# Indoor rowing



## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Just got a Concept2 RowErg last week. Decided to start easy and work my way up. I can't really tell from YouTube, but it seems like rowing is sort of a specialty activity. I'm seeing people who are doing million meter challenges and have whole channels dedicated just to rowing.

Kind of wondering if there are any rowing nuts here on TLF?


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## Trent161 (Jul 25, 2020)

Not a rowing nut but I am working on my goal to use our erg at the gym at my work more often..... daily is the goal. I need to go from interested to committed.


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

I recently picked up a NordicTrack rower with the 22" screen and trying to get familiar with the intricacies of rowing. I'm utilizing the iFit videos which really helps keep me going, but i'm not sure I have the perfect form. Any good videos for beginners, esp regarding form & technique?


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

I thought these are decent:

[media]https://youtu.be/zQ82RYIFLN8[/media]

[media]https://youtu.be/oP6OR-G7AxM[/media]

[media]https://youtu.be/7X63GI2Pt4k[/media]

I may use Austin's Training Tall service to help me get the most out of my time on the rower. 
https://www.trainingtall.net/row-form-review


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

This showed up in my feed today. Seemed pretty good.

https://barbend.com/best-rowing-machine-workouts/


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Rowed for 45 minutes yesterday. My rear was hurting today. Ordered a seat pad.


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## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

Those are awesome videos you shared @ionicatoms ! Thanks for that. I think I see what I'm doing wrong.. i tend to pull before my legs are fully extended. I'll have to do those small exercises to get my form right.

How do you determine a program to follow? With the iFit screen I'm just blindly following 'beginner' workouts in the library but some are less beginner than others it seems.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Dunno about picking a program. I'm still new to this. I've tried a few different routines varying up the heart rate zones just to get a feel, but I think I'm going to follow the advice of a random dude from Reddit who said not to worry too much about having a slow 500m split, but just focus on developing your distance. I found if I keep my heart rate in zone 3 I can readily go for 45+ minutes, so I'm going to try to work up to 60, 75, 90 minutes and see how that goes.

Here's the reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Rowing/comments/kiyyb4/new_unfit_rower_split_times/

One cool thing about the rower is the flexibility. Like, if you are short on time or you just don't want to do a long aerobic session, you can really pound out a nice workout in 15-20 minutes. I'm really liking it so far.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

ionicatoms said:


> Dunno about picking a program. I'm still new to this. I've tried a few different routines varying up the heart rate zones just to get a feel, but I think I'm going to follow the advice of a random dude from Reddit who said not to worry too much about having a slow 500m split, but just focus on developing your distance. I found if I keep my heart rate in zone 3 I can readily go for 45+ minutes, so I'm going to try to work up to 60, 75, 90 minutes and see how that goes.
> 
> Here's the reddit thread:
> 
> ...


The flexibility is nice. I for one rarely row for distance and work higher intensity intervals of 100m, 500m and 1,000m. Dark Horse Rowing is a good resource for technique and training programs.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCshPuX_lIPyxu0U2iwhhBZg


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Wiley said:


> I for one rarely row for distance and work higher intensity intervals of 100m, 500m and 1,000m.


So what does that add up to in terms of time or total distance?

I think I may inject some sprints into a 10k.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

To add to @Wiley's comments. Steady state cardio is only one component of fitness. You should add in some intervals and sprints. A typical week might look something like: 
Mon: 5 rounds of: 2 minutes work/30 seconds rest. (aim for consistent times on the work interval)
Tues: 8 rounds of 30 seconds work/3 minutes rest. (anaerobic work interval. This may make you feel nauseated)
Wed: 30 minues work. (steady state cardio)
Thurs: 5 rounds. Work 1 min/rest 2 min. (Work hard and try to recover)
Friday: 3 rounds. Work 5 min/Rest 1 min. (More aerobic conditioning)

Monday aim for the same time/calories on the work interval. 
Tuesday's goal is to push hard (90-95%) on the work intervals.
Wednesday is steady state cardio
Thursday is harder than Monday, but similar.
Friday is less intensity than Wednesday and Tuesday, but more than Wed because there is some recovery built in.

The idea is to train aerobic conditioning, mitochondrial energy production, and recovery. You can sub other cardio (bike/run/ski) for rowing, though some modalities work better for specific days. Bike is nice for the anaerobic days. Row is nice for aerobic conditioning as long as you have the strength to keep going without too much muscle fatigue.


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## Wiley (Dec 2, 2019)

ionicatoms said:


> Wiley said:
> 
> 
> > I for one rarely row for distance and work higher intensity intervals of 100m, 500m and 1,000m.
> ...


It all depends on what the goal is for the day. Sometimes I set a 1:1 work to rest ratio other times I'll set a fixed rest ratio based on time or recovery based on my HR. A good place to start, and to add to the great info @bernstem mention, is to do 1:1 of work to rest with 500's. For example your 500m took 2:15secs your rest will mirror that. Do this for 10 or so rounds. As you get more proficient there will be less deviation between your first and last set.

Really there's a lot of different ways to structure these workouts. It all depends on your goals and what energy system your training. Rowing is also great for steady state cardio if your form stays dialed. For me I just perform different activities for my long duration training sessions.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Great tips!

In case anyone is just starting out like me, I noticed a significant improvement (13% faster) in my split time after rowing 55k meters over my first 18 days with the rower. I don't know if it's due to technique improvement or physical improvement or both, but other than gaining 2.5 lbs for no obvious reason in the first 10 days I think it's going ok. Weight is trending back down toward baseline now. The weight gain was alarming because my weight had been _very_ stable for the previous 5 months.


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## Seedit (2 mo ago)

ionicatoms said:


> Rowed for 45 minutes yesterday. My rear was hurting today. Ordered a seat pad.


A must have if you spend a decent amount of time on any rower.


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