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Back in the Saddle

Rowing News — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 05:01:00 +0000

BY JOSH CROSBY
PHOTO BY ED MORAN

It’s often easier to get brand new folks interested in the sport of indoor rowing than to inspire those who spent time logging countless strokes on the rower decades ago. “You couldn’t pay me to get on that thing,” is a quip I’ve heard numerous times from former collegiate rowers. The horrible memories of erg workouts endured (daily) all winter long, year after year, seem to be summoned with just the sight of a rowing machine. Some manage to push the demons aside, but then hop on the rower only to get frustrated by the splits they see. My advice: Get over it! You and I both know the erg’s copious benefits far outweigh the potential damage to your self-esteem. It can also be fun. The key is eliminating the need to put yourself on the floor after every workout. Simply move. Focus on form over splits, take a few short breaks to stretch it out, and throw on your favorite tunes. Find your way back to the erg with the following rowing routines:

The Warm-Up

Row for three minutes at an easy pace at around 22-24 strokes per minute focused on technique. If you need a technical refresher, take a peek at a couple short videos on my Vimeo page: www.Vimeo.JoshCrosby.com.

The Workout

30 seconds legs-only rowing. Focus on the push off from the footboards to feel the power generated from the quads. Intensity should be medium. Stay calm and take your time as you return for another stroke.

30 seconds body only. The focus here should be on the hip hinge. Think of your torso “like a door” and your hips as its hinge. Open and close the door by leaning forward and backward.

30 seconds arms only. Brace with the core (shoulders behind the hips) and pull handle to torso. Don’t pause with the handle; let the arms extend quickly.

30 seconds full strokes. Put legs, core, and arms together for full-stroke rowing and feel these three components come together as one. Row at a medium pace at a 22-24.

Rest for two minutes and the go:

2 minutes easy at a 22-24. Revisit the technique and find the flow.

1 minute medium and a 24-26. Focus on generating power at each part of the stroke.

1 minute easy at a 22-24. Recover here to get ready to fire-up the legs and lungs.

1 minute hard at a 26-28. This is uncomfortable, but not breathless. Go for leg power while keeping solid technique.

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A Run on the Rower

Rowing News — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:01:00 +0000

BY ED WINCHESTER
PHOTO BY LISA WORTHY

With stay-at-home orders stymieing group workouts of any sort for the foreseeable future, many people are quickly embracing the benefits of training at home. Not surprisingly, this has led to an increase in demand for all manner of exercise equipment, including for Concept2’s popular line of products. On March 31, the Vermont-based company announced it was out of stock of all Model D, Model E, and Dynamic ergs, as well as all BikeErgs, citing as reasons the increased demand and a temporary COVID-19-related production stoppage. U.S. and Canadian customers still in the market for a machine were encouraged to sign up on a waitlist.

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Olena’s New Record

Rowing News — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 13:25:16 +0000

Ukrainian sculler Olena Buryak has repeatedly proved she is peerless over 2,000 meters on the erg. At July’s World Games, a multisport event held in Wroclaw, Poland, she made the case again. Buryak, fourth in the quad in Rio, lowered her own 2k world record by a stunning 2.2 seconds to set a new personal best of 6:22.8. (If you were thinking of doing this yourself, you’d need to hold an average 500-meter split of 1:35.7.) Buryak will next try to translate her speed on the machine to the water for September’s world rowing championships in Florida.

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Summer Series

Rowing News — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 04:01:08 +0000

It’s either a sign of the apocalypse or one more indication of indoor rowing’s growing popularity. ROW Series 2017 is a four-event indoor rowing competition running from June 5 to July 2. The rules are simple: A new workout is posted every Monday for four weeks. Competitors have up to a week to submit their score on a static Concept2 erg and can attempt the workout as many times as they like before submitting (with proof) their official result. The online event is open to both heavyweight and lightweight men and women.

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World Indoor Sprints

Rowing News — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 04:01:11 +0000

Put this man in a boat. Texas state trooper Derek Peterson turned in a mind-blowing 1,000-meter time of 2:43.8—that’s an average split of 1:21.9—to finish first in the open men’s category in the World Rowing Indoor Sprints, a virtual indoor rowing contest run by Concept2 and World Rowing. Jordan Falcone of CrossFit Weddington put up the biggest numbers on the women’s side, covering the distance in a brisk 3:19.7. Modeled after the SkiErg world championships, the World Rowing Indoor Sprints saw competitors performing a 1,000-meter piece on the ergometer between March 10-12.

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March Race Reports

Rowing News — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 04:01:50 +0000

2017 C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints
Indoor rowers descended upon Boston University’s Agganis Arena Feb. 12, for the 2017 C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships. Notable races included the men’s junior lightweight event, where first through third place had less than two seconds between them. Bethesda Chevy Chase High Schools’ Henry Bellew bested Mile High Rowing Club’s Gregory Cain and Andrew Hickey of PRNA/Mercer with a 6:21. In the men’s open event, Polish oarsman Bartosz Zablocki took home the hammer with a time of 5:45.8, beating out Belorussian Pavel Shurmei, who pulled a 5:47.8. Shurmei need not beat himself up too much, though, as he left Boston as the new record holder in the men’s 40-49 heavyweight division. Third place went to Cuban sculler Angel Fournier-Rodriguez, who pulled an impressive 5:49. The open women’s race also provided quite a spectacle. The hammer was awarded to Ukrainian erg phenom Olena Buryak, who pulled a blistering 6:33. Second and third place in the event went to Georgie Rowe of Chocolate Box Training and José van Veen of KNRB. The duo duked it out in the final meters of the event, finishing with a 6:40.4 and 6:41.7 respectively. In the lightweight ranks, the men’s and women’s hammers went to Sam Melvin with a 6:14.6 and Erin Roberts of Riverside Boat Club, who pulled a 6:58.1. In the junior events, Y Quad Cities U.S. junior national team athlete Caroline Sharis finished with a 7:15.2 to pick up a hammer. In the junior men’s event, first place went to Joseph Johnson of Gonzaga High School, who earned his hardware with a sturdy 6:00.4. For the open women’s junior event, Connecticut Boat Club’s Kaitlyn Kynast finished comfortably in first, pulling a 6:50.2, with second and third place finishing five and eight seconds behind her. The day’s oldest competitors, Dean Smith, 91, of Rocky Mountain Boat Club, and Dottie Stewart, 95, both pulled impressive pieces, finishing their 2ks with a 9:23.5 and 14:55.3. Both competitors left with 2017 C.R.A.S.H.-B hammers. Smith, an 800-meter runner in college, said it wasn’t a PR and, overall, he was not very pleased with the piece. This was his 10th C.R.A.S.H.-B and, unsurprisingly, his 10th hammer. “I go up and down,” Smith said. “I could have done a lot better. You get tired though, you know?”

2017 Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships
Rio Olympians Susanne Grainger and Lisa Roman finished first and second in the senior women’s event at the 2017 Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships Feb. 5 in Mississauga, Ontario. Racing under the National Training Center banner, Grainger turned in 6:52.8, with her Canadian Olympic women’s eight boatmate trailing by just over five seconds in 6:57.9. Both were members of the 2014 worlds silver medal eight. Third place went to Sarah Rothwell of Peterborough Rowing Club, who pulled a 6:59.3. On the senior men’s side, unaffiliated athlete Jordan Weide paced the field with a 6:05.7. The University of Western Ontario’s Andre Pelletier finished second in 6:09.5, with third place going to Mick Malowany, who covered the 2,000-meter distance in 6:10.2. In the women’s junior A category, Grace VandenBroek of Peterborough Rowing Club earned top honors on the strength of a 7:06.5. Don Rowing Club athletes nabbed the next two spots, with Amanda Caromicoli and Alexandra Wright turning in respective times of 7:09.2 and 7:10.7. In junior A boys action, Steven Rosts of Eden High School narrowly edged Ridley College’s Matthew Schultz for the victory. Rosts covered the 2k in 6:17.2, an average split of 1:34.3, with Schultz a mere 0.3 seconds back. Third place went to Marcus Doyle of Don Rowing Club, who ended up with a time of 6:22.7.

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A New Test

Rowing News — Sun, 26 Mar 2017 04:01:52 +0000

Misery, as they say, loves company. Beginning this year, the U.S. Marine Corps will incorporate a 5k erg test into their annual fitness evaluations. The erg option is being offered as an alternative measure for older service members who, due to injuries, may not be able complete the traditional 3-mile run. According to published standards, men between 46 and 50 will have to pull a minimum of 25:40, while women in that same category are required to turn in at least a 28:30. Along with the run or row, the annual physical evaluation includes pull-ups, crunches, and a combat fitness test.

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Robert Spenger, 1924-2017

Rowing News — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 04:01:50 +0000

A quick query of indoor rowing world records on the Concept2 website shows just how prolific Robert Spenger was on the machine: 37 records in the 80-89 and 90-99 age categories, including a new 6k mark of 28:58.8 set last year. But Spenger, who passed away in January at 92, had achievements that went far beyond the erg. A former University of California, Berkeley varsity oarsman, Spenger was an avid climber and hiker, the latter an activity he pursued after retiring from a longtime faculty position at California State University in Fullerton.

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Choose Your Challenge

Rowing News — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 04:01:04 +0000

The Internet is the great equalizer. During the winter months, when the idea of rowing on the water seems months away, rowers can compete against opponents from all over the world in challenges ranging from holiday fundraisers to international ergathons.
Concept2 has pioneered erg challenges since 2000, shortly after its online logbook debuted in 1999. On March 15, the manufacturer’s World Erg Challenge begins as groups from all over the globe enter to rack up the most meters during a one-month span.
“Overall, we try and make the challenges fun and cover a range of things, so that they don’t all require a lot of effort,” said Concept2’s David Hart. “These are really popular and the camaraderie and competitive element provide lots of motivation for people.”
The data backs it up. Hart said over 10,000 people participated in the company’s Holiday Challenge in 2016, with more than 70 percent rowing more than 100,000 meters each. Concept2 now offers challenges throughout the calendar year at different distances, including full and half marathons in May.
In 2017, the World Erg Challenge will try to surpass the 274 teams and 3,578 athletes who competed in last year’s competition, which was co-sponsored by World Rowing and saw 25 individuals erg more than a million meters.
By participating in challenges, even those run online, athletes can set goals for themselves, which numerous studies have shown helps with athletic performance, so long as those goals are specific and measurable. A 2013 study from the Association for Psychological Science said that people like being able to compare themselves with others, and demographic factors affect their buy-in in competitions. In most challenges, Concept2 sets a target for everyone to achieve, but the World Erg Challenge is focused on who can go the furthest in 31 days.
Additionally, the World Rowing Indoor Sprints offer racers a chance to put their best 1,000-meter time up against anyone else between March 10 and 12. The top three finishers in gender, weight, and age categories receive medals. More information on erg challenges is available on Concept2’s website.

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Winter Classic

Rowing News — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 21:00:57 +0000

As a collegiate rower, I never looked forward to this time of year. I knew that soon the boats would be racked for the winter and I would be relegated to the weight room, the tanks, and the ergs. Although I loathed much of winter training, it helped forge an unbreakable bond between my teammates and me. Whether it was the mini-reflecting pools of sweat beneath our machines or the post-practice runs up to the food hall, the indoor season brought us together in preparation for the racing season months ahead. It helped build confidence too, the three hours of daily work instilling feelings of invincibility among us. And while I am clearly at a very different fitness level today than I was 20 years ago at Brown, I still rely on some of those classic indoor workouts to get me through the dark and dreary days of late fall.
Warm-up: Row for five minutes at an easy but connected pace at 22-24 strokes per minute. Focus on sitting tall and hinging from the hips, pushing the handle forward for nice, long strokes. Next, row for two minutes rowing at a challenging but doable pace at 24-26 strokes per minute. Focus on driving with the legs, and follow it up with 90 seconds easy at a 24 and then 90 seconds hard at a 28. Rest for two to three minutes.

The Workout:

1. Go for 3,000 meters hard at full pressure (but not all out) at 26-28 strokes per minute. Take each 1,000 meters one at a time. For the first 1,000, focus on consistent power output and a controlled recovery. For the second, work on your technique, taking 10 strokes for leg drive, hinging from the hips, finishing strong, and for staying tall on the recovery. For the last 1,000, focus on maintaining a constant split. Record your average split for the distance. Rest three to four minutes.
2. Go 2,000 meters hard at 26-30 strokes per minute. Keep your split time one to two seconds faster than what you held for 3k. Break down each 650 meters using the same focus points as above. Rest three to four minutes.
3. Row 1,000 meters hard at 28-30 strokes per minute. Keep your split one to two seconds faster than what you held for 2k. Break the piece into 250-meter segments with the last one all-out. Cool down for three to five minutes.

World champion rower Josh Crosby is an international fitness presenter, coach, and co-developer of group fitness programs IndoRow and ShockWave. www.JoshCrosbyFitness.com

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