Cycling and rowing - complimentary?

I think this will form part of my strategy with my better half… I have used it before on other items which ‘hold their vakue’ Really well. In this case, from what I can see online, I think it’s very true.

I’m definitely keen on it. For me - it feels like a great way to get overall strength, fitness and conditioning by doing just two sports.

This is a plus as well. Ie good that you can hit upper body and not knacker the legs.

Rowers often ride bikes, and some former rowers have done astonishingly well in competitive cycling. Drew Ginn was an Olympic medalist in rowing, and had great success as a time trialist, for instance. Locally around Seattle, a couple UW rowers have raced at the velodrome and done very well.

But, looking at Wiggins: when I was a rower, my best 2K time was 6:28, at about 165lbs, with a healthy amount of daily rowing over months to get there. Wiggins, as TdF winner and pursuit medalist after 9 months of rowing did a…6:22. Better than I, but hardly world-beating even for his weight class.

I like the fact that this would give me some other times to aim at.

Still thinking a concept will be coming my way soon…

I’m in a rowing club, been rowing for 3 years. I think my cycling definitely helped my rowing - I did the learn to row course shortly after riding Paris-Brest-Paris 2015 so I had a decent aerobic engine at the time.

Some advice re the Concept 2: Get your form right. And don’t spend more than 30 minutes at a time on the machine, as form tends to go as you lose focus, and you increase the risk of a back injury. So always break workouts into intervals, even the steady ones. e.g. do 3x6km with a 5’ rest. Look at some videos to understand the proper stroke and recovery technique. Learn how to row well at a low stroke rate (e.g. do the 3x6km at under 20spm).

I’ve not seen anything like TR but you can connect the phone over Bluetooth to the PM5 monitor and record the power data using the Concept2 ErgData app.

I’ve put on weight since taking up rowing. Bigger thighs, and bigger shoulders and upper body generally. More muscle mass isn’t unhealthy but it has reduced my climbing speed a bit.

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I was a rower… Owned my life for 4 years. A long time ago my wife got me a used C2 as a birthday gift and I nearly died. I definitely didn’t want to ever see one of those again for the rest of my life. The idea of training on one is for me… I dunno. Lifes too short to spend time like that. If you want to row get a boat and row, the motion is awesome, the air is great, being on the water, etc. But an erg? I’d rather cross train with free weights, jiu jitsu, rock climbing? Pretty much anything is better than an erg, I think, as far as life happiness goes.

So… back to your choice… get a shiny new carbon bike hotness or… an erg… Uh… dude.

If you really think you might like the erg more then… how about join a gym and spend some time on one and decide if that’s something you really want to spend time doing.

Honestly if I could erase my memories of time on an erg I would.

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I would recommend Dark Horse Rowing on YouTube for rowing technique. As for shorts, I find the less amount of material, the better. Currently I am rowing on thin poly shorts (underwear, but I am home, so no one sees me) and find these the best for longer duration rows. I also rub a small amount of coconut oil on my fingers before starting to lessen the friction between the hands and the handle. As for a training plan, you can generate one here that will keep you interested. Focusing on your pace, HR and stroke rate will make your time on the erg fly by.

https://indoorsportservices.co.uk/training/interactive

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My concept 2 model c cost me about £400 6 or 7 years ago. Looks like I could get that back easily and a bit more today. New bike and 2nd hand erg :slight_smile:

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I have a second hand Concept 2, mine has the old PM 3 monitor. I can sync to my Mobile phone via a cable and then upload to ERGData/training Peaks/strava for those data nerds like myself.

Starting to do it regularly, helps get rid of my man boobs :slight_smile:

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Another good reason for a rower!! :joy:

I have been thinking about rowing lately because I started racing BMX (had nothing better to do while my 7 year old took laps and raced) and I find I don’t have the snap in my arms for pumping and jumping that I would like. I did not know rowing was more leg intensive and I don’t want to derail my training so I may look at other options.

Just ordered the concept 2!! Whoop!
Excited.

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Any recommendations on a good kettlebell weight to start with? I want to target core strength and stability mostly. I’m not a rower and I’m 180cm and 72kg if that helps narrow weight suggestions down a bit…

I’m 180 cm and about 80 kg and use a 35 lb KB but mostly use it for swings. I’m up to about 30 to 35 swings daily which I do between my erg WU and erg WO. After a layoff (i.e., summer), I usually get back into the KB workouts at 25lb level and progress to 35 lb. Usually start with 5 to 10 swings and progress over time with volume. To do turkish get-ups and anything fancy you will have to perfect your technique with 10 to 15 lb KBs.

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Congrats. Dark Horse Rowing youtube videos is a good place to start and they appear to have added training programs to their website although I haven’t looked at them.

I’ve got a C2 Erg and I row 1- 2x a week to break things up. Rowing can be a soul crushing workout…

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I would recommend you start your erging career with no more than 5 minutes a day for the first week at Zone 1 or 2 HR pace and then build slowly from there. Be patient. Tendons will stretch, muscles will pull, skin will peel on your fingers, muscles you never knew existed will ache and your butt will be sore. Have fun.:wink:

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The “Maximum Overload” Training program has rows (with a barbell, not a rower) as one of their activities. When you’re sprinting on the bike, you’re pulling up on your handlebars in a very row-like fashion. So, I think it would be very complimentary if you were looking for a change of pace.

I like the thought, but for me personally you know… atrophy.

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Thank you very much!

I used to race canoes competitively and one of the training workouts is to train on a Concept 2 rower. I read an article awhile ago that assessed fitness levels of various athletes of different disciplines and they discovered that competitive rowers had the highest level of fitness among all athletes. Rowing uses the entire body, so I can see why. If pure fitness is your goal, then rowing is the way to go.

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Usually a guy would start with a 16kg kettlebell and progress up to a 20kg bell. A woman would start with a 12kg and progress to a 16kg.

You might want to look at a few exercises to decide if you want two kettlebells. It can be nice for certain exercises to have two - however, it isn’t necessary.

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-best-strength-exercises-for-cyclists/

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/kettlebell-training-for-endurance-athletes/

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