For "geezers": Please share your rowing experience

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Kodi

For "geezers": Please share your rowing experience

Post by Kodi »

I'm talking about those of you who are, say, 45 and older.

The reason I ask is this: I'm 53, reasonably fit (good weight for my height, about 16% bf, RHR: 52), and - with just a couple of interruptions over the past 20 years - have always been a regular aerobic exerciser.

I started rowing, 4x week, about 3 months ago. My PR for the 2k is a very pedestrian 8:13. My "problem" (aside from colossal impatience, that is ;)) is that the erg is kicking my butt right now. Just killing me. :shock: I'm pretty much hooked on the sport - and I want to improve - but try as I might, my times have stalled.

I'm in the 3rd week of the Interactive Programme, and I chose a conservative "Athlete-2" profile, which seems a tad easy. Still, I'm committed to sticking to it closely. What I'm finding, however, is that I can't seem to better the times I've recorded since pretty much Week #2.

So, question to you older, longer-time ergers is this: What sort of improvement did you all see in your first months of erging? Am I being too harsh on myself? I am inspired by some of the times and daily distances I see many of you posting here...but I can't even come close to touching them! :cry:

Like I said...I don't consider myself THAT unfit. In fact, I've never had a weight problem, I've never smoked, I don't drink, and I've maintained a relatively healthy diet for as far back as I can remember.

So, is it my legendary impatience getting the better of me again? Should I check back in 6 months with an update? What I'm really after is this:

What was YOUR history on the erg? How quickly/slowly did YOU improve (times and distances)?

Your input is appreciated. Thanks.

Jim
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Re: For "geezers": Please share your rowing experi

Post by Bangers »

Kodi wrote:I'm talking about those of you who are, say, 45 and older.

Jim
Jim, I deduce that you reside on the western side of the pond.
I would like to point out that you headed your thread 'Geezers' but are looking for response from those of us >45 years.
Geezers is an expression used, mainly in London, to denote another male person, hence 'Diamond Geezer' is a good guy.
You refer to a more senior man as an 'Old Geezer', or as in my case a 'Very old Geezer, or as my wife often refers to me as a MOG. :shock:
On a more serious note, I think you are being a bit impatient expecting to see dramatic improvements in your erg performance so soon.
Being aerobically fit is a good start to your training, and folowing the C2 plan is very sensible. One thing you must remind yourself is what you are attempting to do on the erg. The answer is of course is to be as efficient as possible, that is to impart the maximum energy into the flywheel, whilst expending the minimum. Ask yourself, is my technique as good as it can be? Here I would add to study the C2 recommendations, is good start, however I have seen some very good ergers who don't conform exactly to the recommended stroke.
This could develop into big subject with many pages being written. In your case I feel you should give yourself more time (and metres) on the erg before you start trying to set new PB's. The main thing is to keep plugging away, be patient, and I guarantee improvements will come.

It took me 2 years to improve my 2k time from 7:18 to 7:14 :roll: :roll:

Enough said :!:
Roger B
M 81, 5'8", 74kg
Kodi

Re: For "geezers": Please share your rowing experi

Post by Kodi »

Bangers wrote:
Kodi wrote:I'm talking about those of you who are, say, 45 and older.

Jim
Jim, I deduce that you reside on the western side of the pond.
I would like to point out that you headed your thread 'Geezers' but are looking for response from those of us >45 years.
Geezers is an expression used, mainly in London, to denote another male person, hence 'Diamond Geezer' is a good guy.
You refer to a more senior man as an 'Old Geezer', or as in my case a 'Very old Geezer, or as my wife often refers to me as a MOG. :shock:
On a more serious note, I think you are being a bit impatient expecting to see dramatic improvements in your erg performance so soon.
Being aerobically fit is a good start to your training, and folowing the C2 plan is very sensible. One thing you must remind yourself is what you are attempting to do on the erg. The answer is of course is to be as efficient as possible, that is to impart the maximum energy into the flywheel, whilst expending the minimum. Ask yourself, is my technique as good as it can be? Here I would add to study the C2 recommendations, is good start, however I have seen some very good ergers who don't conform exactly to the recommended stroke.
This could develop into big subject with many pages being written. In your case I feel you should give yourself more time (and metres) on the erg before you start trying to set new PB's. The main thing is to keep plugging away, be patient, and I guarantee improvements will come.

It took me 2 years to improve my 2k time from 7:18 to 7:14 :roll: :roll:

Enough said :!:
LOL! Yes, Californian here. WAY on the other side of the Pond. "Geezers", "Old Coot"...American slang for the not-so-young. My own daughters refer to my childhood as "The Olden Days". :D :D

In regards to my erging...yes...it seems patience is the key concept here. Also, it might not be a bad idea to have my stroke analyzed. I watch myself in a mirror, and it APPEARS to me that I'm doing things "pretty well", but I suspect an expert could find several flaws that my inexperienced eye is missing. Also, I'm sure that my form starts breaking down as I fatigue (which is something that is not unique to me). Still, there are probably a number of correctable aspects to my stroke that would allow me to improve more quickly.

Thanks for your feedback, Roger!

Jim
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Post by Thomas W-P »

What do you have the erg set at on the resistance? IF you have it at 10 that might be holding you back? Have you tried for a PB with the resistance set at the other end of the scale to what you use?
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Kodi

Post by Kodi »

Thomas W-P wrote:What do you have the erg set at on the resistance? IF you have it at 10 that might be holding you back? Have you tried for a PB with the resistance set at the other end of the scale to what you use?
Hi Thomas...

No, I have the erg set between 4-5 (DF around 110 on my machine). I've NEVER had it on 10! (6 is the highest I've tried, I think). Thanks.

Jim
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