmith01748]

Corkster: What a fantastic pair of accomplishments. 20lbs, is a lot of weight. Make sure you send away for you million meter tee shirt from concept2. It's my favorite shirt. I wore it to the Crash-Bs last year.

[Corkster52]

Okay, down 25 pounds now! The pads have worked out well (stacked 2 on the seat). Was hitting it really hard for quite a while (1/2 marathon every day) for a while, but was getting some bad feelings about rowing. Recently been trying to lower my spm from my typical 33 down to 23, which was more difficult that I thought it would be and pulling harder to keep the pace up. I am doing 200m sprints every 1K, but am toying with that number a bit. Greg, thanks for the Powerade info. It, and water, is all I drink while rowing. I am using Powerade Zero and watching for sale prices at stores.

[Keigan]

Corkster, very promising to read about your accomplishments - congrats and keep up the good work!

[gregsmith01748]

Great work. A half marathon a day is a hell of lot of meters. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you could get a little sick of it.

If you're interested, there are some other workout formats that might mix it up for you and keep it interesting. By the time you have finished many interval workouts, you will have put a lot of meters in the bank and worked on increasing your stroke power (which will help you lower your rate for longer pieces). Let me know if you want any suggestions.

Greg

[bhurley]

Not sure if this has been mentioned already in all the comments, but it's important to understand that there is no "fat burning zone." This is one of the many common myths in the exercise world; there is no zone where the body preferentially burns fat. See for example Gina Kolata's excellent book Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Health and Exercise. She's a reporter for the New York Times and has done her homework. The science of exercise is still evolving, but in general there's very little if any real evidence for the existence of a fat-burning zone.

Basically the harder you row and the longer you row, the more calories you will burn. You will gain muscle over time, which slows the weight loss, but that's obviously okay.