Adair Ferguson, BSc, BA (Human Movement), MSc (qual.)
When I was pregnant with my first child I knew that after the birth my opportunities for training were going to be limited. I was worried that I would lose my fitness and drop out of the sport, but I was ‘saved’ by two training aids—a large-wheeled ‘running pram’ especially designed for joggers with babies, and a Concept 2 rowing ergometer. The pram was great for getting out of the house to exercise while still looking after the baby, while the ergo allowed to me to keep fit in the comfort of my lounge room, while watching TV or listening to the radio.
The Concept ergos have a very similar action to ‘real’ rowing—in fact they are often used to help in the selection of crews for club, State and national teams. They also provide one of the best and most time-efficient ways of keeping fit. Exactly as in rowing, you use most of the major muscles in the body—legs, glutes, upper and lower back, arms and abdominals. Contrary to popular perception, the major power in the rowing stroke comes from the legs.
The rowing action is also particularly good for cardiovascular health and fitness as, in addition to using all the major muscle groups, it is continuous and of reasonably long duration. The benefits of ergometer training transfer not only to ‘real’ rowing but to a wide range of sports involving all-round strength and endurance such as the triathlon and its component sports.
I know for a fact that not so long ago some of the staff from the testing lab at the AIS became rather envious of the fitness levels of the rowing athletes they were testing. They started training on the ergo themselves, for 10 minutes a day at first, and kept up the training for a few weeks. They found that they improved their general fitness dramatically over this very short time.
Having access to a proper rowing ergometer is not usually too difficult. For example my own local fitness centre has three Concept ergos, used by all as an alternative to steppers, stationary bikes, and treadmills. In addition to fitness centres, ergometers can be found in police gyms, hotels, fire stations, schools, and football clubs.
A great variety of techniques are used on the ergo by people who have not been shown the basic elements of good technique. Some are ‘naturals’, but without good technique it is all too easy to put unnecessary stress on yourself and and your back in particular.
Here are some steps to good ergo technique that I find helpful:
2. Initiate the stroke by pushing off the balls of your feet.
3. As you push, keep your arms out straight at first, with shoulders drawn forward. ‘Hang’ your weight off the handle so that your backside feels light on the seat.
4. Open your body progressively as your legs push down.
5. Start to bend your arms as the hands approach the knees, and in a coordinated action use both the legs and arms to drive the handle in a flat trajectory to the ribs .
6. Use the legs to apply pressure smoothly, strongly and progressively all the way through this ‘drive’ phase to accelerate the stroke and build to a peak at the finish.
7. Sit back a little as the arms finish the stroke, using your abdominal muscles to hold this position.
8. Keep the hands moving around the back turn of the stroke while holding the knees down.
9. As your hands pass over the knees allow the knees to come up and slide smoothly up to the catch position again.
10. Relax ALL your muscles on the way up to the catch. This aids recovery for the next stroke.
11. Repeat the strokes in a smooth, continuous and flowing motion.
Whether you are a novice or an expert on the ergo, the main principles of training are the same. In essence, you must be prepared to build, in gradual steps, the amount of work you do by increasing:
(b) duration, i.e. length of workout
(c) frequency, i.e. number of training sessions per week.
Say you are aiming to compete in the Australian Masters Games Ergometer competition on 31 October and you have three months to prepare. Below is an outline of a simple program that you can adapt to your own needs and circumstances.
Divide the time you have left before the competition into blocks or stages of about a month’s duration. For example:
2. Fitness building (e.g. September)
3. Pre-competition (e.g. October).
Note: If you are over 40 years of age and have not been exercising regularly, it is wise to have a full medical check-up before embarking on any regular exercise program.
In Stage 1 (August in our example) lay the base of your fitness by getting on the ergo 2–3 times a week for 10–30 minutes. Row at 60–80% of your maximum heart rate (maximum heart rate in beats per minute is generally 220 minus your age). If you are new to the ergo keep the intensity at the lower end of this range until you get used to the exercise. Then gradually increase the intensity, duration and frequency.
As you gain confidence you can experiment with rating changes during a piece, e.g. you could row a 10-minute session starting at a rating of 18 strokes per minute for two minutes, then two minutes rating 20, two minutes at 22, and so on until in the final two minutes you are rating at 26 strokes per minute. Alternatively you can build the rating up in shorter 1-minute steps, then come back down again, e.g. 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 26, 24, 22, 20, 18.
You can run, cycle or do some basic strength training (e.g. push-ups, chin-ups, or circuit or pump classes at a gym) to supplement your ergo work. Sit-ups are also a useful exercise for the ergo.
Now that your body is more accustomed to the work, you can increase the total length of your workout to, say, 20 minutes if you are a beginner, or 30–45 minutes if experienced. The intensity can increase to 75–85% of maximum heart rate. Experiment with more rating changes, say 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 minutes at increasing ratings, then rest or row easily for a few minutes and repeat.
The frequency of workouts can now be 3–5 times per week, and the total amount of hard work should not exceed 30 minutes.
By now you should have some idea of the score you are aiming for over the standard 500 m and/or 2000 m distances.
You should now be able to increase the intensity of your workouts to near competition pace and work levels. One of the best ways to do this is through interval training. You do shorter pieces, say a set of 30 seconds, 45 seconds and 1 minute at maximum intensity, with an equivalent amount of rest between each burst. Then row easily for a few minutes, then try again. Again, play around with ratings, but this time in the order of 26–36 strokes per minute.
Do not do these intense workouts more than 3–4 times a week, never let the hard intensity work exceed 15 minutes in total, and always have an ‘easy’ day in between sessions.
In the final week immediately prior to the competition keep up the intensity, but make your sessions very short (say 5 minutes total at high intensity) and get plenty of rest in the couple of day before. This final week is your ‘tapering’ period, and should have you raring to go on 31 October.