HIIT question.

[Espresso67]

Hi everybody. Following a recent injury to my ankle I'm having to shy away from the high impact exercise that I had previously employed to keep my weight in check (as well as keep fit of course). I found myself using my local gym's concept 2 rowing machine in place of the running machine I had favoured in the past. I guess my question is two-fold: Is the C2 a good option for somebody with a recovering ankle injury (it doesn't seem to have caused me any problems so far) and how could I best employ the C2 for HIIT purposes (I find this has been the most effective method of keeping me weight in check).

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

[hjs]

For the ankle the c2 is fine, for hitt its not good, way to tough on the back. Starting is the most tough thing on the erg.

[Espresso67]

Hi everybody. Following a recent injury to my ankle I'm having to shy away from the high impact exercise that I had previously employed to keep my weight in check (as well as keep fit of course). I found myself using my local gym's concept 2 rowing machine in place of the running machine I had favoured in the past. I guess my question is two-fold: Is the C2 a good option for somebody with a recovering ankle injury (it doesn't seem to have caused me any problems so far) and how could I best employ the C2 for HIIT purposes (I find this has been the most effective method of keeping me weight in check).

For the ankle the c2 is fine, for hitt its not good, way to tough on the back. Starting is the most tough thing on the erg.

Thanks for the reply hjs. That's good to know that everything will be fine with the ankle. Thanks for the confirmation. Could you expand on the HITT related back issues? I've seen some people hitting the erg's pretty hard in the gym and I've no plans of going to extreme levels. (I'm no athlete at the end of the day). Could the back issues be avoided as long as maintain correct form, do you think?

On another note, I've been looking at a used concept 2 rower for sale online. It's not cheap, but reasonably priced compared to a brand new one. Has anyone any experience of owning and maintaining a c2 privately? Do they need a lot of maintenance? And if so, what are the ongoing costs? It could prove to be a wise investment if it means I can avoid future gym membership subscriptions (which we all know aren't cheap). Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[mark88man]

C2 Ergs ar epretty low maintenance, and a lot of helpful people on here if you come across a problem - which I haven't in 10 years

In terms of "hitting the erg hard" - you should read up on drag factor and damper settings - if you have it set too high it puts more strain on your back. Plenty of threads on that - maybe someone can post a link to a summary of the best

[hjs]

Hitt is short and fast, if not its not hitt. And its a series of starts.

Every start is from a deadstopped fan, if we start hard, that tough on the back. How hard depends on the rower, we ourselves are the ones that create the resistant.

In general in am not a fan of doing hitt stuff on cardio machines. I do think anaerobic work is needed, but the rower is made for longer steadier work. In gyms the c2 is seldom used proberly though.

Weight controle is 90% diet, not training. Training should be aimed at fitness/strenght etc..

My 2 cents. Give it your personal twist.

[Parky]

Like youself, I'm a newby to these forums. My main aim is also to lose weight, but at 71 I'm not in the best of shape. The best way that I have found to lose the weight is to mix up my workouts on the rower and not bash out the long rows day after day. One of them is my Pyramid, starting with a 500, .30 rest, 1000, 1.00 r, 1500, 1.30r, 2000,2.00r,1500, 1.30 r, 1000, 1.00r and finish with a 500 going like the clappers. A good intervals session of 8,000m, often throwing in a 2500 with a 2.5 rest and another 2000, working down again. A good 12.5k's.

Another one is the Programmed 9 x 1.40 and .20 rest (on the custom row prog) with a 2' rest after 5 intervals. I try to top 4000m which is not bad for the age group. I try and knock out a 30 to 60 mins at a steady pace on the bike after these sessions and a massage on the Power Plate.

Doing a few weights in and around, I am now losing about 1lb a day minimum, providing I leave the beer alone.

Good luck with the weight loss.

[Anth_F]

C2's aren't cheap for sure.. i had to really commit to buying one in fact, but i looked at it as an investment with the C2!! because you will always get your money back if you need to sell it, or, if it turned out rowing wasn't your thing or you got bored of it! I had never rowed before in my life up until i bought my C2 Model E second hand, but it had very little private home use by it's original previous owner. He had only covered just 58k lifetime meters on it since he acquired it brand new just 2 years ago. I have covered 200k on it in 4 weeks

As for maintenance with the C2 it's pretty straight forward, just wipe down the mono rail and seat rollers, and handle, after each session and return the handle right back into the flywheel housing when you are done with your workout, and return the damper lever back @ 1. Then just oil the chain every now and then, and if you go for a model E like me they have a nickel plated chain so require much less oiling frequency between work out sessions. If buying second hand it's also worth taking the dust cover off the flywheel and inspect for dust & clean it out if necessary. I did with mine, but need not have bothered as mine was still spotless inside. Also worth checking all the screws on the stands etc after so many sessions making sure they are all nicely nipped up.

[prairiefire]

Hi Expresso,

I do use a HIIT method with my C2. It takes advantage of the fact that I don't start from a complete reset, but accelerate after I am already rowing. Check out this article regarding a for of HIIT generated in Scandinavia - fits an old guy like me to a Tee!!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/2 ... -fun/?_r=0

[Espresso67]

Hi everybody. Following a recent injury to my ankle I'm having to shy away from the high impact exercise that I had previously employed to keep my weight in check (as well as keep fit of course). I found myself using my local gym's concept 2 rowing machine in place of the running machine I had favoured in the past. I guess my question is two-fold: Is the C2 a good option for somebody with a recovering ankle injury (it doesn't seem to have caused me any problems so far) and how could I best employ the C2 for HIIT purposes (I find this has been the most effective method of keeping me weight in check).

For the ankle the c2 is fine, for hitt its not good, way to tough on the back. Starting is the most tough thing on the erg.

Thanks for the reply hjs. That's good to know that everything will be fine with the ankle. Thanks for the confirmation. Could you expand on the HITT related back issues? I've seen some people hitting the erg's pretty hard in the gym and I've no plans of going to extreme levels. (I'm no athlete at the end of the day). Could the back issues be avoided as long as maintain correct form, do you think?

On another note, I've been looking at a used concept 2 rower for sale online. It's not cheap, but reasonably priced compared to a brand new one. Has anyone any experience of owning and maintaining a c2 privately? Do they need a lot of maintenance? And if so, what are the ongoing costs? It could prove to be a wise investment if it means I can avoid future gym membership subscriptions (which we all know aren't cheap). Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi Expresso,

I do use a HIIT method with my C2. It takes advantage of the fact that I don't start from a complete reset, but accelerate after I am already rowing. Check out this article regarding a for of HIIT generated in Scandinavia - fits an old guy like me to a Tee!!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/2 ... -fun/?_r=0

Hi everybody, thanks again for all the replies. I'll have to take a look at my savings and see if i can justify the outlay for a used concept 2. It would certinly save me fortune in the long run in term of gym membership. Prairiefire, that is exactly what I was getting at in terms of HIIT: warming up casually before hitting it hard for 60 seconds or so then dropping back down for a few minutes. I'll be sure to check out the article you linked to, especially as I class myself in the "old" category these days also, ha ha! Thanks again everyone!