Concept2 Forum

hi all,

im new to rowing (exactly 2 workouts as i type this), my first one i did without reading anything about what i should be doing, i completed 1600m in about 8.5 mins with the damper set on 10. ok that was fun so i did some reading on what i should be doing. my second workout this morning i completed 3200m in about 19.5 mins with the damper set on 5, my spm ranged between 25 and 30 with an avg of about 27 or 28, and i think my 500m split pace ranged between 2:45 and 3:00. i hope i remember these numbers correctly. when i completed my workout again i felt good, i felt like i could have gone longer but i wanted to kind of pace myself and build things up.

anyway my question is, am i going too fast/hard? or not fast/hard enough? i have no point of reference to judge my workouts as of yet so i'm relying on more experienced folks for some guidance. thanks in advance for any and all information.

daniel

Daniel_P wrote:... anyway my question is, am i going too fast/hard? or not fast/hard enough?

how old are you? how much do you weigh? how tall are you?

1600 in 8'30" is 2:39 pace
3200 in 19'30" is 3:02 pace

You're not going hard enough, you're probably "bum shoving" not getting a good drive with your legs.

Watch the technique videos at http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/technique.php

ok im 49 yrs old, 6'2" and 215 lbs

Life is difficult for unfit beginners - rowing good strokes is very hard work, but if you row bad easy strokes, you risk not being able to get rid of the bad habits and you don't get fit.

The key is rating - row good strokes but at low ratings, so that the CV load is not too high and you can carry on long enough to get tired. The important fact is that we all have the strength and the extension already, where they're needed, in the legs. These are what must be used in rowing, to full extension, but not necessarily very hard, that will come.

So good strokes are long, relaxed, very slow on the recovery, very quick on the pull. There is NO alternative.

The references are W/kg (>2 for LSD) and Watts/Rating (>8).

A useful stroke exercise, used for warm-up too, is to start arms only on the backstop, then add swing after a minute or so, then gradually add knee lift (after the swing) until at last you hit the chainguard (5-10 minutes). Keep your weight well forward on your feet, with back straight.

Hey Daniel,

I'm also new, 51, 6'2", 215lbs. Want a rowing partner?

BoB

I'm not quite the newbie that you are, but pretty darn close. Here's my advice:

* The posters on these forums are awesome. They know of what they speak.

* Don't compare yourself to their times -- it's just depressing.

* Watch the technique videos.

* Use your legs and keep your back straight. The goal is to push the fan away, not pull it toward you. (That was another poster's advice -- I can't claim it, but it has helped me immeasurably. Thank you, whoever offered that up, by the way!)

* Mix up your workouts -- don't do just sprints or just long rows.

* I'm nobody's expert, but in my (very) humble opinion, if you're sweating and getting your heart rate up, you're getting a good workout whether your splits are 3:00 or sub-2's.

Good luck and enjoy!