The universal 2,000 meter erg metric is how coaches (and rowers) measure fitness levels of rowing, ages, gender, etc…. Whether it is to figure out a fitness baseline, or where the rower might be best in the boat lineup, or for recruiting purposes, it tells a lot.

There are many ways to train for it, and here is one. I like it because it mentally puts one in a 2k countdown scenario wand forces one to go faster throughout the piece.

6 x 2K
2 min Rest
effort: strong steady state
1st 500 at 18 (2k +18), 2nd 500 at 20 (2k +16), 3rd 500 at 22 (+14), 4th 500 at 24 (+12)

happy #rowing #rowindoors

Rowing requires a dynamic and powerful sequence of motion throughout the stroke. For women it is very important to utilize there natural strengths, i.e. the legs, hips and back. One form of off water training besides the indoor rower is the dead lift. Building strength and stability with this exercise can be a nice foundation to both avoid injury believe it or not, and better power.

Below is a great article on Dead Lifts from T-Nation. As with everything, one must engage with moderation and not go psycho at the outset. I recommend this for adult women or collegiate athletes. Girls on the other hand (11-17), I recommend more dynamic work using gravity, like jumpies, one legged lunges, or holding invisible squats for longer periods of time.

https://www.t-nation.com/training/4-reasons-women-must-deadlift

Here’s what you need to know…
Higher-rep sets of deadlifts can build endurance and burn fat.
Deadlifts won’t thicken the waist. That’s a myth.
Deadlifts lessen some of the negative effects that come with high heels and bad posture.
The deadlift is a foundational movement that will help with more advanced training like Olympic lifts.
Use the “laddering” training method to get used to the exercise and master the form.
T Nation Poll

The “Big and Bulky” Myth Must Die
When it comes to women and weights, the “big and bulky” myth has been largely dispelled, but there are still a few exercises that women shy away from.

The deadlift is one of them.

Now, we could talk about how it gives you great glutes. It certainly can, but let’s go beyond that.

Whether you’re a woman who trains hard but sees no need to deadlift, or you’re a guy who’s trying to convince his wife or girlfriend to adopt the move, here’s why women need to pick it up and put it down.

1.  The Deadlift is Awesome for Strength and Conditioning
Female Deadlift
Deadlifts should be at the top of your list for general strength and conditioning because they won’t negatively affect your joints, as long as you’re lifting with good technique.

Taller females with long extremities may find the compressive forces of squats uncomfortable, but most who complain of “bad knees” will be able to deadlift without a hitch.

Furthermore, the posterior muscles you recruit will help stabilize joints and go a long way in rehabilitating any imbalances you might have.

Now, it’s important to stop judging deadlifts based on the videos you’ve probably seen on YouTube. Sure, click any Internet deadlift video and you’ll likely see a dude wearing a cocoon of wrapping attempting a 750-pound deadlift for a single.

People love posting 1RMs and it can convince the less experienced lifter that low-rep training is the only way to go on such an exercise.

Yes, sets of 8-10 reps do exist. They can positively affect your muscles’ conditioning and endurance, along with burning fat. The deadlift hits a lot of muscles. The more muscle, the better the metabolism.

The postural muscles of the back recruited during deadlifts respond particularly well to endurance-type training, given the nature of their job in the human body.

Related:  More on using high-rep deadlifts to burn fat
Deadlifting with more time under tension than a quick double or heavy single can be a strong force to be reckoned with. Plus, it’ll improve your grip strength, if that’s of any interest to you (and it should be).

2.  The Deadlift Does Not Thicken Your Waist
Lean Woman Deadlifter
Many female lifters avoid deadlifts because they think it’s a trunk thickener. This old myth needs to be shot down. Bret Contreras notes:

“Through EMG experimentation, we’ve found that many common exercises match or exceed squats and deadlifts in rectus abdominis and oblique activation, including chin-ups, military press, hip thrusts, reverse hypers, push-ups, pullovers, triceps extensions, and curls.

“Most targeted ab/core exercises exceed squats and deadlifts in abdominal and oblique activation, including RKC planks, side planks, ab wheel rollouts, weighted crunches, straight leg sit-ups, hanging leg raises, lying leg raises, and side bends…”

So the truth is, if you do any core work, chances are you’re doing more to “thicken your waist” than you would be by picking up the heavy bar.

But this isn’t to say that all direct core work should be avoided. Making a muscle group grow is a product of volume and intensity, just like it is for any other muscle group.

The idea that deadlifts thicken your waist is on par with the idea that cardio will “kill all your gains.”

3.  Deadlifts Help to Correct Your Pelvic Tilt
High Heels
High-heels are a double-edged sword in terms of a healthy appearance. What may look awesome may also wreak havoc on a woman’s pelvis.

Olympic lifters train using lifting shoes, which usually have a heel elevation that can be up to 2 inches high. It keeps their squats more quad-dominant and encourages a more vertical torso in the bottom position to receive the bar during a heavy clean or snatch.

The changed geometry allows the knee to travel further over the toe due to the adjusted pelvic positioning. Now, take this example and apply it to high-heeled shoes that are usually twice as high as Olympic lifting shoes.

The result causes an unhealthy back overarch in the lumbar region of the spine, with the resultant tight hips and dominant quads. The quads and hips get plenty of action on the daily, and accentuating their involvement can make matters worse.

I’m not about to write an article that says women should never wear heels again, but the posterior chain involvement provided by deadlifting can mitigate some of the effects of high heels.

Since the glutes and hamstrings tilt the pelvis posteriorly, deadlifts can balance the forward momentum of the pelvis caused by long-term wearing of high heels. They should be a staple in a woman’s program for this reason alone.

4.  Master the Deadlift and You’ll Be Ready for Other Lifts
CrossFit Class
Deadlifts are the simplest and best way to start learning the hinge pattern, at least as far as load-bearing exercises are concerned. Getting the movement down will make you more competent with many other lifts as well.

Related:  More on learning the hip hinge
CrossFit, along with the well-publicized conditioning programs of pro athletes and motivational commercials, is doing average people a disservice by popularizing training methods that, in most cases, are way too advanced for regular people.

They see it on YouTube or commercials and assume that this sometimes-risky training is something they should be doing, too.

But in order to do any of these high-octane movements like Olympic lifting, jumping, high-metabolic cost kettlebell training, or even plyometric training, you first need to master the hinge pattern, as it’s the cornerstone of all of these activities.

The deadlift will open that door for you, then you can walk through it and take on the more advanced lifts.

Deadlifting Tips
Black and White Deadlift
Start out light. It’s going to help you understand the movement and stay true to form when things get real.

Choose a minimalistic shoe, or strip down to socks or bare feet if your gym allows it. The closer to direct contact your foot can have with the ground, the better.

A thick-soled shoe can do a lot to create instability and increase your pulling distance, both of which can be harmful to your lift.

If possible, use bumper plates. The lighter plates are the same diameter as the 45-pound plates. This allows you to keep the bar at the proper height off the ground.

If your gym doesn’t have bumper plates and you’re not ready for 45s yet, put the loaded barbell on step platforms to recreate the correct elevation. The starting height of the bar should be somewhere around mid-shin.

Deadlifting Technique
Remember the basic cues, like keeping a flat back and heels on the ground. The deadlift is a vertical pulling exercise, meaning that it’s of pinnacle importance that the bar travels in a straight line. Your setup should encourage that as much as possible.

This deadlift is done with a conventional stance. If you have concerns about your low back strength or have previously injured that area, try a medium sumo stance.

Instead of having your hands outside the shins, the shins go outside the hands with the sumo variation. In addition to keeping the low back free from flare-ups, the sumo is good for activating the glutes and inner thighs.

Related:  Master the Sumo Deadlift
Laddering the Deadlift
Girl Deadlifting
If you’ve never trained the deadlift before, use a reserved approach by laddering your way up to a 10-rep effort.

Don’t immediately hit up 4 or 5 sets of 10 deadlifts with a moderate weight because you may give the body a shock you weren’t expecting, especially if you’ve got a history of injury or weakness in the lower back.

Instead, using a conventional stance and a fair estimate of your 10-rep max, perform just 2 reps for your first set. Rest around 2 minutes and then perform 3 reps for your second set. Rest again and then do 5 reps for your 3rd set. Finish off by doing a 4th set of 10 reps.

On subsequent workouts, substitute out the lowest number of reps, and replace it with another set of 10. It should look like this:

Day 1:  2 reps, 3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps
Day 2:  3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
Day 3:  5 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps
Day 4:  10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps

This will serve as a simple way to adapt to the movement. Properly learning an exercise is just as important as incorporating it into your training, so take your time.

4 x 6′ with 2:30 OFF (85-90% effort)
5′-7′ warm-up

#1. 22, 24, 22
#1. 22, 24, 22
#2. 24, 26, 24
#3. 24, 26, 28

The lower rates should have emphasis on strong velocity per stroke. As the rate climbs stay quick off the foot stretchers and stay connected to handle with suspension.

Hard Steady State

This effort should be a bit stronger than steady state…about 30-35 off your max heart rate. This can be ideally done continuously or as 4 10 minute pieces with 1-2 minutes rest.

4 x 10′

4′ at 18, 3′ at 20, 2′ at 22, 1′ at 24
4′ at 20, 3′ at 22, 2′ at 24, 1′ at 26
4′ at 18, 3′ at 20, 2′ at 22, 1′ at 24
4′ at 20, 3′ at 22, 2′ at 24, 1′ at 26

Then

10 strokes ON at 28 FULL POWER, 10 strokes PADDLE x 5

These higher strokes at the end of the piece help get the muscles firing a bit quicker and end the workout on an up tempo and remind the muscles to recruit power quickly at full efforts.

Cool Down

Look at this workout as one that slowly brings the rate up with the power. The power should be at a level that approximates a 5K pace (85%-90%).
Each piece asks to stay consistent with pace but bring up rate which will quicken the pace (usually 2-3 sec faster per rate shift up). It should get uncomfortable when rates get to 26-28. Use the 5 min as a time for focus on form and positioning of body. Since a 5K takes around 16-24 min depending on fitness, age, gender, etc…5 min should be quite doable especially with 2 min of rest although it will start to climb on you as you get to the 5th and 6th piece. STAY STRONG!

Warm – up

6 x 5′
2′ rest

1. 2 min at 20, 2 min at 22, 1 min at 24 (start at 5K +12)
2. 2 min at 22, 2 min 24, 1 min at 22
3. 2 min at 24, 2 min at 26, 1 min at 24
4. 2 min at 26, 2 min at 28, 1 min at 26
5. 5 min at 26
6. 2 min at 28, 1 min at 24, 2 min at 28

#feelthe wheel,#Ompowersf, #indoorrowing, #rowindoors

If you are in San Francisco and want to work out, go to OMpower at 66 Townsend for a row, yoga, cycle, TRX, etc…

Our new rowing loft is set and ready for rowing and TRX fusion. #OMpower, #ready,set,row. #indoorrowing, #rowindoors.

Best,
Duncan

You don’t go grab a barbell and load it up with your 1RM and start your workout there, do you? Of course not. So why do so many people set their erg to 10 and set off to row? Good question, huh? Read on and find out why setting your erg at 10 is almost never a good idea.
How the Rower Works
For starters, let’s discuss briefly how indoor rowers work, because I’m an engineer and this is my chance to be nerdy. When you think of rowing, you think of boats and rowing on the water, right? Guess how much water is used in the operation of these Concept 2 rowers? That’s right — none! (Well, unless you are sweaty like me, then things might get a little damp. But I digress.)
The flywheel — and thus the rower — is constantly wanting to stop itself, constantly wanting to hit the brakes. Overcoming this deceleration is how distance and other outputs are measured.Indoor rower doesn’t sound as cool as calling it an erg. Erg comes from the word ergometer, which simply means a device that measures the amount of work being performed.
You knew there was no water involved, but do you know what provides the resistance with each and every pull you make? Here’s a hint: you breathe it. Yup, air! Good ole air provides all the pulse quickening and pain inducing you could ever want, and yet always leaves you gasping for more air. Air is a tricky character sometimes.
Inside the round chamber on the rower is a device called a flywheel. A flywheel stores rotational energy. Also, the flywheel has a high moment of inertia, which is demonstrated by the difficulty/extra energy that must be spent at the beginning of your row to get the wheel spinning (i.e. you must give more torque!). The stored energy couples with this same high inertia to produce the momentum that keeps the wheel spinning after you stop pulling on the chain.
Got all that? Good.
The erg works for all people because of the flywheel. The flywheel — and thus the rower — is constantly wanting to stop itself, constantly wanting to hit the brakes. Overcoming this deceleration is how distance and other outputs are measured. To make things even more diabolical, the faster you spin the wheel, the more resistance is generated.
That leads us to the lever on the side of the flywheel house, the one numbered 1-10. This adjusts the damper on the side of the flywheel chamber. Changing the damper setting changes the amount of air flow into the flywheel. And as we discussed earlier, air is what is providing the resistance on our rows.
A higher damper setting brings more air into the housing, which means there is more resistance for the wheel to spin against. Also, more air will slow the wheel down quicker, meaning you have to do more work to accelerate the wheel on your next pull.
As you might expect, a lower setting allows less air, which makes spinning easier — in other words, the opposite of the above paragraph.
So… rowing with a damper setting at 10 gives a better workout than setting it at 6, right?
No.
No!
No!!!

You don’t go grab a barbell and load it up with your 1RM and start your workout there, do you? Of course not. So why do so many people set their erg to 10 and set off to row? Good question, huh? Read on and find out why setting your erg at 10 is almost never a good idea.
How the Rower Works
For starters, let’s discuss briefly how indoor rowers work, because I’m an engineer and this is my chance to be nerdy. When you think of rowing, you think of boats and rowing on the water, right? Guess how much water is used in the operation of these Concept 2 rowers? That’s right — none! (Well, unless you are sweaty like me, then things might get a little damp. But I digress.)
The flywheel — and thus the rower — is constantly wanting to stop itself, constantly wanting to hit the brakes. Overcoming this deceleration is how distance and other outputs are measured.Indoor rower doesn’t sound as cool as calling it an erg. Erg comes from the word ergometer, which simply means a device that measures the amount of work being performed.
You knew there was no water involved, but do you know what provides the resistance with each and every pull you make? Here’s a hint: you breathe it. Yup, air! Good ole air provides all the pulse quickening and pain inducing you could ever want, and yet always leaves you gasping for more air. Air is a tricky character sometimes.
Inside the round chamber on the rower is a device called a flywheel. A flywheel stores rotational energy. Also, the flywheel has a high moment of inertia, which is demonstrated by the difficulty/extra energy that must be spent at the beginning of your row to get the wheel spinning (i.e. you must give more torque!). The stored energy couples with this same high inertia to produce the momentum that keeps the wheel spinning after you stop pulling on the chain.
Got all that? Good.
The erg works for all people because of the flywheel. The flywheel — and thus the rower — is constantly wanting to stop itself, constantly wanting to hit the brakes. Overcoming this deceleration is how distance and other outputs are measured. To make things even more diabolical, the faster you spin the wheel, the more resistance is generated.
That leads us to the lever on the side of the flywheel house, the one numbered 1-10. This adjusts the damper on the side of the flywheel chamber. Changing the damper setting changes the amount of air flow into the flywheel. And as we discussed earlier, air is what is providing the resistance on our rows.
A higher damper setting brings more air into the housing, which means there is more resistance for the wheel to spin against. Also, more air will slow the wheel down quicker, meaning you have to do more work to accelerate the wheel on your next pull.
As you might expect, a lower setting allows less air, which makes spinning easier — in other words, the opposite of the above paragraph.
So… rowing with a damper setting at 10 gives a better workout than setting it at 6, right?
No.
No!
No!!!

To get yourself more acclimate to a higher rate for the 5K distance try shorter more focused pieces to get in touch with the higher rate rhythm while keeping strong on power.

Try:
warm up 5 minutes – 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 (85%)

Then:
1. 24 (5K pace), 26 (5k-2), 24
2. 26 (5K-2), 28, 24
3. 26, 30, 26
4. 24, 26, 30
5. 10 strokes ON, 10 strokes OFF FULL POWER for 3 minutes.

4 Reasons You Need to Add Rowing to Workout Routine
This exercise trend is getting popular fast, and for good reason too
Katie Rosenbrock

Flickr/skittledog
The juice bars at gyms and exercise studios all across the country are buzzing, and the word in between sips of protein smoothie is that rowing workouts are all the rage right now. In fact, some fitness influencers are even going as far as to say that rowing is the new spinning.

Did you hear that Soul Cycle? There’s a new boutique fitness trend in town and its speedy upswing isn’t at all unwarranted.

“85 percent of your body is activated while rowing,” says Shaun Jenkins, an instructor at the CityRow rowing studio in New York City. “It’s a total body experience.”

From fitness fanatics to everyday exercisers, everyone loves a workout that not only offers a big burn in a short amount of time, but that’s also engaging and exciting; something that differs from the regular gym grind that consists of running on the treadmill, lifting weights or, dare I even say it, spinning.

Which is why it doesn’t get much more exciting than an opportunity to invest 50 minutes in a session like the classes offered at a studio like CityRow. They alternate between cardio-based rowing and muscle-building strength training exercises for a low-impact, high intensity workout that combines the best of both workout worlds.

“If you’re looking for something that’s new, different, fun and that has the ultimate balance of cardio and strength this is what you’re looking for,” CityRow founder Helaine Knapp told me.

And if all that isn’t enough to convince you to add rowing to your regular workout routine, here are four more reasons to give this new fitness fad exercise that has actually been around for ages a try.

1. More Core
Hardly any other cardio workout in existence will engage your core better than rowing can. “Your core is engaged right from the start,” says Jenkins. “The moment you align your spine your core has to activate. So sitting from the starting position, extending your legs, pulling all the way back to the 45-degree angle— your core is activated the entire time.”

Related: How to Get Flat Abs

2. Anyone Can Row
“Because it’s low impact, it can just appeal to more people,” says Knapp. “Someone that’s recovering from an injury or someone who just had a baby… Even my grandma can do it.” Jenkins went on to add that rowing can be a safe workout for exercisers with injuries ranging from lower back issues and herniated discs to carpal tunnel and knee pain. “They come in, have a phenomenal and safe workout and they leave tired sweating and safely walking back home,” he said.

3. Fun and Fast
Correct me if this isn’t true: we all want to reap the benefits of exercise and maintain our fitness but wish exercising didn’t feel like such a long and arduous chore sometimes. Or is that just me?

Anyway, 50-minutes might sound like a long time for working out, but I can truthfully say that every class I took at CityRow was so much fun—and therefore went by so fast—that I was genuinely surprised when the instructor slowed down the music and took us through the cool-down; every single time. 50 minutes felt like five, but I was tired and sweaty in the best way possible after every session.

If you don’t have access to a studio that offers rowing workouts just yet, try incorporating the rower at your gym (or at home if you have one) into your exercise routine by creating 40 to 50 minute workouts that alternate between 5 to 10 minutes of rowing and 5 to 10 minutes of strength exercises like lunges, squats and dumbbell bicep curls.

4. Total Body Takeover
I’ll just take this opportunity to repeat one of the best benefits of this excellent form of exercise: 85 percent of your body is activated while rowing. While you’re working out on this machine you’re using your core, your arms and a whole lot of leg too. Like Jenkins said, it’s a total body experience that can’t really compare to single-plane exercises like spinning or running. Not to mention, it combines cardio and strength training for the ultimate muscle-building calorie burn. “Most people walk out of here and are like, ‘That was amazing. I can’t wait to come back… I’m gonna be so sore!’” said Knapp.

As we train the body for Head races (5K distances), it is important to train the stroke rate in relation to power. It becomes apparent quickly when we raise the stroke rate to 28 – 32 on the erg how much it robs us of our oxygen. Therefore it is vital we begin training the body to adapt to higher rates without losing the efficiency of our power. Below is a great workout to begin this process and test the higher rates.

4 x 8′ (2′, 2′, 2′,2′) at (22, 28, 22, 28 strokes per min). 3-4 min rest between 8′ pieces.

The object of the workout is to get a good brisk pace at the 22 stroke rate (5K +8) and then poor on the power for the 2′ bursts of power at 28 (5K, 5K-2). Be sure to stay consistent on paces when you drop from 28 to 22 and do not let the pace drop more than 8 sec. It is not rest. The point is to lengthen out, stay poised and settle the breathing. The heart rate will take longer to recover as you row more of these pieces but will also indoctrinate the body to “touch” more uncomfortable paces in short/med pieces.