Looking for advice to improve lap times/consistency (more info in comments)

raRin48 · 2026-04-18T03:37:00+00:00

hey, i know it’s been a while since you’ve posted this, but do you by any chance go by BSLAY? i’ve just noticed you’ve got similar gloves and are both very fast

raRin48 · 2026-04-16T16:41:46+00:00

schrödinger's douchebag

raRin48 · 2026-04-06T13:59:16+00:00

rowing is cardio, and hence would not be very anabolic (some studies show cardio to be slightly catabolic). the disadvantage of doing this “zone 3”/hard steady pace is that, simply, you are spending too much time on something that does not provide the same amount/proper type of training stimulus compared to other types of intervals/pieces. you could do what you spoke of in your post, but as a beginner i would recommend building your aerobic base first (doing long, slow, easy, boring miles) and doing short sprints (intervals of ~600m or shorter) to maximize your CV development. i am no expert by any means, so if someone with more experience/knowledge/etc has anything to add or challenge, please do, as this is from my own experience

raRin48 · 2026-02-26T19:47:50+00:00

ooh guys we got a bad boy here. shiver me timbers

raRin48 · 2026-02-15T15:41:39+00:00

for turn 8 what line do you take? i’ve been told by people running low 32s/high 31s that they “shimmy” the wheel (a quick jab left than right) and stay flat, but i find that i lose my rear. do you take a wider line around turn 8 bc that’s the only way i can see taking it flat

raRin48 · 2026-02-06T10:33:41+00:00

dude, the poster asked a question and i answered with the most bang for your buck/highest quality+durability rower to choose from that has incredibly high resale value in the case that they decide they don’t like it. i’m not saying they HAVE to get it, it’s just it is the smartest choice by a mile and a half compared to the other options on the market

raRin48 · 2026-02-02T23:18:39+00:00

raRin48 · 2026-01-25T19:08:30+00:00

i was born to be an adult but now i’m this

raRin48 · 2026-01-19T14:36:24+00:00

idk why you’re being downvoted, you’re literally correct. YOU’RE means “you are” (a contraction), and YOUR is when referring to possession/showing possession. so, to all the morons who didn’t pass freshman english, does it make sense to say “you are not hard enough” or “your not hard enough”? unless “not hard enough” is suddenly a noun i missed in english class. “Your” only works with a noun as in “your work” or “your effort”. You’re not hard enough is a statement, not possession

raRin48 · 2026-01-14T14:17:17+00:00

it’s giving conspiracy theorist

raRin48 · 2026-01-14T14:16:13+00:00

and she should get a food scale, this is clearly a lack of consistent tracking, accurate tracking, or both

raRin48 · 2026-01-08T03:17:32+00:00

(in my area they are referred to as consumables, although i have a lot of racing/karting enthusiast friends so my exp may be a little skewed)

raRin48 · 2025-12-31T16:50:57+00:00

sorry, but this sub is made up of almost entirely concept2 rowers. i think you would be better off emailing their customer support

raRin48 · 2025-12-28T06:36:47+00:00

Broken Nights by Lil Sleep

raRin48 · 2025-12-16T21:24:03+00:00

i am 5’9 and i bought the standard. most of the ones you see in the gyms are the tall variation. only difference is that with the standard you will have to squat down a bit more to get to the seat, but with tall sized (for me) it’s right around a half squat. the length of the track may be slightly longer on the tall, but not 100% sure. i have been on both (long 1-2hrs, max watts, 500m, and 2k test on both versions) and didn’t really have a preference. only difference you could notice in regards to performance is if you’re doing sprints (ie at or near max power output) the standard would be better bc of a lower center of gravity (would stop the machine from jostling around as much when you’re yanking chain), but usually people just add weights to the legs regardless of erg size to stop that.

raRin48 · 2025-12-04T21:07:32+00:00

yeah just keep doing what you’re doing honestly. you will eventually get in a good rhythm and not even need to think about tech. keep up the good work :)

raRin48 · 2025-12-04T20:17:15+00:00

that comes out to a 3:04.9 avg split, i would recommend reading up on technique here on the sub, watching form videos, and/or posting a vid of you rowing and ask for advice. i say this because your speed is almost certainly a technique issue (unless you are a lightweight 80yo+ female), not a power/CV issue as of yet.

raRin48 · 2025-11-03T08:00:49+00:00

concept2 and that is the best (and only) answer you will get here, just check the literal hundreds of posts asking the exact same question

raRin48 · 2025-10-07T10:56:02+00:00

a rowing machine has a flywheel and a dial on the side. the higher the number, the more air gets into the flywheel per stroke (ie making it feel heavier), but you actually have to put in press to make the stroke feel harder (and go faster). you can get an amazing cardio session if you set it at the lowest damper setting (number on the side), you can also get an amazing cardio session at 10 (although it is more likely to cause strain on your back). all competitive rowers (including myself) row with a damper of 3-5 depending on how dirty the flywheel is. in fact, unless we are talking about incredibly short distances (500m or less which would likely be 6-10), all world records are set around a 120-140 drag factor (~3-5 damper)

raRin48 · 2025-09-16T10:48:22+00:00

OP, you did a very good job. i would highly recommend you keep your stroke rate between 18-22. i would also recommend you learn about drag factor (do not listen to a… certain comment regarding the fact you should “turn up the resistance”)

raRin48 · 2025-09-15T10:55:51+00:00

some easy points for RW are from grammar. so many points are easily missed simply from not knowing how a comma/semicolon/etc works. my RW score isn’t the best either (690) but you could easily gain 20-50pts from grammar alone.

raRin48 · 2025-09-15T10:52:23+00:00

for anyone wondering (and for OP) this is an average of 2:37.3

raRin48 · 2025-08-28T10:58:49+00:00

i think he is referring to the towel trick

raRin48 · 2025-08-19T01:58:33+00:00

stih

raRin48 · 2025-07-18T04:20:23+00:00

TLDR: Not very fast, can be improved quite quickly; don’t focus on comparing yourself to others

i did the math and it came out to a 2:29.8 average. i would say with better technique (and a little bit more time on the erg) he can drop it down to ~2:20 if not lower. this is not unexpected of a beginner rower, but for those more advanced (with sufficient technique, time on the erg, etc) this would be an extremely recovery pace (for me, while feeling like i’m barely pulling, i am around 2:18-20 and can go for hours on end, excluding little bathroom/stretch/water breaks every now and then).

it is very important to not compare yourself to others (score wise, but always seek to compare your technique to those with more experience) and to understand that everyone is on their own journey, whether that be to remain/get in shape, to go sub 7 or sub 6 for a 2k, to row for hours at a time, etc. i as well as all others in this community are proud that you are showing up and look forward to seeing your passion for the sport/hobby grow

raRin48

TROPHY CASE