Rowing Machine Discussion - 7 MONTH UPDATE!! (1 Viewer)

[Willie Neslon]

I'm looking to get back in shape this year and I'm thinking a rowing machine will help me do that. Does anyone here have one? Any recommendations? The Concept machine I guess is the gold standard but it's $1300, a little out of my price range. Looking to spend at most half of that. Thanks.

Edit: I see if you buy direct from Concept it's $990. Still a bit pricey for me.

 

[Desert_Power]

How about a used Concept?

 

[Willie Neslon]

How about a used Concept?

What would be the best place to look for that? Ebay?

 

[Desert_Power]

How about a used Concept?

What would be the best place to look for that? Ebay?

Would assume it might be fruitful to look on Facebook marketplace. I got my Concept about 3 years ago and many were suggesting it but I just bought new. May want to look around in the Rowing subreddit as well.

 

[Willie Neslon]

How about a used Concept?

What would be the best place to look for that? Ebay?

Would assume it might be fruitful to look on Facebook marketplace. I got my Concept about 3 years ago and many were suggesting it but I just bought new. May want to look around in the Rowing subreddit as well.

How do you like the machine? Do you still use it often?

 

[Socrates11]

Former rower. Concept is the only rowing machine, nothing else comes close that I've experienced.

 

[Gatorade]

Recommendation - stay away from such contraptions. To much like work.

 

[Nugget]

How about a used Concept?

What would be the best place to look for that? Ebay?

Would assume it might be fruitful to look on Facebook marketplace. I got my Concept about 3 years ago and many were suggesting it but I just bought new. May want to look around in the Rowing subreddit as well.

I got mine around the same time. I bought it directly from the company, not through Amazon. I still use it but not as often as I should.

 

[3C's]

I have a concept 2 and it's absolutely great. Craigslist was the way. It took time and patience to get one at a good price but it was worth it. CrossFit was all the rage back then so they were selling fast.

 

[Desert_Power]

How about a used Concept?

What would be the best place to look for that? Ebay?

Would assume it might be fruitful to look on Facebook marketplace. I got my Concept about 3 years ago and many were suggesting it but I just bought new. May want to look around in the Rowing subreddit as well.

How do you like the machine? Do you still use it often?

I think it is a very neat and well built machine. Pretty easy to take apart for storage or moving it around.

Honestly, I never really could build up the endurance to do as much with it I'd like. Got it when I was dealing with some foot issues that made it painful to walk/hike. Mostly use it on days where i don't have much time for workouts otherwise.

 

[SWC]

you want to be about 620 for a 2000 or you will never get a seat take that to the bank brohan

 

[3C's]

Did 7x1000M with 1 minute rest intervals this morning. Had been doing 500M intervals (x12 or 16) so changing things up. It's a good workout.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Maybe a dumb question but can you do exercises on the Concept2 rower other than rowing? (Like curls, etc.)

 

[3C's]

Maybe a dumb question but can you do exercises on the Concept2 rower other than rowing? (Like curls, etc.)

You can change angles some to hit different parts of your back, and I sometimes turn my hands upside down to hit the biceps harder. For me, it's mostly back, biceps, abs, and lower body. Pretty thorough except the "push" muscles (chest and triceps), though the link below will say those are also worked.

Muscles Used While Rowing

Rowing uses 80% of the body's muscles

www.concept2.com

 

[parasaurolophus]

I recently bought This.

Wanted a cheapo to make sure I liked rowing and I am pleasantly surprised. Was also important to me to have it be quiet, and i am super pleased with that.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Screw it, I just bought a Concept2. I haven’t treated myself in a while, so Merry Christmas to me. $1,140 delivered. After checking the used market and seeing most listed around $800, I figured it holds its value pretty well. Worst case, if I don’t use it, I can sell it and take a small loss. Looking forward to rowing my brains out! Hopefully, I’ll have some good progress to share in a few months. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[SWC]

concept 2 is what actual teams use so you made a good choice they are simply the best take that to the bank bromigo

 

[Willie Neslon]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

 

[Nugget]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

Let me know when you get it set up and we can have a row off. We are about to get hit with storms this weekend so I don’t see myself outside much this weekend.

 

[Willie Neslon]

The lord gave me many gifts but assembling stuff with screws and a screwdriver is not one of them. First I couldn't find the screws for about 20 minutes. Then I lost one of the screws in the base of the rower. There is a plastic piece on the bottom of the base and the screw fell in there. Took me a half an hour to shake it out. Then I couldn't get one of the screws all the way down and that was because I put the legs on backwards. We finally got it all assembled. I got it stored standing up in the corner of the room. I think I may have a hernia from moving the box so I'm not sure when I'll get to try it out but it won't be until after the weekend at the earliest. Hopefully the hardest part is behind me.

 

[Willie Neslon]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

Let me know when you get it set up and we can have a row off. We are about to get hit with storms this weekend so I don’t see myself outside much this weekend.

LOL "row-off". I'm old and out of shape. Lucky if I can pull the handle a couple of times. To be honest, just sitting here looking up at the thing I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking buying it.

 

[3C's]

Hopefully the hardest part is behind me.

 

[Nugget]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

Let me know when you get it set up and we can have a row off. We are about to get hit with storms this weekend so I don’t see myself outside much this weekend.

LOL "row-off". I'm old and out of shape. Lucky if I can pull the handle a couple of times. To be honest, just sitting here looking up at the thing I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking buying it.

Basically we just sit on it and watch Netflix. I try to row 5K faster than I can walk it.

 

[Willie Neslon]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

Let me know when you get it set up and we can have a row off. We are about to get hit with storms this weekend so I don’t see myself outside much this weekend.

LOL "row-off". I'm old and out of shape. Lucky if I can pull the handle a couple of times. To be honest, just sitting here looking up at the thing I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking buying it.

Basically we just sit on it and watch Netflix. I try to row 5K faster than I can walk it.

I'm going to get on it when the soreness from moving it goes away. Maybe next week. What do you set the damper(?) thing on the fly wheel on ?

 

[Beef Ravioli Part 2]

Get after it @Willie Neslon!

 

[D-Day]

It was supposed to arrive next Wednesday between 12:45 and 2:45 but the thing showed up today while we were out. Pull up to the house and the giant box is just sitting next to the front door. Why send me an exact day and time of delivery if you're just going to show up and plop it down whenever you feel like it? It says Concept2 right on the box too. Lucky it didn't get boosted. Carrying that thing into the house will probably be the hardest workout I get out of it.

Let me know when you get it set up and we can have a row off. We are about to get hit with storms this weekend so I don’t see myself outside much this weekend.

LOL "row-off". I'm old and out of shape. Lucky if I can pull the handle a couple of times. To be honest, just sitting here looking up at the thing I'm not sure what the hell I was thinking buying it.

Dibs!

 

[arrow1]

have you hung any clothes on it yet?

 

[Willie Neslon]

have you hung any clothes on it yet?

No, they are all on the exercise bike.

 

[Willie Neslon]

I finally got on the thing this week and had 3 workouts. I'm starting very slow but feeling really good about the purchase. I have been watching a lot of videos and they all say at first you're supposed to focus on form which I am doing. You can really feel it in the shoulders, upper back and legs after rowing. Looking forward to building slowly each week. I need to figure out how to use all the settings on the display screen at some point. I have been setting it to just row. Another positive is it's not all that loud. I was worried it was going to sound like a saw or something but it's just a gentle woosh, probably because I'm not rowing all that hard. The seat is not uncomfortable at all for me which is a problem for some based on what I've been reading. If I had to guess i should be in Olympic shape by fall.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Link to the rowing machine you have Willie? I need a new toy.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Link to the rowing machine you have Willie? I need a new toy.

Top of the line, bay-bay.

https://www.concept2.com/ergs/rowerg

 

[3C's]

I finally got on the thing this week and had 3 workouts. I'm starting very slow but feeling really good about the purchase. I have been watching a lot of videos and they all say at first you're supposed to focus on form which I am doing. You can really feel it in the shoulders, upper back and legs after rowing. Looking forward to building slowly each week. I need to figure out how to use all the settings on the display screen at some point. I have been setting it to just row. Another positive is it's not all that loud. I was worried it was going to sound like a saw or something but it's just a gentle woosh, probably because I'm not rowing all that hard. The seat is not uncomfortable at all for me which is a problem for some based on what I've been reading. If I had to guess i should be in Olympic shape by fall.

The pm5 (screen) has a number of built in programs you can follow or you can create your own, and of course it keeps a history of all of your workouts so you can track progress. Quite a bit of info in that little display. Most of the time I do intervals, 16 intervals of 500m with a minute rest between each. It's a good workout to get the heart rate up and then let it drop, then repeat again and again. And I got a padded seat to make it more comfortable on the long hauls. Damper on mine is right in the middle.

 

[Willie Neslon]

I finally got on the thing this week and had 3 workouts. I'm starting very slow but feeling really good about the purchase. I have been watching a lot of videos and they all say at first you're supposed to focus on form which I am doing. You can really feel it in the shoulders, upper back and legs after rowing. Looking forward to building slowly each week. I need to figure out how to use all the settings on the display screen at some point. I have been setting it to just row. Another positive is it's not all that loud. I was worried it was going to sound like a saw or something but it's just a gentle woosh, probably because I'm not rowing all that hard. The seat is not uncomfortable at all for me which is a problem for some based on what I've been reading. If I had to guess i should be in Olympic shape by fall.

The pm5 (screen) has a number of built in programs you can follow or you can create your own, and of course it keeps a history of all of your workouts so you can track progress. Quite a bit of info in that little display. Most of the time I do intervals, 16 intervals of 500m with a minute rest between each. It's a good workout to get the heart rate up and then let it drop, then repeat again and again. And I got a padded seat to make it more comfortable on the long hauls. Damper on mine is right in the middle.

Yeah I need to play around with the PM5. I did 2500 meters with 2 breaks. Damper on 1 and rowing around a 3:00 pace. Have to start slow or I'm going to get super wiped out and probably will pull something. The machine feel nice though. Very smooth.

 

[3C's]

This will give you something to shoot for.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

That's insane! Looks like the video is sped up there at the start but it's not. 47 strokes/minute. I top out at 31.

 

[3C's]

I finally got on the thing this week and had 3 workouts. I'm starting very slow but feeling really good about the purchase. I have been watching a lot of videos and they all say at first you're supposed to focus on form which I am doing. You can really feel it in the shoulders, upper back and legs after rowing. Looking forward to building slowly each week. I need to figure out how to use all the settings on the display screen at some point. I have been setting it to just row. Another positive is it's not all that loud. I was worried it was going to sound like a saw or something but it's just a gentle woosh, probably because I'm not rowing all that hard. The seat is not uncomfortable at all for me which is a problem for some based on what I've been reading. If I had to guess i should be in Olympic shape by fall.

The pm5 (screen) has a number of built in programs you can follow or you can create your own, and of course it keeps a history of all of your workouts so you can track progress. Quite a bit of info in that little display. Most of the time I do intervals, 16 intervals of 500m with a minute rest between each. It's a good workout to get the heart rate up and then let it drop, then repeat again and again. And I got a padded seat to make it more comfortable on the long hauls. Damper on mine is right in the middle.

Yeah I need to play around with the PM5. I did 2500 meters with 2 breaks. Damper on 1 and rowing around a 3:00 pace. Have to start slow or I'm going to get super wiped out and probably will pull something. The machine feel nice though. Very smooth.

I actually had my damper at 7 which was too high. Not sure when I set it there but the way to set it: go into the main menu then select more options, then "display drag factor". It'll tell you to row. Row a few strokes at the effort you normally hit (pull hard). It'll display a number. Shoot for 125. If it's higher than that move the damper to a lower number and row some more until you get in the area of 125. You can go lower than that if you want. I think that guy that set the record has his above 190 but he's a big strong guy.

 

[3C's]

Just did a 1m51s 500m, not too bad for an old guy.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Just did a 1m51s 500m, not too bad for an old guy.

Wow, that's impressive.

 

[3C's]

Just did a 1m51s 500m, not too bad for an old guy.

Wow, that's impressive.

I was at 1m40s into 250m but I thought I was going to keel over so I slowed down.

 

[Willie Neslon]

7 MONTH UPDATE!!!

I’ve had the machine for about seven months now but it took me around four months to really get going with it. Early on, I had a major issue with post-rowing fatigue. Even after just five minutes of rowing, I’d feel completely wiped out for the rest of the day. I actually went to the doctor to make sure something wasn't majorly wrong and he said it sounded like “deconditioning shock.” It’s not an official medical term but basically I was so out of shape that the level of exertion needed for the rower was overwhelming. To get past it, I started riding my bike for about ten minutes a day and went on short walks just to build some baseline fitness. That helped, and eventually I reached the point where I could row and feel normally tired instead of crushed.

This past month or so I’ve really gotten into it. I’ve been rowing my stones off! Today I did the most I’ve ever done: two sets of 600 meters, four sets of 800 meters, and finished with two sets of 2000 meters with one or two minute breaks in between. It added up to about 8400 meters total, around 45 minutes of rowing time. I try to use the rower every other day, and sometimes bike on the off days to build up my cardio even more. Honestly in those first few months I thought I made a mistake buying it. The fatigue was really bad. But now I really look forward to using it. My clothes are fitting better. This sucker works muscles I didn’t even know I had! Some days my butt is sore, some days it’s my legs, other days my upper back or shoulders. It really does work your entire body.

I still need to play around with the display and explore the race modes and other features, but for now I try to keep my pace between 2:40 and 2:45. Any faster than that and my form starts to fall apart, so I’m trying to stay focused on technique rather than speed at this point. Big thanks to everyone who recommended the Concept2. It’s a serious workout. Hopefully if I keep it up, by this time next year I’ll be ready for the Olympic trials. OK maybe not but at least I'll be one of the most jacked old guys in town.

One last thing, when I was researching it a lot of people said it would be really loud. I don’t think it is at all. It’s more of a steady whooshing sound, like calming white noise. I’ve been keeping the damper at 2 so far. Eventually I’ll probably move it up to 4 or 5, but for now I’m happy staying where I’m at. If you're thinking getting about one of these I would give it a big thumbs up. Very easy to break down and store too.