Another newbie

[DuffyF56]

Soon to be 58 year old, 5'11, Type II diabetic (oral meds only) smoker (1 pack a day). Started my "journey" Jan. 1, 2013 after having an A1C result of 8.6 and ballooning to 292 Lbs due to poor diet and lack of exercise.

My first step was to go on the Atkins Diet and start a walking routine at work. In May it had already gotten too hot here to walk consistently at work so moved indoor to a treadmill after work. By this time I had already lost 35 Lbs. A1C now 6.4 with reduced medication from my original dosage. Started rowing in June at the gym at work. Due to car pooling and the schedule we work I was only able to devote 3 days one week and 2 days the following week and 30 minutes of work-out time at each session. Could hardly do 1000 meters to start. Have now worked up to doing 6000m at a 2:30 pace.

Bought my Model D with PM4 this week for home use so I could workout more consistently and longer. Plan to work out M, W, F with some supplement on the weekends outside the 23 week weight loss program I signed up for on the http://www.therowingcompany.com. I intend to do 2 days a week (T, & Th) of body weight exercises. I am currently at about 248 Lbs with a min goal of 220 Lbs and max goal of 200 Lbs. The plan I signed up for was based on losing 50 Lbs (200 Lbs floor) however I am not all that concerned about the actual number as long as I lose the flab.

A second goal is to match the 1:32 500 meter time of my daughter by next July. She is 38 years old and a runner not a rower. My best time is 1:59 for 500m.

Suggestions????? Comments?????

Question on technique----Due to the stage of "Dunlap" disease I have and the size of my calves and thighs (always large due to being a former football player and wrestler) I can't seem to rotate my upper body forward at the catch nor can I get my lower leg completely vertical when all the way forward. My heels lift even now and I do have the foot straps across the balls of my feet. When you begin the drive is it correctly done off the balls of the feet or does maximum power get generated with the whole foot in contact with the foot pads? I can begin the drive and stay on the balls of my feet for a portion of the drive or very shortly after beginning the drive get my heels back down on the foot pads. As an alternative I can stop the catch before my heels lift but it shortens my stroke.

[hjs]

Good stuff, keep going.

Re heals, those should come off when you erg, keeping them flat would be wrong.

Work on flexibility, it will take time, but in the end it will help. At first you should focus on endurance, use a low drag setting on the fan, make long strokes and keep the rating per minute low, simply try to build a good stroke and let your muscle heart and lungs strenghten. If you can row for 30 min in a row in one go, you could look for something more different.

[DuffyF56]

hjs,

Thank you for your response. 6000m at a 2:30 pace is a 30 minute row and I can do it continuous with no breaks . I row at SPM 18-22 though I must admit I am huffing and puffing pretty good at the end. I always try to sprint (SPM 26-30) at the end of any specified work out so I know I have some left. (Brain game for me since the next specified workout on the plan is longer, 35 minutes in this case) I am currently using a damper setting of 5.

[Bob S.]

A second goal is to match the 1:32 500 meter time of my daughter by next July. She is 38 years old and a runner not a rower.

Fantastic! The 30-39 WH record is 1:29.1 set by a 31 year old. For the 40-49 it is 1:32 set over 10 years age. If she can do that now at 38 with no special training for rowing, she could have a very good shot at beating that record with a little more emphasis on rowing in the next couple of years. If she is a lightweight, her time is faster than the current 30-39 record, 1:34.0

Bob S.

[DuffyF56]

Bob S,

She is a heavy weight, 152 Lbs. 5' 9". I did let her know she would have the record based on the 2014 season rankings I see in the Concept 2 logbook if she had the time verified. She says the damper setting was at 5 on her Gym machine. I have no idea what the real drag factor was. She did the time as part of a challenge competition they held at her gym. They accumulate points for participating in classes and doing various challenges.

[Bob S.]

I am currently using a damper setting of 5.

Don't quote the damper setting. Since you have a new machine, it is OK to use that, assuming that you are not at some high altitude. But the important number is the drag factor, which has range of around 90-220 at sea level (lower at high altitudes).

Viewing Drag Factor:

http://www.concept2.com/service/monitor ... rag-factor

Bob S.

Edit: Ah! I see that you are familiar with drag factor. Your latest post came in while I was writing this. Well, I'll send it on in anyway. It might be useful to another new rower.

[DuffyF56]

Bob S.

Checked drag factor = 135 at a damper setting of 5.

[DuffyF56]

Another question......Reviewing several other posts in the weight loss area I picked up on the idea that to metabolize fat long and slow (low SPM and adjusting power to stay in the UT2 range) is the way to go. Short and fast goes for carb burn over fat. Given I am on Atkins, low carb, high protein diet, does anyone have any comments about if this is still the way to go predominately?

[hjs]

Another question......Reviewing several other posts in the weight loss area I picked up on the idea that to metabolize fat long and slow (low SPM and adjusting power to stay in the UT2 range) is the way to go. Short and fast goes for carb burn over fat. Given I am on Atkins, low carb, high protein diet, does anyone have any comments about if this is still the way to go predominately?

In general yess, but for fitness and using all you muscle fibers a few shorter and fast sessions are beneficial. The fitter you get the more energy you can burn. Just slow work is not the best.
You could en a few session weel with some short fast bursts. 1 min reps are fine for that.

[Cayenne]

Hello Duffy: First, best wishes with your program ! Second, if you are going the very low carb / high fat route, ("induction" stage of Atkins or, these days, often referred to variously as "keto" or "nutritional ketosis," ) you may want to check out, (if you've not already done so,) EatingAcademy.com (Dr. Peter Attia) or search YouTube for his talks. Also, Volek & Phinney, 2 of the "New Atkins for A New You" authors, (I think that's the name,) have also written "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" which is specifically geared to the VLC-HF approach. Go get 'em !

[DuffyF56]

Thanks for the link....interesting read on EatingAcademy.com. A tad over my head in biology at places but i am getting the drift. I did Atkins (the original version before it changed after Dr. Atkin's death) first some 10 years ago and lost 62 Lbs in 9 months but never really adopted the lifestyle. Been on it 10.5 months so far.

[Cayenne]

Duffy, I should have mentioned, IMO & IME THIS is a tremendous resource: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/ BTW, although more geared to weight training, here is the companion "community" for exercise on keto: http://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains . Especially on the first one, do yourself a favor and absorb as much of the sidebar material as possible. (It's a project, not a single sitting.) Enjoy the improved you

[Cikan Vuz]

I have issues due to range of motion limitations coupled with "the old age belly" I read here about lowering the foot pegs and it has helped me reach proper form immensely.... I began rowing as my form of exercise on 08/05/13. Since then I have lost 25 pounds and I normally row about 2 to 3 hours a day at a moderate pace of a 54 yr old disabled female ( between 3:00 and 2:30 500 m) to date I have rowed 2,475,000m

So, keep up the great work! I read here about a gal who lost 75 pounds rowing 5k in or less than 30 minutes each morning. =])

[DuffyF56]

Almost 2.5 million meters in a tad over 2 months....WOW

[DuffyF56]

After 2 weeks of home training I decided to do a 500m for time. Drag Factor still set at 135. Did a 1:50.3. In the previous week have also done a 40 minute stint at a 2:29.7 pace and 8015 meters and a 30 minute stint at a 2:28.2 and 6069 meters rowed...so progress is being made.