The pleasures of rowing in your local gym

The forum for general banter about the team.

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ptruz
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Post by ptruz »

cool
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BorisZ
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Post by BorisZ »

I'll have to get a gym membership!! Or may be not - but in Feb. i'll be using a gym for ten days - can't wait. Hope to be having a good story....
57yrs 182cm, 16.5MM+ so far...PB's @ DF 130
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Tom Barrick
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Post by Tom Barrick »

My favorite thing is to watch some of these guys attempt an actual stroke. I doubt I've seen one pull the chain in a straight line out to the finish. Dreadful stuff that has them dragging the handle up and over the contours of their knees which almost never come down correctly, and the slide is up at a 35-40. I'd like to add technique to the pacing mantra. Hope there are some more gym monkey stories out there, this is fun.
CTC - ELM - Nonathlon

Age: 33 Ht: 6'1", Wt: 92 kg
Zach Ellison
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Re: In defence of gym power monkeys...

Post by Zach Ellison »

Thomas W-P wrote:In defence of gym power monkeys (GPMs)
  1. GPMs can rate higher than us;
  2. GPMs are probably stronger than (most of) us;
  3. GPMs are better at strutting round the gym than us;
  4. GPMs are very good at really short pieces that need low power;
  5. GPMs that sit down next to FFS (Fat Free Spirits) are good at looking confused and walking away as if nothing has happened.
Any other offers?
I am a gym monkey haha. I am in the gym 5 times a week and lift before I erg. I like the fact of having power(The reason I lift so much) but also having endurance(The reason I erg so much). I have actually sat down next to other rowers from another local club thinking they will own me on the erg because I have the body of a wrestler(6'2 and 221) and they dont think I row. One time a rower who was my age was erging and saw me. He actually asked me to do a 2000 meter piece against him. I asked "What is a 2k?" Acting like I had never rowed before and he bought it. This was about a year ago and the result was pretty funny. He pulled like a 6:32 and I got a 6:15.... It was great. Lesson of this story is: You never know what a rower looks like... so be careful.... you may be going up against an "undercover rower" hahaha!
2009 goals:
Make U23 national team again in single and top ten at worlds
sub 6 for 2k Goal made! 5:58.2
Make top 12 at NSR regatta
ptruz
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Post by ptruz »

that's cool.
big dave k
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Post by big dave k »

well said zach. rowers come in all shapes and sizes!!

a giveaway of the typical gym monkey tho is the r40 thrashing at half slide and the chain snapping all over the place. to be fair tho, i'd be reluctant to mock them too much as im sure with a bit of instruction on technique they wouldn't be half bad. especially on the shorter distances.

my brother's a good example. he's been lifting weights for a couple years, and has started trying to do some cardio as well to lose weight. i showed him the erg and after showing him the right tecnique has done a 1:31 500m (falling off the seat half way through!!) and normally does a sub 20 5k as a warm up now before weights. (being 6'5" is an obvious advantage, mind)
Dave

19, 6'8", 93kg

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krisplus5
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Post by krisplus5 »

I really only notice the lack-o-technique, the rainbowing arms, the short slide, the release of the handle as it goes hurling toward the flywheel. I get a little worried when I see folks hunching so bad at the catch though. It hurts just to see it.

I don't really notice the GPMs per se. But my hubby loves watching them. I'll be rowing a set, and some GPM will come and sit down at the other erg and start. They last, tops, 10 minutes. And I'm still rowing along when they finish they're trawl around the floor 30 minutes later. He says they always do a double-take.

That said, I did get one of the best workouts ever when a guy came and set a 20r with nice power next to me. I paced him for the next 40 minutes. Thanked him for setting it, he commented "nice work". I miss that sound--of multiple ergs (or oars) all pulling in synch.
Cheers,
Kris
[giving up on PBs and SBs. Just Row.]
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Thomas W-P
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Post by Thomas W-P »

Zach

Don't get me wrong. The average FS is as much a loony as most GPMs and we all have our strengths. Speaking as a <cough> larger person, I can say it just feels nice to do something physical better than the fine, well sculpted specimens in the normal gym.
51 yrs - A cyclist these days
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