Indoor rower

RCMXracing
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RCMXracing 1/19/2017 7:51pm
1/19/2017 7:51pm
I don't know half of wtf y'all are talking about. I've been eying a C2 rower for some time for home gym. Used them before at a gym, seemed like a good thing to throw in the mix but got bored as shit with it, didn't notice any real gains compared to running or elliptical. Anyone run handlebars, or is that just dumb?
Skerby
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Skerby 1/19/2017 7:59pm
1/19/2017 7:59pm
Rowing two 5ks a week plus like two 2ks on the off days really helped me ride longer motos. During those times I was putting a solid two hours on my bike every ride day (A lot harder to do in the PNW than other areas).
slipdog
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slipdog 1/19/2017 8:14pm
1/19/2017 8:14pm
RCMXracing wrote:
I don't know half of wtf y'all are talking about. I've been eying a C2 rower for some time for home gym. Used them before at...
I don't know half of wtf y'all are talking about. I've been eying a C2 rower for some time for home gym. Used them before at a gym, seemed like a good thing to throw in the mix but got bored as shit with it, didn't notice any real gains compared to running or elliptical. Anyone run handlebars, or is that just dumb?
Mine has a set of Renthal 971 on it since I got it in '02.
yz133rider
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yz133rider 1/20/2017 8:37am
1/20/2017 8:37am
I wanna go for some of those 10K times. Keep it under a 2 minute 500m time.

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Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 1/20/2017 8:59am
1/20/2017 8:59am Edited Date/Time 1/20/2017 9:00am
I tried a tabata session this am on my Concept 2. I did a 5 min warm-up, 5x 20/10 splits, and a 3 minute cool-down. Did the 20s at about a 1:44 pace on setting 5, which was pretty serious work for me. Not spent now, 2 hours later, but can definitely feel it in the legs. I think I will do 2-3 of these a week mixed with longer sessions, and add some weight training in February. PIR starts in April and that's mostly what the boy and I race. It's all about starts and sprint speed there - 8 minute motos is all you get. OTMX will be later in the year and I'll have time to work on my endurance.
Smokeslider 1/20/2017 10:57am
1/20/2017 10:57am
Hammer 663s wrote:
I tried a tabata session this am on my Concept 2. I did a 5 min warm-up, 5x 20/10 splits, and a 3 minute cool-down. Did...
I tried a tabata session this am on my Concept 2. I did a 5 min warm-up, 5x 20/10 splits, and a 3 minute cool-down. Did the 20s at about a 1:44 pace on setting 5, which was pretty serious work for me. Not spent now, 2 hours later, but can definitely feel it in the legs. I think I will do 2-3 of these a week mixed with longer sessions, and add some weight training in February. PIR starts in April and that's mostly what the boy and I race. It's all about starts and sprint speed there - 8 minute motos is all you get. OTMX will be later in the year and I'll have time to work on my endurance.
I think it's important to note what resistance settings folks are at. I've done all my rowing at resistance setting 10 but when I see some of the numbers produced from other folks, I always wondered which setting they were at. Seems to make a pretty big difference.
Travis_Hudson 1/20/2017 11:47am
1/20/2017 11:47am
I have heard 4 is the setting you should be on....just like water. I average around 34 spm and i can't get close to the 10k times you guys are talking about.....do i have something wrong?
yz133rider
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yz133rider 1/20/2017 11:49am
1/20/2017 11:49am
I believe my spm is around 20. Seems lower than you guys, but it's working as my times seem solid!
Travis_Hudson 1/20/2017 11:52am
1/20/2017 11:52am
yz133rider wrote:
I believe my spm is around 20. Seems lower than you guys, but it's working as my times seem solid!
So...something must be wrong, if my SPM is 34 and im getting 10k in about 43-44 minutes. Should i use another formula?
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 1/20/2017 12:40pm
1/20/2017 12:40pm
yz133rider wrote:
I believe my spm is around 20. Seems lower than you guys, but it's working as my times seem solid!
Most reading I've done recommends a spm between 26-30. I've never been below 26 and that seems as slow as i want to go. I might try slower but don't you have a really long pause at stroke finish at that pace?

I've always used 5 as the resistance setting. I guess I should experiment with that too as I get in better shape. Still need to lose 5 lbs (down 6 in last 2 weeks) before I'm ready to really push.
Smokeslider 1/20/2017 1:13pm
1/20/2017 1:13pm
yz133rider wrote:
I believe my spm is around 20. Seems lower than you guys, but it's working as my times seem solid!
Hammer 663s wrote:
Most reading I've done recommends a spm between 26-30. I've never been below 26 and that seems as slow as i want to go. I might...
Most reading I've done recommends a spm between 26-30. I've never been below 26 and that seems as slow as i want to go. I might try slower but don't you have a really long pause at stroke finish at that pace?

I've always used 5 as the resistance setting. I guess I should experiment with that too as I get in better shape. Still need to lose 5 lbs (down 6 in last 2 weeks) before I'm ready to really push.
I grew up just south of Forest Grove, Small world.

I haven't paid much attention to my SPM, mainly just my pace. My 500m generally hovers in the 1:35 range at resistance 10 if I'm doing splits. I'm also 6'5" and If I had to guess my SPM wouldn't be very high as my stroke is pretty elongated.
aees
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aees 1/20/2017 1:28pm
1/20/2017 1:28pm
rowing is good for some training, however it is hard to go into red zone on rower at least for me.

i have 200 max heart rate. can go 180 maybe but that feels like 200 and cant go to long. unfortunately heart does not know what im training and i need the 185-195 since 190+ is where mx puts me.

i used to do 30+30sec running intervalls put checking back it did not even get my heart rate above 177 which is just zone 4.

so heart rate monitoring and knowing your max heart rate is key, otherwise you most likely training at to low heart rate (better then nothing though). running i can go 180-195 for 1.5min in each intervall (4-5min per intervall) and get my 15min total time in redzone in a 45min session
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 1/20/2017 1:32pm
1/20/2017 1:32pm
yz133rider wrote:
I believe my spm is around 20. Seems lower than you guys, but it's working as my times seem solid!
Hammer 663s wrote:
Most reading I've done recommends a spm between 26-30. I've never been below 26 and that seems as slow as i want to go. I might...
Most reading I've done recommends a spm between 26-30. I've never been below 26 and that seems as slow as i want to go. I might try slower but don't you have a really long pause at stroke finish at that pace?

I've always used 5 as the resistance setting. I guess I should experiment with that too as I get in better shape. Still need to lose 5 lbs (down 6 in last 2 weeks) before I'm ready to really push.
Smokeslider wrote:
I grew up just south of Forest Grove, Small world. I haven't paid much attention to my SPM, mainly just my pace. My 500m generally hovers...
I grew up just south of Forest Grove, Small world.

I haven't paid much attention to my SPM, mainly just my pace. My 500m generally hovers in the 1:35 range at resistance 10 if I'm doing splits. I'm also 6'5" and If I had to guess my SPM wouldn't be very high as my stroke is pretty elongated.
Gaston?

I would die doing a 1:35 500m. I'm too old and small for that.

Most world-class rowers are well over 6' - that long stroke is great for power.
IceMan446
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IceMan446 1/20/2017 1:32pm
1/20/2017 1:32pm
Greg at concept2 recommended this to me

8 x 500m with 1 minute rest between each
4 x 1200m with 4 minutes rest between each
3 x 2k with 3 minutes rest between each

I do one every other day and it has seemed to help me out a lot with the recovery side of things.

I also do days where I row for a set amount of time, like yesterday 15mins on at 2:00 per 500m, did that took 15 minutes off and did another 15mins straight at around 2:00 minutes per 500m. I try to keep my heart rate down and it makes me really focus on my breathing which helps on the bike too.

olds cool
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olds cool 1/20/2017 1:51pm
1/20/2017 1:51pm
I have had a C2 rower for about 5-6 yrs now. I have admittedly been sporadic at it but I just went over 800k meters last week. I have used it mainly during the winter months the last few yrs. When it's warmer I prefer to ride the road bike and get some fresh air outdoors if time permits. The first couple of years I had the rowing machine I was all about lowering my previous times. I think I have been under 20 min once or twice and just short of 7200 meters a couple of times on a 30 min row. SPM were in the mid to high 20s. At 55 yrs old now I don't care quite so much about times as I once did. I know I am not going to set any rowing records or be trying to qualify for any SX or Outdoor Nats at this point. lol. This winter I have been experimenting on the rower with trying to keep the SPMs under 20 (trying to get more out of each pull) and keeping my heart rate down in the 140s (trying to build my cardio base back up @ around 80% of max HR) while doing primarily 30 min rows. It's funny how hard it is to keep the HR under control over the course of a 30 min row and keep some sort of pace going. I find myself watching the HR more than anything else. Sometimes when I get down to 3 min to go I cut loose and just go all out until the clock stops. To those of you who know and are experienced, am I wasting my time doing it this way? The Tabatta deal sounds interesting. I may try that soon. Interesting thread!
mjskier
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mjskier 1/20/2017 3:26pm
1/20/2017 3:26pm
I get bored easily, so the only way for me to keep any sort of interest lately is to play the fish game.
It forces you to always change your rowing rate to get your fish higher or lower depending on what is coming up.

Bosco
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Bosco 1/20/2017 3:56pm
1/20/2017 3:56pm
Back when I rowed in college I pulled a 5k in 17:22 at 22spm, and a 2k in 6:28 at high 20s spm - I don't doubt that Kenny or Dungey could get below 17 minutes! I reckon if you can keep your split in the low 1:50s/500m for a 5k, you're doing very well!

We did all our winter training at 18spm to build strength, and then upped it gradually coming into the summer. Rowing races are usually in the 37, 38, 39 spm range, but it's easier to stay in that range when there's 7 other guys moving the boat in the water with you. To build strength I'd stay at a low stroke rate. Like 18 or 19. This gives you time to recover and pull hard. As a rule of thumb, at that strokerate you should be able to get one breath in during the stroke, and two in during the recovery. Closer to mid twenties you're only going to get one in on the recovery, which makes it difficult. For cardio work (I'm not a professional trainer!!!!!) I would try and stay in the mid to high 20s, but that's difficult on a static rower if you're doing full strokes. Try and get access to sliders if you can.

For a good time, it's all about pacing and consistency. Each of your splits should be around the same time, and try to make the last split your fastest!

I never used the rower to train for motocross though, so take what I say with a grain of salt. A rowing race lasts 6 minutes, and I'd average around 180-190 bpm. A motocross race lasts 25 minutes, and I've averaged 206 bpm before, so it's a different kettle of fish. I was never fitter than when I rowed though.
Tim507
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Tim507 1/20/2017 4:18pm
1/20/2017 4:18pm
RCMXracing wrote:
I don't know half of wtf y'all are talking about. I've been eying a C2 rower for some time for home gym. Used them before at...
I don't know half of wtf y'all are talking about. I've been eying a C2 rower for some time for home gym. Used them before at a gym, seemed like a good thing to throw in the mix but got bored as shit with it, didn't notice any real gains compared to running or elliptical. Anyone run handlebars, or is that just dumb?
Yes! I put handle bars on my Concept Rower

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bultokid
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bultokid 1/21/2017 6:19am
1/21/2017 6:19am
I too have no clue wth y'all are talking about but I need something to help get my fat ass back in better shape. 53yo with worn out knees/hips/back, last couple of years have transitioned to being a desk jockey at work.....and I can feel my butt getting bigger by the day. I need something I can do in the AM before work and running/jogging days are over
crusty_xx 1/21/2017 6:32am
1/21/2017 6:32am
Bosco wrote:
Back when I rowed in college I pulled a 5k in 17:22 at 22spm, and a 2k in 6:28 at high 20s spm - I don't...
Back when I rowed in college I pulled a 5k in 17:22 at 22spm, and a 2k in 6:28 at high 20s spm - I don't doubt that Kenny or Dungey could get below 17 minutes! I reckon if you can keep your split in the low 1:50s/500m for a 5k, you're doing very well!

We did all our winter training at 18spm to build strength, and then upped it gradually coming into the summer. Rowing races are usually in the 37, 38, 39 spm range, but it's easier to stay in that range when there's 7 other guys moving the boat in the water with you. To build strength I'd stay at a low stroke rate. Like 18 or 19. This gives you time to recover and pull hard. As a rule of thumb, at that strokerate you should be able to get one breath in during the stroke, and two in during the recovery. Closer to mid twenties you're only going to get one in on the recovery, which makes it difficult. For cardio work (I'm not a professional trainer!!!!!) I would try and stay in the mid to high 20s, but that's difficult on a static rower if you're doing full strokes. Try and get access to sliders if you can.

For a good time, it's all about pacing and consistency. Each of your splits should be around the same time, and try to make the last split your fastest!

I never used the rower to train for motocross though, so take what I say with a grain of salt. A rowing race lasts 6 minutes, and I'd average around 180-190 bpm. A motocross race lasts 25 minutes, and I've averaged 206 bpm before, so it's a different kettle of fish. I was never fitter than when I rowed though.
Wow 22spm at a 5k, that's pretty low. Which damper setting did you use?

My best were 5k 18:20 with 27 spm
and 2k 6:45 with 31 spm
Damper is always between 5 and 6
Maybe I should go a little slower but pull harder?
Crush
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Crush 1/21/2017 6:42am
1/21/2017 6:42am
Tim507 wrote:
I did as short session of Tabata (for the 1st time) this AM. It'll take a few weeks to get the timing and ryhhym correct. At...
I did as short session of Tabata (for the 1st time) this AM. It'll take a few weeks to get the timing and ryhhym correct. At 64 my goals are to be able to ride and race safely and have a real good time for years to come. So being reasonably fit and having reasonable endurance is the goal.

No way am I interested in a 5K anyway near the level some of you younger guys go. I few months ago I researched the record for over 60 and was amazed at what someone who is fkg committed to that goal can row!

slipdog wrote:
Yes Tim, you have to work into it. 4 minutes seems easy enough on the surface, but it is one of the most brutal workouts you...
Yes Tim, you have to work into it. 4 minutes seems easy enough on the surface, but it is one of the most brutal workouts you can do if done correctly. Too many bastardized versions of the real tabata protocol out there, if you can do eight 20/10's at full effort you will have no conditioning issues.
Tim507 wrote:
I did 4 20/10's this AM at a low intensity level.......and was not sacked.....was aware of the effort!....I'll do 4 20/10's for a while until I...
I did 4 20/10's this AM at a low intensity level.......and was not sacked.....was aware of the effort!....I'll do 4 20/10's for a while until I get the rhythm down then up the intensity, effort and quantity.
Other thing is, watch your form... Not sure you can injure yourself, but you do see some funky fucking rowing strokes at the gym from people who are tired... Keep that back up and long strokes!
Travis_Hudson 1/21/2017 7:54am
1/21/2017 7:54am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2017 7:54am
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it make a difference I'm on a matrix rower?
Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 1/21/2017 9:29am
1/21/2017 9:29am
bultokid wrote:
I too have no clue wth y'all are talking about but I need something to help get my fat ass back in better shape. 53yo with...
I too have no clue wth y'all are talking about but I need something to help get my fat ass back in better shape. 53yo with worn out knees/hips/back, last couple of years have transitioned to being a desk jockey at work.....and I can feel my butt getting bigger by the day. I need something I can do in the AM before work and running/jogging days are over
That's a big benefit to a rower. I'd bet most of us old guys have bad knees, hips, ankles, or backs from moto and just age. My knees can't handle running anymore so I gave up running. Bicycling takes good weather, and I tried it indoors but didn't like it. An eliptical is a totally unnatural movement and I don't control the effort given. As long as you keep your lower back straight I can't see how you'd get hurt on a rower unless you fell off. Smile

If your ass has gotten big you might have some issues with pressure points when you start. A seat pad and shorter sessions will help that until you get used to it/lose some weight.

I like it cause I've got no excuses. I can always come up with 15 minutes in the AM and PM to work out. You don't need to do 30+ minutes to get what you need.
Bineano
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Bineano 1/21/2017 9:42am
1/21/2017 9:42am
Jeez, I read this thread title and wondered "How much rain did they GET inside the Stadium?" Lol.
Webb, you better stand on the balls of your feet in your row boat!
IceMan446
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IceMan446 1/21/2017 2:30pm
1/21/2017 2:30pm
Travis_Hudson wrote:
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it...
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it make a difference I'm on a matrix rower?
Travis I'm around 32-33 spm, I can bust out a 5K in about 18mins.

What resistance are you on?
Travis_Hudson 1/22/2017 9:06am
1/22/2017 9:06am
Travis_Hudson wrote:
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it...
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it make a difference I'm on a matrix rower?
IceMan446 wrote:
Travis I'm around 32-33 spm, I can bust out a 5K in about 18mins.

What resistance are you on?
I started on 6-7.....but the more I read everything said I should be somewhere between 4-5 to be more like water?
Travis_Hudson 1/22/2017 9:09am
1/22/2017 9:09am
I'm also on a matrix rower.......not sure if that changes anything?
yz133rider
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yz133rider 1/23/2017 8:38pm
1/23/2017 8:38pm
Proud of this time! Lotta sweat and swearing!


IceMan446
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IceMan446 1/23/2017 8:48pm
1/23/2017 8:48pm
Travis_Hudson wrote:
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it...
I still am confused by this spm thing....like I said I average a 33-34 spam in 10k but it takes me about 44 minutes. Does it make a difference I'm on a matrix rower?
IceMan446 wrote:
Travis I'm around 32-33 spm, I can bust out a 5K in about 18mins.

What resistance are you on?
Travis_Hudson wrote:
I started on 6-7.....but the more I read everything said I should be somewhere between 4-5 to be more like water?
Shit man I need to look into that then.

I've been on 10 every time I use the rower.
DFWracefan
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DFWracefan 1/23/2017 9:14pm
1/23/2017 9:14pm
With all the talk of these I have been looking at buying one. I got rid of an elliptical machine a few months ago because it felt like it was putting more stress on my knees than it should. I think the model I had, the stance was wider than my stature. After 10 minutes my knees were hurting. They never hurt when I ride and they never hurt walking or running. Anyway, what is a good price for one of these, used. I have found one that is a couple of months old (non smoker environment).....

https://www.amazon.com/Concept2-Model-Indoor-Rowing-Machine/dp/B00NH9WE…

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