anybody row? - Page 7

That's partly because the 2k is a prolonged sprint.


Why not?
Why not?

you'll love and hate rowing. I hate rowing; early morning wake ups, pushed to exhaustion, throwing up over the erg, the lactic acid burn, burn in the lungs, your heart feels like it's coming out of your throat and you will not have a social life... but man, once you get your first medal, it is worth it.

I realize that I'm quite late in the conversation but I'm chipping in for what it's worth.

I'm in the same boat as grundletaint i.e. needed a new exercise to add variety to my exercise regime. I picked up rowing in late July (enrolled in a learn-to-row class) and am now in the "intermediate" program. As alluded to by various posters in this thread, picking up rowing has turned out to be among the best decisions I've made for my personal development. It's a great low-impact sport that is at the same time very demanding and involves a lot of the good things associated with sports: fitness, physical challenge, discipline, teamwork and dedication.

I'm now into my fifth week of rowing and given the importance of perfecting the technique in these early stages, much emphasis has been placed on form and posture, which I think is a tribute to the professionalism with which my rowing program is being run. On the other other hand, the heavy emphasis on technique means that there is less emphasis on getting a "real" workout. At the end of each practice, I still feel the need to work for 45 minutes on the erg (average split 2:20) to feel really challenged, physically. I go to practice 4 days a week, and I still feel compelled to complement the regimen with workouts at the gym 2 days in the week.

I've been told that this is normal and that as our technique improves we will get to row harder and continuously longer and we'll be too tired after practice to do anything else. I think anyone who's trying to pick up rowing should bear this in mind.

I would love to find a program like this to learn the sport... are you doing this in the water or machines? Anyone know a good NYC spot to learn rowing correctly?

Truth.

Then you're to the point were you can row a 10k @ 1:55 and feel good. But try and press the split to 1:53 and you want to die.

My coach used to say "It never gets easier, you only go faster."

All this is in the water. Did you look up NYRA?

I bought a Concept II a few months ago but haven't really used it due to work travel. I just ground out a very small-timer's 10K in ~49 minutes and now just want to crawl into bed until Monday. More a testiment to my physical shape at the moment.

Agreed.

Depending on where you live, you should also call the local college or high schools that have rowing programs. They will usually replace some rowing machines each year. Some major colleges will turn over as many as 10 machines a year. They are all usually in great shape, nothing wrong with them, they just want the newest models for testing. Sometimes the bungee in the machine can loosen up with all the use, but you won't really notice unless you are pulling top level times. Usually you can come down to try them out an pick one you like. Just make sure the screens/electronics all work.

I did a 7:07 2K on Friday. I felt good afterward and probably could've broken 7:00 if I paced my first 500m better. I didn't start trying until I realized how easy it felt to go the first 500m @ 300+ watts. I'm starting to really, really enjoy rowing. I can run decently well, but it seems like the only (an)aerobic endurance progress I make anymore is on the ergometer. Running has become more of a rest day activity for me. It's relaxing to run a route (and at a decent pace), but rowing makes me collapse off the ergometer after an intense bout.

This is true. I rowed eight seasons in high school and once you become an experienced oarsman, your workouts on the water will become increasingly more taxing. I wonder how much of this will be dependent on your crew's ability to pick up technique as quickly as you can. I rowed on a small high school team. We didn't win much (ever?). Okay, that's a lie. We won a few times. Winning a medal feels incredible. I used to cox when I was a small freshman; being thrown into the water is a brilliant celebration. Ultimately, I took a little bit physically from the sport (I was 18, I didn't know shit about fitness), but our crew's camaraderie was tops, my best friends were on the team, and I have indelible memories from rowing. If I were ever in the position to get back into it, I would, but it is a massive time commitment.

Just hit 7:00 on the ergometer. I've never felt so defeated before after any workout. I did everything I could to maintain consciousness at the gym and somehow managed to hang on. I just woke up after passing out on my bed at home. My trachea feels inflamed, my legs feel like they're twitching and I can feel my heart beating through my shoulderblades.

I don't mean to sound like some kind of hero or braggart or the like, but I can't say it enough: rowing is incredibly intense. I've never really encountered a sport before that's so maximally taxing. I remember when I started rowing to help get over an injury that prevented me from running. The next time I went out for a run I barely felt like I was exercising. It quite literally felt like I was just walking down the sidewalk.

Good stuff Why! I was lucky enough to acquire a Concept II Model C in excellent condition for $200 a few years ago. I use it, but I've never really committed to it. I do like to run when the weather is good enough, but I may have to go all out on the Concept II this winter. Bad enough to run when it's real cold, but the snow and ice make it downright treacherous.