Rowing machines

If you can get in quick at the right time you can buy discounted machines from Concept 2 after some of the big indoor events. The main one is the British indoor championships that is held in December - Concept 2 provides dozens of brand new model D machines for the event which are then all sold off. I think you can put your name down for one at the time of the event, but obviously it's a bit of a lottery.

We have a model D that I sometimes use when the weather is too shite/cold/dark but the real reason we have it is because one of my lads rows at stroke in a heavyweight eight & four, so it allows him to keep up with training when he doesn't have time to get down to the club or the gym. All the rowing clubs use Concept 2.
 


Captain Slackbladder said:
Shameless bump......started with 5k then 7k....now up to 12k in around 50mins.

Fancy a crack at a half marathon in the new year with a bit more training.
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Very respectable time mate. I’d become fixated on getting a sub 7 minute 2k a couple of years ago. Managed to get it down to 7.30 reasonably quickly but every few seconds shaved off beyond that was a hard slog. Managed a 6.58 once. Near killed me though :)
 

Damper Setting 101

Damper Setting is… The damper is the lever on the side of the flywheel housing, or fan cage, that controls how much air flows into the cage. The fan cages on our later indoor rowers (Model C and later), are numbered so you can set the damper lever to a particular value from 1–10, indicating how...
www.concept2.com www.concept2.com
Explains the damper settings well
 
Sure I'm doing something wrong, I've started to pay more attention to all the numbers on the display on my rower rather than just time. I'm sure it's wrong or I'm just a lazy fat get.
Everything I've seen online suggests my 500m split should be higher than what the machine says, yet my strokes per minute are anywhere between 30 and 40.
 
Stubbs ftm said:
Sure I'm doing something wrong, I've started to pay more attention to all the numbers on the display on my rower rather than just time. I'm sure it's wrong or I'm just a lazy fat get.
Everything I've seen online suggests my 500m split should be higher than what the machine says, yet my strokes per minute are anywhere between 30 and 40.
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That’s a fairly impressive stroke rate to maintain. I’d hazard a guess and suggest this relatively high rate isn’t transferring into power though. Without knowing your background and experience mate, I’d humbly suggest you maybe look at your technique and make sure you’re getting max efficiency from your form. Also, take a look into your “drag factor” and make sure you have a good understanding of the damper settings. I find I can get a better split time when on a high (around 8-10) setting but on a slower stroke rate than I can with a lower (5-7) setting on a quicker rate. Apologies in advance if any of this is teaching you to suck eggs. Just my tuppence worth.

 
foggyballa said:
That’s a fairly impressive stroke rate to maintain. I’d hazard a guess and suggest this relatively high rate isn’t transferring into power though. Without knowing your background and experience mate, I’d humbly suggest you maybe look at your technique and make sure you’re getting max efficiency from your form. Also, take a look into your “drag factor” and make sure you have a good understanding of the damper settings. I find I can get a better split time when on a high (around 8-10) setting but on a slower stroke rate than I can with a lower (5-7) setting on a quicker rate. Apologies in advance if any of this is teaching you to suck eggs. Just my tuppence worth.

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Nah mate, all good. Despite having the rower about 3 years now I'm a total novice with it and never once read the instructions 😃
It's a water one, so maybe it needs more water in for resistance.
 
Stubbs ftm said:
Nah mate, all good. Despite having the rower about 3 years now I'm a total novice with it and never once read the instructions 😃
It's a water one, so maybe it needs more water in for resistance.
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Deffo be worth taking a look online for recommendations on settings for your machine as well as technique and form. That would be my recommendation mate for maximising the effort you’re putting in.
 
Stubbs ftm said:
Cheers mate, will have a look tomorrow
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I’d say the physical technique for either water or air rower would be the same mind in which case the Concept2 video above would see you right. Just be a case of figuring out the characteristics and workings of your water rower. Funnily enough, I’ve a concept2 in the home gym but had thought of changing it for a water rower, purely because it would be quieter. Eldest kid started rowing for local club last year. She’s now getting plenty use out of the concept2 as it’s the standard trainer for them so guess I’m keeping it
 
foggyballa said:
I’d say the physical technique for either water or air rower would be the same mind in which case the Concept2 video above would see you right. Just be a case of figuring out the characteristics and workings of your water rower. Funnily enough, I’ve a concept2 in the home gym but had thought of changing it for a water rower, purely because it would be quieter. Eldest kid started rowing for local club last year. She’s now getting plenty use out of the concept2 as it’s the standard trainer for them so guess I’m keeping it
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Used concepts at the gym when I've been in the past. The water rower is nice and quiet, and has a nice sound to it. Definitely think my technique needs changing following that video.
It's only recently that I've actually started using it regularly
 
Stubbs ftm said:
Used concepts at the gym when I've been in the past. The water rower is nice and quiet, and has a nice sound to it. Definitely think my technique needs changing following that video.
It's only recently that I've actually started using it regularly
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Drive with the legs, then pull with the shoulders. Knees shouldn’t bend til your hands are past them. Upper back and shoulders do more work than your arms. That’s the bare bones of it. :)
 

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