Xeno Muller

[[old] Byron Drachman]

There is a nice article about Xeno Muller in the Brown Alumni Magazine, Jan/Feb 2005:<br /><br /><a href='http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/stor ... fm?ID=2513' target='_blank'>http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/stor ... 513</a><br /><br />There is a photo in the magazine but I don't see it in the on-line version. <br /><br />Byron<br />

[[old] michael]

I find rather strange that Muller would seem to have ignored the efforts of Concept 2 over the last couple of decades where his business venture is concerned. I realize that indoor rowing is hardly a mainstream fitness activity but C2 has, in my estimation done an awful lot to edify people on the merits of rowing. The quote "no one knows about rowing" is just a bit of an oversight.

[[old] FrancoisA]

I also disagree with his assessment that rowing is better than swimming. Every muscle is involved when one swims the four competitive strokes. Moreover, as far as erging is concerned, good swimmers become rapidly good at it; the reverse is not true!

[[old] PaulS]

<!--QuoteBegin-FrancoisA+Jan 27 2005, 01:07 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(FrancoisA @ Jan 27 2005, 01:07 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I also disagree with his assessment that rowing is better than swimming. Every muscle is involved when one swims the four competitive strokes. Moreover, as far as erging is concerned, good swimmers become rapidly good at it; the reverse is not true! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Only if you prefer to be in the Water rather than on it. <br /><br />Good swimmers who try rowing, often are still good swimmers. <br /><br />Not really fair to compare swimming with Erging, one requires good technique and the other that you only breathe when your mouth is not underwater.<br /><br />Seriously, swimming is an excellent all around fitness activity, but hard to stick to with only a $1K investment for a lifetime. If you think swimming requires more fitness than rowing/erging, you are likely not rowing/erging well. I know that it would be far harder for me to swim for 30 minutes than to row, but only due to my severe lack of skill in swimming. I have rowed past some open water swimmers (almost over them), and they were pretty easy to keep up with.

[[old] Byron Drachman]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> rowing is better than swimming. </td></tr></table> <br /><br />If you stop rowing you coast. If you stop swimming in deep water, you die. <br /><br />I rest my case.<br /><br />Byron

[[old] FrancoisA]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->If you think swimming requires more fitness than rowing/erging, you are likely not rowing/erging well. </td></tr></table> <br />After 5 weeks of erging (only 11 erging sessions) and no previous experience, I did a 5K in 18:07 in spite of poor technique. Not bad for a 46 years old, 150 lb swimmer!<br /><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I know that it would be far harder for me to swim for 30 minutes than to row, but only due to my severe lack of skill in swimming.<br /> </td></tr></table> <br />You are quite right, swimming is very technical; Incidentally, 30 minutes of swimming is exactly what we spend as a warm-up during our 2-hours workouts (I do 6 of them every week).<br /><br />I certainly do not want to start a controversy over which sport is better; I just happen to enjoy both. From my perpective, they are equally "brutal"!

[[old] PaulS]

FA,<br /><br />Are you on the side fo hydrodynamic lift or drag, as far as propulsion in swimming goes. I hear it's been a controversy for some time.

[[old] FrancoisA]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Are you on the side fo hydrodynamic lift or drag, as far as propulsion in swimming goes. I hear it's been a controversy for some time. </td></tr></table> <br /><br />Paul,<br /><br />This theory of lift and drag is based on Bernoulli's theorem and was suggested by Counsilman and Brown because the human hand is shaped like the wing of an airplane. Recent studies by Fernell, Bixler, Holt and Tousaint have tended to disprove that theory.<br />According to Ernest Maglischo in his book <span style='color:blue'>Swimming Fastest</span>, it is Newton's third law of motion, the law of action-reaction, that offers the most likely explanation for human swimming propulsion.<br /><br />Regards

[[old] Jon Goodall]

Very good article!<br /><br />I didn't feel Xeno was taking a swipe at C2 at all. He's simply pointed out what most of us would find in a gym. Most use the Stepper or Treadmill for exercise rather than rowing. At my gym most see the erg as a warm up before getting on with the rest of their workout.<br /><br />I've spoken to some of the ones who attend Xeno's classes and some of them had never viewed using the rower for a proper workout before, so I fully understand what angle he's coming from here.<br /><br />Someone on the UK forum a couple months ago made the point that if we want the sport of Indoor Rowing to grow then it's up to 'us' who use the erg in the gym's to try and encourage people to use it, or use it more so.<br /><br />Xeno's doing his bit in Costa Mesa to promote it, and it's up to us in our own areas to do what we can.<br /><br />Jon<br />

[[old] Xeno]

Hi everyone, hi Jon and Paul.<br /><br />I don't recall my exact words in the article, from what I remember I was not trying to classify one sport as being better than the other.<br /><br />Not everyone can have a good workout swimming. In order to have an enjoyable workout swimming requires some skill. If you want to have a workout rowing on the water you need to have boat skill. HOWEVER indoor rowing is very accessible to anybody. If you have ZERO skill you can always pull on the handle using arms only until they drop of your body. I am oversimplifyning here.<br /><br />The fact is, in the USA, indoor rowing is not a mainstream sport... YET!<br />The crowd that I have, during my workouts, is VERY diverse and this motivates me tremendously to keep the crussade going.<br /><br />Jon is very right about spreading the word. CRASH B was NOT started by Concept 2, correct me if I am wrong. It is up to us who use the rowing machine to make others more interested in the sport. <br /><br />My final thought about swimming and rowing:<br />People with certain handicaps may find themselves safer on land than in water.<br /><br />That is it for now.<br />All my best and I hope you are all having a good weekend. My pick for best actor is Jamie FOXX!!!

[[old] akit110]

<!--QuoteBegin-Xeno+Feb 27 2005, 12:35 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Xeno @ Feb 27 2005, 12:35 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hi everyone, hi Jon and Paul.<br /><br />I don't recall my exact words in the article, from what I remember I was not trying to classify one sport as being better than the other.<br /><br />Not everyone can have a good workout swimming.  In order to have an enjoyable workout swimming requires some skill.  If you want to have a workout rowing on the water you need to have boat skill.  HOWEVER indoor rowing is very accessible to anybody.  If you have ZERO skill you can always pull on the handle using arms only until they drop of your body.  I am oversimplifyning here.<br /><br />The fact is, in the USA, indoor rowing is not a mainstream sport... YET!<br />The crowd that I have, during my workouts, is VERY diverse  and this motivates me tremendously to keep the crussade going.<br /><br />Jon is very right about spreading the word.  CRASH B was NOT started by Concept 2, correct me if I am wrong.  It is up to us who use the rowing machine to make others more interested in the sport.  <br /><br />My final thought about swimming and rowing:<br />People with certain handicaps may find themselves safer on land than in water.<br /><br />That is it for now.<br />All my best and I hope you are all having a good weekend.  My pick for best actor is Jamie FOXX!!! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br /><br />Just saw "Ray". I second that pick for best actor - it was like Jamie Foxx was channeling Ray Charles!

[[old] Carbok]

<!--QuoteBegin-Byron Drachman+Jan 27 2005, 06:14 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Byron Drachman @ Jan 27 2005, 06:14 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> rowing is better than swimming. </td></tr></table><br /><br />If you stop rowing you coast. If you stop swimming in deep water, you die. <br /><br />I rest my case.<br /><br />Byron <br /> </td></tr></table> <br /><br />If I stop swimming I float. Backstroke has also been easy for me, you can stop and just float there a bit then start swimming again. h*** you can almost fall asleep doing it right. You would cover more distance rowing than swimming, and I havent received my C2 yet but i think they are both easy or hard depending on your lvl of effort.

[[old] Cran]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->If I stop swimming I float. Backstroke has also been easy for me, you can stop and just float there a bit then start swimming again </td></tr></table><br />I used to float in water, but now I sink, probably something to do with being lightweight and low body fat.<br /><br />I did a swimming test this weekend as part of a coaching course, and swimming 2 lengths on the back, in clothes, using only the legs in a breast stroke style (not kicking like normal backstroke) was incredibly hard... If I stopped I just sank... <br /><br />I'm not a great swimmer, but the first two lengths freestyle and two lengths breast stroke were quite easy, the last two on my back as above almost killed me...<br /><br />

[[old] Xeno]

I gained fat and I still sink fast.<br />XENO<br />www.gorow.com

[[old] DIESEL]

<!--QuoteBegin-Xeno+Feb 26 2005, 11:35 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Xeno @ Feb 26 2005, 11:35 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><br /> It is up to us who use the rowing machine to make others more interested in the sport.  <br /><br /><br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />The only problem is that when I teach people how to erg - they never touch the machine again - once they realize how hard it is !! <br /><br />They have no patience, or worse they hate the ego-hit they take when they realize they aren't as fit as they think they are. <br /><br /> <br /><br />