Introduce yourself

[SusanMBurns]

Hi Everyone,

I am turning 60 at the end of this month and decided that indoor rowing would keep me young and healthy. I kayak during the summer months and this summer broke a bone in my foot just walking along the beach. That was 6 months ago and I still can't do a lot of walking without experiencing foot pain. Although I am not very overweight, I do have a few extra pounds that I would like to drop permanently, but my main goal is really just to get myself into better shape. Currently semi-retired, I work from home and set-up my Erg in my home office. I have started and stopped several t hings over the years and am hoping that my love of water sports, commitment to health & fitness and present location of my Erg will help me to stick to it this time. Looking forward to connecting online with some like-minded new friends.

[NurseBobbi]

Hi, Susan. Welcome! I'm 60 and have been trying to get in better shape (with much success) for the past year. Rowing regularly has been part of that. Please feel free to email me through my profile if you'd like to chat. Happy rowing!

[joji732]

Just getting back into rowing after some time away. I am 54 years old and morbidly obese. I have always loved the motion of rowing, so I feel that this is a good fit. The last time I was rowing I hurt my shoulder and had to stop - that led to a much longer pause than was necessary. It is now 4 years later and I REALLY want to get back into it. I am going to start with the erg here at my gym, and will buy one for myself when I prove to myself that I keep with it.

I welcome any help on using the erg for weight loss, as well as keeping myself from getting hurt.

[pwatkins87]

Hi everyone. I'm Nicki. I'm new to rowing. My husband used to row in college and has wanted his own erg. I used one at the gym with him a few times, but it was never really my thing. A few weeks ago he convinced me to get an erg as well, so we are now the proud owners of 2 brand new dynamic ergs.
Any advise on good workouts would be great. We are both trying to lose weight, but as a girl I know I will lose it slower if I do what my husband does.

[Bob S.]

Check this one out:

http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/weightloss/interactive

Also it might be useful to check out the regular C2 website and look over the technique pages. Even if your husband has been a rower, a refresher for him might be worthwhile. If you are getting into rowing for the very first time, it can be very helpful, even though your husband is advising you. One page in particular deals with common beginner errors and ways to correct them. Checking that out right from the start can help you from picking up habits that are hard to change once they are engrained.

Bob S.

[deborah]

hi, I'm Debbie. Been at rowing for the past 2 years. I believe that I will be a student of the sport as I tend to focus on technique. Rowing is not my primary activity as I lift weights and play a bit of squash. Much of my effort is geared towards improvement in all as each complements the other , at least for me. At the gym, I am a bit focused on my tr aining. There's only one other girl and 3-4 guys who use the rowers consistently. It's a blast when there's some of us working out together on the rower all at the same time. I'm soaking up their energy, loving the sound of the flywheels driving hard! Its funny how much I enjoy that sound..lol..
on this board, I'll enjoy reading of the top athletes and every now and then tossing in my efforts as well.
Happy Erging everyone.

[1chad]

Hi, my name is Susan and I have recently taken up rowing as a way to lose weight and get into shape. I have a very sedentary lifestyle - my previous encounters with rowing tended to be cheering on our teams at the Olympics and PanAm Games - whilst lying on the couch! I would really like to improve my fitness level. I am very interested in trying different workouts, and have read the various "how to" posts. any thoughts or suggestions gratefully appreciated.

[Abi-snail]

Hi. I introduced myself on a post elsewhere on the forum so I've copied some of that across here.

I'm new to this forum. I was a member of the old one a few years ago. I've been using the C2 since the 1990s (models B-E). I bought my own model D in 2006. I've lapsed a bit recently in the regularity of my workouts so I'm trying to get back into it, hopefully with the help of the forum. Right now I'm recovering from flu & tonsillitis so I've started with the "first workouts" section on the C2 website to ease back into action very gently. Did the 4th one this morning and felt great. Once I've done the beginner sessions I'll move on to the workout of the day, which I've enjoyed in the past. My aim is to keep fit in general. Nothing extreme. Maintain a health weight. Tone up. Just general wellbeing. See where it goes from there. I also row on the water recreationally. I competed while at University (2002-2005). Hoping the forum will keep me motivated so I don't lapse again.

[Citroen]

I was a member of the old one a few years ago.

The old UK one still exists at: http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/forum/

[Abi-snail]

Thanks. I'll see if I can find my old stuff.

[Mags]

Hi! I am new to the forum. I have been rowing consistently for the past 6 months. Approx. 3 times a week for a minimum of a half an hour.

I wanted to row to get in better shape. I used to row when I was at university and loved it.

I joined the forum because I realized that while I know how to pull and recover, I am not using my machine to its fullest potential.

I've learned a lot over the past few days.

[brea5125]

Hello,
I'm very new to all this! I purchased by Model D three weeks ago. Prior to this purchase I'd used a rower a couple times, but I used to love being on the water canoeing and kayaking so I thought this could be transferable.
I'm in the early 30s, and very overweight, but if I go back 7 years I was an athlete. Then I handled a bunch of events in my life by slowing down the activity and ramping up the eating. That went very well for me.
So far I've rowed every day but one in the last three weeks. I've been rowing for 30 minutes at a time, but not putting too much pressure on myself for how hard I row.
One of the things that I am constantly hearing about the Concept2 is how the community is irreplaceable. So I figured that if I wanted to use it to it's full advantage I should join and try to get active on the forums! So hopefully you'll be seeing me around.

[Bob S.]

Welcome to the forum! This sub-form is a good place to start, but, unfortunately, it has been relatively inactive for quite some time, as can be seen from the dates of the earlier posts. There are a couple of other sub-forums that are quite active that might be of interest to you. They are titled "Training" and "Weight Loss & Weight Control." Although the C2 machine and the rowing action seem simple enough on the surface, there is actually quite a bit of complexity to it all. If questions come up, don't hesitate to ask them on the sub-forum "Training." Also, check out the C2 website and surf through the pages about indoor rowing. There is a great deal of useful information there.

Bob S.

[ElinViking]

Hi ladies (and gents)! My name is Elin; age 43, slightly overweight, and currently not so fit (but working on it!). Like a few others here, I've done kayaking (which I'd like to start again, but sold my boat 6 years ago) and cycling. I gave up on cycling a few years ago for various reasons, but mainly due to the very heavy traffic where I live, half of which are texting while driving, and a few close calls. So for the last 3 years, due to that plus some personal issues, I've been mostly sedentary and lacking energy to do much - and it has taken a toll. No more of that!

Anyway, I got sick of the dreaded "muffin top" and breathing hard after going up a flight of stairs, so I recently purchased a Model D. Even in a short time of regular workouts, I already feel a difference - my back doesn't hurt as much, I feel more motivated in general, even my sleep is better.

I've been following the forum here for about a month or so - to echo some others here, I agree: the C2 community is fantastic! I've learned quite a bit here so far, and seeing what others are up to helps keep me motivated. I'm not in it for high performance, just general fitness, weight loss, and enjoyment of the sport, but it's still nice to see my performance getting better every week

[he4she4golf]

Whoa I don't know what happened but I was introducing myself and all went blank on my screen and gone...simply put my name is Peggy I'm 70 years plus and just starting with rowing because I have damaged knees I can no longer jog...two years have passed since my first diagnosis and pain prevented me from any real exercise. Weight gains as well as inactivity was driving me nuts until I found Concept 2 and because of all of the wonderful comments about this equipment I bought one...to keep this short ...I've just passed my 4 months goal after my first knee replacement surgery and desperately wanted to get back in shape but running is out of the question soooo it's rowing for me! Ladies thank you thank you thank you...I love this equipment...I started with 15 minutes at #5 (felt too easy but I followed instructions not too much too soon) and worked mainly on my form...yesterday I did 45 minutes ...30 at #6 and 15 minutes at #8 and kept the s/m numbers between 25 and 30 ...I have absolutely no idea about rowing except for what the initial instructions have suggested I hope this is okay? Anyone wishing to suggest how to continue or what goals to shoot for feel free to inform me I haven't a clue what's correct and what isn't...I'm trying to get myself back in some kind of better physical condition because I'm scheduling my 2nd full knee replacement surgery in December. My knees at first were a little stiff...but as long as I didn't try to do yoga stretches afterward I was good to go...I found I can't do yoga after rowing as I did with jogging because the pains in my knee joints became unbearable...so I tested just rowing to be sure that wasn't what caused the knee pain...and it wasn't. So rowing is in... yoga stretching is out ..I don't know if that info may help others with knee pain concerns. I have no cartilage left in my knees and had torn meniscus in both knees before my first surgery...my right knee joint is now replaced but I still have the same problems with my left knee until surgery this fall. I'm saying all this only to let others who may have the same problems know how my reaction to using the rower is ...I hope this info helps others...after physical therapy this is the best exercise for your knees, and cardio you can do without damaging post operative joint replacement I've found. If I can answer any concerns regarding knee replacement surgery after exercises or general questions let me know I'll answer what I can...my surgery was done by Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan the #1 orthopedic hospital in the world for knee replacement I hope this may help others get back in the game of life
Peggy