Concept2 Forum

Well I did it. I have been watching what i have been eating and I lost 7 pounds in the last 2 weeks. That got me motivated so I just placed my order. Im sure if i keep to my diet and workout i can loose the weight. Im now 246 pounds and Im trying to get to between 180-190. I really hope i can find some motivation on this board to help me stick with it, other than my wife yelling you spent 850 dollars on that thing now go use it! I would like to join the Row pain, row gain team. If some one could fill me in on how to join the team i would appriciate it.

Thanks
Andy

Just go to your profile page, select "Edit Profile" under profile settings, then towards the bottom of that next page will be a drop down menu for university/club standings affiliation.

Way to go. Row, Row, row, row. And when you are ready to row again, row longer. And rest every three days. By doing so other exercise.
Those pounds go away and stay gone.

Really 35 of mine are gone and my pants require a belt because they fall off and not because my belly pushes them down.

And your friends at the water cooler think your cooler too!

snowshoveler, thanks I am now part of the group

Hal
Thats my problem now My pants keep falling down because my belly pushes them down! I really am motivated. I want to beable to tie my shoe laces with out running out of breath.

Congrats on your decision, Andy! I just received my C2/D a week ago. It's a cinch to put together - 30 minutes (counting the unpacking) and you're up and rowing! The PM3 is nice, as well, and I'd give the Model 'D' a '10'...if it weren't for the ugly baby blue color!

Good luck! You'll definitely reach your goals if you stick with it.

Jim

baby blue?


I see nothing but cold, hard, heavy steel of my battle ship Missouri. Sleek powerfull and ruthless. Emeny be damned! I am not a pacifist!

GOT IT TODAY!

I was a little nervous about the condition of the machine when I saw the box. The Box looked like It had been around the world and back. Once I opened it i was happy to see everything looked good. I put it together in no time. Now this is when in going to need help. Since I have never been on a rower before i watched the DVD. I got on and decided I was going to go for 10 min for my first time. I set the PM3 for 10 minutes and then i started. I was trying to work on my form as i rowed and I wasnt paying attention to anything else. I couldnt belive how long 10 minutes was..
When i did my 10 minutes I then looked at the display. Maybe some one could help me out on what it all means.

First it said 10 minutes Then 24 strokes per minute. Is this good?
next it said 2:15/500m what does this mean and how do i use it?
then in said 1768 I know this is how many meters i went
then below the _____________________
it had 2:49.6 ave/500
then 397 split m I see everyone talk about the split but i dont know what it means.


ANY help you can post for this newbie would be greatly appreciated


Thanks

Andy

Andy99 wrote:GOT IT TODAY!

I was a little nervous about the condition of the machine when I saw the box. The Box looked like It had been around the world and back.
...

ANY help you can post for this newbie would be greatly appreciated


Thanks

Andy

Congrats ! If you are consistent, you will get lots of satisfaction (and pain) from your new toy...
You didn't bad for your first day. 10 min is a good start, better don't overdo it!

Let's see if I may give you some clues:
24 strokes per minute. Is this good? Well, it's only the stroke rate you finished at. 24 strokes/min isn't bad, you will have to figure out whereabout you feel comfortable, usually somewhere around 18-26 for steady workouts. It's interesting to do the mnaths to see if you cover 10 meters per swtroke, that's a (nearly) generally accepted ratio.
2:15/500m what does this mean and how do i use it? This is the famous "split". It means at what time you would cover 500 m rowing at actual speed. In this case again, it's the speed you finished at. Not bad for the first time, either
then in said 1768 I know this is how many meters i went: right!
then it had 2:49.6 ave/500 This is the average split over the general distance rowed. You see you finished much better (2:15) than your average row. If you finish faster than you start, you managed a "negative splitting", that's not always easy!

Now you will have to set up a training schedule, and follow it. And get to cover longer distances...
You will find lots of ideas in this and the UK fora, as well as in the C2 website.
It's a good motivation to log the meters you row in the C2 online logbook, to compare versus othe rowers. There are also some standard distances where you may rank your times online and see your progress compared to other fellow ergers.

Well have fun (if you can)!

Thanks for the INFO

I rowed 2000 meters this morning in 10:45.5

Im still working on my form. I felt my self getting sloppy near the end . When I was done I was exhusted. I had to fight for that last 200 meters. Im going to try to do 30 min a day to loose weight. Right now I can only handle about 10 min. I Think I will do 10 in the morning and 10 and night until I can build up to doing 30 min without stopping.

If any one else has any tips, information or anything else you would like to share I would love to hear it.

Thanks

Andy

Andy99 wrote:Thanks for the INFO

If any one else has any tips, information or anything else you would like to share I would love to hear it.

Thanks

Andy

Andy - here is a short-term plan for you ...

First ... focus on technique, watch the video, maybe get a Xeno DVD to help get the motion right so you don't get hurt or learn bad habits. If you are near a rowing club or erg training classes you could use these to learn faster.

Second ... row strapless at 10 meters per stroke ... search the forum for STM, S10MPS and PaulS for lots of details. Also, row as close to the same pace as you can for the entire piece. These things you will get better at but work on them all the time.

Third ... build-up slow by doing this sort of progression ...
> Day1 - two 5 minute pieces at a pace you can do steady for both of the 5 minutes pieces with a 3 minute break inbetween
> Day 2 - repeat with a pace 1 second faster than Day 1
> Day 3 - repeat with a pace 1 second faster than Day 2
> Day 4 - repeat with a pace 1 second faster than Day 3
> Day 5 - repeat with a pace 1 second faster than Day 4
> Day 6 - repeat with a pace 1 second faster than Day 5
> Day 7 - no work out or repeat Day 1 if you will row 7 days a week

Each week add 1 minute to each piece and start the pace over at Day 1. Assuming that you start out at a 2:30/500 pace the first few weeks would look like this ...

Week 1
> Day 1 - 5 minutes at 2:30/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:30/500
> Day 2 - 5 minutes at 2:29/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:29/500
> Day 3 - 5 minutes at 2:28/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:28/500
> Day 4 - 5 minutes at 2:27/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:27/500
> Day 5 - 5 minutes at 2:26/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:26/500
> Day 6 - 5 minutes at 2:25/500, 3 minute rest, 5 minutes at 2:25/500

Week 2
> Day 1 - 6 minutes at 2:30/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:30/500
> Day 2 - 6 minutes at 2:29/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:29/500
> Day 3 - 6 minutes at 2:28/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:28/500
> Day 4 - 6 minutes at 2:27/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:27/500
> Day 5 - 6 minutes at 2:26/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:26/500
> Day 6 - 6 minutes at 2:25/500, 3 minute rest, 6 minutes at 2:25/500

Week 3 is 7 minutes, week 4 is 8, week 5 is 9, week 6 is 10 (20 minutes total. When you get to week 7 change two things ... increase the time 2 minutes per week and make the second piece 1 second faster pace than the first ... week 7 look like this ...

Week 7
> Day 1 - 12 minutes at 2:30/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:29/500
> Day 2 - 12 minutes at 2:29/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:28/500
> Day 3 - 12 minutes at 2:28/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:27/500
> Day 4 - 12 minutes at 2:27/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:26/500
> Day 5 - 12 minutes at 2:26/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:25/500
> Day 6 - 12 minutes at 2:25/500, 3 minute rest, 12 minutes at 2:24/500

So week 8 is 14 minutes, week 9 is 16, week 10 is 18 and week 11 is 20 (40 minutes total).

Now continue like this with 2 20 minute intervals only each week your starting pace is 1 second faster than the previous week's starting pace.

So week 12 starts with a 2:29/2:28 pace per 500m, week 13 is 2:28/2:27 and so on. I have had success with a build-up like this in the past and it is a great way to increase the workout intensity which helps maintain the weight loss you are after.

At some point you may want to chage to a more agressive training plan to get to racing speed but this startegy keeps increasing the intensity so you burn calories. If you simply maintain a workout of say 30 minutes at a 2:30 pace the progress tapers off as the body adapts to the workload.

JimR

Andy,

I'd just cover the monitor and row at whatever pace feels comfortable to you.

Like most things I found that once I started going too dang far with all kinds of plans that I became disapointed with the results. My experience is to row as a zen thing. I do what ever suits me the moment I sit down at the erg. For me the goal is to postone any thing that will prevent me from being active my whole life. For me one day is all I have and the easier I get through it the better my peace of mind. It has been said that, My expectations are inversly propotional to my serenity. Therefore, I look at racing and times as something for those who need it and distance for those who revel in it. But, by all means if it floats your erg, do it!

My main goal is to lose weight. So I need to find a program that will work for me to reach my goal. I rowed 2000 meters this morning at 9:35. But i cant keep up that pace for 20 or 30 min. So tonight I tried just rowing to see how I would do. I was rowing slower to try to get more time on the machine before i had to stop. I went for 15 min and went 2631 meters. The problem I was having when i was going slower is i felt like my legs werent doing anything. I didnt feel any resistance from the rower until i started the pull with my arms. When i speed up a little to about 24-26 spm it felt like I was using my legs more but I got quickly winded. Im still trying to figure it out. I Really appreciate all the help and advice i have been getting from this board. Im going to work on my form for the rest of the week. And then im going to start into a more structured routine to help me lose the 60 pounds I NEED to lose. Jim thanks for a basic routine as a guide to use until i have a better idea of what will work best for me. Thanks again for all the great responce to this thread.

Andy

PS Which of Xeno's dvds is the best for some one who never rowed before. One that focuses on technique and form.

Andy - a few more thoughts

First ... I should give all due credit to Paul Smith and Mike Caviston. Most of my thoughts on this come from their teaching. All I'm doing is turning their knowledge into something directed towards basic exercise plans and not training.

Second ... John and Hal bring an interesting perspective I had not thought of. You need to determine what motivates you. While I don't totally agree with "just do it" you don't necessarily need a grand plan for all this. If planning helps and keeping track helps then you should. Me, I like numbers and planning and tracking so I do.

The most important thing is to row longer and faster over time. Not because you want to race but because it burns more calories. Which (all things being equal) will help you lose more weight.

Third ... drag. The lever on the right side should be a low number, 3-5 and not 10 (I use 3). While this actually makes it seem like your legs are doing even less work it helps with technique development.

Forth ... starting pace. It will take a little time for you to figure out what the right paces are for working up this ladder. I can't tell you the number but I can tell you what the right number looks like:
1) on Day 6 you can do it for both pieces without thinking you are wasting your time and without thinking you are going to die.
2) on Day 1 you will breath harder than not erging but you won't feel out of breath.
3) each day 1-5 you will finish thinking you will be able to do this tomorrow.
4) each day 2-6 you will not start out thinking you are so exhausted you can't do this.

It might take a few weeks to get the right paces to go a whole week. It is important you get this pace more or less because if you are too slow you don't get the workout that burns the calories and too fast just kills you over time.

Lastly ... your legs not feeling it might be because your muscles are relatively strong and your aerobic fitness relatively week. So you get tired (heavy breathing, hard pumping) with less effort that your legs need to burn. Erging is more like running middle to long distances than it is like weightlifting. If at some point to transition to a training plan the includes short/fast intervals your legs will certainly know they are working hard. What I described is a build-up plan that increases your overall meters and pace, the two measures of intensitythat determine calories burned.

Hope this helps ... keep at it!

JimR