u/iob3

I almost didn't even try to do this challenge. On a good week I was getting 15k a week (5K x 3).

On top of that I'm moving my daughter into her dorm this week and had no idea how I'd get 30K with only 3.5 days at home this week.

Three days and a PB 7.5K single session! I considered finding a drop in gym to spread out what I needed per day, but I'm actually glad I didn't because I now know 40K is going to be no big deal next week!

I'm a little tired, a little sore. But I'm excited to see what next week looks like. I think I'm going to try to finish my last session next week with a 10k.

Hello! I'm two months (and 90K) into my rowing journey!

Being bigger, it's definitely been a struggle to hit certain aspects of better form, especially during the catch, but I want to make sure I'm not keeping bad habits.

I'm doing the Dog Days of Summer challenge and these next two weeks are going to be a challenge. Getting better splits will definitely help, but safety is always going to be my absolute priority.

Any tips will be greatly appreciated. I've watched all the beginner's videos but comparing/critiquing my own form is weirdly difficult.

I am a little over a month in on my rowing journey. Still making progress and working on form and core endurance.

I'm a 42 year old male. 5'9, 266lbs (down from 299 in the spring). My level of activity has been awful since 2019, with zero exercise and often less than 1,000 steps per day. So this has been a slow, but rewarding journey back in shape/health. My rower isy only has exercise and I am mostly using this as a way to increase heart health and lose weight, not so much any specific targeting goals. Getting on at least every other day is literally my biggest goal right now!

But I have some questions.

First, I'm using EXR as my primary workout app. Should I be using the PM5 stats or the adjusted EXR stats? PM5 will have me closer to a 2:35-2:45 / 500 pace. My pace and distance will vary greatly. I know this is because EXR considers weight, but is there a "best practice"?

Second, I, with my build, have a considerable gut. This makes it really hard to lean in on the catch. As a result my power generation is much lower than I think it should be. By the time I'm getting momentum my legs are almost already fully extended. I can get my shins vertical with my feet seats at the bottom, but my back/shoulders are closer to 12 o'clock (without rounding back).

I tried one row to spread my legs on the catch allowing me to lean more into it and it definitely generated more power, but that was also the first and only time I walked away sore, particularly my knees and hips.

Am I overthinking low pace/watts, and should sacrifice that for staying in a better, less injury prone position?

I know i still need to work on form, but being a month in I don't want to get too far in that results are tanked for too long. I shouldn't be comparing but a month in being in the bottom 100% is... Not great!