What was your first PB and how much have you improved?

zen cohen · Post by **zen cohen** » August 16th, 2007, 12:06 am

Hi, I've had a few sessions on the C2 at my gym and love the workout I get. I consider myself relatively fit but when I compared my 500M and 2K scores to those listed here, I saw they were abysmal. (My 500M was about 1:48 and my 2K was 8:12.)

The times I see of the posters here are far better but I'm curious to see what your starting point was, so I can get an idea how much room for improvement there might be for me.

BTW, I'm 49, 5'10", 175 lb.

Thanks.

Gerhard · Post by **Gerhard** » August 16th, 2007, 6:39 am

After a few days of getting used to the erg:
500m 1.53
2K 8.37

Within 4 weeks:
500m 1.43
2K 7.58

2 months:
500m 1.39
2K 7.42

My 500 and 2K are due for a new PB, they are more than two months old. The rest of my signature PB's are less than a month old.

Kangaroo · Post by **Kangaroo** » August 16th, 2007, 10:38 am

Well as far as I remember, in under-fourteen I was pulling like a 1:45 to 1:50 or so for a five hundred. My first ever two km in that same year was a 7:48.

Then a year later it was a 7:21. 1:38 for my 500.

Now, after a few months of off-season I pulled a 7:09 the other day as an 80% check against fitness.

Tinpusher · Post by **Tinpusher** » August 16th, 2007, 11:57 am

I started rowing on 13 April 06.
On 4 May 06 I did 500m in 1:43.9.
On 5 May 06 I did 2K in 7:48.9.
I don't do many 500m or 2K tests so my 500m is old at 1:29.1.
My 2K is a month old at 6:41.8.

There's always some room for improvement just don't try to PB every day. You'll soon burn out and get disspirited when you inevitably plateau. I tried to row 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week at the beginning and gradually increased to 10K+. My 30 minute pieces were around the 7K mark then and now its over 8K.
Cheers
Dave

oc4l17 · Post by **oc4l17** » August 20th, 2007, 9:58 am

With my first 2 weeks of knowing what an erg was I pulled a 7:26 2k. After a month I pulled 7:06. And by the end of that spring season I pulled a 6:54. I am currently(about 19 months sciene my first erg) In the mid 6:30's thought am currently training for 6k.

No shame in starting with an 8:12. From what I hear expierience with tec and paceing alone leads to about a five split drop in the first couple months. Try to break 8 minutes and then set yourself another goal.

chgoss · Post by **chgoss** » August 20th, 2007, 10:43 am

I started rowing in Feb '06.
- It took me ~2 weeks to get under a 8:00 2k
- I had a 7:09 2k in late April '06 (~3 month's after starting)
- did a 6:59 at Feb '07 CRASH-B's (1 year after starting)

so, not a heck of a lot of improvement after the first 3 month's of VERY rapid gains. Note that I average 10k a day, 4.5 million meters since Feb '06, and work out (pretty darn hard) regularly with other folks on RowPro (online racing).

tbartman · Post by **tbartman** » August 20th, 2007, 2:30 pm

I would echo chgoss. Without my numbers in hand, I can tell you that most of the improvement will come pretty quickly, then it will flatten out. You'll just hit physical limits that way. You can always improve, but it'll take more and more work.

I used to do lots of long, slowish (for my age, size) rows to lose weight, and once in a while tried a 2k. The 2k times were getting faster, but I wasn't improving a lot. Then it was emphasized to me that if I wanted to improve my 2k, I'd have to train for a 2k (e.g. a marathon runner isn't going to improve their 100m sprint a lot).

I've been using a plan from the UK C2 website (go there under training), and have noticed significant improvements again in just 4 weeks now that I'm focuing on this type of row.

coggs · Post by **coggs** » August 20th, 2007, 4:41 pm

The day I got my used Model C erg (exactly 1 year ago) I pulled it out of my car, hopped on and did a 4:20 1K. Totally clueless. About a week later I learned 2K was what most people used as a benchmark distance. I did a 8:15 (see, already improving). I was pretty dedicated all winter and times came down quickly. I went to CRASH B's where I did 7:02. I've been doing mostly on the water rowing since then (fitness / weight loss oriented, not competition training) so I'm likely a little slower on the erg right now, but have not done a PB attempt at any distance since CRASH B's so who knows. Plan to really ramp it up come November and try to go sub 7 in Boston this year.

gregory.cook · Post by **gregory.cook** » August 20th, 2007, 5:12 pm

In October of 1987 when the standard erg racing distance was still 2500m, I did a 9:05 after about 3 weeks of training OTW. In March of 1988 I got that down to 8:26.

Now I think I could get pretty close to 8:15.

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » August 20th, 2007, 6:18 pm

gregory.cook wrote:In October of 1987 when the standard erg racing distance was still 2500m, I did a 9:05 after about 3 weeks of training OTW. In March of 1988 I got that down to 8:26.

Now I think I could get pretty close to 8:15.

Now that's what I'd call nice steady improvement! Any down time in that period or have you been an example for us all to follow?

gregory.cook · Post by **gregory.cook** » August 20th, 2007, 11:58 pm

PaulS wrote:
gregory.cook wrote:In October of 1987 when the standard erg racing distance was still 2500m, I did a 9:05 after about 3 weeks of training OTW. In March of 1988 I got that down to 8:26.

Now I think I could get pretty close to 8:15.
Now that's what I'd call nice steady improvement! Any down time in that period or have you been an example for us all to follow?

It would only be an improvement if I actually did it.

I didn't row at all from 1989 until 1998. In 1998 we bought a model C and I rowed off and on but the erg wasn't the focus of my training until late last August.

Englishman116 · Post by **Englishman116** » August 25th, 2007, 2:40 pm

I started erging in April 07 as a goal to row in college. When I started I pulled a 2k of 7:50. Two weeks later I pulled a 7:20. Two weeks after that I pulled a 7:08, and today I pulled a 6:52.7.

It seems that everyone improves rather quickly and then plateaus after a couple months or so. I found that after I started to do on-the-water training my times went up. The technique I learned rowing in the water has helped me on the erg and I would highly recommend it.

hjs · Post by **hjs** » August 26th, 2007, 11:40 am

first 2 k 6.38.9 (second erg ever)

best 2k ever 6.14.7

I was relative fit when I started and both rows were 100% effort's.
I never really trained 100% for rowing but I do think, If you are fit from some other sport and strong from doing weight's you can row pretty fast from start on.
If you only are fit but not strong from start on, you can gain a lot more.

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » August 27th, 2007, 11:46 am

Out of shape and overweight - 19:50 5K
3 Months Later, 26 lbs. lighter - 17:42 5K

I hope to break 17 minutes by November and lose another 30 lbs.

Gerhard · Post by **Gerhard** » August 29th, 2007, 4:41 am

Liquid wrote:Out of shape and overweight - 19:50 5K
3 Months Later, 26 lbs. lighter - 17:42 5K

I hope to break 17 minutes by November and lose another 30 lbs.

More than two minutes off in 3 months...you don't need any challenges!! I thought I was getting into shape (a little) and not so overweight anymore, but I'm still slower than you were when you started

May I ask you how you trained during these three months?