New to rowing machines...

Just want opinions of times and distances other people can achieve?

I have decided to use my brother's rowing machine as often as possible as a New Years Resolution and on my first real attempt at it, i got 7mins 49secs for rowing 1km.

Looking around on the Interweb, i've seen forum posts of people rowing 500m in under 2mins!

Also, technique? I am keeping my back straight of course but apart from tha

I used to do this at the gym the best i ever got was 1k in 6.53 i think but i seen men doin it a lot quicker even thou i am about the same hight so its not that they pull longer but just go quicker i think its all just down to stamina after you get past the first 500 meters or so, so just keep practicing i would say.

Im not great on the rower but the guy I train with can really give it some, so if we are both on the rowers next to each other then obviously there is a bit of a competition which usually steps things up a bit.

Often we can just squeeze 2k in 10 mins which is 2:30/500m if your rower works like that. Thats always our target, he makes it every time, I'd say I acheive it about 60% of the times we try, the others I am 100 - 200m behind when the 10 mins is up.

As for technique, make sure you are making long and powerful strokes, only when you have that boxed off should you think about speed. Getting the strokes right first will make them much more efficient later on when you are trying to go fast.

It's all in techneique

I've started going to the gym recently and doing 2k rows. I started off doing 8min 50sec but soon had it down to around 8min 35sec - that was at around 29/30 strokes per minute.

After about 3 or 4 weeks I'm now doing 8min 19sec at about 24/25 strokes per min so my technequie has improved A LOT!

Quickest way I find is reaching as far forward as possible, then while keeping you arms outstretched push all the way back with your legs then when you get to the end lean back a bit while pulling with your arms.

You should be able to improve quite a bit on that as I'm by no means a beast and only 5ft 9"

It's a horrible horrible excersice and really pushes you. I hate every second of it but it's the best feeling when you get a new PB

P.S - It helps to have a nutter mate to push you HARD, my mate does 2k in 7min 30sec everytime so in my run in I've always got him screaming at me

TripleT said:

Quickest way I find is reaching as far forward as possible, then while keeping you arms outstretched push all the way back with your legs then when you get to the end lean back a bit while pulling with your arms.

Click to expand...

Yer I would agree with that, you need to make sure that each stroke is as long as possible, reach as far forwards as you can, then power back with your legs whilst straightening your back and then when you get to the end use your arms to get the bar as close to your body as possible, rinse, and repeat.

If your doing it right then it will kill your forearms and your legs to start with, but you can build up fairly quickly.

first of all, make sure its on the top setting.

anything below 10 (concept rowers) is for old women and little girls

Oh yes the forearm pain is horrendous They're like twice as big and completely solid when I've finished.

Previously I wasn't using my legs that much at all but now I've got it nailed I can definately feel it in my calfs

Aiming for sub 8mins within a few weeks. Just need to get my pace right. My last 500m is always the fastest as I can see the end so nutter it (first 500m second fastest then middle two a bit ****).

Morba said:

first of all, make sure its on the top setting.

anything below 10 (concept rowers) is for old women and little girls

Click to expand...

Very good point, completely forgot about this. I find 6/7 perfect to me but might up it a bit now that I'm improving nicely

Morba said:

first of all, make sure its on the top setting.

anything below 10 (concept rowers) is for old women and little girls

Click to expand...

I hope that is a joke. Pinsent and redgrave will only have it on 4-6, or drag factor 134 to replicate water. The ten setting is just there for say 30 stroke power bursts, it turns the machine into a weights workout. if you have it on ten and dont know what you are doing ...hello bad back.

I can do 2k in 6:37, 500 in 1:27. Its all in the technique, and then the mind (at 1300 metres i am sorely tempted to get off.

I can row 3900m in 15 minutes and I am training hard to push it up to 4k. I make Redgrave and Pincent cry like little girls when I row.

This probably shows the correct technique better than I could explain it: British rowing technique. I was never that brilliant at rowing, I pulled about 6:40 for 2k, haven't been in a boat or on a machine in over 3 years now though.

AJUK said:

I can row 3900m in 15 minutes and I am training hard to push it up to 4k. I make Redgrave and Pincent cry like little girls when I row.

Click to expand...

You realise Pincent could do over 10k in 30mins? It would probably make him cry these days though, he's become a bit of a porker.

PhilthyPhil said:

I pulled about 6:40 for 2k, haven't been in a boat or on a machine in over 3 years now though.

Click to expand...

7:40 is my best

How much training did it take to get to that level? Was it specific rowing training?

It will burn your forearms if you use your forearms.
A lot of folk tend to rotate the wrist down at the end of the row as they pull the bar to their body, to 'squeeze' and extra inch out of the rep. (kinda like revving up a motorbike)

Whenever i row, i regard it as a back technique, or even a back warmer upper before i work my back at the gym.
I always concentrate on pulling the bar 'with my elbows' so to speak. Just pulling straight back, without squeezing the bar with your wrists too tightly.
I've always been a stickler for good strong technique....it pays off!

While we've got a rowing thread on the go, in terms of calories burned, would I be better spending time on the treadmill or on the rower? I usually run at 12km/h with a 1 degree incline if that helps

FishFluff said:

While we've got a rowing thread on the go, in terms of calories burned, would I be better spending time on the treadmill or on the rower? I usually run at 12km/h with a 1 degree incline if that helps

Click to expand...

Treadmill. Its still just about the best cardio machine for burning calories, especially with an incline.

Before I knew better I used to row 2000 metres as a warm on my weight days. I think the quickest I managed it was around 7 minutes but I was usually exhausted afterwards. Don't think I could get to 1000 metres at the moment without puking. I'd class 500 metres in 2 minutes as average at best.

FishFluff said:

While we've got a rowing thread on the go, in terms of calories burned, would I be better spending time on the treadmill or on the rower? I usually run at 12km/h with a 1 degree incline if that helps

Click to expand...

Treadmill definately though rowing is still very good for cardio I find.

I usually do a 2k row, 15min Cross-training (fast and hard!) and then 15min run right at the end. Split up with weights inbetween. I'm shagged after all that

PikeyPriest said:

7:40 is my best

How much training did it take to get to that level? Was it specific rowing training?

Click to expand...

I rowed for about 5 years while I was at school. Due to my size I was quite a lot slower than the other people I rowed with who were pulling times in the 6:10s. Training was basicly about 10 sessions a week split between weights, ergos and water, it was great fun

I trained with a guy that did a 6:14. Not pretty!

One of my mates pushed too hard at the start of a 2k. didnt get off (big mistake). HE nearly had to go to hospital. His bodies reaction was incredible: EMPTY NOW THROUGH EVERY HOLE. Very strange.

My best of 6:37 was weak compared to some of the guys who were considerably smaller than me.

I once had the guy infront of me crap himself during a race Not nice

snap, he did it on the startline.