Author Topic: Cross Training: Rowing (Read 228195 times)

mike · « **Reply #325 on:** 30 November, 2010, 09:55:42 pm »

good work Simon!! I managed 5k today in a smidge over 20 minutes. Not sure i've got the patience to carry on any further.

Quote from: saturn on 30 November, 2010, 08:18:04 am

Thanks Panoramix I'll pay more attention to that. I'd previously been trying to follow this rowing technique video but while the straight back is mentioned it's not so obvious as in this video which is helpful.

that second video is awful technique.. please dont pay too much attention to it. The first one is massively better.

to go faster, do more work with your legs. Dont try and pull harder with your arms, think about getting into the catch position right (like at 7:09 in the first video), very gently take up the load with the first couple of inches of travel of the seat, then spring off the toes, thinking about feeling the work up your (straight) arms and through to the back of your shoulder. Then repeat for hours.

Dont try and rate 30 ish unless you're racing. Seriously, 20-24 at a load of about 5 is absolutely plenty, if you get the spring right. It is hard though, and needs very good timing between leg drive, body swing and arms. Is there a rowing club anywhere near you that you could go to for some coaching? Most will have someone very, very happy to spend 5 minutes with you even if you dont want to get in a boat (but you should.. it's amazing)

there are some great gym ergo technique tips here:
Something about rowing..?: Intensely annoying people 2 - People failing at erging properly in gyms

(may contain sarcasm)

saturn · « **Reply #326 on:** 30 November, 2010, 11:02:32 pm »

Thanks again Panoramix & Mike, I'll forget the times for a while then and concentrate on technique. To be honest, I'm not trying to break any records, just passing time while my daughter's in the pool and it's no good killing myself in 10 mins on the rower because I have 1.5 hours to pass. However, having read this thread I thought I should try to get more value from my time on the rower.

Anyway, thanks for your patience with me going over the basics, I can see that this thread has been going for a while and you've all moved on beyond this stuff so I appreciate your advice.

simonp · « **Reply #327 on:** 30 November, 2010, 11:12:10 pm »

To be fair many of us would benefit with 5 minutes coaching. The last time I had any of that was 12 years ago.

My arms used to get pumped by rowing. Now, they don't. I was over using them. Though 10k still does a bit.

Chris S · « **Reply #328 on:** 02 December, 2010, 03:24:44 pm »

Ah well - never afraid to open myself to ridicule - so here we go, rate my technique.

FWIW - I was maintaining 22spm, and 2:10/500 split. This is the first time I've looked at my technique. I think I get too far forward, which in turn means my heels raise up and I push back off my toes.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/k3WRUyNRj8I&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/k3WRUyNRj8I&rel=1</a>

Panoramix · « **Reply #329 on:** 02 December, 2010, 04:27:55 pm »

Quote from: Chris S on 02 December, 2010, 03:24:44 pm

Ah well - never afraid to open myself to ridicule - so here we go, rate my technique.

FWIW - I was maintaining 22spm, and 2:10/500 split. This is the first time I've looked at my technique. I think I get too far forward, which in turn means my heels raise up and I push back off my toes.

Looks pretty good to me. May be you can use a bit more your body to achieve a longer stroke.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #330 on:** 02 December, 2010, 05:40:24 pm »

Quote from: Chris S on 02 December, 2010, 03:24:44 pm

Ah well - never afraid to open myself to ridicule - so here we go, rate my technique.

FWIW - I was maintaining 22spm, and 2:10/500 split. This is the first time I've looked at my technique. I think I get too far forward, which in turn means my heels raise up and I push back off my toes.

If you'd done that nude you could have out-Hulvered Hulver!

Chris S · « **Reply #331 on:** 02 December, 2010, 05:52:30 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 02 December, 2010, 05:40:24 pm

If you'd done that nude you could have out-Hulvered Hulver!

LOL! Everyone can be enormously relieved that didn't occur to me.

Marco Stefano · « **Reply #332 on:** 02 December, 2010, 10:05:40 pm »

Quote from: Panoramix on 02 December, 2010, 04:27:55 pm

Quote from: Chris S on 02 December, 2010, 03:24:44 pm
Ah well - never afraid to open myself to ridicule - so here we go, rate my technique.

FWIW - I was maintaining 22spm, and 2:10/500 split. This is the first time I've looked at my technique. I think I get too far forward, which in turn means my heels raise up and I push back off my toes.

Chris S Rowing

Looks pretty good to me. May be you can use a bit more your body to achieve a longer stroke.

Yep, looks pretty good to me too. I assume P means more body angle after your hands go away from your body, & come forward on the slide leaning forward from the hips more (longer stroke at the front end). Need fair hamstring flexibility to do this, though. I don't think you are over-compressing, more quite quick into frontstops. Looks like you are doing almost nothing with your legs and there is loads more to come...

Have you rowed on water? Your hand heights say you have...

Chris S · « **Reply #333 on:** 02 December, 2010, 10:12:17 pm »

Quote from: Marco Stefano on 02 December, 2010, 10:05:40 pm

Have you rowed on water? Your hand heights say you have...

No.

simonp · « **Reply #334 on:** 02 December, 2010, 11:49:22 pm »

1000 + 10000 (40:27.0) for 42299m to date. Another 11k tomorrow to get me past 50k, then I am considering making sat & sun each two times 30 mins plus warmup, so about 28k over the weekend.

Crazy. Oh, I swam 30 lengths also, plus commuting etc so another 2.25h cardio day.

mike · « **Reply #335 on:** 02 December, 2010, 11:49:56 pm »

looks pretty good to me too...

If I was being picky you could speed up the hands away / body over part, swing over a bit further and then take a bit longer on the slide forward, but it's really not too bad at all.

simonp · « **Reply #336 on:** 02 December, 2010, 11:51:56 pm »

Hmm, that means I'd be finished the 100k challenge by Tuesday.

Manotea · « **Reply #337 on:** 03 December, 2010, 12:14:15 am »

Quote from: Chris S on 02 December, 2010, 03:24:44 pm

Ah well - never afraid to open myself to ridicule - so here we go, rate my technique.

FWIW - I was maintaining 22spm, and 2:10/500 split. This is the first time I've looked at my technique. I think I get too far forward, which in turn means my heels raise up and I push back off my toes.

Looks good to me Chris but then again, I know nothing! I need to work on technique, getting more out of each strike. I have to really focus to stay around 26 spm. I tend to drift up to ~30spm.

andrew w · « **Reply #338 on:** 03 December, 2010, 12:28:54 pm »

Finally dug a path through the snow from our back door to the garage, so I can get to the rowing machine without getting covered in snow. Did a slow 10,000m last night, so that's only 17,000m so far since 25 November. The plan now is to do 10,000m three times a week, which should get me to 100,000 just before Christmas Eve. That's the plan, anyway.

simonp · « **Reply #339 on:** 03 December, 2010, 12:31:01 pm »

I woke up feeling knackered.

I need to learn to pace myself.

Manotea · « **Reply #340 on:** 03 December, 2010, 10:13:33 pm »

Quote from: simonp on 03 December, 2010, 12:31:01 pm

I woke up feeling knackered.

I need to learn to pace myself.

I've done at least 5km each day this week* and starting to feel a tadge run down. My times aren't improving that's for sure. I'll be pleased when the challenge is completed and go back to a 2km as warmup for the gym. Ideally I'd do longer efforts every other day to allow some recovery but I suspect I'm going to lose some days later in the month so I'm trying to get through it asap.

In the gym this evening the chap on the rower next to me was doing his best to cripple himself. His stroke was so jerky the rower was parambulating across the room. The gym person helped him relocate the rower but didn't offer any advice on technique, so I gave him the benefit of my vast experience which whilst not necessarilly perfect still resulted in a 1000% improvement on what he was doing before.

*Which is pretty amazing as not that long ago I was asking the question "how on earth can anybody row for 5km"? Made 19:50 for a age group ranking of 300 out of 760 or so. Need to make 19:36 to acheive the 25percentile.

simonp · « **Reply #341 on:** 03 December, 2010, 11:58:20 pm »

Dunno about you but I am cycling for 1h15 or so each day, 45 ish rowing, a little bit of stretching and abs work, and a 20-30 minute swim. I've done that 4 days since the weekend. Wed was a rest day, just 1h30 cycling!

Tonight about 7K into my 10K I started to feel the bonk coming on so I stopped and necked some of my energy drink. Felt ok after that and for a short swim.

I need to pace myself. Too high intensity every day is using up my glycogen stores.

andrew w · « **Reply #342 on:** 04 December, 2010, 03:58:12 pm »

That's more like it! 10,000m in 44:28.7. I need to knock another minute off that just to get to the half-way level in the online rankings for 60+ males on the Concept 2 website. Currently 45th out of 72. Actually I'll be happy just to get under 44 minutes, I think that's a more realistic goal for me.

simonp · « **Reply #343 on:** 04 December, 2010, 04:34:22 pm »

I'm still a long way off the time I did in June. And I can't get close to it without being low on energy the next day.

I think repeating that time will be hard. I was cycling 1500 miles a month when I did it.

Marco Stefano · « **Reply #344 on:** 04 December, 2010, 08:16:41 pm »

My name is Marco and I have not rowed today. Even wimped out of sculling 'cos of painfully cold hands.

What little snow we had is thawing. Back on the river tomorrow...

simonp · « **Reply #345 on:** 04 December, 2010, 08:35:05 pm »

Another 11,000m. Not having cycled today (and I walked to the gym) made it easier. Swam 1000m after; now about to have a huge bowl of soup and an omelette.

64299m I think one I enter today's efforts. Same tomorrow. Couldn't bring myself to do two sessions so will not finish on Tuesday.

Manotea · « **Reply #346 on:** 04 December, 2010, 09:09:34 pm »

Spent this afternoon feeling wiped out, dozing on the couch then did what any sensible person would do, made a last minute dash to the gym for 5+1. I was aiming for 30 mins but I wimped out after 5km. Somehow aiming for a time is so much harder than aiming for a distance. I guess it's because working harder doesn't make the pain end any sooner.

Apart from a 30min spin class I haven't been on a bike since last Friday. I might ride some main road miles tomorrow if the weather is up to it.

simonp · « **Reply #347 on:** 04 December, 2010, 09:56:00 pm »

I thought the same about fixed-time.

There's plenty time to finish the challenge. Over 40,000m in a week says you'll have no trouble.

simonp · « **Reply #348 on:** 05 December, 2010, 10:56:26 pm »

I did 12,000m tonight. I increased the warm up to 2,000m. So I'm on 76,299m. I forgot my swimming trunks so no 1000m swim tonight. This will give me more energy tomorrow.

simonp · « **Reply #349 on:** 06 December, 2010, 05:56:50 pm »

Quote from: simonp on 05 December, 2010, 10:56:26 pm

I did 12,000m tonight. I increased the warm up to 2,000m. So I'm on 76,299m. I forgot my swimming trunks so no 1000m swim tonight. This will give me more energy tomorrow.

Swimming club AGM or more rowing this evening?