Fresh start

[bigjohnva]

Hi,
I just got my Concept2 D PM3 Thursday. I am 6'4 445 lbs 41 y.o. I want to get healthy. Weight loss is only a plus from this endeavor. High Blood pressure and Sleep Apena are what brought me here. So far I can only do 3-6 minutes on the erg. I did a training program on the UK site. I have having a hard time getting my breathing down. Aslo my big belly is really in the way. Any suggestions, advice is appreciated. I have read the success stories and watched the amazing videos of people who have lost weight and are getting healthier. It has motivated me to stick with the program.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Holidays!

John

[PaulH]

Congratulations on deciding to make a change, John. Don't worry about 'only' doing 3-6 minutes; it's 3-6 minutes more than you have been doing! One idea for accommodating your belly is to row with your legs apart and your arms between your knees. This isn't correct rowing style, and you shouldn't use it any longer than you need to, but it may help you keep going until you lose a few inches.

Another idea is to try rowing little and often. Your system is already under a lot of strain because of your size, so you'll need to be careful you don't overdo it. As you're just starting out try limiting your workouts to 5 fairly gentle minutes, but do them 2-3 times per day, or even more on weekends. That way you're putting in the time, but not overloading your heart too much. Then as you get used to them you can start narrowing down to one longer session per day (after all, part of the goal is to overload your heart and muscles, just not recklessly).

Oh, and see a doctor if you haven't already, just to make sure you're doing things right.

Cheers, Paul

[jamesg]

Well done, you're on the right road. Clearly you're a "sufferer", as are many of us for one reason or another. I'm just out of a hip change and erging was uncomfortable, so all I did to start with was to break it up (the work, not the erg) into small pieces and do say 4-5 minutes 3-4 times a day at 80-100W, no legs. That way I didn't need to have a shower every time. I'd erged before and was not unfit, so now I'm back to 15' once or twice a day, and showers, quite soon after the op (50 days). You'll get there, and sooner than you think.

[bigjohnva]

Thanks Paul and James!

I did get a full physical and clearance from my Cardiologist. This morning I really felt it in my shoulders and abdominals,
Just from the 6 minute workout yesterday afternoon. I am really motivated to do this. Reaching the bar with my feet in the straps is a challenge. I will try the legs apart approach.

Thanks again!

Johnnie

[carlb]

Have you seen the Richard Gowler story? He was 600 lbs and age 41. He said when he started he could only do 3 minutes of rowing per session.
http://concept2.co.uk/landing/richard_gowler

Longer 10 min Video shows him rowing, his rower mods.
http://concept2.co.uk/company/video_gal ... ard_gowler

His Forum thread My new life. by 600lbsto250lbs
http://concept2.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21204

Richard aimed for 5k per workout, which is 20 to 25 minutes. I think that's a great target to do 6 days per week. Fine to split it into 4 sessions of 6 minutes, then 3 @ 8 mins, 2 @ 12.

[GoodAnimal]

Fresh start, indeed! I'm full-time caregiver for elderly mother. Over the last year or two, I've been less and less able to get out for a jog. Now over 200 pounds. Pondered what I can do indoors that delivers comparable fat-burn to jogging, noticed the Olympic rowers, just received my Model D yesterday, set it up, did 1000 meters last night, 500 meters so far this morning. Superb advantage for a house-bound caregiver with frequent interruptions: I can get exceptionally efficient workouts in small bits of time throughout the day. Enjoying it so far, looking forward to 150-pound body again within a year.

[gregsmith01748]

Terrific to see you put thoughts into action, and welcome to the forum. I used the erg to drop 50 lbs (10 of it came back, oops), over about a year, and I accidentally got hooked on rowing in the process. It's been a huge change and a great improvement in my life. I'm enjoying everything more than I did before I started doing this.

Keep us posted on how things go. Everyone goes through tough patches, and I've found the folks on the forum to be very helpful and sympathetic. They also gve me much needed critical feedback when I really needed it.

[jeremycfr]

Hi John,

I wanted to see how you were doing?