Who rows? (Concept2)

[iceman]

Got my concept2 about a year ago, had some injury and general health issues that I have since overcome, and now I'm trying to kick it up a couple gears. I rowed stroke on what was unquestionably the best high school four in the country, and I was badass, but a lot of water has gone over the dam since then.

Now, 30 years later, I'm trying to get after it. My times really suck bad. Bad. But I'm moving up. And I'm feeling stronger than I have in years. I have bad elbow problems, I'm really hoping they don't derail me, so far it hasn't been an issue, let's hope it stays that way.

So anyways, right now in intervals I can lay down a 2:00 500, if I bust hard, can do ~2:15-ish average over 2000 and kept it around 2:25/ in the first 5000 I've done, which was 2 days ago. Yesterday I did some intervals, couldn't come close to my best times. So I took today off and I'm gonna bust out a 5000 tomorrow. 2:15/ over the 5000 is the goal. We'll see. Sounds hard.

Talk to me.

[The Suit]

I was a varsity lightweight in college. The first Concept II erg (bicycle wheel with plastic vanes) came out late in my senior year. A few years after I graduated I bought one of my very own and rowed on it off and on until I turned forty. At age 40 I tore a disk in my back while rowing and spent the bulk of the next two months (which were January & February, dammit) lying down. I tried to get back after it a few times that year but it always made my back hurt, so I gave it to a friend.

Two years ago I went to an orthopedist about a chronically sore shoulder. I told him I used to row, but had to quit, and he suggested that might be the root of my shoulder problem. So I became a Concept II owner again. The past six months I've been rowing 15-25 days/month.

I used to enter my times in their online logbook, so I can see now what I was doing when I was 40. I did 2000 meters at sea level at a 1:47 average, 2500 meters in Jackson (6300 ft ASL) at 1:49.5, 20 minutes in Jackson at 1:53.5, 20 minutes at sea level at 1:50.4, 10,000 meters in Jackson at 1:56.5, 10,000 meters at sea level at 1:53.0. Longest row I did was 21,097 meters, which is a half-marathon, apparently.

Now, at age 49, for 5x500 meter intervals I average around 1:50. I can do 2500 meters at about 1:55.5, 5000 meters at about 1:58, 7500 meters at about 2:01. I haven't gone longer than 30 minutes yet.

I remember when I was in college I had no trouble elevating my heart rate to somewhere around 200-220 bpm. Now it tops out at 175 on a good day.

The really messed up thing is when I'm back in Boston in March and I see boats seat racing in the rain, and I'm jealous. How fucked up is that?

[MakersTeleMark]

Best of luck [Ice]. It's not about numbers anymore.

It's about getting out.

Don't bust yourself up, don't bleed out, and get your ass back to the typewriter after the bar.

Have fun with it. Be nice to yourself. Just don't stop living.

I really can't tell what you are asking for, BTW, your jargon is not my realm. But you have my support.

[DasBlunt]

Quit any and all Alcohol and the joint problems will fade. Sesame oil massage and steroids will really aid recovery.

[haydukelives]

Got my concept2 about a year ago, had some injury and general health issues that I have since overcome, and now I'm trying to kick it up a couple gears. I rowed stroke on what was unquestionably the best high school four in the country, and I was badass, but a lot of water has gone over the dam since then.

Now, 30 years later, I'm trying to get after it. My times really suck bad. Bad. But I'm moving up. And I'm feeling stronger than I have in years. I have bad elbow problems, I'm really hoping they don't derail me, so far it hasn't been an issue, let's hope it stays that way.

So anyways, right now in intervals I can lay down a 2:00 500, if I bust hard, can do ~2:15-ish average over 2000 and kept it around 2:25/ in the first 5000 I've done, which was 2 days ago. Yesterday I did some intervals, couldn't come close to my best times. So I took today off and I'm gonna bust out a 5000 tomorrow. 2:15/ over the 5000 is the goal. We'll see. Sounds hard.

Talk to me.

The only numbers that count are heart rate x minutes

[M111S]

I dont really enjoy the rower too much - not much padding on the butt

But I can get it sub 2.00 per 500 over 5k. I do use it in the gym and they run monthly comps for fun.
Best acheivement was 10k in sub 39 mins which was average around 1.56 IIRC bear in mind this was the first time I'd attempted this and had never rowed for as long before.

Do I feel like I need to attempt this again - No. I'm in my 40's too and like to think I'm reasonably fit.

Keep going at it and stop if the elbows give you pain - you probably know what to do but sometimes need to remind yourself rather than ignore it. Its supposed to be great exercise and conditioning.

Mix the workouts around including intervals/sprints as well as endurance

Good luck.

[iceman]

The really messed up thing is when I'm back in Boston in March and I see boats seat racing in the rain, and I'm jealous. How fucked up is that?

In high school we used to be out on the Charles from the first week of March, sometimes in the snow or freezing cold rain with ice building up on the oars, and for some reason I now seem to think it was fun. I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually fun at the time.

[supermodel159]

I row on the C2 twice a week. I haven't been keeping my stats, but now I'll try to get some splits. When I grew up my father was a rower. So I spent summers heading to the Head of the Charles, and even event to the Henley a few years. Winters (Iowa) were spent going to indoor erg comps, if you havent been, you need to go to just one.

Just as I was getting old enough to be competitive, the boat house was flooded, and all of the shells were washed down the river...the club later dissolved after it was discovered the president was pocketing the insurance premiums.

Either way, post some work outs. I'd like some goals to hit.

[The Suit]

What kind of stroke rates do you guys maintain? On the water, we used to race at 34-36 strokes/min for a 2000 meter sprint, and 32-33 for a long race like the Head of the Charles. On the Concept 2, I can maybe maintain a 25 for 2000 meters.

[iceman]

I'm still trying to figure that out - when I started last year I was going like 28-30 and faster for shorter intervals, but then I read a bunch on a couple of different forums and everybody says you want to be slow on the C2, like 20-21, and focus on being explosive at the catch and long in the finish. I actually don't quite get the theory but it seems well-accepted as gospel so that's what I've been trying to do. Going fast while going slow is hard. You have to pull like a motherfucker. And you've really got to slow down the recovery and break it into a deliberate sequence of arms, then body, then legs, one piece at a time.

I just did 5000m and kept it right on 21 the whole time, I went out too fast (2:00 and 2:05 in the first 1000) and never really recovered and dragged my ass home to finish with a 2:22 average. That shit is hard.

[RootSkier]

I have no patience for longer rows but I have rowed a 1:36 500. Damn near killed me, too.

[zion zig zag]

Back when I was whole I rowed a 7:08 2k. It was hard. I don't have any 500 times written down and I don't remember. I need to get back on it, it would probably be pretty good knee rehab if I didn't get too deep.

[Arno]

i generally go in the mid-30s
going hard in the low 20s sounds like it would put a lot of stress on your back but what do I know?

[Huck_Schmuck]

13 posts and no Iceman rows in jeans?

My ex was a lightweight on the Cambridge ladies first boat. Pretty hardcore.

I like to paddle around in the gym. I think I do avg 2:30 / 500m for 1000m. I should pay more attention.

[Oarhead]

I used to row. A lot. Rowing is type 2 fun. You learn a lot about yourself. It is definitely a journey. And I totally understand the longing for the days of misery. It was a thing that you proved to yourself. You COULD hack it. You were stronger than everybody else. And this was how you showed it to yourself.

Nice to see people still doing it. I hate the fucking erg. With a passion. Yet I still jump on the damn thing every week because there is nothing that gets you fit like that goddamn machine. It is depressing though. Even when I was at my peak the erg just tells you that you are not fast enough. And now I am a lot slower. It still tells me I am slow but for some asinine reason I still show up.

Regarding rate: you are told to row lower rate on the erg because on the water you want to have the boat glide/run and give yourself more time to recover. When you get to racing season you build up the fast twitch muscle but you still stay smooth and the boat runs faster ie. more efficiently. If you just jerk up and down the slide quickly you don't recover and you pop sooner plus the boat is inefficient through the water.

Don't put the resistance to the max because you think it makes you faster, it doesn't. If you have less resistance you have to be faster through the drive to get the same splits as if the resistance was higher. Lower resistance is better for your back and builds faster twitch muscle fibers. High resistance is only good if you are rowing around 32+ because the flywheel doesn't get a chance to slow down. When you are on the machine (the newer version) press the options button and then push 'drag'. Adjust the vent and put the resistance to between 125 and 145. That is plenty. National team heavy men will do most of their workouts here but when the resistance is needed they will put it to 180. Most of our backs can't handle that so don't try. If you have an old version of the erg, press the top and bottom button at the same time and the drag gets displayed in the bottom corner.

When in the gym I will do staircases and pyramids between 18 and 26. Hardly ever go above 26. For test pieces it was a different story though.