New member , New model D...New me??

[Jimmies]

Hello,

I'm a 5'11" 225lbs 38 year old male - A typical story of work and children becoming the main focus in life and I neglected my body. I used to be quite fit and was always on the strong side rather than typically athletic as rugby was my sport. I still now consider myself stronger than average but I have absolutely no fitness !

My weight has gone up maybe half a stone from over the last 10 years but the shape is very different.

So I decided to make a change - I have purchased a new model D with PM5. I have literally only completed a couple of 1k rows . They were both around a 2.20/500 pace and a SPM of 32 to 35.

My initial aims are to raise fitness levels, with this I know I will lose weight but I have no target weight in mind, I'm looking for advice on a sensible 1 or 2 month plan just to help ease me in and get the body used to doing something active. My initial observations are that I need to slow down as I would not be able to sustain the 1k rows for another 1k.

Another question I have is;

I would like to add my heart rate into the mix but can anybody advise a HRM that will enable me to use the HRM and have my android phone also connected to the PM5 as I would like to use boatcoach/erd data/ any other app that you may recommend.

I look forward to becoming an active member here and thankyou in advance for any pointers you can give me

[MarkEg]

Welcome to the forum. A good place to start would be here (see link at bottom) This is a reliable, interesting program designed for exactly what you need. You need polarized workouts: a mix of speed and distance work and there's enough variety here for it not to become boring. And yes, if you couldn't sustain your 1K for another 1K, you need to slow down. Your steady state pieces will be much longer. The best rowing program is Rowpro but for reasons I can't begin to fathom, they have yet to develop an Android/ iPhone or iPad app for it yet. You need a PC or Mac beside your machine to use it. There may be other apps out there however. And there are lots of HR monitors out there that work fine. I have one of these -- works fine. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Premium ... te+monitor


https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

[JohnAd]

Welcome as well, I also played rugby before children took what was left of my time after work and that had a similar effect on my shape too. I second the recommedation for the beginner Pete plan but I think you should maybe work on your technique a bit more before starting otherwise you'll blow up. Have a look at the videos here http://www.concept2.co.uk/indoor-rowers ... que-videos and make sure you understand the whole damper/drag factor thing. To slow yourself down at first try just stopping for half a second in the recovery and then go for the catch and drive the same as you would have, you should find this takes less effort and you'll be able to go further, and then when you get the rhythm just slow the recovery rather than stopping, try it out see how far you get and then try going a bit further each day until you get up to say 5K. You should be aiming for this

The three key points you want to concentrate on during all of your erg sessions are technique, relaxation, and efficiency. Use the single distance pieces to work on the different elements of the stroke you read about in the technique section. Aim for a feeling of smooth acceleration through the drive, and to be slow and relaxed during the recovery.

[turboskiff]

Well done for stepping out the erging road.

First up, your stroke rate is way too high for that pace so you have some technique issues. The rate should be down in low 20s.

Stroke rate is more or less determined by how long you take to complete the recovery part of the stroke. Do not pause during the recovery to reduce the rate. The rowing stroke should be continuous.

Just take your time at the turn and coming back up the slide. During recovery the hands go away first, the body follows then you bend your knees. If you follow this sequence rather than doing all at once to get back to the catch your recovery time cannot but increase.

[Anth_F]

Welcome! Like mentioned the stroke rate is way too high for that pace (technique needs work i would say) Seems to be a lot of wasted energy going on.

One thing i like to do on the recovery phase of the stroke (do not pause at the finish this is a common mistake) but rather quick hands/arms away to start the recovery, close the hips, then slower with the legs since they do the most work = they need the most recovery time as you glide back to the catch position. Once you learn and ingrain this into your stroke repertoire, you will find you have much more energy and in turn will help you perform for far longer periods on the erg at good solid consistent paces.

[aussieluke]

The Wahoo Tickr is an awesome HRM and likely cheaper than most too. Even available from the Apple Store.

It is dual band ANT+ and Bluetooth, so can connect to the PM5 via ANT and also to your phone via Bluetooth at the same time.

[Jimmies]

Hello

Yes I'm completely expecting my technique to be in a bad way.... Never done this before, I'll get a video up soon.

I just did a little exploratory 2k at what felt about 80% and it came out at 9.55 for 2020 metres with an average stroke rate of 31....i really felt like I was trying to slow down my rate.... It felt very unnatural to go slower.... A lot to learn!

I'm going to get a structured plan together for the next month or so to get me in the groove

I look forward to showing progress

[Bob S.]

I just did a little exploratory 2k at what felt about 80% and it came out at 9.55 for 2020 metres with an average stroke rate of 31....i really felt like I was trying to slow down my rate.... It felt very unnatural to go slower.... A lot to learn!

The problem is that we are used to continuous motion activities like walking, running, and cycling. The two part action of rowing - drive and recovery - is a different beast. The drive should be quick and hard, starting with a solid push with the legs. After a quick hands-away, the recovery should be slow and relaxed as you sneak up on the next catch.

[Jimmies]

Thanks for the advice to this point

I'm having a look at the Pete Plan as a option. I just want to get to the point of being able to do 5000 in one sitting before I start it !! - I think I'm going to get some seat time each day to get my body used to doing work and build up to 5000 and then start the plan....does that sound sensible?

[hjs]

Thanks for the advice to this point

I'm having a look at the Pete Plan as a option. I just want to get to the point of being able to do 5000 in one sitting before I start it !! - I think I'm going to get some seat time each day to get my body used to doing work and build up to 5000 and then start the plan....does that sound sensible?

Yes it does, and at this point every exercise next to rowing will help. Walking, cycling etc. first goal should be to get active, and can be active for a longer while. If you reach that point you can become a bit more focussed.

[Jimmies]

another thing I forgot to say is that at the start of the drive, I do not feel any resistance from the fan until halfway through my leg drive as the flywheel is still spinning quickly - should I up the damper or is this 'me' related? - currently it is set to 4 and a DF of 115

I guess this will not be helping me deliver power as my leg are getting little use

[hjs]

another thing I forgot to say is that at the start of the drive, I do not feel any resistance from the fan until halfway through my leg drive as the flywheel is still spinning quickly - should I up the damper or is this 'me' related? - currently it is set to 4 and a DF of 115

I guess this will not be helping me deliver power as my leg are getting little use

No, the trouble is to high a stroksrate, so the fan can,t break enough in combination with a to soft stroke. The solution is, lowering the rate and increesing the power per stroke. You can practise that with short interval work, do 250 reps with 1 min rest for instance. Use a strokerate of 24 or lower.

[Jimmies]

I'll give that a go...thanks hjs

[hjs]

I'll give that a go...thanks hjs

Good luck, take it step for step

[turboskiff]

Look at it this way. At 24 spm a single stroke take 2.5 seconds. Drive time doesn't vary much, say 0.6 secs.

3:1 [recovery:drive] is a good ratio so recovery should take around two seconds -- "thousand and one ... thousand and two ... DRIVE". Could even use a metronome app on your phone.

Low rate is good. More rest