The first week in August found several members of the Concept2 team at the 12th annual CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, providing event support, giving tips and technique coaching on our equipment, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. Concept2 has a long history with the CrossFit community, and this year was an especially exciting one as we saw Concept2 equipment in more events than ever, including the much-discussed, first-ever-for-CrossFit marathon row. What an experience. Continue Reading ›
Oar and scull grips are the athlete’s connection to the oar. Comfort and security are important as the athlete suspends from the oar and feathers on the recovery. Concept2 offers seven different materials in varying diameters. What fits best? Continue Reading ›
Peter Park is a three-time winner of the World’s Toughest Triathlon and current record holder of several endurance competitions including the Catalina 50-mile ultra-marathon. As a strength and conditioning coach, Peter has 28 years of experience training elite athletes, big-screen celebrities, top touring musicians and common citizens that are serious about their fitness, mobility and longevity.Continue Reading ›
Concept2 generally recommends a damper setting on the indoor rower between three and five. Damper Setting is not resistance. The damper controls the air flow into the flywheel. It affects the feel of the stroke, but does not directly determine the resistance—which is generated by the speed of the rotating flywheel. A setting of “10” is not “better” nor indicating strength or speed. In fact, we asked some of our favorite Olympians and coaches what damper setting they use and why. The answers and their reasoning, below, may surprise you.
The athletes we interviewed prefer to adjust their indoor rowers to a specific drag factor instead of to a damper setting. Drag factor is recalulated on every run-down of the flywheel and takes local conditions into account. Indoor rowers adjusted to the same drag factors will feel similar, regardless of what damper setting is used to achieve that drag. It is important to note that the Performance Monitor self-calibrates, so regardless of damper setting or changing conditions, your true effort is measured. Here's how to Display Drag Factor on your Performance Monitor. Continue Reading ›
Sadie Bjornsen is a current US Ski Team member and two-time Olympian, having raced at both the Sochi (2014) and Pyeong Chang (2018) Olympics. We invited her to share some thoughts about how she uses the SkiErg in her training.Continue Reading ›
Pat Gilles is the owner of Pat’s Gym and was named the ReebokONE America's Most Inspiring Trainer in 2017. An avid hockey and golf player in college, he has since competed successfully in Ironman, won the Minnesota state cycling championship, and sailed professionally.Continue Reading ›
Summertime is the time of year we get to bring our fitness outside after a winter of training on the ergs. That is, of course, unless the temperature reaches the 90s (F) and the humidity goes up and it begins to rain. As much as we want to play and exercise outdoors, sometimes the weather forces us back inside to the ergs. Continue Reading ›
The best rowing machine workout is the one that will best help YOU to get closer to your goals. There’s no single rowing workout that will do this for everyone, so if someone promises to give you the best one—don’t believe them! However, we believe that this short list of rowing machine workouts includes something for everyone. Continue Reading ›