Hi Rowers, just joined, Advice most Welcome!

[BoardGameBuddha]

Hi all,

Just joined...

I am a Broken down Ex-Athlete, Car Accident back in 2000 and had multiple back/pelvic trauma, basically put an end to all my Sports and changed my life forever...

I now 47 years of age sit at 5'10 291 as of this morning, a far cry from old me. After all the weight gain over the years and multiple bouts with pain and depression I a "Special Needs EA" for Autistic Children needed to take things finally into my own hands and try to get back on track so I could live a better life. After lots of Research to find the best low impact option for me I settled on the Concept2.

Ok, I finished a simply 5 minute first workout after setting the unit up and my legs felt like absolute Jello! I do not know much about what I am doing other than have read up a bit on technique so doing my best to learn that process, I do fine quite a bit of pain in my groin area, is that normal? If any of you rowing pros can just pop in and say Hi, I would love to hear your thoughts and any tips/advice you would be kind enough to give.

Very Excited for my Road ahead, it will not be easy but I truly need to do this!

Cheers and Thanks,
BGB

[Dangerscouse]

Welcone to the forum, and hopefully this will be one of your best decisions to use rowing for weight loss and stress relief.

In the first few months it's important to concentrate on technique and slowly build up the time rowed. You will have all sorts of muscle aches that you didn't know even existed in your body, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.

Drag factor is important. Don't have this too high as it will be tough on your back. Due to your medical history try it on 110ish and see how that feels, and don't worry if you want it lower or higher, it's whatever feels right for you.

Keep an eye on your times and pace but don't compare to others, as this is demoralising and very unhelpful. Thankfully as you progress you will get a lot of newbie gains so enjoy them but don't come to expect them so when they tail off you become disillusioned.

For weight loss I found the longer distances / times at a slow pace, using a HR monitor to cap HR was the most effective way. You will build up to this but for now just row a little bit more each week and build your foundations.

[Ombrax]

quite a bit of pain in my groin area, is that normal?

Welcome to the forum!

You're going to have to be more precise here. By "groin" do you mean testicles, or do you mean muscle / tendon / ligament in that area?

I can't help if it's the latter - I've never had that sort of issue.

If it's the former, try using shorts that are specific to rowing. They help to keep "things" in place.

Keep at it - if you do you will be rewarded over time. Don't feel like you need to do too much a first. In fact, that's a good way to have problems. Take it easy at first and gradually you will see the progress. Keep a log - seeing how things improve is a good way to motivate yourself to keep going.

Good Luck

[max_ratcliffe]

Hi all,

Just joined...

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other than have read up a bit on technique so doing my best to learn that process, I do fine quite a bit of pain in my groin area, is that normal? If any of you rowing pros can just pop in and say Hi, I would love to hear your thoughts and any tips/advice you would be kind enough to give.

Cheers and Thanks,
BGB

Welcome. There are lots of very experienced rowers on the forum who are very generous with their time and advice.

The groin pain (I'm assuming its a leg adductor type thing, rather than squashed testicles!) may be due to pulling on the foot straps at the end of your drive. When you're further down the road of honing your technique, rowing strapless will help prevent that pulling altogether, but it's probably unwise to do it from the get-go (you don't want to fall off the erg!).

For now, I found that making a deliberate effort to hold the handle in the fingers, rather than the palms, helped me keep my arms "long". This has more or less stopped me pulling with my feet, although I still need to work on it from time to time.

Good luck.

[BoardGameBuddha]

Hi gang,

Thank you for the Warm Welcome and Advice, and I am sorry I was not more specefic, it was not my *cough* Groin but indeed muscular in that "General Area"

You all Rock!

Cheers

[Aimless1]

Welcome from another newbie.

There are several videos online that can help with technique. A couple I found useful are

https://youtu.be/SRlXnpSNf3A

https://youtu.be/r6T91GbWsBU

Good decision on the C2. Good luck!

[lindsayh]

Welcome indeed - there are many threads specifically addressing the sort of questions that you have raised (and some you haven't even thought of yet!) If you search by "new rower" and "newbie" you will discover hours of reading and links to useful information.
Technique is first and getting some time on the machine - don't rush at it.

[JimS]

Hi mate. If you had serious injuries in the past, especially around your hips and back, your pain may be somehow associated with that.

Not necessarily the injury, but the distinction/adjustments around your movement chain.

Are there any other movements you still struggle with? Any pain when squatting? How is your general hip flexibility?

Of course, it could be the same things everyone faces, but also worth trying to figure out.

I had lower back pain when rowing because of my recovery from a broken ankle... for example.

Anyway. Rowing is pretty low impact, so start slow and steady, and listen to your body.

[Anth_F]

Welcome to the world of all things rowing.

First off, you chose the right piece of exercise equipment to help you on your way to good fitness and health. The C2 erg imo is an epic bit of kit, that can become quite addictive and a normal part of your lifestyle if you keep at it. Don't try to row too hard in these early stages of development, keep the work moderate and sustainable. This means you should row with fairly calm breath and not be completely gassed out at the end of a session. If you rowed 5mins already, that's good, well done. Now you could just keep adding small time increments from there until you're rowing for 30mins at a time. That would be a simple way to get you well on your way.

I can also suggest looking at Concept 2 workouts of the day. There are lots of variable workouts each day, that get you very familiar with the machine and learn a lot quickly by following these workouts.

Good luck, and enjoy.

[winniewinser]

Welcome aboard BGB....fairly new myself but have found the place to be great motivation and the folks most helpful.

Good luck!