Moto training-- Rower or Fan bike?

Teej317
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Teej317 11/29/2017 9:02am
11/29/2017 9:02am
My gym has the Life Fitness GX rower. Anyone familiar with this brand and if so what do you set the resistance to?



HandicapMX 11/29/2017 10:18am
11/29/2017 10:18am
Check AC's Instagram story. AC is riding a stationary bike, and Kenny is in the back on an Airdyne. My grandparents bought a new airdyne back in the 80's and that's what I used until I got injured, along with cycling and running. I think either one is good to use, prolly about the same gain from both. Anyone that knocks the airdyne has prolly never used one or even seen one.
racerx217
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racerx217 11/29/2017 5:05pm
11/29/2017 5:05pm
HandicapMX wrote:
Check AC's Instagram story. AC is riding a stationary bike, and Kenny is in the back on an Airdyne. My grandparents bought a new airdyne back...
Check AC's Instagram story. AC is riding a stationary bike, and Kenny is in the back on an Airdyne. My grandparents bought a new airdyne back in the 80's and that's what I used until I got injured, along with cycling and running. I think either one is good to use, prolly about the same gain from both. Anyone that knocks the airdyne has prolly never used one or even seen one.
Thats kind of the conclusion i have come to. I want both but only have room for one or the other. I went concept 2 will see how it goes always could sell and go airdyne
Jrewing
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Jrewing 11/29/2017 5:22pm
11/29/2017 5:22pm
Motoxdoc wrote:
Those are commendable times there! (Although that Hamish Bond dude is a freak of nature doing 10000m at 133.2/500m). One thing that I'm curious about....18 S/M...
Those are commendable times there! (Although that Hamish Bond dude is a freak of nature doing 10000m at 133.2/500m). One thing that I'm curious about....18 S/M? Holy shit, how do you go so fast at such a slow cadence? You must have the drag on 10 and are pulling like a friggen madman!
Bosco wrote:
We always did 18 s/m during the off season. It's less intense cardio wise and builds more strength (or at least, that's my understanding). At this...
We always did 18 s/m during the off season. It's less intense cardio wise and builds more strength (or at least, that's my understanding). At this rate you want the recovery segment of the stroke to be twice as long as the pull. I usually control this by syncing with my breathing. One breath on the pull (inhale at the catch and exhale at the finish) and then two breaths on the recovery.

I'll be upping the stroke rate in the new year for 'pre-season' training. Once you get to 23 or 24 s/m it's a lot harder to get two breaths in on the recovery, which makes it a lot more demanding on your breathing, and therefore your heart rate.

In an 8 man boat you'd race at about 30-40s/m, but the dynamics are all different because you're not pulling your weight 'forward' along the slides, your moving the boat 'backwards' underneath you, and there's 7 other people doing the same thing. If I want to use the concept2 at higher rates than mid twenties I'd want to put it on sliders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q6mpxFF1IY), but they're not common in normal gyms, so I don't have the opportunity these days. Also, you next excellent form on these otherwise you end up rattling round like a pinball Laughing I'm not sure I'd still be able to use 'em!

BTW, I always have drag at 4-5, because apparently that's the most similar feel to rowing in water Smile
How does drag work. I always do 10 as i find it harder but easier! Btw at our gym they service them occasionally and that's when the pull seems harder but the numbers fly along.

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jasonward73
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jasonward73 11/29/2017 5:41pm
11/29/2017 5:41pm
10 is ridiculous. 3-5 is where most people fall. Most similar to real rowing.
Bosco
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Bosco 11/30/2017 3:17am
11/30/2017 3:17am
Jrewing wrote:
How does drag work. I always do 10 as i find it harder but easier! Btw at our gym they service them occasionally and that's when...
How does drag work. I always do 10 as i find it harder but easier! Btw at our gym they service them occasionally and that's when the pull seems harder but the numbers fly along.
It adjusts how much air gets into the cage - more air means higher drag, which means the fan slows down more between strokes. It makes it easier to "catch" each stroke, but it requires more effort to accelerate the fan. The idea is to simulate the difference between rowing a sleek 1 person racing shell, or an old heavy rowboat. You can put in the same amount of effort but they will feel different in the water.

It's kinda like gear selection climbing a hill on a push bike. A higher gear will feel like more work but it might not be sustainable, and you might actually be able to put out more power at a lower gear.
Motoxdoc
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Motoxdoc 11/30/2017 10:55pm
11/30/2017 10:55pm
Bosco wrote:
We always did 18 s/m during the off season. It's less intense cardio wise and builds more strength (or at least, that's my understanding). At this...
We always did 18 s/m during the off season. It's less intense cardio wise and builds more strength (or at least, that's my understanding). At this rate you want the recovery segment of the stroke to be twice as long as the pull. I usually control this by syncing with my breathing. One breath on the pull (inhale at the catch and exhale at the finish) and then two breaths on the recovery.

I'll be upping the stroke rate in the new year for 'pre-season' training. Once you get to 23 or 24 s/m it's a lot harder to get two breaths in on the recovery, which makes it a lot more demanding on your breathing, and therefore your heart rate.

In an 8 man boat you'd race at about 30-40s/m, but the dynamics are all different because you're not pulling your weight 'forward' along the slides, your moving the boat 'backwards' underneath you, and there's 7 other people doing the same thing. If I want to use the concept2 at higher rates than mid twenties I'd want to put it on sliders (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q6mpxFF1IY), but they're not common in normal gyms, so I don't have the opportunity these days. Also, you next excellent form on these otherwise you end up rattling round like a pinball Laughing I'm not sure I'd still be able to use 'em!

BTW, I always have drag at 4-5, because apparently that's the most similar feel to rowing in water Smile

Thanks for the tips. Here’s one of my 5000m rows. I'm going to experiment with your settings tonight....less drag, one breath/pull, two/return. You've given me something realistic to shoot for....to get that 158.3 down to 154.0! I've been doing a lot of 500m with 1min intervals, and also 1:40sec with 20sec intervals. I’ve been doing a million meters/year which is only 2740m/day on average...but then I miss a week for whatever reason and have to pick it up again. I try to row every day but you know how that is. That slider set-up looks bitchin!

erik_94COBRA
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erik_94COBRA 12/1/2017 2:12am
12/1/2017 2:12am
Question for the rower owners:

How much of an improvement in fitness have you all seen after adding in rowing or replacing some other activity with rowing? Is it really a full body work out?
Jrewing
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Jrewing 12/1/2017 2:20am
12/1/2017 2:20am
erik_94COBRA wrote:
Question for the rower owners: How much of an improvement in fitness have you all seen after adding in rowing or replacing some other activity with...
Question for the rower owners:

How much of an improvement in fitness have you all seen after adding in rowing or replacing some other activity with rowing? Is it really a full body work out?
Haha fuck yes. Did a 5k @ 1.54 splits @ level 10. My legs were jelly md I nearly fell over. Combined with HIIT my fitness overall has jumped significantly
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davis224 12/1/2017 2:23am
12/1/2017 2:23am Edited Date/Time 12/1/2017 2:30am
I've got a water rower, don't consider myself to be in top shape, but seeing these times made me feel more at ease. I just picked up riding again after a few years off, lately I've been using it to train for long hikes since I hate running. Hopefully this gives me inspiration to hop back on it, I've only used it once since October! Anybody else have a water rower, or is it all air rowers here?
Motoxdoc
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Motoxdoc 12/1/2017 7:23am
12/1/2017 7:23am
erik_94COBRA wrote:
Question for the rower owners: How much of an improvement in fitness have you all seen after adding in rowing or replacing some other activity with...
Question for the rower owners:

How much of an improvement in fitness have you all seen after adding in rowing or replacing some other activity with rowing? Is it really a full body work out?
If you use it regularly I promise you will notice a difference in fitness! Throw in a core routine with some back extension exercises, some push-ups......and you will begin to see the magic of the concept 2 rower. Also, when you are sore as hell after a day of riding....a light row helps with recovery.
racerx217
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racerx217 12/5/2017 3:14pm
12/5/2017 3:14pm
Well I have officially have had the rower for 2 days now and it kicks my ass. Way more intense than the my old elliptical cardio workout. I would like to eventually combine it with a elliptical or arc trainer but right now room does not allow me to.
kiwifan
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kiwifan 12/5/2017 4:15pm
12/5/2017 4:15pm
Rowing for me, I also play competitive squash 2-3 days a week (99% on week days), believe me you get fit playing squash !!!!

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