Magnetic rower - distances

[Chibbydude]

Hi guys & gals,

I bought a second hand magnetic rower and have been following the dark horse videos on YouTube.

I just wanted to clarify something for a noob, my machine is very basic, but my distances seem way off.

1) does a magnetic rower measure your effort you put in on each stroke?

2) Is it realistic/ reliable on distances?

Help on this topic would be very much appreciated. I think its the rower but for my sanity I'd like it confirmed. Thanks in advance

[Sakly]

Hi, most rowers are not calibrated, so what they show are some numbers to enjoy, but nothing about real power or distances.
But even on a concept2 rower I bet your distances would be way off, as this relates to your stroke power at the same rate than Shane rows. 300 strokes are not always 3000m.

[JaapvanE]

Hi,

Aside a fanatic rower, I'm one of the developers of OpenRowingMonitor (ORM for short), an open source project aimed ar bringing the high quality metrics of a Concept 2 to other machines. I often help set up ORM on dozens of new types of machines (most machines can easily be retrofitted with ORM). That is how the project started for me, as I bought a rower with a crappy monitor.

1) does a magnetic rower measure your effort you put in on each stroke?

In theory it could do easily, in practice I yet have yet to encounter the machine that actually does, including the more expensive brands. It seems that the monitors on these machines are an afterthought, and simply disregard the physics that govern the rowing stroke. In practice, only Concept2, RP3 and SmartRow are the only commercial parties so far that have been capable of creating a reliable monitor.

2) Is it realistic/ reliable on distances?

Big chance it isn't. Most are glorified bike computers counting pulses, but disregarding things like drag, which is quite a crucial element in rowing. Without calculation of drag, it can't be accurate.

If you want you probably can fit ORM on the machine, but at some point you need to calibrate your effort with the speed indicated. We actually advise going to a gym, get a feeling of what a certain pace feels like on a Concept2, and replicate that feel and pace on the ORM setup.

[jamesg]

You can row and get fit on any machine. Just pull long strokes hard, but not more than 24 a minute. It's hard work, just like running up hills.

In activities where there is no direct Power measurement, HR is used for control. If you keep your HR aerobic between say 120 and 150 for 2-3 hours a week, you'll certainly get a training effect.

If possible, use standard rowing style with the legs. This style can be seen anywhere on the net, but this is a good one:

https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... ique-video

[Citroen]

We don't discuss rowers that aren't made by Concept2 on here.