Author Topic: Cross Training: Rowing (Read 228748 times)

scottlington · « **Reply #850 on:** 16 January, 2015, 09:03:49 am »

Still messing around with technique. I seem to have the very common problem of not feeling like my legs actually do anything much. Reading through this thread and various Googly type resources it's very clearly a technique problem so that's my focus for a little while. I think I have the other technique bits okish, just the drive with the legs. Oh, and really trying hard to slow down the recovery stroke.... keeping slow is hard.... $:-\$

Actually, judging by a first attempt at 2k yesterday, I am officially shit.

Still, onwards and upwards!

scottlington · « **Reply #851 on:** 16 January, 2015, 01:07:17 pm »

So, after spending a coupla thousand metres trying to stop my back from moving before the leg drive (mixed success, works slowly, speed up or get knackered, goes to pot! Practice!!), then did another 2k row. Time of 8:13.9 @ 24spm. That knocked over a minute off yesterday's and two minutes of the first one.

Need to keep practising the whole drive phase although at least this time I remembered to keep stroke rate down. Due to looking and feeling like I have a 12lb baby occupying my abdomen I am naturally having trouble getting breathing right too. This really starts to tell at the end of the session. Another thing to practise.

simonp · « **Reply #852 on:** 16 January, 2015, 01:13:33 pm »

I was doing my 2k the other day, sitting at around 20spm (varying between 18spm and 22spm) and the guy next to me was doing 32spm on level 10 and the rowing machine was moving across the floor. When he got half a length ahead he got off and pulled it back. There's a bar on the floor keep them in place and he put it back behind that bar so it didn't move again.

I got my pace down to 1:55 at the end while still doing around 22spm. Not done a fast 2k for ages (I did 8:25.0) really not fit enough ATM, I expect.

Chris S · « **Reply #853 on:** 16 January, 2015, 01:38:37 pm »

Quote from: Oranj on 16 January, 2015, 01:34:48 pm

A full 6-pack of 2L bottles of water on one of the feet keeps everything in order

Beer would be harder core. Just sayin'

.

scottlington · « **Reply #854 on:** 19 January, 2015, 04:49:55 pm »

So, 2k down to 8:07.4 yesterday with average HR 177. Struggling at the moment to see me getting below 8:00 cos that hurt. Did a 5K today at a lot easier pace, 22:48. PM5 decided not to upload that to the USB though so I have no record of it other than what I saw at the end on the monitor.

Average HR 156 think spm was 21 iirc.

As noted on some other post on this thread, you do kinda get into a rhythm after a while and I did think I could sit there for another 5K. So maybe that is a 10k pace for me at this early stage and I ought to try a slightly higher pace for 5k. I'll not try 10k for a while yet though.

No problem in terms of aches or pains either (other than a slight blister on the right hand) which I suppose I should be grateful for. Hopefully it means my technique, which is far from great I would imagine

, is at least not bad enough to cause any physical problems.

simonp · « **Reply #855 on:** 19 January, 2015, 05:00:58 pm »

Rowing machine follows a cube law for pace vs power. So my 8:57.0 yesterday was 159W, well within myself and average hr was about 130. Going to 8:00 increases power to 202W. Not so easy by any means.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #856 on:** 22 January, 2015, 03:37:33 pm »

Advice wanted!

Am getting a stitch when about 5 mins into a 2km row. I've been rowing abt 3 mths, 2 10mins rows a week together with other stuff. I can keep going but it doesn't go. I'm fit, doing 2km in 8:40 fairly easily but not improving at the moment.

Tks for any advice.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #857 on:** 25 January, 2015, 06:49:59 pm »

Update from this mornings session.

Set out to improve breathing from the start, taking deeper lungfuls. This time I managed to last over 6 mins before any signs of a stitch, a milder version on the other side. Got my time down to 8:27:08 (from a cold start).

Conclusion: it's a breathing problem (and guess I shouldn't start from cold), and i need to learn abt technique.

simonp · « **Reply #858 on:** 26 January, 2015, 12:06:53 am »

I’ve never suffered a stitch whilst rowing. If I’m going to do a hard effort I’ll warm first (1000m at minimum).

Also make sure you don’t eat too close to going to the gym - at least 2 hours gap between a meal and rowing.

On technique, try to keep the stroke rate down and concentrate on pushing through the legs, which is where the bulk of the effort should come from. Don’t be tempted to whack the resistance up to 10, set it to 4-5. It changes the feel of the rowing machine - the pace is related to how hard you’re working independent of the resistance setting.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #859 on:** 26 January, 2015, 07:08:54 am »

Thanks for the suggestions.

The machines are almost always at max when I arrive and I haven't tried lowering the setting; I will give it a go.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #860 on:** 02 February, 2015, 09:50:01 am »

Tried the setting at halfway on Weds and achieved 1000m in 3:57 but the stitch was possibly worse so I packed for a few mins before resuming at a wind-down pace. The half way setting seemed a bit low for me.

Yesterday I did a tough 20 mins cycling before rowing so started off very warm but slightly cream crackered. Setting up to 8, I decided not to push i it but see if I avoid being bent double as much as possible. I now think that I am being a bit easy on the stomach muscles and not stretching out enough. As a result of rowing far heavier boats* than skiffs without moving seats I am used to a slowish pace with much resistance.

Stitch or no stitch, I'd recommend rowing machines for improving suppleness (in moderation, maybe).

* more this sort of thing:

scottlington · « **Reply #861 on:** 02 February, 2015, 11:39:56 am »

Very much enjoying things so far. Been following the 'interactive 2000m programme' on the Indoor Sports site; into the third week. Nothing heavy so far, around 8-8.5k per session. Next week is where the program starts heading into threshold training so should be a mite more interesting. Having said that, I'm timing the sessions (by wrapping a nice warm and and cool down) to around the length of an episode of The Walking Dead so keeping myself interested!

New trainer tyre arrives tomorrow so will mix things up with some turbo trainer work and first Audax of the year on Sunday in prep for PBP so I'm looking forward to this next 6 months. On the flip side I spent most of last year getting fatter and fatter so am now the heaviest I have been since, well, probably 10 years I would say; at least before I started audaxing. So, that's gonna be a bugger to shift

simonp · « **Reply #862 on:** 02 February, 2015, 11:45:43 am »

I'm about the heaviest I've ever been too. Getting some miles in should help.

On Asterix's point about using the stomach muscles. If I do my abs routine at the gym (cable crunch, leg raises, bicycle abs) then try to use the rowing machine, it doesn't go well. This is one reason why I'm not getting so many metres in at the moment.

Feline · « **Reply #863 on:** 06 February, 2015, 09:23:02 pm »

It doesn't go too well for me whenever I time my getting on the rowing machine,. But i'm just putting that down to being a porky unfit cow really

L CC · « **Reply #864 on:** 06 February, 2015, 09:33:10 pm »

I haven't been able to log my last 3 sessions because we have only 4 machines at the gym and unless I'm there at 6.31am the 3 that have working screens are already in use.
I hate this gym.
It also means I have no idea how I'm rowing. I make sure I do more than 15 minutes and try and not take it easy, which is my default setting for everything without reminders.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #865 on:** 06 February, 2015, 09:52:09 pm »

Weds: Left it at setting number 8 and got down to 8:15:09 after trying to stretch more. It put more strain on the arms as well as stomach and I'm struggling with timing my breathing. More practice needed I expect. Would love to get below 8 mins but don't think the arms are up to it!

Feline · « **Reply #866 on:** 06 February, 2015, 10:23:31 pm »

I have to use my inhaler to do rowing, both before and after. Is that cheating, Clentador stylee ?

simonp · « **Reply #867 on:** 06 February, 2015, 10:40:16 pm »

About 1/3 of pro sports people have asthma. Make of that what you will.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #868 on:** 12 February, 2015, 07:27:21 am »

I get a touch of asthma after rowing. Its similar to the effect of riding very hard up a hill in the cold. I think if you google exercise induced asthma you will get a zillion responses. It doesn't seem to do me any harm. Have a touch of it now as I did a 5000m this morning. Much better than my previous best time this winter, but still 37s off the best time from last winter. I struggled from 2000m to 4000m but as the end was in sight started to really motor so I guess the problem is as much in my head as it is in my legs. I'm probably too used to long distance cycling that the brain shuts down when I go hard.

simonp · « **Reply #869 on:** 12 February, 2015, 04:17:09 pm »

I don't have it - I did a proper test. No drugs for me.

Marco Stefano · « **Reply #870 on:** 14 February, 2015, 02:29:49 pm »

Quote from: asterix on 06 February, 2015, 09:52:09 pm

Weds: Left it at setting number 8 and got down to 8:15:09 after trying to stretch more. It put more strain on the arms as well as stomach and I'm struggling with timing my breathing. More practice needed I expect. Would love to get below 8 mins but don't think the arms are up to it!

Lower damper setting only makes the fan slow down less between strokes; if you can get the power on more quickly (can be more tricky at lower settings) then you may go faster, but probably only at a higher rating (less rest time & more energy expended to pull yourself back up the slide). It's a personal juggling act to find out what is best for you. I am relatively small and so try to rev higher, with damper on 3-4 (and it replicates the feel of sculling). Concentrate on legs as arms do little in comparison.

As far as stitches go, before doing a 2K test I would warm up for at least 15 minutes, with increasingly hard intervals from 10 minutes on. You should be hot, sweaty and breathing hard at the end of the warm up. At which point I get off and have a shower.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #871 on:** 18 February, 2015, 08:34:27 pm »

Did the warm up thing more this time and no stitch thanks. Don't know why but I rarely get out of breath cycling or rowing, only running (at which I am pretty useless due to never doing it - if god had meant us to run why'd we get given bicycles?)

scottlington · « **Reply #872 on:** 24 March, 2015, 12:56:47 pm »

So, I did a cheeky 2000m test this morning. 7.44.2. So that's 23 seconds off my time I logged end of Jan. Gotta be please with that. I reckon another month should see me under 7.40 and I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility to get 7.30 at some point given progress so far.

mike · « **Reply #873 on:** 01 April, 2015, 03:39:41 pm »

Huge respect to everyone doing 2k tests when you dont absolutely have to - they're awful, awful things that leave me wanting to vomit, unable to breathe and on the verge of soiling myself every bloody time. For what it's worth, I normally have the damper on about 5, rate about 28/30 strokes a minute for most of it and I'm 6'2" and 100[ish]kgs.

Getting better at using the machine is a good way to 'cheat' some time off your PB without actually working any harder, so if anyone wants some coaching and you're coming past cambridge, let me know!

I did a 5k last week so my new rowing club can see how fit* I am, it was my first 'flat out' 5k for about 15 years and I'd forgotten just how much it hurts, but also how much you can push even when it does hurt. I didnt die!

* - not very.

simonp · « **Reply #874 on:** 28 April, 2015, 08:32:58 pm »

7:29.8; 193bpm at the end. Didn't cry.

Author Topic: Cross Training: Rowing (Read 228748 times)

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