“Check it down” is what the coxswain (the dude yelling at the rowers) tells the crew to do with their oars so that the boat doesn’t drift on the water. Now that the Concept2 Erg has arrived, I wasn’t too excited about setting it up. Getting my handyman on was not how I wanted to spend my dreary Monday evening, but low and behold, Concept2 made the set up process simple and easy, and I love them for it.
We spent 10 minutes setting it up and the next hour trying to figure out how we should lay out the gym with the Erg. Go figure we were going to waste our time with the aesthetics of our home gym! It wasn’t until the next day that I got to try the Erg in my workout circuit.
It was pathetic; I barely lasted five minutes. So out of shape, gotten I! But the great thing is there is no where but up to go and beast mode to push me forward. That is the great thing about an Erg though, its going to keep me from drifting when it comes to a complete body work out. I don’t much like weight lifting because I don’t have the patience for weights, so the Erg will balance out the running and cycling and hiking I do. Its a wonderful workout for the upper body, while its still a cardio.
There is technique and there is the data aspect of rowing on an Erg, both of which are crucial to keep in mind. Concept2 is a great place to get a good sense of both. Complimentary to the product, they’ve have put together a wonderful site with videos on technique, exercise challenges that get emailed to you, as well as programs to get you to make the most out of the Erg. They also have indepth discussion on the data display and what it means for your workout.
Sadly, their data isn’t useful in the way that Strava might be for cycling, or Nike+ might be for running. The Concept2 app for iPhone is excruciatingly lacking and I wish they make it compatible to sync with Strava, as well as with some of the other fitness monitors out there like Jawbone Up or FitBit. The data centric aspect of fitness equipment and wearables is uniquely suited for motivating people, and I think Concept2 should think creatively about how to open their data up so others can make it useful and that way make Concept2 ubiquitous in the market.
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