Concept2 indoor rower

RBFC

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Just moved up in the rankings again this morning. 1:28.0 for 500m, which places me 6th in the world for age 55-59 heavyweight males. Now to lay down and act my age for a bit....

Lee
 

RBFC

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Again congrats.

How far off in time are you from number 1

4.2 seconds to #1, and 1.6 seconds to #2 spots. I am actually sick today, sinus infection, so I know I can go faster. Just had to take out some aggression today & used it constructively. Hoping for #2 or #3 spot by the end of April (when this year's season is over and the rankings start anew).

Lee
 

RBFC

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For over a week now, and who knows how much longer, I've posted the fastest time in the world for 500m for 55-59 year old geezers. 2nd overall for 50-59 year olds. The rower has provided a great outlet the past few weeks.

Lee
 

RBFC

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As an update, I just finished competing in the Concept2 Summer Sprint Series, which is comprised of 2 events: 100 meters and 1 minute rows.

I placed (currently, as more times may be submitted) 8th in the world for the 100m and 2nd in the USA. For the one minute event, I placed 4th in the world and 2nd in the USA.

Works out perfectly, since all I can afterward is sit and listen to music!

Lee
 

Bobvin

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Impressive Lee, I just noticed this thread. When rainy season returns and I head back indoors for training, I'll get on one of these rowers I've seen them at my gym. For me though, I am only indoors if its rainy and dark, else I need to be out. For me, indoor training is only to improve my abilities when I get outdoors. Even my spinning classes in the winter, just bore the hell out of me.

I have done a lot of sea kayak camping/touring so the rower would be good to add to my off season mix.

And up the thread you mention big heart of rowers - aerobic and overall fitness I have to give to cross county skiiers. Those are some incredible athletes. Rowing, a little bit like cycling, is primarily one plane of motion (in the legs anyway) where the x-country skier must have great strength laterally as well. If I don't mix in some resistance band training and lateral work regularly, my knees really start to bark at me; cycling is just so very much a sport done in one plane of motion. Too much without the lateral work and the stabilizer muscles get overwhelmed by the monster groups (quads) and things get out of balance. There's really been quite a movement in the fitness world over the last 10+ years towards all this cross/ultimate fitness workouts that really mix it up. Keeps things interesting and trains the whole body.
 

RBFC

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Bob,

Thanks for the comments. As for overall fitness and athleticism, I will agree that rowing (as well as cross-country skiing) is incomplete. There is less of a pure strength component than ideal. My post stated that elite rowers have the biggest strongest hearts, not that their mVO2 or other parameters are definitely superior. Rowing presents a virtually unique set of physiological challenges that cause the cardiac adaptation I mentioned. As it's getting late, I'll come back and offer a concise explanation of this phenomenon soon.

Lee
 

RBFC

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Cardiorespiratory fitness is dependent upon both the endemic level of exertion required for an activity and the unique physiological and postural elements of that activity. MVO2, and other metrics of fitness, are partially determined by genetics, then developed through exercise, and are not the focus of this comparison. Please understand that the standard distance for rowing competitions is 2000 meters (although there are other distances used), so we are discussing the physiological changes incurred while participating in an event lasting approximately 6 minutes. Almost all skiing and biking (except velodrome sprints) events are conducted over far longer distances. It's beyond the scope of this discussion to examine the three energy systems used in these events, suffice it to say that both anaerobic and aerobic components are present, and used in ways unique to the event.

The main reason for the strengthening and enlargement of rower's hearts lies in the unique physical postures of the sport. The heart is the center of a double-circuit plumbing system. The right side of the heart (atrium/ventricle) receives deoxygenated blood from the venous system through the inferior and superior vena cava. This blood is pumped through the lungs via the pulmonary artery, where it enters all the minute branches that allow exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The "freshened" blood then leaves the pulmonary circulation through the pulmonary veins and enters the left side of the heart (atrium/ventricle).

Before we continue, let's look at the factors that influence performance of the right heart. If we assume a heart is capable of a certain "output", just like the pump in your backyard waterfall pond, then what factors can change how much liquid is pumped? First, the pump must receive an adequate supply of volume in order to reach its rated output. Second, the downstream resistance must be low enough to prevent "back flow" pressurization effects. Third, since the heart works like an expanding and contracting balloon, it must be free of external compression that would restrict its excursion. There are other factors that may influence pump performance (viscosity, temperature, etc., but these may be ignored since those parameters will be very similar among athletes in different sports).

The left heart performance is affected by similar factors. The amount of blood available to pump, the amount of external compression applied, and the resistance to outflow all influence the final result. The resistance to flow is higher for the left heart, since blood must be pumped all the way through the body into progressively-smaller diameter vessels as the periphery is approached. The aorta and aortic arch are quite elastic, as are the smaller arterial vessels to lesser degrees as you get further from the heart. This elasticity is called a "windkessel" function, meaning that the aorta receives the high pulse pressure from the left ventricle, expands to accommodate the instantaneous rush of blood, then contracts/rebounds to its original size as the blood flows away. This effect causes the pulse pressure (difference between systolic and diastolic pressures) to decrease as you get further from the central blood vessels, almost attaining a pulseless state in the smallest capillaries. This windkessel function is affected during rowing.

Rowing, due to the unique bilateral/symmetrical motion pattern, creates a horrid situation for the efficient operation of the heart. All three of the factors I cite above are negatively affected during rowing. The "catch" position, the coiled posture assumed just before one pulls on the oars, draws BOTH knees up toward the chest simultaneously. Running, riding, cross-country skiing, and countless other sports use an alternating bipedal pattern. This "crunch" produces high intra-thoracic pressures. Since venous blood return to the heart is almost completely passive, higher intrathoracic pressure acts as resistance to that blood flow, thereby limiting the amount of venous blood available to the right heart. High intrathoracic pressure also acts to "compress" the heart, forcing it to work harder. Finally, increased intrathoracic pressure also limits the expansion of the aorta and diameter of the downstream vessels, thereby creating a higher resistance to outflow of blood from the left heart. The bilateral thoracic compression also limits the excursion of the diaphragm, increasing the labor of breathing.

All of these factors combine to produce a heart that becomes larger and stronger. This has nothing to do with athletic ability, etc. It follows the SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demand) principle. As to lateral movement and many other athletic qualities, I absolutely agree. In fact, the reduction of the senescent period has been linked to the maintenance of muscle mass, putting weight training as an important component of true fitness. All one has to do is compare a marathon runner to a ¼ mile runner to understand the physiological effects of high-strain exercise. These short rowing races are extremely strenuous, in a manner that could not be sustained for typical durations of biking or cross-country skiing events.

Lee
 
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RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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www.fightingconcepts.com
Interestingly, the effect of forces that alter venous blood return to the heart is said to be the reason for the counter-clockwise direction of racing, both automobile and running. The centrifugal forces incurred during the turns on a counter-clockwise track enhance venous blood return to the heart (the vena cavae lie on the right side of the chest). Apparently, studies showed that folks did not perform as well when traveling the other direction!

Lee
 

Bobvin

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I'd be curious to compare, for example, the Herculean effort of Rohan Dennis on stage 1 of this years Tour de France. It was only a 13.8 km (8.575 miles) time trial, but Dennis turned in an average of 55.4 kph (34.424 mph), covering the distance in 14.56 minutes. Not quite a sprint at that distance, and well short of a typical 40km time trial. It was the fastest recorded effort in Tour history.

Me, I can get it up to 30mph for a few hundred meters, then I'm done.

What kind of times are the fastest rowers turning in for a 2K effort. (Out on the water.) [Edit: I re-read your post above; 6 minutes.]
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
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www.fightingconcepts.com
There is no perfect way to compare the two efforts. However, looking at average watts, etc provides an idea of the relative effort. As I said, due to the anatomical differences involved it's apples & oranges. Great athletes exist in many sports. Supposedly, the most demanding sport is professional fighting.....

Lee
 

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