indoor rowing?

Ahh the ERGO-METER (work - measure), love it or hate it, the time to erg is now (I mean now as in always, but also right now because it is winter, and also just go do it!). Most rowers dread the erg because it reminds them of long painful pieces forced upon them by coaches and if you erg with me - crazy teammates. But the erg is really your friend - you just have to find out how to love it. There is no arguing that the erg is the best way to develop rowing muscle and cardio fitness. Although it alone can not prove your ability to move a boat, it will make you fit enough to move it as well as you can.The best way to start "erging" (the act of rowing on the erg) is to do steady state pieces. Because you are using more muscles on the erg than other cardio gym equipment (ie. bike, elliptical), and you are a "novice" (beginner, newbie, first-timer) on the erg you will probably get more fatigued in less time. If you are savvy enough to use a heart rate monitor - start at 60-75% of your max heart rate - for me at a max of 195 that is between 120-145bpm. If you do not have a heart rate monitor you can just go off of split (time it takes you to go 500m shown like 2:09/500) and stroke rate (the number of times you go up and down the slide in a minute - ie. 16 or 40). Technically pressure and speed should increase as the rate comes up - which is saying as you move faster up and down the slide (back and forth on the machine) you should be pushing harder with your legs as well. While speeding up, you want to be sure that you're maintaining the proper ratio of the time it takes you to drive (push with your legs) should be half as long as the recovery (the time it takes you to get your hands back up to the front of the machine where the wheel is). We call this the 2:1 ratio.So to go back to steady state - it is good to start here because you are not stressing yourself so much that it is uncomfortable and it is generally still enjoyable. As you start, do 10 min pieces (10 min at a time with 1-2 min rest in between to drink water and stretch you back). As you get more comfortable, increase this time up to 20 to 25 minutes, but do not stay on the erg for long periods of time without stretching your back.Another reason it is good to start with steady state is that it helps you become comfortable with the rowing motion - it is really important that you are able to get the rowing motion down before you increase the rate/pressure because this will protect your back and ribs - allowing the muscles to get strong enough to take on the load of higher intensity activity. When I started erging, I would sit on the erg for 2X20 min every lunch break and just go - it was on one of the old ergs that was basically a wheel in a cage - so no screen - and it was in a dusty, dark, barn, in New Hampshire...long story. Anyway - point being - I just felt my body. There was no pressure from anyone around me or a screen or a coach. I just sat on the erg and would just go until the time was up and I felt like getting off. Because I approached it like I approach the bike or the elliptical at the gym there was no stigma about it - just another activity.For more experienced rowers, increasing activity to higher stroke/intensity pieces are great ways to get comfortable with lower splits and having fun while doing it. My coach, Larry Gluckman, really helped me with this by creating short bursts of speed pieces with equal rest. This allows the body to flush the lactic acid out and get ready for the next piece. Also the pieces are just long enough to push the anaerobic system but not too long to create the "OMG I think I am going to die - did I just go deaf and blind?" feeling. It is best to consult your coach before attempting these so that they can give you a work-out that will work for your body. All I can say is that these erg efforts become really fun and make hard pieces easier to mentally and physically push though. Being mentally comfortable with the lower splits is just as important as being able to physically hold it. As Arnold Schwarzenegger says "it is the mind that fails before the body." If you associate a certain anxiety or pain with a split, it can mentally befuddle you so that you are unable to perform at that split.I personally have always loved the erg - it is a great way to measure where you are today and be able to compare that to where you have been over the long-run. It is also a really great way to work your core - every-time you "lay-back" (that is every stroke) you are using your abs and with every drive you are using your back - HOT! Just think about how much more fun rowing could be if you just made friends with something you use everyday/week....ahhh it's like being happy all the time.