Cross Training: Rowing

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

The Haul has been scuppered by a cold.  Not Covid, just the usual miserable winter thing the absence of which has been one of the blessings of lockdown.  Will probably be back to exercising at the weekend, but not really up to cramming 4.5 hours of rowing into a couple of days.

[woollypigs]

wow !

I just passed 2 million life time meters, just how did I do that. Done with a half marathon where I cut a minute of my previous best time !

Never thought that I would get so into this rowing malarkey. Now a week off then there is the 2 million in a season target to go for, I should be able to do that 175000m in 3 months

[L CC]

C2 told me yesterday I'd completed the haul, which isn't bad as I didn't know I was in it 

We've just started a work challenge - best 1km time. Loser buys the Fat Friday Chinese for the team.

I'm not doing well at all. 4:45. Winner is sitting at 3:49. It was his second day rowing. 

[De Sisti]

Has anyone else noticed the black gunge deposits that collect on the rollers under the saddle of the Model D
(or whatever machine you're using)? I still haven't worked out where they come from.

[L CC]

Crushed souls of your competitors?

I think it's just dust picked up from the length of the track and concentrated on to the (softer surface of) the rollers.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Crushed souls of your competitors?

I think it's just dust picked up from the length of the track and concentrated on to the (softer surface of) the rollers.

Pretty much this.  My son, who went to a school where they row seriously, says that they also clean slides and rollers fastidiously as this adds little bits of friction, which slow you down.  I'm not sure if that's a placebo or not, but I've made sure that I've done it if I'm going for a fast time on a big row.

[woollypigs]

I often run a baby wipe down my tracks, clearly dog hair and dust.

[De Sisti]

I often run a baby wipe down my tracks, clearly dog hair and dust.

I also use do the same.

[woollypigs]

wow what happened there.

I normally just row my own thing, while I watch Rowalong YouTube video or a TV show.

The first 2-3000m warming up, then find a good rhythm sit at that to 7000m. If I get under 32min I know it's a good day and I might speed up a bit. If over 32min I will just take it steady for the rest of the 10000m, that I tend to hit at about 44-45min mark. If I feel good then, I might continue to 1 hour, nice and easy.

This last video I decided to follow it to the letter. 18, 20, 22 strokes I couldn't slow my recovery enough to follow, so I kept getting out of sync. When the rate hit 24 and more strokes I was in perfect sync.

Near the end I looked down on the 'puter and I had passed 6000m at ~25min and 7000m rolled in at ~29min, a full 3min faster than my "standard/normal" time.

I still felt like there were a bit more in the tank. But I stopped because this was a Lunch Time row and only so long.

I think I might be able to get sub 40m 10k, if I do a few of these and time my food intake right. Not bad from thinking that I would struggle to get under an hour let alone a sub 50min.

[De Sisti]

I normally just row my own thing, while I watch Rowalong YouTube video or a TV show.

Does the noise of your machine and fan not interfere with your listening to the commentary of
the YouTube video or tv show? 

[L CC]

Headphones and subtitles is what I do.

[Oscar's dad]

Headphones and subtitles is what I do.

Aftershokz headphones is very good 

[De Sisti]

My sessions are no more than one hour. For that length of time I have no problem with concentration looking at the various displays on the screens on my PM5 and RowErg App.

[L CC]

You guys are (much) faster than me. 19.5km yesterday- with Zwift for the workout guidelines and Mary Poppins for entertainment.

[woollypigs]

I normally just row my own thing, while I watch Rowalong YouTube video or a TV show.

Does the noise of your machine and fan not interfere with your listening to the commentary of
the YouTube video or tv show? 

That's why I got the waterrower

I heard the C2 LOUD noise and said nope, not having that. With ear pods, I just about hear the water and rail over the sound of the TV. And I don't need to crank it up to 11 to cover the rowing noise.

Oh here's my 6 month review after 6 month use, written last August https://woollypigs.com/2021/08/indoor-rowing-with-waterrower-a1/

[De Sisti]

Oh here's my 6 month review after 6 month use, written last August https://woollypigs.com/2021/08/indoor-rowing-with-waterrower-a1/

Doesn't sound any less louder much quieter than my RowErg. Did you deliberately omit how much
you paid for your rower?

[woollypigs]

Oh here's my 6 month review after 6 month use, written last August https://woollypigs.com/2021/08/indoor-rowing-with-waterrower-a1/

Doesn't sound any less louder much quieter than my RowErg. Did you deliberately omit how much
you paid for your rower?

No didn't do anything to the levels or quality. Here's a good comparison on the various sound/rowers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yedBwDs7XH8 The waterrower is just more pleasant and gentle to my ears, where the C2 just sounds horrid and would drive me up the wall.

EDIT: that recording you find on my review is from a contract microphone on the water tank, not the ambient room sound. So the link above is better to compare and listen to how a warerrower sounds.

I paid £849 https://www.waterrower.co.uk/waterrower-a1-studio-rowing-machine

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Have you been able to benchmark your performance across different types of rower?  I used a water-rower in a gym and was able to get a sub-7 2k, which I've never been able to do on a Concept2 and never will - but I think it was because the water level was slightly down and so my time was artificially inflated.  Whereas using home C2 and those in gyms - my performance has been fairly consistent across different machines.

[De Sisti]

Have you been able to benchmark your performance across different types of rower?  I used a water-rower in a gym and was able to get a sub-7 2k, which I've never been able to do on a Concept2 and never will

Soft water area?
Seriously though, the same issue (@11:57) was mentioned in this detailed comparison of the two machines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbkbDJyTnng

[De Sisti]

I paid £849 https://www.waterrower.co.uk/waterrower-a1-studio-rowing-machine

My concept 2 rower cost £865. Though I did have to wait four months for it (regularly receiving
emails asking me if I still wanted to stay on the waiting list).

[woollypigs]

There was a 6 week waiting time last year on the warerrower. Compared to a 15 weeks waiting time for the C2. That also helped me to choose.

I see that the general difference between warerrower and C2 is about 10% in favour of the warerrower. As in better time and distance for the same row. So that explains why you can't get the same times on C2.

I rowed on a C2 about 15 years ago and all I remember is the noise and that I enjoyed rowing on a machine.

With an upgrade to a smartrower computer you should get even more accurate information on the warerrower when comparing to rowing on water. From what I understand/read this computer is much better than the S4 on warerrower and the PM5 on C2, when it comes to numbers watt, stroke, rate etc.

When I have faffed around on water in a plastic dingy or canoe. I take a stroke and I keep flowing in that general direction. With the warerrower, you do a stroke and the water wheel spins and the computer counts as you "float" along. So not counting that "float" is wrong to me.

[woollypigs]

Also to add, there must be something with the warerrower if British Rowing is extending their partnership with warerrower and give a 10% discount https://www.britishrowing.org/2022/01/british-rowing-and-waterrower-extend-partnership-beyond-paris-2024/ I should have seen that before I ordered

[De Sisti]

When (if) you store your water-rower upright, do you empty the water tank?
How often do you put tablets in to purify the water, and do you vary the resistance, by adding
reducing the amount of water in the tank?

[L CC]

From what I understand/read this computer is much better than the S4 on warerrower and the PM5 on C2, when it comes to numbers watt, stroke, rate etc.

I use the ErgData app which gives more information than the PM5 does natively.

When I have faffed around on water in a plastic dingy or canoe. I take a stroke and I keep flowing in that general direction. With the warerrower, you do a stroke and the water wheel spins and the computer counts as you "float" along. So not counting that "float" is wrong to me.

Equally, on the C2, the erg flywheel runs on as you return. They're much the same as far as that is concerned- waterrower just uses water for resistance rather than air and fan blades.

[De Sisti]

I use the ErgData app which gives more information than the PM5 does natively.

Me too, and I upload the workouts to my Concept2 logbook.