Rowing machine training

ktm300xcw2018
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1/30/2020 7:23am Edited Date/Time 2/13/2020 6:14am
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines?

I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed for 45 minutes yesterday, on a Concept 2 machine with resistance on level 10. I did 9407 meters with a 2 min 23 sec/500 meter average.

Any advice or routine suggestions?
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yz133rider
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1/30/2020 7:33am Edited Date/Time 1/30/2020 7:36am
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines? I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed...
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines?

I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed for 45 minutes yesterday, on a Concept 2 machine with resistance on level 10. I did 9407 meters with a 2 min 23 sec/500 meter average.

Any advice or routine suggestions?
Id add some sprints into that. For 1 minute go like hell, then fall back into your normal pace. I try to do that every 5 minutes and like you i also do it for longer times typically 35 minutes.

Concept 2 has some great routines to try also. A new one each day.
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The Shop

KW62
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1/30/2020 7:51am
I second doing some interval training. Try playing with different damper settings. Damper setting 10 doesn't necessarily mean "hardest" and "best".

Article on choosing damper setting.
https://www.concept2.com/news/what-damper-setting-should-i-use

Having a gauge of what's good I think is helpful as well. For that, I like to look at the Concept2 leaderboards for comparisons.

Lots of info out there about technique as well. Biggest thing I'd work on is being smooth and consistent once the basics are formed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ82RYIFLN8

Racerxvt like mentioned is a great resource.
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Zeke27G
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1/30/2020 7:52am
A few years back when I was using a rowing machine at home occasionally for MX training, a buddy who is a absolute gym rat, who goes at 3am every morning before work, says, "Dude a rowing machine? Hell with that, that's the f*cking row boat to nowhere!" Always get a laugh out of calling them that ever since!

On a serious note, I always found myself trying to row something like 7500m or more total meters with a sub 2:00 minute per 500m pace. Doubt that's any help though!
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langhammx
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1/30/2020 7:58am
Zeke27G wrote:
A few years back when I was using a rowing machine at home occasionally for MX training, a buddy who is a absolute gym rat, who...
A few years back when I was using a rowing machine at home occasionally for MX training, a buddy who is a absolute gym rat, who goes at 3am every morning before work, says, "Dude a rowing machine? Hell with that, that's the f*cking row boat to nowhere!" Always get a laugh out of calling them that ever since!

On a serious note, I always found myself trying to row something like 7500m or more total meters with a sub 2:00 minute per 500m pace. Doubt that's any help though!
Your “Gym Rat” buddy doesn’t ride motocross apparently... The Concept 2 rowing machine is one of the best training tools that a moto guy can do, IMO.
Just ask any of these moto/ off-road guys that make a living racing, they pretty much all use them. But you already knew that ! Lol
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Ramrod
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1/30/2020 8:13am
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines? I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed...
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines?

I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed for 45 minutes yesterday, on a Concept 2 machine with resistance on level 10. I did 9407 meters with a 2 min 23 sec/500 meter average.

Any advice or routine suggestions?
Rowing at 10 for a long period of time is tough but rather you can do intervals of different lengths or durations and play with the setting. Like do 500m intervals at 5 and work your way up to 10 and then back down for example.

The "drag factor" is a resistance value that would be like rowing on water and they say you are supposed to be around 130ish. For me that's at a setting of 6.

The video posted above is important to learn the right technique or you will not get the most out of the workout and machine.

Rowing at sub 2min/500m is strong pace. Short intervals you can lower that, long distance workouts would be much harder to sustain that pace but still good if you can be at 2/500m.
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Gus
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1/30/2020 8:15am
I’ve got a big work change coming up. I’ve worked nights my whole life and now going to day shift. Seriously thinking of a concept 2, wake up, row and go to work.
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AJ565
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1/30/2020 8:36am
I row normally twice a week for 15 min at a 1:57 pace set on the 8/9 line. Noticeable improvement in moto cardio for sure. I also do 20 min of stairs to warm up before my workouts 3x a week too so I know I'm doing more cardio then just the rower, but its not as demanding as the row machine is.
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aees
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1/30/2020 8:56am
Either you do zone 2 HR, zone 4 or 5. Since you ride dirt bikes, you can skip zone 4 and 5 during season.

Zone 2 minus 5-10 heart beats is the level to maintain. Lower resistance to 3-4 to maintain low heart rate.

Zone 2 minimum 60min, 90min good, 120 excellent. Make sure you have done a max heart rate test. Two of those sessions per week is good.

Don't mix interval and cardio base building, you don't want fast twitch muscle fibers to engage when you build stamina that helps handle lactic acid.

Those medium sessions (zone 3) you can just skip, waste of time.
Off season you can add 2 interval sessions (zone 4 or 5) per week and a strength sessions.
Zone 4 intervals shall be threshold intervals 6-8min x 6-10 with 3-4min rest. Zone 5 is 15-20min rotslt active time in zone 5 per session in the gym. Do whatever you want to reach that total time during 60-90min.
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yz133rider
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1/30/2020 9:10am
aees wrote:
Either you do zone 2 HR, zone 4 or 5. Since you ride dirt bikes, you can skip zone 4 and 5 during season. Zone 2...
Either you do zone 2 HR, zone 4 or 5. Since you ride dirt bikes, you can skip zone 4 and 5 during season.

Zone 2 minus 5-10 heart beats is the level to maintain. Lower resistance to 3-4 to maintain low heart rate.

Zone 2 minimum 60min, 90min good, 120 excellent. Make sure you have done a max heart rate test. Two of those sessions per week is good.

Don't mix interval and cardio base building, you don't want fast twitch muscle fibers to engage when you build stamina that helps handle lactic acid.

Those medium sessions (zone 3) you can just skip, waste of time.
Off season you can add 2 interval sessions (zone 4 or 5) per week and a strength sessions.
Zone 4 intervals shall be threshold intervals 6-8min x 6-10 with 3-4min rest. Zone 5 is 15-20min rotslt active time in zone 5 per session in the gym. Do whatever you want to reach that total time during 60-90min.
Goodness im completely clueless with cardio and just kinda get after it. You're post reminded me just how much i dont know.
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UGOTBIT
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1/30/2020 11:13am Edited Date/Time 1/30/2020 11:14am
I got this from a gentleman at Concept 2 who posted on here from time to time, can't recall his name but here it is-



Good for 20mins workout/moto
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kongols
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1/30/2020 11:35am
Training and gains starts after 1h.
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IanMac138
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1/30/2020 11:37am
I recently started doing OrangeTheory for an intense full body workout that includes Tread/bike or Strider, Rowing and body weight all within a grueling 1 hour workout. Burning 1,000 calories per class because of the anaerobic 'zones' they take you through and after 4 weeks, my cardio and strength has drastically improved. Days where we do a half hour non stop on the row is brutal but such a good workout. Can't wait for racing season now that I'm actually getting in great shape.
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cwtoyota
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1/30/2020 12:26pm
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines? I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed...
Im curious, what kinda routines you guys do with rowing machines?

I race C class hare scrambles so I have been doing longer rows. I rowed for 45 minutes yesterday, on a Concept 2 machine with resistance on level 10. I did 9407 meters with a 2 min 23 sec/500 meter average.

Any advice or routine suggestions?
The rower is a great workout for racers.
If you're not super old (I'm coming up on 40 in a few months) you should shoot for around 2:00/500m pace or better.

Try breaking some of your rowing sessions into 15 or 20 minute sessions and go for higher intensity.
Say you do two sessions 20 minutes each at 100% effort on Tuesday.
Then do a 45 or 60 minute long medium paced row on Wednesday.
Thursday or Friday you get back to the 20 minute max effort thing.

That will build your sprint speed and strength and will eventually start to raise the pace of your longer sessions.
You still need the longer stuff to keep your endurance up.


I'm coming back from a fractured wrist (crashed in late July)
I kept running 4 to 8 miles in the hills while healing so my cardio was good but upper body was weak.

In December I decided I was good to start working out.
I started light weights plus using my concept 2 rower (always on level 10)
My starting goal was to average better than 2:00/500m in a 20 minute row and see how my wrist felt.

I did a ton of rowing leading up to the A1 Supercross while watching all the 450SX main events from 2019.
It worked out to 17 sessions, each 20 minutes long spread over 10 days.
My result was very little deviation from a 1:55/500m average pace per session.

I've kept up my rowing through January. Yesterday I rowed 21 minutes and held a 1:50.8/500m average pace.

In a 45 minute row, I'm probably looking at up around 1:57/500m, but I haven't done more than 30 minutes since last summer.
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ktm300xcw2018
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1/30/2020 12:34pm
This is great guys! Lots of different approaches and ideas. Keep them coming.
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cwtoyota
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1/30/2020 12:38pm
Keep a notebook or a calendar and write your workouts, weight and average heart rate in it each day.

I have data going back about ten years.
It's both a learning tool and I hate seeing empty boxes on the calendar, so it helps motivate me to do more.
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Camp332
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1/30/2020 12:50pm
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
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slipdog
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1/30/2020 1:00pm
Camp332 wrote:
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
Squats too bro, chicks dig a tight ass...
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cwtoyota
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1/30/2020 1:02pm
Camp332 wrote:
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
I think you're angst is toward the three to six rep max weight people...

Curls and chest press have a place in moto as long as you do it with a purpose and don't go full-retard.
I'm not a muscle-bro by any stretch, but a couple times a week I go through a few sets of single sided chest press with a 40lbs dumbell and bicep curls with the same 40lbs weight (one side at a time).

My reps are 30 per set for the curls and 40 per set for the press, so it's not a max weight low rep deal.

Some extra strength allows you to hang on to the bike when you make a mistake.
Strength also allows you to ride faster around a rough and technical track.
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ktm300xcw2018
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1/30/2020 1:03pm
Camp332 wrote:
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
I concur! Im coming off a broken shoulder socket, broken shoulder blade and 3 compression fractured vertabrae at the end of September. Getting back into the weights slowly!
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Camp332
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1/30/2020 1:03pm
Camp332 wrote:
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
slipdog wrote:
Squats too bro, chicks dig a tight ass...
Fax Bruh... Don't neglect your wheel's kid!
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NacNac721
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1/30/2020 1:24pm
I throw in burpees, push-ups, jump squats etc... right after 500m just to mix it up. After that get right back on rower and do another 500m followed by 3 different calisthenics. I do this for a total of 2500-4000 meters depending on how I feel that day.
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Superdave19
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1/30/2020 1:35pm
Do the 8000M work out for time.. Do this x3.. Freakin' toast. I still do the 30min workout mostly.. never did the 8k until a friend told me. I said 'dude if I can do 30min, the 8km should be no problem'.. How wrong I was!
aees
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1/30/2020 1:42pm
kongols wrote:
Training and gains starts after 1h.
That is just so against, science. You have proper gains already after a 10sec x 5-10 times rush.

Interval sessions should be done in 45min, threshold in an hour. Only training that gains from 60min+ is zone 2.
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aees
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1/30/2020 1:45pm
UGOTBIT wrote:
I got this from a gentleman at Concept 2 who posted on here from time to time, can't recall his name but here it is- [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/01/30/401211/s1200_496BD4BB_DE8B_4075_A49A_BE789EC40859.jpg[/img]...
I got this from a gentleman at Concept 2 who posted on here from time to time, can't recall his name but here it is-



Good for 20mins workout/moto
Missing low intensity. You don't build stamina by being in the same zone you race in.
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aees
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1/30/2020 1:49pm
Camp332 wrote:
I strongly suggest you incorporate bench press, and bicep curls to pull the chics Bro.
cwtoyota wrote:
I think you're angst is toward the three to six rep max weight people... Curls and chest press have a place in moto as long as...
I think you're angst is toward the three to six rep max weight people...

Curls and chest press have a place in moto as long as you do it with a purpose and don't go full-retard.
I'm not a muscle-bro by any stretch, but a couple times a week I go through a few sets of single sided chest press with a 40lbs dumbell and bicep curls with the same 40lbs weight (one side at a time).

My reps are 30 per set for the curls and 40 per set for the press, so it's not a max weight low rep deal.

Some extra strength allows you to hang on to the bike when you make a mistake.
Strength also allows you to ride faster around a rough and technical track.
Agree here, with the add-on of if you are doing only one session a week at the gym for strength, it should be 3-5 reps (with proper warm and scale up).

You do so much stamina on bike and gym cardio, you don't need more of that (high rep). Triathlon guys figured this out 5-8+ years ago.
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1/30/2020 4:33pm
That rowing video was cool, rowing on the lake. You can rent a row boat for cheap also, do a bit of fishing. Jump rope is A quick. Way to get cardio in. NFL packer linemen jump rope. For better timing and foot work.
yamahaha131
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1/30/2020 5:11pm
Great piece of equipment for home. Basically no impact and you can toughen you’re hands up too. Mine helped me drop about 20lbs last winter and even still at 25lbs overweight it was one of best Race seasons I’ve had endurance wise at 30 years old.
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