2 Erg (rowing machine) questions



EliRaskal

New Member
Apr 26, 2006
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1. Is there anything about using a rowing machine which is particularly bad for one's cycling? Now, I understand that I won't become a better cyclist by sitting on the erg (aerobic improvements aside, perhaps?). However, is there any reason I should avoid this. (I erg about 3 times a week, 30-40 mins. @ moderate intensity. Lately I've been cycling about 6 days/wk, avg. 2 hrs/day). Don't hate me, but I have a lot of time to train, so those two hours on the erg arent' keeping me off the bike.

2. Does anyone know of a good way to incorporate the Erg into power training for the bicycle. That is, while a power meter for the bike is quite expensive, an erg has the convenient benefit of measuring your current power output in watts. It also keeps track of the average watts output throughout a workout. So, it seems like I could easily use the erg to get a rough idea of what kind of power I can output. It would lend itself, I should think, to doing some sort of test of absolute power output.

Additionally, any other thoughts about the erg/bike confluence not covered by the questions above would be appreciated. I'm fairly new to cycling, have been erging a long time and think the two actually seem pretty complementary. BTW, I'm new here and this is my first post, etc... so, hi.
 
I've always felt that rowing really helps your climbing because it strengthens your glutes and lower back. Another line of reasoning I have considered is that in rowing, we're trained to tolerate such a high threshold of pain that we can carry that over into hills or sprints. That said, it adds extra muscle mass to your upper back and arms perhaps slowing you a bit. I would say that overall your rowing experience will be a huge asset. Have you heard of Greg Ruckman (sp?). He was able to be highly competitive in cycling with a rowing background.
In terms of erg bike confluence, hopefully your rowing time has given you a killer power to weight ratio which you can "ride to success". Conversly, cycling really helped me when I was trying to stay lightweight because I was able to do a huge volume of calorie burning with relatively low impact compared to rowing/running.