Help and advice for a newbie please :-/

[CaineyBA]

Afternoon all, I'm a complete newbie to this erg lark. Long story short, I'm 36, 6ft and 11 1/2 stone. Always been reasonably fit yet since retiring from football earlier this year, I've noticed my fitness fall off. So short of going back to picking studs out of my legs every weekend, I wanted something I could do at home to get me back on track. I have bought a basic erg machine to begin with, just to make sure it's for me. I've watched all the videos regarding technique and breathing etc and think I've got it pretty much down. I've been training for a week now and would like some feedback on my stats. I'm currently just doing 30 mins straight out and covering 10k. It's a pretty consistent pace too, 3 min 1k's and averaging approx 23 SPM. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated. Many thanks. I should say that my erg is a very basic Roger Black effort, no adjustable drag or anything. I'm really enjoying it though and am currently on the lookout for a more advanced machine. It seems the concept is the holy grail of the erg world!!!! Lol.

[Paul Victory]

Hi CaineyBA and welcome to Free Spirits.

It's very difficult to comment on your pace on the machine you have as it is not directly comparable to a Concept 2 machine. The fact that your pace is consistent is a good sign and the stroke rate of 23 SPM is sensible and shows you probably have developed a good rhythm.

10k in 30 minutes would be World Record pace on a Concept 2 machine. The current record is 31:05.2 set by the multiple Olympic gold medalist Eric Bond of New Zealand (half of the famous Kiwi pair, who are unbeaten in competition for the past several years). So it's definitely not directly comparable and you should try to get a Concept 2 machine as soon as you know for sure that you've caught the bug. In the meantime, you should try doing a workout on a Concept 2 machine in a local gym, just to get an idea of how your machine compares to a C2.

Best of luck with your venture into the brave new world of erging and please keep us posted on your progress.

[CamiCrew]

Nice start CaineyBA! Happy new year.

[CaineyBA]

Thanks for the feedback Paul, I'm well aware that I need to upgrade my machine asap!! Just didn't wanna splash a load of cash before I'd given it a go, that was all. There always seems to be a steady supply of concepts on eBay etc. So hopefully I'll pick one up soon. Find the whole thing really good though, whack my headphones in and once I get settled into the rhythm I find it quite therapeutic!! Maybe I am just odd?!! Happy new year to you all. =D>

[Ian Bee]

Welcome

I arrived at this forum having similarly acquired a non-C2 machine - you'll see from my forum signature that I've arrived at a very flaky conversion factor.... I'd agree with what already has been said: good technique applies regardless of the machine being used, so any distances completed sans C2 are good practice if nothing else. In my situation, I've kept the water-rower for home use (doesn't wake up the other half, and hypnotises the house-rabbit) and taken advantage of the C2 in the local gym for the various challenges which require it. Could be an option for you?