Concept2 Forum

I'm looking for a little advice. I'm a 29 y/o male who when I was 25 went back to college and joined a rowing team (UMass Lowell). I had a lot of fun and got into really good shape even though I only rowed for half a year. Then real life got in the way and I had to leave school. I'm now working full time and going to school kinda part time. I'm a full time EMT with weird hours. I work 24hrs one day then 16 hours another. Other than that I'm basically free. The problem is since I started in as an EMT I've gotten pretty heavy (not the healthiest job). I was weighing in at 209 at my lightest (I'm a big guy, thick, broad shoulders, lots of muscle) and now I'm up to 250. I've got a month and a half till I turn 30 and I know if I don't do something about my weight, i'm screwed later on.

So there I was about 5 months ago looking online on Craiglist and there was a Model B rower. So thinking I could do something about my weight I picked it up. Until recently however, I haven't really touched it. I've started back on it and have been rowing semi-light pieces, 10k in 45min or so and I've been trying to eat healthy. My question and solitiation for advice is what's the best way to go about rowing? Short hard pieces or long steady state? There's so many different options out there even on this site I don't know what to make of them all. Any and all advice would be greatly appriciated.
Thanks!

I can only speak from my own experience and hope that parts of it work for you. I'm not an expert.

Create an on-line log-book on concept2.com and work slowly toward your first 100,000 meters. That's about eight hours of rowing. (If you spend time on these forums you'll be inspired by people who've done an insane number of meters, but let's start with 100,000.) Do 500m and 1,000m distances. The first time you do a longer row like 2,000m or 5,000m, do it as a cool-down. Log all your rows. Even the first time you do a distance, rank your rows. Your cool-downs will be truly horrible compared against other peoples' best times, but next time you do that distance, do it a little faster and try to work your way up the rankings.

I don't like the shorter distances now because the forces involved are too hard on my hands and shoulders. My typical work-out is 6,000m. This also reduces the labor of log entry. I do about 25km per week.

Like many others, I find the repetitive nature of rowing quite soothing. I also like swimming. Some find it boring, but my mind is always a million miles away. So far, I don't even use an iPod. You have a stressful job. This aspect of rowing could really work for you.

I wish you every success. You've already made a great start.

According to how fit you are now, I think you'd best try the Interactives - for weight loss or for 2k - on the UK site. They serve up a weekly menu of workouts and you'll get a nice mix of long and hard and short and even harder. Make sure the data you input is correct. Update whenever you like.

Pace or Watts, HR and sweat can be used on the erg to monitor our reactions and effort levels. Watts/Rating can help to monitor technique and balance CV and strength loads.

The erg will certainly get you fit, essential for all of us, but getting thin may need something more, such as eliminating a largish chunk of what caused overweight to start with.

Just for fun and variety sign up for the Nonathlon. Nine distances and times to shoot for, so no matter what your mood is on any particular day you can have a target to match.

http://www.nonathlon.com/

grams

For extra motivation and for the feel of a team..join a Virtual team ..keeps you rowing and you meet many new rowers and new friends!!

Challenges like March Madness..an individual challenge will keep you focused and motivated.
The World Rowing Challenge is coming up..join a virtual team and see how many meters you can row in a month.No pressures..just a way to feel committed to your fitness plan.

There are many teams with totally different "personalities".

Team TIMBUK2 is open for the WRC2009.

Team TimbukTOO is a seasonal virtual team that offers friendship and a team room to follow your fellow rowers.

PM me if you want to join us or simply edit your profile to join.

Rowing is a wonderful way to get fit, lose weight , get healthy and just a way to keep motivated and committed to a routine.


Pat
TimbukTOO
TIMBUK2

I too am just about to start back on the rower myself - after 6 years off....the batteries ran out on the PM2 and I never sat on it again!! I'm trying to get back down to about 200lbs - from a 250 max, now at about 230 thru cycling and thought time to get back on the erg. When I was at my fittest, it was easy to drop 5 lbs in a month with 150k/mth row schedule.....think it may be a bit harder now.

Try and get to 5k rows - decent time and not too much hassle to post it online - the online ranking is a great motivator! Also at 5k I found by ass didn't get too numb - 10k was always getting difficult.

Good luck!

I too am dusting off the rower... I've been on and off for the last year or so, but am trying to settle into a good training routine now and keep it going. I rowed in college at about 180lbs, and have "matured" 20 years later to 230lb. I'm hoping to get back down to around 200, but the real target is to raise the fitness level so that I can once again knock out 5 and 6k's at a good pace with ease.

I rowed quite a bit six or seven years ago, I used to push as hard as I could in 2K sprints. I forgot my password and how I signed in so my log book from that period is unavailable. I went through some personal problems, stopped exerciseing and let my weight go up to 327 pounds. In the last year I have lost 90 pounds and this spring I started rowing again, my first row was five or six minutes, and really pathetic. I'm now getting 500 meter times under 2 min 10 secs. consistantly and have done 10,000 meters several times and one half marathon. I would like to join a team, but I don't think there are any active ones in Appleton, WI. I used to belong to the rowing club here, but lost my Alden Ocean Shell in a divorce. Next spring I plan to join the rowing club and use their club shell for some on the water work. I expect I will start seeing more indoor rowers at the Y as the weather gets colder. I have hardly seen a serious rower all summer. My goal is to get down to 217, or 207 pounds and see how that feels.
I am interested in doing some open water rowing, and I may build a boat to do it in. I still have one seat and set of oars from the Alden (it was a double.) I never rowed in college, and have only rowed in a single or a double. In my younger days I rode a bike and xcountry skied quite a bit. I need to get a new bike and skis too. I like rowing at the Y and being able to shower and soak afterwards.

I can see the last few posts are from people in the US - I found that the Concept 2 UK site has a monthly Challenge series - a bit different and a few prizes too. Go have a look - maybe there is a similar US as well but I haven't found it.

http://concept2.co.uk and then goto "challenge series"

Still a couple of days left to get in a quick Sep row.

I dusted off the erg today, that’s because my Dr confirmed that I have diabetes, type II yesterday. Just three months ago my physical was perfect on all counts except my weight. Well, now its time to pay the piper... I have about 85 pounds to lose and a new life style to plan. It's been many years since I finished my million meters, so I'm not really new to the erg. I guess I burned myself out on it. So today I started with a slow 30 minute 5k row. Felt pretty good, worked up a sweat. For now, I think I will just try to stay at 5k per day until I feel like I can move back up some. I used to row alternating 10k then 20k days with a half marathon on the weekend. I'm not a sprinter, more like a Clydesdale. I like the long rows. At 60 years, 6 foot and 270 pounds now I have my work cut out for me. For those of you who are half my age, don’t let that weight get up there. I really hate poking my fingers before and after meals just to see where my blood sugar levels are. Believe me this sucks big time.

Larry

Think Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet and read everything you can about Omega-3s. One more option for you younger guys is the Crossfit.com world for an exercise routine as good as it gets.

Wow! This forum was neat to come across:-) I haven't rowed in some time. I have been doing kettlebells, ropes, jogging, a bit of yoga, but my rower just sat beside everything else. Due to life--I haven't been doing much the last few months so I have some catching up to do. I decided to commit to 1.5 hours a day until I leave for my sons Marine graduation:-) I have actually found it very enjoyable, easy to get downstairs to do, energizing. So after quite a bit of time "off erg" I am back. I completed the Halloween challenge and look forward to the Holiday Challenge. I think I just may keep to rowing through the holidays:-) I would really like to hit my 2m meter mark:-)