Concept2 Challenge Series ..... Sign up?

springtide9

Extending this to the road section of bikeradar.

More details at: http://concept2.co.uk/challengeseries/

Basically once a month you have a challenge for the next 9 months, plus a few bonus rounds thrown in for good measure.

We have created a 'Mini League' for bikeradar.com to compare our results and encourage us to train harder.

Anyone interested?

Note that the original MTB thread is at:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12731400

Cheers
Simon

dmch2

I rowed for about 10 years (with a few very serious years in the middle) then got bored and eventually became a roadie buying my first proper road bike last month.

So whilst I'd rather go cycling I do have a concept 2 at home and this is somewhere where I won't be completely useless. Whilst fitness is important technique makes a LOT of difference on a rowing machine.

If you want some numbers to aim at an Olympic standard heavyweight rower will do over 17km in an hour and 2km will take 5minutes 45!

My crew weren't anything like that good but would expect to have a decent chance of winning moderately sized club events. In an hour we'd be doing 15km or so and 6min 45 for 2k. I expect I'd be at about 7:15-7:30 these days though

Similar standard good club ladies would take about 8 minutes to do 2k.

Give it a go and post your times!

springtide9

@dmch2

Cool.. We'll have a proper rower in the challenge to compare ourselves against.
Only ever rowed on a C2, which I guess is much more forgiving if you are not smooth (I'm sure I'd sink a boat if I had a go on the river)

Currently have two members in the Bikeradar.com mini league (including myself)... so are waiting for you to submit your time (not many days until the first of the month)

For reference, our current distances for the 4min challenge are:

springtinde9 (myself): 1189
weeksy59: 1122

Just to give you a distance to aim to beat!

wastrel

That is a truly horrible game - I've never felt my heart try and escape before - even on Hardknott pass. It makes VO2 max turbo intervals seem like relaxation.
First row for at least 2 years.
My excuse is that I only weigh 65kg (which is a midget by rowing standards I think) and I'm ancient.....1070m.
How do I find this mini-league thing* - in case I ever try again?

edit - *found it.

dmch2

unfortunately i'm not that fit anymore! I reckon i'll be pretty similar to you two... If you're not rowers at all then those are more than decent times.

if it's dry when i get home tomorrow i'll cycle, if not i'll give the 4 minute challenge a go.

(i really REALLY hope it's dry!)

dmch2

I'm now getting tempted to give it a go tonight once my tea goes down. Then, because i'm bound to get 1188m (or less) and get shown up by an MTBer I'll have to go out in the rain tomorrow as well!

springtide9

@wastrel : Great time for your weight and size as it makes a huge difference.
I so agree, these short distance sprints are so painful!

.... you Roadies.. you guys are not 'proper fit' like the MTBers LOL

I guess C2 Rowing is more appropriate training for MTBers rather than Roadies - for upper body fitness.

Now if the Roadies vs MTBers banter that hasn't stirred the 'bees nest' to get you guys signed up - I don't know what will.

Note that you can keep updating your time if you improve upon it, so please sign up, join the mini league and post your times. It will be good for motivation to compare against each other as we improve (and go through the series).

.. the good news is that Concept2 have a week extension....From Concept2's Website:

Round 1 - Deadline Extension
Due to popular demand, it being the first round and we want to give people a chance to get back into it, we have extended the deadline for the first round of the Challenge Series by 1 week. This means you now have until Friday 8th October to get your 4 minute row results entered (log in at concept2.co.uk/challengeseries/log_in).

Round 2
If you've already submitted your time and want to move on to Round 2 (the 1 mile row) then any result from 1st October can still be submitted but not until 11:01pm on Friday 8th October.

Good luck! [and try to enjoy! LOL]

dmch2

I've only been a roadie for 3 months (less than a month on this bike!) so I'm probably the slowest roadie here. So if you can't beat me you MTBers must be really rubbish!

Rowing does almost everything with the legs although for short sprints like this any muscle that can conceivably help gets used!

dmch2

1127m - too fat and too unfit!

i reckon at my peak I'd have done 1258 and weighed 70kg (which made me a lightweight) rather than 85kg!

springtide9

dmch2 wrote:

1127m - too fat and too unfit!

i reckon at my peak I'd have done 1258 and weighed 70kg (which made me a lightweight) rather than 85kg!

Good time! I hope you fell off that rower at the end!

And thanks for joining the league.. will hopefully be useful to keep the motivation going over the winter months.

dmch2

I was pretty dead after only 2 mins as i started too fast (thought i'd aim for 1200m) and just had no power left!

I reckon 1140 would be quite doable if i set off a bit slower but no way 1190!

I've have a think for some excuses I'm looking forward to the 10k month as it'll be less painful.

outofbreath2

Hello.

Can someone direct me to the Bikeradar league please (if you'll have me!). I can only find the Superleagues with all the fitness clubs.

Still a bit undecided though.
Thank you.

wastrel

When you sign up to the Concept 2 challenge website a list of mini-leagues appears.
Give it a go - you can't be any worse than me.
2nd go today 1078m so +8.

outofbreath2

Wanna bet? There's a good reason for my forum name you know.

Right, sign up first then. Will do.

Thanks and well done on the +8.

dmch2

Stuck in the house on baby sitting duty which got me thinking... Which is more boring concept 2 or turbo trainer?

Elston

I've just joined a gym for the winter, and they have plenty of rowing machines. I'd like to have a go at these rowing challenges. My only question relates to resistance settings - the machines at my gym (I think they're concept 2's) have a variable resistance. The induction chap said setting 7 is equivalent to rowing on water. Anyway, the website for the challenges doesn't seem to say anything about setting resistance. Any ideas?

dmch2

Elston wrote:

I've just joined a gym for the winter, and they have plenty of rowing machines. I'd like to have a go at these rowing challenges. My only question relates to resistance settings - the machines at my gym (I think they're concept 2's) have a variable resistance. The induction chap said setting 7 is equivalent to rowing on water. Anyway, the website for the challenges doesn't seem to say anything about setting resistance. Any ideas?

Whatever you're comfortable with. There is no 'equivalent to water' setting as it depends on the gearing (position of the pivot) on the oar, type of oar, the boat, weight of crew, how good the crew is, how windy it is etc.

FWIW I'd only ever use between 1 (mostly) and 4 (for short few minute sprints).

wastrel

@ Elston;
I had to think about this and it made my brain hurt - but as dmch2 said, whatever feels best. There's a heap of complicated (for me) maths behind it but, whatever setting you choose for the drag, the work rate is the same for any given speed - so 1000m in 4 mins takes the same wattage output on 1 or 10. As far as I understand it, If it's on a lower setting the acceleration of the stroke is easier, but the deceleration is faster too....or something like that...
Most real rowers seem to go for about 3-4 on the drag.
@ dmch2;
Most boring?...I actually enjoy the turbo/rollers more than the road unless it's dry and sunny (or the pyrenees) and I've only ever done about 10 rows. With a bit of music I'm pretty happy on either, the cycling is easier on the lungs though - I imagine because you are using less muscle mass (specially with my legs!)

Elston

Thanks folks. I've signed up and will have a go on the rower very soon 8)

dmch2

I always used to do 60 minutes a time on the rower so that's a lot of scope to get bored. The problem is that it makes so much noise it's hard to get the TV loud enough. Plus I was always thinking about technique or the next target (do 1 minute at this speed, 10 strokes concentrating on x etc). And if you're going flat out you haven't got anything left to think about the TV as you're trying not to pass out!

pilot_pete

Just stumbled across this thread. I used to 'erg', which is the correct term for indoor rowing, before I got into road cycling. I did an awful lot a few years back in the gym and it was the lack of scenery that made me look to find an outdoor pursuit.

In 2007 I rowed 1,000,000 metres for charity - which was a great motivator. Fitness, especially aerobic was vastly improved and I peaked with a 2k best of 6:49 at age 41 and 85kg. It is a fantastic fitness tool if you follow a proper training plan (which they have on the C2 website), but beware, as with all challenges you will improve rapidly but plateau and find further gains very difficult without a proper program. Plus, you can hurt yourself trying to go balls out on a rower, even more so if your technique is not correct. Watch your back!

Enjoy!

ps if the handle is going up and down over your knees (the most common thing I see on a gym machine) then your technique is wrong!

Elston

Phew! Just had my first ergo (if that's the correct parlance then). Managed 1050m in 4 minutes. Probably a bit feeble, but I'll take it for my first effort

ballywholan

I've committed myself to trying a (Concept2) marathon in February. I'm aiming for three-ish hours.

wastrel

That's 3hrs at 2:07 splits! - I think you should join the bike radar mini league and show us how it's done. I'd have more (but still no) chance of running a 3hr marathon than doing that!

dmch2

My best for an hour was 1:57 splits (at 70kg). The secret is the technique - make sure all the effort goes into moving the handle (and therefore the flywheel). A lot of new rowers at the gym will basically keep the handle in place as their backside flies backwards at the same speed as they lean forward - so nothing actually happens. When you get it right you'll be doing a mere 22 strokes a minute on minimum resistance and splitting at under 2:00.

If you get back problem then do lots of sit-ups. Sounds odd but basically if your back gets too strong your pelvis starts rotating backward so you need a strong stomach to keep it level.

springtide9

@dmch2: That is very interesting regarding stroke and resistance as well as an impressive hour.

I've been doing 45mins the last few weeks and have got my split down to around 1:58.5 with around 30 strokes/min. Might have to drop the resistance and give it a try. I guess this is how people row when they don't have any guidance. I must admit, I still hear the gym instructors telling anyone over 70kg to use Level 10, although they do give good advice with regards to technique (and back safety)

What I have been finding for the 45min stint, is that my bottom (sorry!) starts to go a bit numb/'pins and needles' for sitting for so long. Did you guys 'pads' for these long sessions or do you just get used to it?

@ballywholan: Now that is insane! 3 hrs is a very long time.

Anyway, thanks for all of the people who have signed up. Looks like we have a reasonable number of people in the mini league now. And for all trying to improve their time for the 4min sprint, there are still a few days left.

dmch2

Gym instructors don't know what they're talking about in my experience. They probably get a 5 minute guide on each piece of kit in the gym.

I was rowing every day for a couple of years plus on a rowing machine a few times a week with lots of coaching and was still learning to get better.

If you're rating 30 then you're putting lots of energy into pushing yourself up and down which means it's not making you go faster. And you're possibly wasting the ends of the stroke in a rush to start the next one. Two thirds of the time should be spent coasting forward then one third pushing.

Numb bum happens, you get used to it - same as cycling really!

springtide9

@dmch2: I will give that a go at my next session. Thought about trying it today, but it was a bit of sticking to what you know to try and improve on my 4 min distance.

===================

2nd and definitely last attempt. Final Distance in 4 mins: 1193m (+4m)
I was hoping for 1200m, but no chance.

Simon

dmch2

If you're that quick for 4 minutes then your technique can't be far off (or it is and you're 120kg of pure muscle and aerobic perfection!). It's a sprint so you're basically beasting it and will rate higher.

Try it next time you do a longer training style erg though. Something to stop it getting boring at least!

abchandler

Will join up - we have a private mini league organised at work but am just about to join the br one!!

wastrel

Good! The more the merrier. Ideally some non-rowing scrawny climber types to keep me company towards the bottom of the league.
Last go before the deadline - added a few more, 1100m.