Ordered my Model D today!

[todd]

Hey... congratulations!

I've been rowing since February. I weighed in at about 325 at the beginning of the year and am down around 50lbs. I started working to lose weight the last part of January and got my erg the last week in February.

I lost more weight dieting than rowing. I'm sure I have put on muscle and though my weight loss has slowed, I know I am in better condition and I am losing more fat without losing muscle. So, don't be concerned if the scale doesn't do what you want. I'm confident it will eventually.

I have gotten a bathroom scale that measures percent body fat. I hear they are good for checking your body fat relatively. The percentage is likely to be off, but you just want to see a downward trend. This can help you feel better if you aren't losing pounds but you see a general downward trend in body fat.

I wouldn't be doing 2k rows - although I did when I got started. I don't think I have for over two months now. It can be discouraging to see the 2k times of some of the elite rowers compared with your own. 2k's also don't help you lose weight. You should go for longer periods with much less effort. I try to do 10k per day and depending on how I feel, my times are somewhere between pathetic and OMG that guy is slow. I used to just about kill myself everytime I rowed. I invested in a heart rate monitor and am amazed at how much I've learned about how hard I can press my body and still perform. Get one and you might find out that you can row at 2:15 for 10 minutes and fall off the erg or you can row 2:20 until your butt hurts too bad to row anymore. The difference in pace doesn't make as much difference as you would think anyway if you do a 10Kat 2:25 vs 2:15 it will only take you about 3 minutes longer.

Don't row so slow that you don't improve though. You need to push yourself some to improve your times and even though they aren't really important, improved times can be a good motivator.

Do row strapless or with the straps very loose. This will immediately improve your technique. The 10m per stroke is also good, but I pay more attention to my heart rate. I know the 10m per stroke would improve my technique and my times so I do pay attention sometimes but I usually end up overexerting myself - I know that is just me and if I worked at it, I would overcome that problem, but I'm only so concerned about my technique now vs. staying on the machine, rowing and losing fat.

I hope you can learn some from my experience. There are some good weight reduction resources on the UK Concept2 web site that you may want to look at.

Anyway, I'm sorry for blathering so long. Good luck and keep us posted.

[johnlvs2run]

Here is a picture of the pm2 covered up, showing only the time and the drag factor. I had been averaging 2:24 pace before covering it up and averaged 2:13 for a week with it covered, doing 3x 30 minutes each time. However my effort was likely proportional to the pace. Anyway it is fun keeping the monitor covered. I often get too interested in the numbers and think it is much better to exercise by one's feelings. If you keep track of the time you are rowing, then you still have a goal and record of what you are doing, but have removed the numerical limitations from interfering with your experiences and your progress.



Also, for losing weight it's the distance that matters not the pace.

[Andy99]

I rowed for 30 minutes today!
and I went 5174 meters

My longest row so far.

[johnlvs2run]

Good for you, Andy!

[melliemoo]

Andy, that's great. I'm trying to concentrate on increasing my time on the erg too.

[kwyk]

Hi all. I'm awaiting delivery of my machine. Ordered it a few days ago. I'm 53, too fat, an ex-river guide (so I rowed every day 6 months per year for 25 years), and I figure rowing is the best way to get my once-pretty-body back into a shape that doesn't make me paint the bottom half of all my mirrors white. I don't like running, stair-masters are a pain in my butt, and bikes are ok. but I think I'll stick to rowing better cause it's ingrained somewhere in my tiny beer-pickled brain. I'll appreciate any tips and comments, suggestions, encouragement, and personal tales that you all might send my way. Wish me luck, and I'll be talking with you I'm sure.

[Bob S.]

Hi all. I'm awaiting delivery of my machine. Ordered it a few days ago. I'm 53, too fat, an ex-river guide (so I rowed every day 6 months per year for 25 years), and I figure rowing is the best way to get my once-pretty-body back into a shape that doesn't make me paint the bottom half of all my mirrors white. I don't like running, stair-masters are a pain in my butt, and bikes are ok. but I think I'll stick to rowing better cause it's ingrained somewhere in my tiny beer-pickled brain. I'll appreciate any tips and comments, suggestions, encouragement, and personal tales that you all might send my way. Wish me luck, and I'll be talking with you I'm sure.

I certainly do wish you luck with your new machine. I am afraid that it is a far cry from the kind of rowing that you did as a river guide, but, without a doubt, it is a great device for getting into good condition and staying there.

Bob S.

[nteeman]

Here is a picture of the pm2 covered up, showing only the time and the drag factor. I had been averaging 2:24 pace before covering it up and averaged 2:13 for a week with it covered, doing 3x 30 minutes each time. However my effort was likely proportional to the pace. Anyway it is fun keeping the monitor covered. I often get too interested in the numbers and think it is much better to exercise by one's feelings. If you keep track of the time you are rowing, then you still have a goal and record of what you are doing, but have removed the numerical limitations from interfering with your experiences and your progress.



Also, for losing weight it's the distance that matters not the pace.

What a great idea. I am trying to train while keeping my heart rate within a certain range (as per Phil Maffetone's method). I find it difficult as I am always trying to improve my pace or watts. I made a similar mask for my PM2 only displaying time, SPM, and Heart Rate (same area as drag factor). I rowed and had an easy time keeping my HR where I wanted it and when I looked at my pace when finished it was not different from what I have been doing.

[johnlvs2run]

Nteeman,

It is nice to see you are benefitting from a similar method.

Recently I have been rowing with the monitor covered again, the last few days doing 10x 2:30 with 2:30 easy, starting moderately and progressively decreasing the pace. I had originally decided to keep the spm covered so as to not make that a limitation for my rowing. This has worked very well.

I've been doing the faster of these recent ones at 30 spm, which is easy to keep track of by simply taking a stroke every 2 seconds by the time. The slow ones just go wherever but have been around 22 spm. Because of the progressive nature of the pace, the meters per stroke start low and gradually get higher through the session.

The last couple of repetitions each session have turned out to be a bit faster than I have wanted, though, in order to be fresh for my running after rowing. Thus today I cut out a space to show the first number of the instantaneous pace. I will use this to make sure of keeping a "2" there all the time, and not dipping into the "1"'s at any time and especially the last few repetitions.

As I am doing these every day, they give me plenty of exercise without trying to push the time any faster. Also this allows me to keep reasonably fresh for running the hills, which I am enjoying quite a bit.