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Wherever you are on your personal or professional fitness journey, we're here to help you set and meet your goals. Visit this space for the latest updates on flywheel-based fitness and how to use it as part of a total fitness program.
Bite This: Candy Themed Halloween Workout
Candy-crazy season has begun, time for a sweet Halloween rowing workout! Grab these two workouts and sweat your way to Halloween fun.
Rowing Machine Workouts: Chad 2
You know how much we love birthday rowing workouts around here. People always look forward to them, even though they know they’re designed to be a little harder than your average swing row. When we found out it was our master instructor Chad Fleschner’s turn, we could resist putting together a special sweatfest just for him. Read more…
Rowing Workouts for the Dog Days Challenge
The Concept2 Dog Days of Summer Challenge has begun! This one starts out easily, with a goal of only 10,000 meters total skied or rowed in the whole week. Easy peasy compared to the 40,000-meter target you have to hit in the last week of the month. As with all of Concept2’s online challenges, it’s a good idea to have a strategy for how you’re going to approach the month. Covering the week’s distance in one go is one option. But if you’re a rowing instructor with classes to teach or you like more variety in your SkiErg and indoor rowing workouts, try splitting up the distance over several workouts. Here are a couple of sample workouts we’ve done at the UCanRow2 Bodyshop. Read more…
Rowing Certification Hits Central Florida!
It’s been too long since we last offered one of our rowing instructor certifications in Florida. It’s high time we fixed that, and we are! Thanks to our kind hosts, Villages Indoor Rowing in Summerfield, we’ll be offering both our Indoor Rowing Basic Course and the follow-up Programming Intensive the first weekend in December – December 5 & 6 to be exact. Read more…
Living With Cancer: What a Concept … 2
Just over a year has passed since I had major surgery for rectal mucosal melanoma. I was diagnosed with this very rare and aggressive cancer on Nov. 5, 2013, with surgery on Jan. 9, 2014 and immunotherapy at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute beginning in August, 2014. It’s been a roller coaster year, with a background theme of questions: Frequent thoughts of WHY, HOW DARE IT, WHY ME??? I have spent my life, like all active and athletic people, doing the best I can to take care of myself so that my body can perform. There is anger hidden behind the game face that I am so accustomed to putting on.
Celebrate the Big Day With a Big Workout
We love birthdays and other big life events around here! They’re a great way to celebrate those special moments and build your fitness community. Plus, they’re a convenient way to add variety to your workout day. People never get tired of them, and in fact they look forward to that shared sinking feeling you get when you know there’s a challenging workout coming up.
Bodyshop Workout 4-4-2015
Another good one for racking up the meters…
Row, SkiErg or mix:
3000 meters
30 mountain climbers (L/R = 2)
10 sit-ups
2000 meters
Body Shop Rowing Workout 3-18-15
This is a great rowing workout to break up a big meter target, like the kind you might have during a rowing challenge. Keep in mind that heavy cardio, even on a rowing machine, will eat into your strength over time unless you balance it with off-erg work. Do this series again if you need…
We Heart Valentine’s Day Workouts!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Themed rowing workouts – we love them around here. They’re a great way to add variety and fun, while still getting in a great workout. Here’s a selection of what we’re heart-ing for Valentine’s Day.
Try A Home Rowing Machine Workout That Works
You can’t make it to the gym every day, and let’s face it, some days you don’t even want to. It’s snowing, raining, butt cold, broiling hot, or you’ve got a sick kid or you simply don’t feel like it. We get it, we’ve been there. Much as we love them, you certainly don’t need a formal rowing program at a gym (hopefully taught by a certified instructor) to get a great workout. Try these home-based options.
Upcoming Indoor Rowing Certification
Get your sweat on and get certified! Certified indoor rowing instructors have increased credibility and marketability. Why? Because their students get the optimal results that come from rowing their best. See the list of upcoming trainings here.
Rowing Through the World Cup: The Soccer Fan’s Workout
The World Cup is here! So many hours of game time, SO many hours waiting for something to happen. Why not set up your rowing machine in front of the TV so you can cheer your team on while still getting in a great workout?
Sure, you could row steady-state through the whole thing, but a typical game runs around 100 minutes with stoppage time, and no commercials to break it up! Give the game a little variety by following these rules for the UCanRow2 Soccer Fan’s Workout:
Post Workout Recovery Food: Pancakes Three Ways
Did you just finish a long workout, or a particularly intense one? An endurance row like a 10k or a marathon? There’s nothing better after a long, hard workout than getting a little sustenance from a great post-workout recovery meal.
What’s better for recovery than pancakes? We have two great recipes for you, both of which are served often in the UCanRow2 kitchen. Both taste great, and provide a combination of carbs and protein, both of which are important for proper post workout recovery and rebuilding the muscles you’ve taxed in your workout. Read more…
Special Olympics AND Rowing? Count Me In!
UCanRow2 and Concept2 are headed to the Special Olympics 2014 USA Games! It’s the first time ever for these national games, and we need your help. If you’re in the Princeton, NJ area, or could be on Thursday, June 19, we’d love to have you join us for a day you won’t soon forget. Promise!…
Mother’s Day Workout to Celebrate Mom
What does mom want on Mother’s Day? Marketers would have you think it’s flowers, candy, jewelry, breakfast in bed (ok we agree on that one). But our favorite way to celebrate mom is with an awesome rowing workout. Choose one of the workouts below, and do them with her! Read more…
Row Like an Olympian: Favorite Rowing Workouts From a London Medalist
Indoor rowing is hotter than ever! Awesome, but where do you begin if you’re just getting started with the sport? And what about if you’re ready to ramp it up? We asked Natalie Dell O’Brien for her thoughts. She ought to know, she was in the first boat ever to medal for the US in the women’s quad sculls event, at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Check out her story, and some suggested rowing workouts.
Rowing Recovery Workout – Burn Fat, Get Back on Track
We all have times during the year where we can stray from an otherwise stellar fitness program. Vacation, the Holidays, a busy time at work, summer at home with the kids, can all move fitness to the back burner temporarily. Hey, it happens to the best of us! Just get back on the rowing machine as soon as you can and you’ll be back up to speed in no time. Read on for a couple of rowing recovery workouts that will help you get there. Read more…
HuffPo: “Watch Out, Stationary Bike,” Here Comes Indoor Rowing
There’s been a veritable media frenzy of coverage lately of indoor rowing, which once again is enjoying a well-deserved and long-overdue day in the sun. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is the Huffington Post, which launched a shot over the bow of indoor cycling: “Watch out, stationary bike. Across the country, boatloads of…
Rowing Music: Fall 2013 Electronic Playlist
Need a new playlist to put the spark back in your erg workout or get you through that 30-minute piece? Who doesn’t?? Rowing website Rowing Related has come to the rescue with its Fall 2013 Rowing Playlist. They’ve crowdsourced a rowing playlist featuring 11 “heavy-base, electronic” tracks that will “get you ready to tackle your…
Ramp Up Your Rowing Workout With Undefined Rest
What is “undefined rest” in the Concept2 monitor and how do you set it up? We explain all of that here, as well as give you an interval rowing workout you can use to try it.
What a drag! Comparing drag factor on the rower and SkiErg
Have you ever referred to the drag factor on your Concept2 indoor rower or SkiErg? It’s the number that tell you how much resistance is on the flywheel and gives you an indication of how hard you have to pull (or push-pull in the case of the rowing machine). Traveling ergers and competitive indoor rowing…
Meters and More Rowing Workout
The Concept2 Fall Team Challenge has begun! From now until Oct. 15th, join or create a team and row as many meters as you can. We have lots of meter munching SkiErg and rowing workouts and will be posting more, but here’s one we did to kick it off. Lots of meters, plus variety, and…
5 Keys to Nailing the Half-Marathon Row
So you want to row a half marathon… “They did it at The CrossFit Games,” you say to yourself. Or maybe Concept2’s Global Marathon Challenge has hit your radar screen. It’s definitely a doable goal, but you’ll need to train for it and have a strategy in place for when the big day comes. You’re looking at spending a couple of hours on the rowing machine (or SkiErg) so preparation is key.
Rowing Technique: Dial in Your Damper Setting
Updated August 6, 2020 How many times have you walked over to the rowing machine at the gym and found the damper set at 10, or put it there yourself? If rowing seems like a whole lot of pain and very little gain, that may just be why. Experienced rowers,…
Beat Boredom With a Playground Rowing Warm Up
Does the sound of yet another 3k rowing warm up make you want to stick needles in your eyes? Or has your usual warmup turned into a chatfest because your students are getting a little too comfortable with the steady-state routine? Boredom is the enemy of progress, even in the warmup. Mix it up! Try getting outside and back on the “playground” for your next rowing workout warm up. Off-erg warmups in general are a super smart – and super fun – way to get your athletes prepped and sweaty for a good SkiErg or rowing workout. Read more…
3, 2, 1, GO ROW! Rowing at the Special Olympics
And they’re off! For the 7th straight year we are rowing with the athletes of the Special Olympics Michigan Summer Games. We work a lot of different trainings and events through the year, but this one, and its winter counterpart, are among those we look forward to the most. As it is for most people,…
Your Rowing Technique Mantra: Legs, Body, Arms – Arms, Body, Legs
Indoor rowing sometimes gets a bad rap, and so does rowing technique. Too often people make rowing sound much harder than it has to be, both in terms of the effort needed to get results and the technique required to get there. Sure, there are some finer points to rowing technique that can make it challenging, but that’s all part of the fun and shouldn’t scare you.
Finish, please!
Today’s post comes courtesy of Certified Rowing Instructor Leeny Hoffman. For more technique tips be sure to follow the UCanRow2 video channel and our Trainer Tips page. I was checking out different Crossfit blogs the other day and came across this picture of a rower (not from our gym) getting after it. I have…
Chain Drive the UCanRow2 Newsletter is Here!
Can’t get enough UCanRow2? Never fear, Chain Drive, the UCanRow2 newsletter is here! All things indoor rowing, delivered right to your email inbox. Workouts, playlists, technique tips, upcoming trainings, marketing advice, basically the best of the best of what we can find to help you get the most out of your erg or ergs,…
Row with an Olympian! Indoor Rowing Basic Course Comes to Seattle
Have you ever wanted to learn to teach indoor rowing – or just perfect your own technique – from an Olympian? Here’s your chance: Heather Alschuler, a former Canadian Olympian, national teamer and now accomplished indoor rowing evangelist in Seattle, is bringing her talents to UCanRow2’s Indoor Rowing Basic Course. Heather will be leading the…
Biggest Loser Rowing Offer: Home Users, Buy an Erg, Get Trained Free
After a long hiatus the Concept2 rower is back on The Biggest Loser for the current U.S. season. And this season you’ll be seeing the SkiErg as well. Great news! For the most part… If you saw the first episode you saw some rowing (not on Concept 2 machines), but unfortunately virtually none of it with…
NJ Indoor Rowing Foundations Training Benefits Sandy Relief Effort
Things are slowly but surely coming back together in New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy’s wreaked havoc across many areas of the Garden State in November. It’s been a rough road and continues to be one, but Navesink Indoor Rowing, which hosts our New Jersey Indoor Rowing Foundations trainings, is finally back up and running and ready…
Rowing Machine Maintenance Tip: Tighten the Screws
The Concept2 rowing machine is one of the most durable and some of the best exercise equipment there is. With just a little bit of regular maintenance your machine should last a lifetime. That said, that regular Concept 2 rower maintenance is critical, both for optimal performance and for safety. One of the most important…
Candlelit Rowing, Hurricane Sandy Style
Guest post by Shoshana Pritzker, RD, CDN of ShoDelicious, Superstorm Sandy survivor and a new Concept2 indoor rower You know what really stinks about storms like Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy? Being stuck in your house without power, light, or cable entertainment. Back in my Florida days we’d have hurricane parties to pass the time. Friends would bring…
TRAINER TIP: Close Your Eyes for the Cooldown
Here’s a tip to help your rowing students get better flow in their rowing stroke: The cooldown of a workout is a great time to focus in on the zen of rowing. Use that time to close your eyes and feel the motion. Remind your students to FEEL the connection of the stroke, from the…
Sweat This (Rowing), Not That (Other Cardio Stuff)
Great to see Men’s Health magazine and the terrific Eat This, Not That series recognizing the calorie torching benefits of rowing in a Sweat This, Not That post. “Rowing burns the most calories and works the most muscles, including muscles in your back, and also improves posture,” the magazine notes, and it even references a Brazilian…
Generating Power on the Rowing Machine
How’s your rowing workout been lately? Would you like to get more of the benefits of rowing machine workouts?
The difference between a good workout and a great one is in how you apply power on every stroke. That’s true whether your goals are getting a PR on your next 2K, losing 20 lbs or simply making the most of the time you have on the machine.
In this video, UCanRow2’s Terry Smythe shows you how to use your performance monitor to gauge your power output and a drill that will help you get faster and stronger on the machine.
Indoor Rowing in the News: Rowing a Low-Impact Workout with High Results
We travel all over the United States doing indoor rowing training and generally turning people on to the sport. One of the coolest places we’ve ever been is Fitness Pointe in Munster, IN, where we had the good fortune to visit the day that member Judy Abbott hit 2 million meters rowed during last year’s…
10 Fitness Apps to Rev Up Your Workout and Boost Performance
If it’s true that rowing is the ultimate cross-training sport (and of course we heartily agree with that idea), then there must be other fitness activities that are worth doing, or that are great cross training for rowing – like cycling. And anything worth doing is worth tracking, especially if you’re looking to improve your…
Introducing Personalized Indoor Rowing Technique Reviews
Do you have a Concept2 indoor rower at home, or use one at your gym? Are you a competitive indoor rower who’s interested in improving your indoor rowing technique and your performance on the machine? Maybe you’ve been rowing for a while and would like to brush up on your rowing technique or get new rowing workout ideas.
A new offering from UCanRow2 may be just the ticket: Personalized rowing technique reviews
The Ultimate Erging Playlist
Music for rowing classes or a great rowing playlist is always a big topic of discussion around the UCanRow2 office and Concept2 instructor trainings. We usually tell people to aim for workout music with little to no lyrics and relatively slow beats per minute, usually in the 120 bpm range or slower. Indoor cycling music…
Bob Harper’s Six Weight Loss Rules
Say what you will about The Biggest Loser (and we’ve definitely got our opinions about the show and the extreme levels of exercise it prescribes, along with the quality of the rowing training), trainer Bob Harper has had great success helping people on and off the show lose weight over the years. He’s out today with…
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