Is this a temporary thing to gain muscle (after say, traumatic injury/surgery/illness) that you drop later and maintain via other means? Or do you sustain electrostim indefinitely as part of your normal exercise?
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In the gym
Is this a temporary thing to gain muscle (after say, traumatic injury/surgery/illness) that you drop later and maintain via other means? Or do you sustain electrostim indefinitely as part of your normal exercise?
TBD, I am far from 'normal'. But, as I pointed out above, combining it with other exercises is very much a thing.
For quads, butt, hamstrings i do two sessions a year, 3 times a week 6 weeks each, and once a week for the remaining weeks.
This spares knees, which otherwise would hurt, for example, i would do 600 lbs on a leg press, and this puts a lot of stress on my 72 year old knees.
Equivalent electro stim puts no load at all on knees, hips.
For upper body, a couple of times a week, bodyweight plus dumbbells.
I was referring to that specific exercise machine, not skiing in general.
Important update!
Despite the ravages of age I can report that my best times are now:
2000m 7:47.5 (last week)
5000m 19:59.4 (last fall)
I'm getting faster not older!
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2017
- Posts
- 397
Damn that’s a great 5,000 time !
You don’t need a lift at your level of fitness.
Just throw your skis over your shoulder and hike back up.
Seriously that’s an impressive C2 time.
You don’t need a lift at your level of fitness.
Just throw your skis over your shoulder and hike back up.
Seriously that’s an impressive C2 time.
Thank you!
Rowing relies a lot on technique - I don't think I'm stronger or more fit than two years ago but I'm definitely more efficient. Before I leave for Montana in January I'm going to do a short taper and see if I can break 7:40 in the 2k.
Definitely a good 5k time! My C2 has been collecting dust for about about two years. A few months ago I picked up a Peleton and have been hitting that hard to improve my conditioning. Thinking about working the C2 into my routine at some point soon. Hard to beet it for an overall workout. I rowed in HS and college and hated that dam torture machine. 
How do you pace for 2K, I mean beyond "1:55 steady".
I usually strive for negative splits but my best times always come from workouts where I have no plan for a PB but I just come alive after the first 500m and hammer it at the end. The carrot of moving up the leader board is pretty strong when I'm in the thick of it. But the proven method is to keep the first 800m at race pace +1 (that would include your start), then up the pace to equal your race pace, then hammer the last 600m as hard as you can. Many athletes go out too hard and die at the end.
I move up to the 70-79 age bracket next year and I believe there's a 1 year window of opportunity for me to be the number 1 athlete IN THE WORLD (70-79, lightweight, 2000m). The following year there's a French guy who will just crush me when he turns 70. He's at 7:04 (2k) this year as a 68 year old and if you handicap his age and weight he's the best indoor rower in the world, period.
I've never really been serious about training on the erg before, I've just done well and been consistent. I'll be skiing for 10 weeks in MT this winter and I'm actually going to miss a day or two and go to the local Whitefish gym for a row. I can't believe I'm admitting it...
That's cranking! My atrial flutter has gone away for now (which means I have decent wind) and I did my fastest in quite a while: 14:38 for 2 miles/3216 M. If I can break 14:00 for 2 miles it's a good day. Much longer than that and my butt gets sore.............
A question for all you serious rowers: do you set the C2 resistance on the hardest setting or do you back it off? The online articles I've read all say back it off, but it seems like you're doing a lot of strokes and not going anywhere. I probably won't change, but I'm interested to hear other viewpoints.
Very common question... if you can't feel enough resistance at a damper setting of about 4-5 it's because your stroke mechanics lack the form and timing needed to really load it up. I recommend Dark Horse Rowing and Training Tall on YouTube to get some tips on how to correct that.
Good luck!
Yeh, basically the only people who put it on 10 instead of 3-7 are weightlifters doing their warmups.
In other words, if you see the machine on 10, put the computer on ReRow and spank the living daylights out of their boat on 7
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Setting resistance high helps me hit some calorie target for a HIIT routine. Like row 15 calories and then jump off to do something else.
For 500m+ I usually have it at ~6. I am 6' and 215 lbs... these things are relative... Being taller helps on the rower.
I used to set the damper higher, but have backed off. I was getting some tendonitis in my forearms that (knock on wood) hasn't come back since I took a long break from rowing and backed down on the damper.
Very true - short lifters have to learn to breathe properly on the machine or they'll have gaspy problems getting those 15 calories in even at 10
That kinda reminds me of 53x11 on the bike ... sells bikes to heavy set posters ("feel the acceleration when I get out of the saddle!") and gives weekend warriors Easter knees...
Thank you everyone! I'll give it a try!
I had to look at my damper to see what it was lol. It’s between 6 and 7 and rarely if ever adjust it. I’d start around 5 or lower and tweak up or down. When I do pieces on it I adjust my stroke rate, how hard I drive and duration depending on what I’m trying to get out of the workout.
Have you ever messed with it, like by having a fan blow across it?
Concept2 claim their backEMF detection is good enough to sense that kind of thing but it'd be kind of fun to verify.
Also, any of you used the water damper machines?
Our Y has both and when I first started going there I used them. Silly, but I found I liked the handle/grip on the C2 better. I should give them a try again just for variety.
No I have not. Are you talking about an oscillating fan?
I have not used any of the other rowers on the market. I know that Peleton just came out with one and it is significantly more expensive. Hard to go wrong with Concept 2. It’s been the standard for decades. This is what they originally looked like when is started rowing in HS. No damper on that .