7 Week GPP Day 4

I bought a C2 Rower just for this cycle and have completed week 1. Any advice on how to maintain ~RPE 6 on the machine? I like to keep the drag factor around 130 for everything else. Should I lower it and just stop sometimes? Rowing seems pretty intense regardless of the effort put forth.

It doesn’t need to be “intense regardless of the effort put forth”. You may need to adjust the drag factor, but it’s simply a subjective rating relative to a 10/10 all-out sprint. Should be fairly easy and consistent. I would not stop mid-row for this purpose.

I actually get what you’re saying about “seeming intense regardless of the effort,” but this is our fault, not the machine’s.

I’m a former rower and have been getting back on the C2 over the past couple months, and find that my RPE on an “easy” row somehow always gravitates to something higher than an “easy” run.

AFACT, there are two reasons for this:

  1. I pull too hard on the C2. I recently checked with an HR monitor, and what I think of as an “easy” running pace gravitates to a lower heartrate than what I think of as an “easy” rowing pace. This may be because of expectations around what I “should” be pulling thanks to my rowing experience, but I do see some of my gym buddies doing the same. Obviously my expectations need to change, and it sounds like yours do to.

The fix: Just stop pulling so hard. Still having to learn this one myself.

  1. Breathing. The rowing stroke kinda determines your breathing, which can feel weird and make you feel out of breath if you’re not well trained at grinding the rhythm of that particular strokerate and output. You’ll just get better at this.

The fix: Breath out at the finish of the stroke, and just practice rowing. Lowering the damper could help, if it allows you to sit at a higher stroke rate that feels more comfortable for your breathing, without increasing your output beyond LISS levels.

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Thanks Austin. I’ll lower the drag and try to maintain a slower steady pace. Will post results tomorrow!

Another former competitive rower here.

I use the rower for HIIT only. I know I will smash myself rowing for LISS so I just don’t do it.

Thus it is very easy to not worry about over doing it or thinking too much while doing cardio. All the techniques and tactics in the world are unnecessary if one doesn’t subject themselves to it in the first place. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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Wow great advice! Thank you R_Morrell!

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Heart rate was around 130 most of the time (via Apple Watch). Going to get an ANT strap so it syncs with the erg app / data.