TimbukTOO Team Room

[damselfly]

Hi-

Just wanted to stop by and introduce myself seeing that I just joined the team for the Fall Challenge.

I started erging at the gym last year as a component of my weight loss. I erged off and on until last fall when I signed up for the Skeleton Crew. It was such a great motivator that I completed to 200k Holiday Challenge as well. This spring the erging slacked off as I was training for a 5k run with my daughter. I then did a lot of biking over the summer.

Well, the fall has arrived and I needed another challenge, hence signing up for the team challenge. I'm so motivated because my new model D/PM4 just showed up yesterday and I have already done 2 5ks.

Can't wait to rack up some meters starting Sunday.

Thanks for having me!

Excellent!! Glad to have you aboard! If you'd like to keep the "off again" more "on again", please consider joining the affiliation and participate all year round.

Wonderful to see so many new folks getting their own rowers. They're a great investment as part of a healthy lifestyle.

[johnb]

Plan on rowing 200k in fall challenge.
I am a newbie to indoor rowing, and
rowing of any kind for that matter.
I'm thinking of starting off with an HM
tomorrow, but don't want to be too
ambitious. Longest row to date has been
1 hour and just under 13k. I routinely bike ride
(Spin) for 90 minutes, and can run uphill for an hour (treadmill)
as well. I don't want to burn out, but I am loving
C2 rowing. My technique needs a lot of work.
Any thoughts? Feedback? I tend to row too fast
35 s/m, but can maintain that. Always a bit
wobbly legged after a long row.

[Cyclingman1]

I'm thinking of starting off with an HM
tomorrow, but don't want to be too
ambitious. .... My technique needs a lot of work.
Any thoughts? Feedback? I tend to row too fast
35 s/m, but can maintain that.

You went from talking about 10K for 9/15 to HM. Pretty big jump.

Have you posted a video? Can't critique form without.

35 SPM is a little fast for long rows and I say that as a fast rower myself. 29-30 is a sweet spot for me.
Also, you have not mentioned drag factor. What are you using for various distances and/or SPM? Usually drag factor comes down for long rows. What sort of speed (time/500m) are you planning to row?

[johnb]

Hey Jim, Thanks for responding. Sorry no videos.
I row at my gym. Between 2:15 - 2:30 for
500 meters on longer rows. In terms of form,
On the release or recovery I go legs first then arms
back leans in to 11:00. On the drive or catch I
thrust with legs first, then pull with arms, back angle
shifts to 1:00. That is what I try for. In my head I don't
think I get enough thrust with legs so I rush the release
and end up with an exhausting 35+ s/m. Maybe I just need
more seasoning and I shouldn't rush the HM. With 20 -10k rows
I can make my goal for the challenge. We'll see how I feel at the
one hour mark tomorrow.

[damselfly]

What's your drag factor, and when was the last time the gym had the machines cleaned? Is the flywheel housing free of dust obstruction and is the chain oiled?

2:15 - 2:30 is a pretty reasonable pace for distance for a guy I'm imagining. My last HM was 2:36.7 pace, 1:50:14.9. I still marvel at your SPM rate though. I try to keep around 22-24. My comfy pace for shorter rows is around 2:20.

I guess my advice is just listen to your body. There are going to be plenty more opportunities for PRs over time. Take it easy on your first one and live to row for the rest of the challenge, better than blowing out a shoulder on the first day!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[damselfly]

On a non-rowing personal note, I had my first real run yesterday in 6-8 weeks. I was out of breath running downhill. I've got a lot of work ahead of me to get back to where I was. Looking forward to cooler weather before really hitting the hills again. On the good side, the foam roller work has cleared up my knee issues and all the stretching and strengthening is sorting out my hips and shoulders. Baby steps to improvement!

Lesson: stretching is really important for this old broad. Let that be a lesson for you young whippersnappers!

[damselfly]

Some articles regarding rowing form: handle position at the finish, and hand and foot placement. I found the foot placement information helpful.

http://www.tabatatimes.com/crimes-again ... es-part-1/
http://www.tabatatimes.com/crimes-again ... s-part-ii/

Other new folks might be interested in rowing gloves. A few of us use these:



http://www.newgrip.com/rowing.html

[ronmardix]

Plan on rowing 200k in fall challenge.
I am a newbie to indoor rowing, and
rowing of any kind for that matter.
I'm thinking of starting off with an HM
tomorrow, but don't want to be too
ambitious

If you really want the HM, why not ease into it and build distance over the first couple of weekends. You've gone 13k, so you could go after a 15k, 18k then a HM; see how you feel at each increase. Devote one day a week to these long distances and ease off for a couple of days afterwards.

[ronmardix]

On a non-rowing personal note, I had my first real run yesterday in 6-8 weeks. I was out of breath running downhill. I've got a lot of work ahead of me to get back to where I was. Looking forward to cooler weather before really hitting the hills again. On the good side, the foam roller work has cleared up my knee issues and all the stretching and strengthening is sorting out my hips and shoulders. Baby steps to improvement!

Lesson: stretching is really important for this old broad. Let that be a lesson for you young whippersnappers!

Steady as she goes there Lisa and congrats on this achievement.

[ronmardix]

In terms of form,
On the release or recovery I go legs first then arms
back leans in to 11:00. On the drive or catch I
thrust with legs first, then pull with arms, back angle
shifts to 1:00. That is what I try for.

Not sure if you're familiar with these:

http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... que-videos
http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... mon-errors

[Cyclingman1]

As far as rowing form, the C2 web site has as good as instructional videos as anywhere.

Some basics: Just before driving away from flywheel, one has compressed the legs and is up on toes and arms are straight and leaning slightly forward. Push away keeping arms straight and then as legs are straightening, start rotating back to the rear. Then pull the handle to the mid-section. Don't dawdle. Push handle forward with arms, then rotate back forward, and then compress legs. Legs DO NOT move first on recovery - it is hands. One needs to get a long, full pull. Short, rapid pulls is exactly what one does not want. I strongly suspect that 35 SPM for a newcomer shows that the pull phase is not full. It is possible to do 35 SPM with a full pull, but is not easy and usually not done for longer rows.

I would think that drag factor for a newcomer rowing 10K and above should not be above 125. If the drag factor is too high, it is exhausting to pull and the flywheel slows down more and has to be pulled more rapidly. Lower drag factor permits more relaxed rowing.

Also, having goals is not bad, but have to be based on reality and experience. For example there are many ways to get to 200K in a month, but they are not all the same. For example, 7K for 30 days is way different than 21K (HM) for 10 days or 10K for 21 days. Actually 200K in a month for a newcomer, I think, is questionable, although a person with a fitness background would be OK.

Rowing is not all that complicated, but there are some basics that if not followed can make things far more difficult than need be.

[johnb]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback folks.
I set the damper around 5 for most of my rows.
I see dust in the rower but I wonder how many
complaints to the gym, it will take to get that cleaned up.
Listen to my body, build up to the HM sounds like the best
tack to me, I am just really psyched by my newfound
love of rowing. Loved the Dog Days Challenge. Ready,
Set, Row!

[ronmardix]

Here's a little write up about damper setting and drag factor. It's the drag factor that really matters. http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... etting-101

To determine drag factor, on the main menu, select More Options > Display Drag Factor then begin rowing. The monitor will display the drag factor after a few seconds.

[johnb]

As far as rowing form, the C2 web site has as good as instructional videos as anywhere.

Some basics: Just before driving away from flywheel, one has compressed the legs and is up on toes and arms are straight and leaning slightly forward. Push away keeping arms straight and then as legs are straightening, start rotating back to the rear. Then pull the handle to the mid-section. Don't dawdle. Push handle forward with arms, then rotate back forward, and then compress legs. Legs DO NOT move first on recovery - it is hands. One needs to get a long, full pull. Short, rapid pulls is exactly what one does not want. I strongly suspect that 35 SPM for a newcomer shows that the pull phase is not full. It is possible to do 35 SPM with a full pull, but is not easy and usually not done for longer rows.

I would think that drag factor for a newcomer rowing 10K and above should not be above 125. If the drag factor is too high, it is exhausting to pull and the flywheel slows down more and has to be pulled more rapidly. Lower drag factor permits more relaxed rowing.

Also, having goals is not bad, but have to be based on reality and experience. For example there are many ways to get to 200K in a month, but they are not all the same. For example, 7K for 30 days is way different than 21K (HM) for 10 days or 10K for 21 days. Actually 200K in a month for a newcomer, I think, is questionable, although a person with a fitness background would be OK.

Rowing is not all that complicated, but there are some basics that if not followed can make things far more difficult than need be.

Thank you for the much needed lesson! I picked this up on August 1st.
So I a m fit, but a true novice. Am I off base by thinking of
drag factor in terms of damper setting?

[ronmardix]

Am I off base by thinking of
drag factor in terms of damper setting?

See my post below for a link