Olena Buryak
At the end of July, world records fell at The World Games. Olena Buryak (Ukraine) set a new 2k world record of 6:22.8. In addition to setting a new fastest time in the Olympic distance, she also set a new world record in the 500m sprint distance. Her world record now stands at 1:24.5. Continue Reading ›
The Concept2 ErgData app provides a number of additional data options for your workouts, including Drive Length. Why is drive length important, and how can this information be used in your training? Continue Reading ›
You may have heard the term “Power Ten” in reference to rowing and racing. Specifically, this term is often said by the coxswain to motivate a crew. A “Power Ten” is, traditionally, ten hard strokes of power. The coxswain often will count out each stroke for the crew. Contrary to common belief, the coxswain doesn’t yell “row” with each stroke that the athletes take. (After all, the athletes all are well aware that they are rowing.) More frequently, the coxswain is providing motivation, giving feedback, or executing a race strategy. The coxswain’s first job is steering (and safety), but that responsibility is usually a silent one.
A Power Ten is an all-out effort, but the term is a bit ironic in a race where every stroke should be pulled your hardest. So why does a coxswain call a Power Ten? Continue Reading ›
The 500 meter row. A staple for many; an all-out fly and die effort. For the fast it’s over quickly yet feels like it takes forever when done at max effort. Many, such as Sam Loch, have tried to chase down a two-decade old world record and come close, but it still sits out there beckoning challengers to try it. Others excel in their age group and dominate many different distances, such as Anne Bourlioux, who owns 35 world records.
Some people battle records for months; others break their own records, almost daily. Shawn Baker has done just that: he’s broken the 500 meter record for heavyweight men, age 50–59, over ten times in 2017. The previous record holders? Shawn Baker himself. Shawn likes to push to that dark mental place often, way more often than this writer does. A brutal 500 meters isn’t something that often crosses my mind as a piece I’d like to do every day.
What pushes someone to want to do such a challenging piece over and over? Continue Reading ›
Some days you can hop on and every stroke feels great, every push of the legs feels so powerful, and other days you would rather be eating a pizza watching your new favorite show. So what to do?
Through trial and tribulation I’ve found a few methods of pushing through the lack of motivation. These methods don’t apply when you’re trying to PR or hold a specific pace or stroke rate, but they can be helpful tricks for logging more meters. Continue Reading ›
My older daughter, now three years old, has already raced in her first regatta, albeit in utero. Rowing offers pregnant women a low impact option for exercise (always check with your doctor first) that can accommodate a changing body.
In the last weeks of my pregnancy, my stroke on the indoor rower was shorter because of my basketball-sized bump. Continue Reading ›
This weekend, three athletes, sponsored by Nike, tried to break the 2-hour (running) marathon barrier. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) came close by covering the 26.2 mile distance in 2:00:25. This begs the question: can a 2-hour marathon be rowed?
The current world record on the indoor rower is 2:21:08.7 by Ben de Wit (Canada). Compared to the current officially-recognized running world record of 2:02:57, this seems a long way off. Concept2 employees Meredith Breiland and Jameson Halnon discuss if a 1:59:59 marathon row is possible. There are a few more days left in our Global Marathon Challenge to try!
The Million Meter Club began in 1987 to inspire our customers to row more meters, keep track of those meters, and then celebrate the achievement. The goal was simple: reach one million meters on the indoor rower no matter how long it took to get there.
On the Club’s 30th Anniversary, we thought we would take some time to reach out to some of the individuals who embody the spirit of million meter rowing (and skiing!). Continue Reading ›
Both the indoor rower and the SkiErg offer high quality exercise that is impact-free, user-controlled, and measurable. Both are based on exhilarating sports that involve legs, core, back and arms. Either one alone will provide a convenient, effective form of full body exercise.
What may be less obvious is that the two motions are highly complementary. Continue Reading ›
Have you ever hit a plateau—that place where your progress seems to stagnate? You’re not getting faster or fitter—in fact, it feels more like the opposite.
Sometimes this can mean that you’ve been doing too much for too long and without making sure to get enough recovery time. Recovery is a necessary part of improving fitness, so be sure to give your body some time to rest and prepare to go harder again soon.
But a plateau may also mean that you’re not doing the right kinds of workouts for you. Recent research is pointing out several things: Continue Reading ›
