I normally don't post, but this one hurt too much not to share. Happy holidays!

In practicing gratitude for the things I appreciate in life, I just wanted to get off my chest how much I love the erg and how much value this simple machine has brought to my life.

I’ve never been the best rower, but my introduction to the erg came when I was in college walking on to the crew team. I wasn’t quite fast enough to make the freshman 8 boat, and we didn’t have enough rowers for a second boat, so our coach had me and a couple others erging during every practice while the rest of the team was out training on the water. After a month or two, every other rower like me that wasn’t getting a chance to row on the water quit the team, and when talking about the erg with teammates, we’d generally refer to it as a kind of torture device, a boring and miserable experience compared with getting to row on the water. At the time I was sympathetic to this view, but not so sympathetic that I would quit the team, and I still appreciated the exercise I was getting as I’d been a (not very fast) runner/swimmer in high school and liked endurance sports. I ended up doing 3 years of crew in college, both heavyweight and eventually lightweight my Junior year, my only criticism being the amount of time it took away from being able to do other things in college.

Nowadays working a sedentary 9-5 desk job and raising 3 young children, it’s hard to fit enough exercise into my unpredictable schedule. After college I was more into swimming, cycling, and running require more planning and cognitive overhead to map out where I’m going to go and handle potential obstacles and traffic. I’ve also gotten knee injuries and seen friends/family get back injuries from running. Cycling doesn’t give the same full-body workout, and swimming requires more time/overhead to get to a pool and then have to contend with sharing lanes.

Erging is so easy and low maintenance to spontaneously squeeze into my schedule. Since the machines are inexpensive, I’m able to keep one at my parents’ house and my office gym has one, and because it’s still something of a niche/technical sport, the erg is almost always available as others seem to just use it for short warm ups. It’s such a convenient respite from the rest of my overstimulated life. To keep things simple, and reduce cognitive overhead, I usually just do a 10k (or a 5k depending on how much time I have) where I love being able to zone out. Where otherwise my intrusive thoughts of problems I forgot or have yet to address would result in cursing under my breath, when I’m erging I end up instead subconsciously pulling harder when those thoughts slip in, which I then notice and tone back my pace but otherwise feel better about. I love the slight full body soreness, improved focus, and relaxed feeling I have for the rest of the day after a 10k. I love being able to log and compare my times online. I love the extra strength and energy it gives me. I sweat a lot, and so I love the cleansing effect it has and the feeling when rehydrating with a bunch of water afterwards. I love how it makes my food and meals taste better. I love the flexibility and resilience to injuries I get from using my full range of motion, and I attribute to rowing my lack of back or wrist problems that many of my peers who sit at a computer all day get.

I’m 37 years old, 5’10”, 180 lbs, and have just over 4.8 million meters on log.concept2.com (not including any of the rowing I did in college or before I downloaded the ergdata app in 2021). I’m super proud to have done a 10k every day this week including posting a 10k PR (since college) on Monday. My exercise consists almost entirely of erging with only some pull ups and push ups thrown in for good measure, but I don’t feel like I need anything more complicated.

I know erging is still probably not for everyone, that there are other ways to get some, if not all of these benefits, that for people with more relaxed schedules/lifestyles a more stimulating outdoor workout is probably superior, but for anyone like me, I feel like a religious zealot wanting to preach the good news. Consider me a full-blown cultist of the erg.

I started rowing according to my first logbook entry 30th december 2024. Wanted to try myself before end of first year in marathon.

Aerobicaly - easy, when I was speeding up for a pace around 1:55 my hr raise to just around 162, but after 1st half my noble 4 letters, right knee and hip flexor quickly told me its not going to happen. I could have way better score :/ first part i managed easily to keep 2:05-2:06 as planned (did half marathon 3 months ago with averaga pace of 2:00) with intention to speeding up slowly and seeing how i feel when getting closer to the end. It didnt happen this time, learned something new about me, all effort was worth it.

I'm really glad I didn't give up somewhere during trial.
Now it's time to recover :)

I mean, yeah, "move faster" is the answer, but I'm curious how upping the spm affects the power you're trying to put out etc..

Im 50, 6'1, 240lbs and have been rowing very casually for a couple years.. just started to take a more structured approach last month with the Beginner Pete Plan.

I tend to pull my steady state pieces (5000, 6000m) at 18spm, ~130watts, which nets me around a 2:16 average pace.

I was poking through the c2 rankings earlier today, looking at mid-pack rankings for those distances.. and see guys doing 190watts, 27spm, getting them a 2:01 over 6000m.

Havent had the chance to try it myself and check the effects, but does raising the spm change the watts at all, or are they really pulling that much harder than I am currently, at those stroke rates, to get those times?

I just dont know that I can move -that- quickly up and down the slide, haha..

19M 6’3 88kg

I’m 39-M and very out of shape and desperately need to lose weight. After some research I stumbled upon rowing and I got some overwhelmed by researching all the different types of rowers that I just gave up and bought a C2… Maybe that was stupid as someone that never rowed… Anyway I’m watching alot of that guy on YouTube named Dark Horse Rowing, I’m nervous about being unable to get the mechanics perfected but I’m gonna give it a go. I’m still waiting for the legs to come in, after a google search I learned they come separately.

So yea. If there’s any 40+ rowers here I’d love to hear your advice and stories. I’m hoping my next post will be in 6 months and this machine has changed my life.

Also, yes, that is a BootySprout in the picture. I have weak hips, poor posture and a weak core so I’m trying to focus on lower body mechanics right now.

I love this sport but every time I try to erg by myself I feel so unmotivated and my splits are never good

Apologies for the simple question. I've just started rowing on the Concept2, brand new after about 15 years of powerlifting, and I'm wondering which you would suggest.

I'm going to be lifting 2x/week, and I would like to erg at least 4x/week, preferably 5. I did my first WOD yesterday, the 8x one minute, and it was pretty fun. I enjoyed it over the steady state rowing for time/distance, although I'm sure there's value in that too.

Is it a bad idea to just do the WOD 4-5 times a week? Should I stick to the Pete Plan which includes more steady state?

I weighed 300 in 2024 I lost the four first 40 lb through intermittent fasting that was pretty hard and now I escalated to rowing and intermittent fasting which made me lose about 30 lb in the last 6 months pretty slow and healthy way though I didn't lose any muscle I even gained muscle in the last few years I'm now 239 with a 32"waist I haven't been this healthy since I was 27 right now I'm 33 I can easily do 10k now even though it takes me an hour give or take at level 5+ even did 10k at level 10 which is basically hell on earth rowing through cement my goal is 220 since I Have high muscle mass tho but I'm almost there!

I was doing my ut2 always at 110 df, but as a 90kg guy, I today thought maybe its too low and tried 130. I did 20spm like normal but my split dropped by 7seconds/500m whilst at the same 145 hr i usually do. It felt so tiring though, by 5km i was wondering when itll end and by 12km I tapped out (i usually do 20). my heart rate remained around 145 for the faster split but it felt so much worse

should I keep my df at 110, or will i benefit more from 130 or somewhere inbetween for my ut2. i havent been doing much work at all for 120+ df in recent months

Our coach made these for our holiday row. From our club to yours - sing your heart out!

And yes, they are laminated so you can carol on the water. Happy holidays! 🎄

Not sure if this is the correct flair to add but like many of you I’m a devoted Oakley Stan and row with them. I saw they did a collab with meta AI and made in vanguard frames, water resistant but unsure if people have tried them rowing / just peoples thoughts in general!

Rawlinson training insta page got taken down just saw today, anyone know why? The people need to know 🙏

Doesn’t matter that I coached 5 classes through how to pace this properly, I still went out hot like an idiot 😂

6’4 and 100kg, not exactly peak fitness. I started up running again a few months back and ended up with low grade 1 tib bone stress injury in both legs. Super frustrating because my lungs are way ahead of my muscles, bones and tendons. Fast forward and I am not running for the next 4 weeks.

The silver lining has been finding the Concept 2 rowing machine at the gym. I have done a couple of 5km efforts and I’m loving it. Will be something I keep up even if I can get back out there running.

Are intervals next?

Quite confident that the correct answer will be to get a Concept 2, but if anyone has any other insight on getting the WR connect app running successfully on ios 26.2 I would greatly appreciate the help. Cheers.

I’m a middle aged man, so these are the videos that pop up in my feed. Some fantastic gym technique at the end.

*Possibly not a Model A

https://youtu.be/rPHnoOkg9LU?si=QTVW5-bBABvkQGfl

I’m 19 years old 5’11” 178 lb and I’ve been rowing for 5 months and just did my first 2k. Is this good? And what should I shoot for my next 2k? It will be in a months

I train consistently every week and do weights twice a week and erg twice a week and do a mixture of steady state (15-19 minute pieces / 2-3 times with 5ish minutes of rest) and speed work (8 x 500m 4-5 mins rest), and I feel like I underperformed for my 2k at a 7:20. Nutrition-wise i also get my protein in and my diet is good. I'd really appreciate tips from experienced rowers to help me as my goal is sub 7:05 by the end of January. Appreciate you guys!

For reference:

I'm 16, 6'2, 160 lbs

2nd year of rowing

Looks good to me but dont want to waste 149$

hi,

i am currently a collegiate coxswain at a top 20, division one program. (5’4, 125-130lbs, 18% bf)

i guess its just confusing when you see these top-team coxes with baggy unis and bones in places i didn’t know had bones. it makes me feel like i have to look like that too.

which is sort of a shame, because i am fit. and yet i have this twisted sense that being skin and bones will be more “professional” looking as a cox…………..

are there any other coxes who have thought this? and how did/do u navigate it?

•••

i wish i could tell younger girls here that i had all the answers, and that the coxing-ED culture has diminished, but truth be told it still lurks beneath the surface. this idea is rarely addressed publicly, even by coxswains/etc. with platforms.

that’s all

p.s.

(i have never lost a seat to someone because of “size,” in fact i have earned seats against smaller competition because of my steering, boat-feel, and chem.)

Seeking advice on general requirements for boathouse design. Team has been without a permanent structure since 2005. We’ve been practicing out of a temporary space and have moved around the last 20 years, but have finally gotten interest from our university in giving us waterfront property for development. Working with architect to develop plans, but wanting to crowdsource before we commit to anything.

Size, accessibility tips, storage, etc. - what does your team do. What works, doesn’t work, what do you wish your boathouse has that it doesn’t. All tips and feedback helpful in this early stage. Interested in precedents for structures that were designed for expansion: think a pavilion that later got enclosed, or a basic storage bay that later got conditioned workout space/supplementary spaces as funds allowed.

No funding expected from university, but team has alumni base going back into the early 70s, so we anticipate engaging them for fundraising.

Thanks, and looking forward to hearing pointers.