(This is an update to a post original published in 2013) A reader submitted this question about oar length: “I just received your “Nuts & Bolts guide…” from Amazon.com I bought the book because I’m getting conflicting feedback about my rigging. “When I learned to scull, it was in a VanDusen racing 1x with club […]
Concept2
Oar Maintenance: Now Is The Perfect Time
There two reasons to take oar maintenance action now and get your oars ready to row First, you need oars to row. Second, for most of us the oars have been sitting—high and dry. And that means it’s the perfect time to give them the love they deserve. There are two hoaxes about oar maintenance […]
5 Tricks To Squeeze More From Your Concept2 Indoor Rower
Most rowers would rather be rowing on the water than sitting on an indoor rower. Unfortunately that’s not happening for many of us right now. If you find yourself on an indoor rower, especially that stalwart of equipment the Concept2 Indoor Rower (aka Erg), there are several tricks you can use to squeeze more life (and […]
Rowing Equipment Love: Now Is The Critical Time To Give It
Rowing equipment love often gets forgotten for “other” things I left in a hurry. So fast the boathouse door didn’t get shut. We sped off. Driving like a NASCAR pro. There was an emergency. The next hours—days—were consumed with responding to the emergency. It was a week before I got back to the boathouse. When […]
How To Row Safe (and Sane) In The Time of COVID-19
I was burning with fever. Weak in the legs. Head pounding. We had been training flat out and our boat was finally moving. But I couldn’t get out of bed. I didn’t have the strength to go to practice. And the worst part—when I went to the doctor she told me “You have an infection. […]
How to predict a team’s 2k erg score in 20 seconds
I’m not a great believer in predictions, especially when it comes to human effort. There’s too many variables that come into play. Yet, I sincerely believe in “edu-guessing” (making educated guesses) that get close to reality. That holds true when trying to a predict a team’s 2k erg scores. How to predict a team’s 2k […]
How to Select Rowing Rigging Numbers for Beginners
Rowing equipment has gone through a significant revolution the past ten years. There’s been new oar designs, wide acceptance of the Euro-style rigger, advancement in foot stretchers, and the continued development of new materials. These improvements have meant significant changes in the rigging numbers used for the leverage measurements (oar length, spread, span, etc), and foot […]
How To Improve Your Erg Racing On Race Day
Erg racing is NOT like a normal rowing race. Besides the “inside” aspect, there’s the main difference of a “shared-machine.” You race, then I race, and then someone else, and so on…all on the same machine. With that “shared-machine” perspective facing you on indoor-rowing race-day, there are a few simple actions you should take to […]
When Good Ergometers Do Bizarre Things
Had something really funky happen this week at practice. Ergometer trouble. The team was rowing a fairly standard Monday practice for us. Three sets of pyramids, with one set being: 30 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 60 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 90 sec on/ 60 sec active rest 60 sec on/ 60 […]
21 Tips For Safer Rowing Equipment Storage
I learned a hard lesson my first year as a head coach. It had to do with our rowing equipment storage. Spring season was starting and it’d been a tough winter. Athletes and coaches were ready to get on the water, excited about “real rowing” instead of “erg rowing.” Several of us ventured to the […]
