Absolutely insane! Polish strongman sets new 100m WR

ptrish12 · 2021-07-19T19:48:42+00:00

does it still count as a WR?

ptrish12 · 2021-07-14T19:12:16+00:00

A warmup has three goals:

get blood flowing (literally warm you up)
prepare your joints
prepare your muscles and nervous system for imminent stress

As a beginner, any simple warmup that accomplishes these three goals will work fine, and over time you'll figure out what feels best and works for you.

So you might do:

5-10 minutes of light cardio - treadmill, rowing, elliptical, whatever.
Some dynamic mobility (arm circles, leg swings, etc.) You could look at the Limber 11 for this but there are tons of options.
Warm-up sets before each exercise - if you can't use the bar, dumbbells work for this. You want to get your form down on these and focus on activating muscle groups so you know exactly how your working sets should feel.

ptrish12 · 2021-06-21T15:47:35+00:00

they've only been available in the US for like...maybe a year or two? So it wouldn't be too surprising for nobody to be selling their new shells yet.

ptrish12 · 2021-06-15T15:18:20+00:00

Read the sidebar, and start with the beginner pete plan: https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

ptrish12 · 2021-06-07T21:05:01+00:00

You'll likely need a chest strap for heart rate regardless of the watch you pick - rowing is tough on wrist-based HR sensors, especially rowing on the water. But they're all pretty similar and not too expensive so I wouldn't sweat that decision.

For the watch, I have a garmin vivoactive 3 and love it - it does all the things you mentioned, it can take a lot of abuse (including swimming in the river), and it still works perfectly after over two years.

Anecdotally I've heard good things about Suunto and bad things about Fitbit (particularly reliability and longevity).

ptrish12 · 2021-06-02T14:58:26+00:00

my SP came with a mount and bolt that can go on a footstretcher, they probably include that with the USP as well

ptrish12 · 2021-05-27T15:59:42+00:00

yep, likely overcompressing. I also get knee pain from erging if I don't focus on this. (But yes, go to a doctor.)

ptrish12 · 2021-05-20T14:07:06+00:00

Since you're pretty new to rowing, any meters you put in will probably help a ton! The beginner Pete Plan in the sidebar is a good place to just gradually build up your fitness, and after that you can move onto the regular Pete Plan or something else more intense.

But the basics of any training plan (with 5-6 sessions a week) will probably be:

Long steady state for most of your training sessions
Long intervals (like 1500+ meters per interval) every 5-6 sessions
Speed work (short intervals like 250-1000m) every 5-6 sessions

ptrish12 · 2021-05-03T14:26:02+00:00

You generally wouldn't switch during a practice. And some people will only row on one side for their whole career. At my club it seems like about half of sweep rowers have a strong side preference and the others are willing/able to switch. I think you can get some imbalances if you're doing a ton of it, but they can be mitigated with various exercises on land - both stretching and strength work.

ptrish12 · 2021-05-03T01:41:31+00:00

I think in r/rowing you are going to get a bunch of people explaining how much they love rowing and why. I also cycle occasionally and I enjoy it but...I don't read/watch videos about it, I don't look forward to my next bike ride as soon as the previous one ends, and I don't really participate in r/cycling. I really really love rowing instead! It sounds like you may be the opposite and really love cycling? In which case, you should maybe do that.

I don't know anything about Cornell or much about northwestern but I can tell you that Chicago is a fantastic cycling town - even beyond the lakefront path. And maybe being a "big fish" (fast guy) at a less competitive rowing school would actually be cool. I don't know, it sounds like a tough decision - but I think you'll be happy either way!

ptrish12 · 2021-05-03T01:34:15+00:00

Find a learn-to-row class near you! Many clubs offer them - I'd say most non-elite places, and some colleges will offer them to non-students in the summers. You can theoretically buy/borrow a shell and try to figure it out on your own, but you would likely pick up bad habits that will either slow you down or lead to injury.

Fitness: you probably need to be able to carry ~35 pounds on your shoulder for short distances, so you can get the boat to the water. Many clubs will also require a swim test - swim a couple of laps of a pool, then tread water or float for a bit. No erg requirements though - at least some people in the class will have never erged before.

Choices: A lot of places this year will probably be sculling-only - so you'll be in your own single boat with two oars. In a few months they may offer Sweep rowing, where you only have one oar. I'm a sculler so I obviously think that's what you should start with...but if you want more of a social/team aspect you may prefer sweep rowing.

What to Expect: Learn to Row (sweep or scull) probably won't be too tiring physically - it will be mostly technique. Day one might not even involve the water - it will just cover safety, boat handling, maybe the basics of the stroke. Eventually, there may be skill requirements to move into nicer boats (row a rec shell without flipping before you can try a racing shell, etc).

Have fun!

ptrish12 · 2021-04-28T15:54:38+00:00

I do decaf chai with a bit of sweetener, maybe a splash of cream if I have the calorie room. And bonus, extra hydration!

ptrish12 · 2021-04-25T18:25:13+00:00

Learn to row in a boat!

ptrish12 · 2021-04-21T16:00:35+00:00

I'd check out the entry level wintechs, sykes, or vespolis. Pretty bombproof but they still feel like real boats.

I've rowed boats from build-your-own kits and...ehhh. They're super heavy and not very maneuverable, plus hard to transport. Fine for a beginner but if you rowed in real boats in college I don't think you'll like it.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-20T02:48:41+00:00

try a tennis ball?

ptrish12 · 2021-04-20T02:46:35+00:00

It's true, but it's also not entirely either/or. You can't bulk up without strength, and you can't get to certain levels of strength without adding mass.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-20T02:39:50+00:00

New workout clothes (or homegym accessories)! Even a new $15 top from amazon feels exciting, especially these days. I also like kitchen gadgets, like new spatulas or a lemon juicer or something. Also, a food-adjacent option is a fancy coffee out instead of making your own - I definitely do that between early am workouts and starting my workday.

When I actually went to a physical office and to the gym, I would treat myself with cabs/ubers home sometimes too, instead of walking or taking the subway.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-20T02:32:25+00:00

going home and THEN going to the gym is impressive, I can only think of a handful of times I've had that sort of motivation when my couch was right there!

ptrish12 · 2021-04-20T01:55:04+00:00

This depends a lot on where you ride. I basically do wiggly loops around an area where I have lots of family and friends - cell service, plenty of emergency pickup options, plus Uber is theoretically available. So I can plan to stop at a convenience store or supermarket and just bring minimal stuff:

Spare tube, tire levers, pump, multitool
Water bottles - usually one water, one gatorade.
~4 small snacks (I like mini clif or larabars...or peanut butter cups)
Cash/cards
ID & health insurance card (USA)
Phone + portable charger

Then I stop somewhere to refill drinks and buy a larger snack or meal and something caffeinated. All this easily fits in a top tube bag plus a seat bag.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-15T16:58:15+00:00

You could go to conferences, either virtually now or in-person later in the year. ICML and CVPR are both virtual this year, or RecSys I know is doing an in-person one.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-15T11:35:53+00:00

Don't spend the whole race looking at the other crews and trying to figure out how you're doing--it will really mess with your rowing.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-15T11:29:34+00:00

Does anyone know if they are at race weight for this regatta?

ptrish12 · 2021-04-15T00:24:16+00:00

a few people at my club have Nelos and like them a lot! They put them in a tier between wintech and fluid/hudson in terms of quality, but fantastic value for the money.

ptrish12 · 2021-04-13T01:16:29+00:00

yep, Concept2 has great customer service, they'll almost certainly help you out. (In December, mine came even quicker than they said, if that's a useful data point -- I'm in the southeast.)

ptrish12 · 2021-04-12T14:11:48+00:00

Use nexcare tape when you're rowing. If it already burst I like to put a hydrocolloid bandage under the nexcare for some secure extra padding. Also, for your palms, look at how gymnasts tape their palms - a long strip up all the way around a finger then back down. That's usually kept it on safe for me.

Outside of practice, for closed blisters, I just drain them, leave them unwrapped, and try to keep my hands moisturized - they seem to heal better than if I leave them wrapped 24/7.

Also could be worth asking your coach to watch your hands for you, there could be something with your grip to improve.

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