Lunchtime Ergs

Stanford Women brought ergs to Pac-10s--
one way to intimidate the competition!

If you are not a rower, you do not understand the erg.  The erg is not just another fitness machine like the elliptical or the treadmill.  The erg is a torture machine.  The erg does not lie.

Last week, I met a guy who played tennis for Princeton and who actually knew a lot about rowing because he roomed with several Princeton lightweight men.  The very first thing he said to me after he found out that I row was, "Uhh.  Those erg tests sound horrible."  Exactly my sentiments.

Today though, I am talking about erging in general.  As part of our team's training plan, Chris asks that we erg 20,000 meters every week in addition to our organized practices.  Between work, family, chores, it is hard to squeeze in a 20k.  Sometimes, life does interfere and training takes a back seat.

I personally resort to lunchtime ergs at a local gym.  Not the most ideal or prettiest solution, but it gets the job done.  There are two ergs at my gym.  During lunch as I hog the erg with my long steady state piece, I watch people come and go, sitting down on the erg next to me and rowing for no more than five minutes before giving up.  

Have you ever tried erging at a gym?  Count yourself lucky (or unlucky) that your local gym has an erg.  A decent, functioning erg is bonus.   Have you ever seen other normal people try to erg?  Most people get on the erg with the resistance factor set at a 10 and try to rush up and down the slide as fast as possible.  Sometimes, they even try to do bicep curls with the handle.  I try not to look (or laugh or cry), but I always wonder how they manage to not break their backs.  

It is lonely to erg by yourself and even worse in a packed gym on the second floor since hot air rises.  Boring, monotonous, and uninspiring.  

A few weeks ago, however, I had a rare lunchtime erg.  I climbed up the stairs to the cardio machine area to find a guy, wearing a USRowing shirt, rowing on one of the ergs.  The man was at least six feet tall and definitely a heavyweight.  Our pieces ended up overlapping a bit.  We followed each other for rhythm and rate, but while I was pulling a 2:11/500m (my split is usually a bit lower, but I must have been too excited to have someone to erg with), this guy was easily pulling a 1:52/500m.  WOW.  I know men are stronger, faster than women (especially pisses me off when it is my brother), but when you actually get to see it and sit next to that type of power, it is amazing.