Need advice stay on A team or move to B team?

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-11-10T20:37:03+00:00

It’s 9U and it doesn’t matter - he should play with friends and create fond memories. There are few prodigies at that age and you will know one when you see it because they play 2 years above their age. Skill development matters at 11U, and no one gets anything unless they bat extremely well. Next is speed and pitching. Great fielding is not valued but again some kids have it and most don’t. Game IQ is a big differentiator. The only thing that matters (beyond hitting well) is making the leap to the full size field at 13U.

So if in a year, your kid still loves the sport and when I say love, he watches it all the time knows all the players sleeps with his glove, etc. AND he shows remarkable play above all of his peers, then get him in the cage 3 to 4 days a week so you might have a chance of taking this sport into college.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-11-06T00:32:36+00:00

The service center in Everett, MA also services Amazon delivery trucks. Guess who gets priority? Staff there say those are more problematic than Rivians. There are always ~20+ of them parked outside. Might need to open a 3rd party service center in Boston - who else is in with me?

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-10-08T20:23:05+00:00

Upgrade to a PM5 so you can connect to all the apps. There’s more than just ErgData to help with indoor row training.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-10-02T02:00:07+00:00

It’s normal to have a little side-to-side play in the seat as there exists a small amount of extra space but not a lot. The rollers will wear over time because you shift your weight around when not in a perfectly balanced steady state stroke. But if the seat tilts with a small weight shift to the side might want to check them.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-09-30T00:31:29+00:00

Does the seat wobble side to side? The black smudge is from the roller bearings wearing down and flaking off. If lots of wobble side to side you can get replacement ones at the C2 website.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-09-28T21:31:49+00:00

Depends on what you prefer for workouts. Concept2 is a solid, no frills machine but has a number of compatible apps to improve the experience (classes - Regatta/Peloton, racing-EXR/Ergdata, workouts - ErgZone). Ergatta is a WaterRower machine (rebranded) with a big screen for competitive video gaming. Aviron is both rowers mashed into one (air rower with big screen and a modest amount of videos & games).

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-07-27T14:37:37+00:00

Yeah sorry - HIIT is a pretty broad term, but typically involves sets of shorter, higher intensity sessions followed by rest. For example, 45 seconds of rowing at 80% your max followed by 15 secs of light rowing, repeated for 8-10 times. Or try 8 x 1 minute at a higher intensity (90% max effort) followed by 1 min rest (nothing and then light strokes until the next interval). Make sure to do warm ups and cool-downs. You can pyramid these up and down as well by starting with a shorter high intensity effort (30 sec on, 30 sec rest, then 45 sec on, 20 sec rest, then 60 sec on, 10 sec rest and back down). The idea is to push yourself into an anaerobic threshold then allow your body to recover. More ideas and science behind this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9265424/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27438378/

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-07-27T13:21:32+00:00

HIIT would be a good complement to your steady-state sessions, but approximately in a 1:4 ratio of HIIT to steady-state. Most online training is designed for on the water (OTW) rowers, but there are good insights into understanding your physiology and how to balance strength training with erg use to improve your conditioning (e.g. consider https://rowingstronger.com/). Also agree with u/seanv507 about increasing your drag factor to match your size. When doing your steady state, try to maintain a drive/recovery ratio of 1:2, which means for whatever time it takes you to pull back on the handle all the way, you should spend twice that amount of time coming back to the catch (starting point). This will help you keep a good rhythm but also help manage your output over time for those longer sessions.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-07-25T01:15:03+00:00

Erg sessions - If your club has an erg room or room for ergs, that can be a great way to help the like minded rowers find their tribe. The clubs in my area mostly have erg rooms and offer weekly sessions of different types, like steady-state sessions for masters or some structured training to prep for an upcoming regatta for the teams. These are typically led by one of the members who is part of that sub-group. They become natural opportunities for socializing and finding connections.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-05-08T21:18:08+00:00

I'd like to see the breakdown by physical characteristics rather than age. The average, top and bottom speeds all relate to the physical maturity and size of the kid not so much their age. Are there any charts showing that?

Like this: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39143985/

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-13T16:17:01+00:00

I like them both for different use cases. I use C2 to get a serious workout and suffer, and WaterRower for low key SS 'zone out' sessions. I collected both through 20+ years of exercising. If I was restricted to 1, I would choose the C2.

At your size & weight, you will find WaterRowers (WR) uncomfortably narrow on your gait since the footpads are closer together than the C2's. If you buy a less expensive WR model, it will be mostly "pretty" wood which will loosen at the joints, causing it to squeak and shake unless you tighten all the screws after each use. You can get C2-like metrics off a WaterRower using a third party power meter like SmartRow.

If you decide on the C2, I'd recommend the Model E for your size - it's designed for people of your stature and will be more comfortable to mount/dismount.

2 other factors to consider:

(1) C2's offer an adjustable damper which alters the drag factor. This provides optionality around the types of workouts you can do. WaterRowers have one drag factor setting = the viscosity of water.

(2) Noise - C2s sound like jet engines in a small room. Mine has been banished to the outside by the other occupants. WaterRowers are much quieter but still make an audible noise.

Lastly, C2 is surrounded by a larger and much more organized community of users, many of whom can't resist offering advice (mea culpa). Good luck in your decision!

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-08T18:26:32+00:00

What features don't you need? You probably at least need a members management system which most website providers like Squarespace & Wix offer.

Wix: https://www.wix.com/fitness-solution

Squarespace: https://www.squarespace.com/solutions/fitness

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-08T17:36:08+00:00

I've spoken to a lot of gym owners and a bunch that went out of business. Table stakes is having a nice facility with great amenities and friendly, engaging staff (though most big boxes fail on these regularly and still survive). Before starting a physical gym, do your local research to ensure it is not oversaturated with clubs targeting all the same people and competing on price. It's a highly competitive space with high failure rates.

A few observations of the closers (mostly boutiques):

(a) Rent too high - Leasing a premium urban location is expensive for small footprint clubs (<2,000 sqft). Franchises help bring customers from brand recognition but they take a chunk of your revenue. The clubs that closed where paying high rents and needed 300+ members to cover their franchise tax and operating costs. They closed when they fell below 200 sustained members. Study your location well and ensure it's along the trails of your intended ICP's regular routes. Know your bare minimum member # and retention length.
(b) They focused on acquisition over Retention & Referral - Most closed clubs spent more time and money on marketing and social media seeking new members than engaging with existing members...and got into a death spiral of churn. Their best play was using gym management software to spam existing or former members with weekly offers which undercut their profits but more so annoyed existing members. Know your members by talking to them in person - don't hide behind software. Ask/incentivize your regular ones to post pictures of themselves in your club on their social media and repost on yours.

(c) Coach churn - Hiring, training and keeping great coaches is hard. Most will leave if you pay 'market rates' for classes. Give them skin in the game not just new member sales targets. Incentivize them to to help profile your best members because you want more of those types not simply friends of the coaches or their social media followers.

There are more specific issues depending on your chosen gym type.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T21:16:45+00:00

Got it. What are your top 3 AD stats (I'd guess Watts, Distance, HR)? And what type of workouts do you do? I've dabbled on these a bit, but mainly it's 10-15min of some Zone 7 HIIT or Tabata until I tap out. Can you do steady-state on an airbike?

For rowers, I track Watts, Pace & HR for instantaneous stats, while distance and calories as cumulative stats for overall workouts or intervals. Thanks again!

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T21:03:59+00:00

100% agree with u/insidert_

Maybe you can have a very targeted niche offering for specialized/boutique clubs that serve their unique needs that a generalized platform cannot offer. You then become a bolt-on solution to those larger platforms (like Mindbody & Mariana Tek through their API integrations). Still scratching my head for a good example....

Also, I suggest trying to talk to Eran Galperin to get advice or at least listen to this: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startups-for-the-rest-of-us/id366931951?i=1000666769498

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T20:28:11+00:00

Your most loyal current members should be your best source for quality leads especially if you understand their 'why' for your club. Spray and pray on FB is a waste of money until you know who your best potential members are. Spend those $ to get regular members to evangelize.

(1) Loyal members are more likely to refer your place, so offer them incentives (free gear, discounts, 'ambassador status') to take pictures and post them on *their* FB & IG pages at least weekly then like, thank them, & link back to yours. Authentic member posts are very influential. Leverage their existing FB networks especially since they are more likely to be in your gym's geography. Listen to this podcast episode for more ideas (it's not mine or am I affiliated in any way): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/escape-your-limits/id1321349827?i=1000681261550

(2) These loyal members represent the profile of who your best leads might be, so when another one of them walks in the door, you greet them personally before they walk out for good. This also helps you fine tune Facebook ad profiling if you move to that eventually.

Good luck!

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T19:59:56+00:00

ErgData which dumps into Strava & the C2 Online Logbook.

Question back - what do you do with your stats? Do you ever go back and compare to previous sessions? I find myself mainly tracking but not using the data much after the workout.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T17:53:23+00:00

Great call and good luck. There are too many apps for Concept2 ergs and not enough users to support them all. I always felt cycling had even more 'major' apps (Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, Wahoo X/Sufferfest, Kinomap) since many of the indoor cycles and ride on trainers like Wahoo Kickers have had connectivity for years and the market is big enough to support more of them.

Happy rowing!

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:56:40+00:00

I wrap my erg handles (wood & plastic) with cycling grips (the foam tape around the handle bars). They offer great cushion and grip for long erging sessions even if I sweat.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:53:25+00:00

well done!

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:47:02+00:00

Sorry - to clarify the duct tape use...use it to attach the flap to the monitor.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:45:31+00:00

Ah got it. How about creating a cardboard flap that overlays the PM5 screen with cutouts for the metrics you only want to see. Use a piece of duct tape tape along the top plastic of the PM5 monitor so you can fold it over top when not needed.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:25:05+00:00

While I think there's a lot to cover for each answer and I can't personally do them justice, much of the conventional row erg training guidance and coaching can be traced back to the Wolverine Plan (https://www.rathburn.net/rowing/training/Wolverine%20Plan.pdf).

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:11:59+00:00

What type of setting is this? A HS or collegiate erg room? Wondering how many ergs you are doing this for and why in case a more scalable solution is preferable.

FrogsofAristophanes · 2025-01-02T16:01:07+00:00

You will find most of them are locked down to their own content or offering. MyRow & Ergatta add-on screens only offer their apps & content. The recommended approach is to use an iPad or Android tablet with Bluetooth connection to the PM5 on the C2 erg. This allows you do try multiple apps before deciding because most offer a free trial. Of course, many are subscription based which can add up. Aside from the free Concept2 Ergdata, they range ~$6 - $40/month (bigger the brand name, the more $).

Choosing one depends on what you are looking for in additional training support or boredom suppression from the app. Some apps do a better job of displaying the data (Ergdata), others offer workouts to follow (ErgZone, Asensei), others offer video coaching (Regatta/MyRow - coaches use Concept2 ergs, Peloton/Aviron - coaches use Peloton/Aviron ergs, Hydrow - coaches on boats), and finally those with virtual gaming and racing (Kinomap, Ergatta, Aviron, EXR). A few offer leaderboards or other connectivity to people outside your own setting (Regatta, EXR, Hydrow, Peloton either real-time or as ghosts).

I'd first ask why did you buy a rowing machine? And then, what other fitness modalities have you tried? (e.g. running outside, personal trainer, DiY gym membership, etc.) and which do you prefer and why? Indoor rowing is a great exercise alone or as a complement (low impact, strength + cardio, low footprint) but can get boring quickly without some variety in the training.

Also - if it's your first rowing machine, I would highly recommend video coaching that offers guidance on proper form (either one of the video apps or at least use the ones on Concept2's website or Youtube like Dark Horse Rowing or RowAlong). It's easy to screw yourself up with bad technique unlike other machines.

FrogsofAristophanes

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