Novice quesion about erg times and weight class.

Question
Hello,

I started rowing 2 months ago. I done my first 10k test last week, with an average split of 1.56.7, I wasnt happy with that time atall, but I couldnt seem to get my body to work harder, despite I felt I had more in me. Anyway Im 6 foot 2 and about 80kilos or a little bit more. Is this a good time? Im finding it harder to pull the more I go on, yet my times seem to be coming down. But Im watching intermediates pulling in the 1.40's for 10k.

I also find it very hard to get upto rates like 27 strokes a min.

Also what class would I fall into, lightweight or heavy weight? I would really like to achieve something with rowing. I have never been a very sporty person, despite having an interest in fitness. I raced motocross for a few years but had to give it up due to college. I was quite overweight up until about 16 years of age. But I would like to excel at a sport.

I would like your opinons as to if I show potential as making a competitive rower.

Also just like to add rowing has to be one of the best ways to increase fittness and your ability to withstand discomfort and pain. Before I started 2 months ago I would struggle with a 5k jog. Now 10k jogs are the norm!!

Answer
Hello Brian: I don't know your age.  Assuming you are late-teens/early-20s, the average 10K for heavyweights that age is 38:45.  So you are right around the average if my math is correct.  It's a very respectable time for a novice like yourself.

I wouldn't get too down on yourself on not being able to maintain a blistering pace during a 10K.  It's a brutally long piece and only a few elite rowers can maintain a pace that is over 30 strokes a minute.  Try doing some time trials over a 2000 meter piece.  That is what is closest to a typical on-water regatta and is the true standard that rowers measure them self with.  As for increasing your stroke rate, avoid flying up the slide for the catch.  That will lead to major problems.  Instead, try pushing your hands forward a bit quicker as you complete the stroke, while maintaining the slide at the same pace.  This is how rowers generate a higher stroke rate.  The other thing to try, during the start (first 10 storkes) and last 200 meters is to just go up the slide about 3/4 to 90%.  This shorter slide will help you get the stroke up higher.  But don't do it for the whole piece because you are giving up efficiency.

At 80 KG (177 lbs), you are definitely a heavyweight.  The lightweight cutoff is 165 lbs.  Your story is intersting.  One of my college teammates and good friends was obese as a child, but went on to become an extraordinary rower.  You definitely have the potential to be a successful rower.  It's a great sport.  I wasn't much of an athlete myself as a child and in high school.  But I joined my college crew as a walk-on and went on to compete for 10 years.  When I rowed, I was in the greatest shape in my life and non-rowers marvelled at my ability to run and lift (even at 68 Kilos). And though I wasn't particularly successful, I had a lot of great experiences and was good enough to compete in the Men's National Championship regatta.

As you are seeing for yourself, the key factor to being great at rowing is starting and maintaining a very intense training program.  Not just on the water and on the erg -- but also in the weight room and on the road doing miles of running.  There is no getting around the fact that rowing fast is physically and mentally painful.  There are no shortcuts and what makes the greatest rowers who they are is a combination of natural ability, incredible strength and cardiovascular form years of training, and the inate ability to withstand physical pain which makes other rowers succumb.

Good Luck/AP