Erging

An erg is an ergometer, which is a fancy name for an Indoor Rowing Machine. They mimic the action of the sculling stroke, and almost mimic the action of the sweep stroke. They are used to develop good rowing habits, and to stay fit. Lots of YMCAs have them. A lot of our rowers own their own ergs.

It's important to get the right stroke when you start using an erg, so you don't develop bad habits that can adversely affect on-water rowing. Watch these for the correct way to erg:

• Concept2 demonstration
• YouTube erging demonstration

We erg during the on-water season for strength and endurance. We erg during the winter months to stay fit so that when we can get on the water again, we aren't all weak and flabby after four months of inactivity. We erg for the Concept2 challenges. We erg to train for the HRRC Erg Pull Challenge in February. For many reasons, we erg.

Concept2

The best instructions on erging come from Concept2 - the makers of the most common erg - the Concept2 Indoor Rower. Proper erging technique? Click here for an animation and description.

There are many ways you can use an erg. The three commonest are for general fitness, weight control, and race training. There are different workout sessions for each. Go to the Concept2 Workout-of-the-day, and select "Training Goal". Enter some of the other details and it will give you a workout.

Online Logbook

The best thing Concept2 have going for them, is their Online Logbook. You can register with them online (free) and set up your own online logbook. Every time you erg, record your distance and time. You get to measure your improvements. You get to score in the Challenges. You get free swag every time you hit the million meter mark. In your profile, set up your affiliation to Juniper Rowing Club, and you can see the club's ranking against other clubs. And when you reach new personal bests of standard distances or times, you can rank them. And then compare your ranking against everyone else in the world.

What the numbers mean

On the erg's monitor, there are some numbers you need to know.

• At the top right is the strokes per minute (s/m or spm). If you're sprinting in a short race, high is good. For most training sessions, the lower the better. Stick to 20 to 22 strokes per minute.
• The big number in the middle (in this example 1:46 /500m) is the split rate. This is a measure of your power. At the rate you are currently pulling, the split rate is how long it takes you to cover 500 meters. Lower is better, as that means you cover 500m in a shorter time.
• The rest of the numbers change depending on what type of session you are doing.

Workouts

First establish your base split rate. This is the base split rate that you will work with. It is the average split rate that you can maintain a 2,000 meter piece at. If you do not already have a measured 2k rate, you can start with the averages. The average male base rate is 2:03, and the average female base rate is 2:27. In the workouts below, you will be asked to do a piece at a split rate based on your base rate. It will be specified as base+4, meaning take your personal base split rate, or the average for your gender, and add 4 seconds to it. Male average would be 2:03 + 4 = 2:07 seconds, female average would be 2:27 + 4 = 2:31 seconds. If you already know your base rate, say 1:56, then the piece would be done at 1:56 + 4 = 2:00 seconds. You will notice some pieces specify negative numbers. You have to stretch to maintain those split rates at the specified stroke rate. As you get stronger, you should adjust your base split rate downwards, maybe 1 or 2 seconds every few weeks.

There are some common workouts that we used in the 2004/2005 Winter Season when we erged together on Wednesday evenings. Before every workout session, you should stretch, do a 10 minute warm up session (light rowing), stretch again, then do a workout session, then cool down (light rowing) for 8 minutes. In general set the damper to 4 or 5, a middle of the road number. Try these:

• 5 repetitions of (4 minutes at base+4, then 1 min rest)
• 30 minutes at base+8
• at base+4 do (2000m then 3 min rest, 1500m then 3 min rest, 1000m then 3 min rest, 500m then 3 min rest)
• 4 repetitions of (2000m at base+6 then 3 min rest)
• 7000m at base+10
• 8 repetitions of (500m at base-4 then 3 min rest)
• 2000m at base rate, as if you're in the Erg Pull, give it all you've got
• 6000m at base+6, with a 100m burst at base rate after every 500m
• 10 repetitions at base+4 of (2 mins @ 22 spm, 2 mins @ 24 spm)
• 7 repetitions at base+4 of (3 mins @ 22 spm, 2 mins @ 25 spm, 1 min @ 28 spm)
• at base+4 do (1000m @ 24 spm, 3 mins rest, 1000m @ 22 spm, 3 mins rest, 1000m @ 20 spm, 3 mins rest, 1000m @ 18 spm, 3 mins rest)
• short pyramids, alternate between rest speed and base rate (250m slow, 250m fast, 250m slow, 500m fast, 250m slow, 750m fast, 500m slow, 750m fast, 500m slow, 500m fast, 250m slow, 250m fast, 250m slow)
• longer pyramids, alternate between rest speed and base+4 (250m slow, 250m fast, 250m slow, 500m fast, 250m slow, 750m fast, 500m slow, 1000m fast, 500m slow, 750m fast, 500m slow, 500m fast, 250m slow, 250m fast, 250m slow)

Notes

• spm = strokes per minute, the number at the top right of the erg monitor
• rest does not mean stopping. It means slowing down to a slow rate. You keep rowing, slowly, so you get a rest, you get your breath back, and your heart rate slows down.