weight loss and rowing

[Machinerow8]

I bought an at-home rowing machine this past Saturday. I rowed 30mins the first day, 60mins on the second and third day, and 40mins yesterday. That being said, I feel like I should be seeing some results by now. I'm not seeing much of change on the scale at all. I haven't been taking measurements but my clothes are as snug as they were the day I started. While I don't believe in "diets", I have also been making much healthier food choices. Am I doing something wrong or should I just be more patient?

[gregsmith01748]

If your generously assume that rowing burns 1000 calories an hour and that a pound of fat represents 3500 calories, then your efforts so far will have created a deficit of about 3000 calories, which is a bit less than a pound.

Also, if you are not monitoring the amount of food you are taking on, it's likely that the rowing is making you feel hungrier and you might be eating enough to offset the new calorie burning you are doing.

Take a look at this site to get an understanding of how it works. https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/

[Carl Watts]

I think you need to be patient, even when doing very high metres like in the Challanges for a month I only dropped 5Kg.

Build up the metres and track your weight loss every month.

[Bob S.]

As Carl said, you need to be patient. 3 days is far to short too show results.

It looks like you are putting in enough time to get results eventually, but you have not given any information about the intensity of your workouts. Unless you live in a very dry climate (as I do), you should be sweating quite a bit by the end of an hour workout, or even just a half hour. If you are not, the intensity of your workout is not high enough to be effective. How did you feel after the workouts?

It would help if you posted the pace, distance, wattage, or Cal/hr readings of your workouts and your category (age/gender/weight) as well. With that information, the forum members would be better able to judge whether or not you are on the right track.

Bob S.

[jackarabit]

I think I'd look at a scale once a week at most. About all you'll be tracking daily are peaks and valleys of water loss and replacement. There are weight loss programs that use heart rate zones as the prime indicator of exercise intensity. I use one such plan which has me rowing 8 to 12K metres daily of long intervals four days a week and 4 to 8K of shorter intervals on the remaining three days. The longer pieces are done in a heart rate range which assures a workout of high aerobic intensity and the shorter in the range which assures a workout at anaerobic threshold. Along with each daily workout goes roughly 3-4K of low intensity warmup and cool down rowing. I call these junk metres despite the fact that they warm up muscles and clear the pipes, clear out lactate after the main effort, and preserve a bit of the old long slow distance approach which is supposed to burn mainly body fat. For me, it's a challenge to come thru with my bow tie strait, shirtfront starched, every hair in place, and a pound a week off my middle. As much as I would have loved it if no plan at all came together, I found that my previous random explorations of rowing meant way too many excursions into anaerobic intensity and consequent fatigue and slow recovery. Rowing every day has not turned out to be as hard as I thought it would be and I'm hoping for a little bit faster weight loss than the 20lbs. I lost in my first 23 wks. of rowing. Jack

[Machinerow8]

Because I don't have a concept2 rower at home, I'm not sure how much I trust the calories. My stroke rate ranges from 25-42 during my workouts. According to the machine, my distance for 60mins is usually around 30k. I average 2:00 for 500m. Hope that helps.

[Bob S.]

Because I don't have a concept2 rower at home, I'm not sure how much I trust the calories. My stroke rate ranges from 25-42 during my workouts. According to the machine, my distance for 60mins is usually around 30k. I average 2:00 for 500m. Hope that helps.

These numbers bear no relation to what is found on a C2 indoor rower. The open world record (WR) for 60 minutes on a C2 is 18.443km. To do 30km in 60 minutes would take over 4 times as much power as that WR. As far as the 500m is concerned, there are only three WRs listed that were slower than 2:00. Two of them are ladies in their 80s and the third is over 90.

Unless there was a mistake in the numbers you posted, it seems impossible that your long distance time should be so incredibly fast and your short distance so very slow.

As a side note, 25-42 strokes per minute is quite a high (and broad) range for weight loss workouts.

It might well be worth your while to find out if there is club in your area where you could try out a C2 in order to get some sort of comparison.

Bob S.

[jamesg]

I bought an at-home rowing machine this past Saturday. I rowed 30mins the first day, 60mins on the second and third day, and 40mins yesterday. That being said, I feel like I should be seeing some results by now. I'm not seeing much of change on the scale at all. I haven't been taking measurements but my clothes are as snug as they were the day I started. While I don't believe in "diets", I have also been making much healthier food choices. Am I doing something wrong or should I just be more patient?
Machinerow8

This should be framed somewhere.

So in the illustrious USA you're back to Italian levels. A famous industrialist here noted that illusions can only lead to delusion, but nobody wanted to know.

[ppetta8262@yahoo.com]

I've been down this road. For me, rowing 6 days a week at 40 minutes each = 3 lbs per month loss. One year = 36 lbs. It is hard work, but worth it. You'll sleep better and keep the weight off.

[Cayenne]

I think I'd look at a scale once a week at most. About all you'll be tracking daily are peaks and valleys of water loss and replacement. There are weight loss programs that use heart rate zones as the prime indicator of exercise intensity. I use one such plan which has me rowing 8 to 12K metres daily of long intervals four days a week and 4 to 8K of shorter intervals on the remaining three days. The longer pieces are done in a heart rate range which assures a workout of high aerobic intensity and the shorter in the range which assures a workout at anaerobic threshold. Along with each daily workout goes roughly 3-4K of low intensity warmup and cool down rowing. I call these junk metres despite the fact that they warm up muscles and clear the pipes, clear out lactate after the main effort, and preserve a bit of the old long slow distance approach which is supposed to burn mainly body fat. For me, it's a challenge to come thru with my bow tie strait, shirtfront starched, every hair in place, and a pound a week off my middle. As much as I would have loved it if no plan at all came together, I found that my previous random explorations of rowing meant way too many excursions into anaerobic intensity and consequent fatigue and slow recovery. Rowing every day has not turned out to be as hard as I thought it would be and I'm hoping for a little bit faster weight loss than the 20lbs. I lost in my first 23 wks. of rowing. Jack

Congratulations on your accomplishments Jackarabit, and best wishes for further success ! What (or where may I find,) the daily training - heart rate based program that you refer to? Thanks! Eddie

[jamesg]

You can customize this one:
http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/weightloss/interactive

[Edward4492]

The biggest farce in exercise is this idea of burning off calories. It happens of course, but at nowhere near the rate people think. The gym I work out at has several C2's lined up so I'm usually rowing next to someone. Literally dailey someone looks at the screen, rows for ten minutes and sees 600 calories and thinks that what they just incinerated. When I politely mention they have to divide that by six because that's the hourly burn rate, so it's actually only 100 calories they get down right depressed; some of then even get mad at me! On my long rows, doing 15 k at a 2:00 pace for an hour, I'm burning an honest 1000 calories. I'm working hard for the whole hour. At that rate 'll lose two pounds of fat per week if I were to do it every day (which I don't). And.....no extra eating. If I grab a quick snack afterwards that I would not otherwise eat, that 1000 drops to 500 real quick.

Losing weight takes discipline. It's mostly diet, exercise, and consistency. Losing a half pound a week is 25 pounds per year....if you do the right things consistently. When I jump on the C2 at the gym I amuse myself by looking at the memory on the monitor. With-out fail, most of the saved rows are well under 100w and 10 minutes. Sorry....at those levels you're just sliding back and forth. You get more exercise walking out to your car when you're done.

Jackrabbit- Nice job! You found the secret. A decent amount of meters, a decent amount of effort, and some control of the eating habits. 20 pounds is significant.

[jackarabit]

Eddie, I'm using the customizable weight loss programme at the link James gave you. It will ask you to characterize your exercise history as regular exercise for less than a yr. to no regular exercise for three yrs. and how many sessions from three to six you wish to do per week. Note that sessions 4-6 are identical to sessions 1-3 for each week. The programme gave me 14 weeks based on my desire to lose 10 kilos. I'm attempting to compress the cycle into 6-7 wks. I row six/seven days a week but I treat the "second set" or second three-day block as optional and run thru all the changes in interval time, reps, and zone of intensity in three days and then do a second week so to speak.

Pace or at least intensity for these sessions is determined by capped heart rate which simply means strict adherence to working in the stipulated heart rate band or zone. The heart rate band calculator at http://www.freespiritsrowing.com/conten ... /hr-bands/ is invaluable for quantifying the heart rate ranges in which you should work. 2K for warmup and same for warmdown is about minimal if, like me, you're over 60 and want to avoid a life of pain and Epsom salts. Please take a look, dust off the HR watch, and give it a try.

Jack

[Machinerow8]

I am so sorry! You all probably thought I was either a liar or superwoman when I said 30k in 60mins!!! lol what I meant was 15k! The rowing machine I use counts by 500m laps so 30 laps = 15k NOT 30k.. good news is, after rowing for 5 days straight, I took a rest day, then I rowed the next day, and yesterday I didn't row. Per all your advice, I didn't weigh myself for a few days. Then this morning, I reset my scale after stepping on it - I couldn't believe what I saw! I thought it had been bumped or moved and that the balance was set off. Before I got the rowing machine, I was fluctuating around 200-202lbs. When I started this thread, it was around 198-199lbs. Even though I have taken 2 days off this week, the scale says 192!! So excited to see results!

[Bob S.]

I am so sorry! You all probably thought I was either a liar or superwoman when I said 30k in 60mins!!! lol what I meant was 15k! The rowing machine I use counts by 500m laps so 30 laps = 15k NOT 30k.. good news is, after rowing for 5 days straight, I took a rest day, then I rowed the next day, and yesterday I didn't row. Per all your advice, I didn't weigh myself for a few days. Then this morning, I reset my scale after stepping on it - I couldn't believe what I saw! I thought it had been bumped or moved and that the balance was set off. Before I got the rowing machine, I was fluctuating around 200-202lbs. When I started this thread, it was around 198-199lbs. Even though I have taken 2 days off this week, the scale says 192!! So excited to see results!

Congratulations on the weight loss, but the time is still much too short for it to be reliable. I have often had daily fluctuations of 7 or 8 pounds, including overnight weight losses of up to 8 pounds. The weighing should be at the same time of day, preferably shortly after getting up and before having a drink of water. A steady drop of 1 or pounds a week for several weeks would be a solid result. A loss of that much weight is a great inspiration, but there will be plateaus and possibly even an occasional increase. Your current motivation is great. Stay fixed on your long term goal and don't let short term lapses throw you off.

I see that I misunderstood a previous post. You said that you average 2:00 for 500m. I misinterpreted it mean doing a 500m piece in 2:00. With your clarification of the 60 minute distance, I realize that I should have recognized that average meant just that, the average pace for a much longer piece. 15k in 60' is, indeed, a 2:00/500m pace. On a C2 that would still be an excellent time for either gender. It might not qualify for superwoman, but only one woman has ranked a longer 60' distance so far this season. A lot of men would be happy to be able to do 15km in 60'. However, we don't know how close the numbers from your machine would match C2 results. I am convinced that it would help if you could find a C2 somewhere so that you could make a comparison. The time/distance certainly looks good and your recent weight result is promising. Keep us posted.

Bob S.