Background: I'm 46 male, weigh 270 lbs, highest was 330 years ago, and have really bad knees. I decided to supplement eating better with cardio work. I tried using the rower, but even after knee surgery and a year of PT, I have a bunch of issues with my knee. At one point will need a full replacement.
I turned to the SkiErg. For someone like me, ridiculously out of shape, I couldn't use it for more than 1000 meters without feeling totally spent both aerobically but also muscle wise. I looked at the recommended beginner workouts from Concept2 but I couldn't get past the first one. My goal is to be able to use the SkiErg for 20-30 mins without stopping. Intervals helped but I wasn't making progress since I didn't have an organized plan. I was beyond frustrated. After searching these forums and then the internet, I found what seems to be an older training guide from Concept2 UK. http://www.redking.me.uk/sport/rowing/t ... ing_v2.pdf and http://www.rathburn.net/rowing/training ... ridged.pdf.
Buried in those documents is a plan for those like me that need basic conditioning. The plan is flexible and you can tailor it to your needs. See section5, Basic Conditioning by Celia and Keith Atkinson. The plan is pretty simple. Start with 5x 1min/:30sec rest intervals, and work your way up to 8x. Then move to 2min/:30sec rest 5x to 8x, then at one point you are doing fewer but longer intervals, then finally 30mins without stopping. If you need longer rest, fine. If you need more gradual jumps, that is fine too. I've been following the plan for 3 weeks and can now do 3mins/:30sec rest 8x. For me, that is amazing. I'm already seeing my resting heart rate drop a bit.
I think this would be great for Concept2 to have on their Row and Ski webpages for those that really need basic conditioning before we jumping into those more "advanced" beginner workouts. Hopefully someone can benefit from this like I am. Below is a screenshot of some of the plan.
-- Stephen
