Sep 25, 2021
Rowing to Lose Weight — Week 1
My journey to lose weight and get in shape by rowing
A few weeks ago I ordered a Concept2 RowErg rowing machine and received it on my birthday last Friday. I had wanted to order one earlier in the year, but the company had a waiting list and after a few months waiting I lost interest. When I checked their website a few weeks ago, the waiting list was gone and I could just order one and I did.
Unboxing the rower and assembling it was relatively simple. The rower was in 2 main pieces, minus the leg triangle on the end with the turbine. Once those legs were assembled and installed, the quick release center just snaps together. This center point allows you to separate the 2 halves and store the rower in the corner of your room if you wish.
I have a degree in Statistics and at times I can be a little OCD when it comes to numbers, metrics and notes. I have a few devices I am keeping track of my exercises and weights. I wear an Apple Watch series 4 and a Garmin Fenix 6. I plan to write another article on my thoughts and pros and cons of each of these watches. I also own a Withings Body+ scale, so I can track my weight, BMI, body fat % and a few other stats.
About me, I am 5'10" tall and overall have somewhat of an average build. Growing up I was always skinny, and today I am still a little less muscular than most of my piers my age.
A week ago, Friday 9/17, I weighted 194.1 lbs, with a BMI of 27.8 and body fat of 26.4%.
Yesterday, Friday 9/24, I weighted 192.7 lbs, with a BMI of 27.6 and body fat of 25.8%.
One thing to consider is that scales like this Withings that measure your weight and body stats based on electrical resistance can have a margin of error due to whether or not you just ate or drank a bunch of water. So, I am weighing myself each morning after I wake up. That being said, you can see I lost a little weight and my BMI and Fat % both went down a little. Since I have not been exercising a bunch this past summer, I am starting off a little easy.
This past week, well 8 days, I rowed 6 of those 8 days. All but 1 of those days, I have been doing 500m interval rowing sessions. In total I rowed 16,968 meters. To supplement my rowing, I am also doing push-ups and tricep bench dips to work my triceps and upper chest. During these supplemental workouts, I am doing multiple sets of 5 reps of each of the push-ups and bench dips. This usually adds up to a total of 15–20 each. Rowing only works 80–85% of the muscles in your body, which is why I am doing these extra workouts. I also went jogging one day during the week and ran 1.4 miles. Watching several rowing do’s and don’ts videos about technical and some others, I am working to also row correctly. My weekly plan is to row 5 days and rest 2 days of the 7 days in the week. As the weeks progress, I plan to jog more by adding additional days so that I am jogging 4–5 days a week.
Each week I will provide an update on my progress. I plan to write my thoughts about some of the devices I am using and the rower itself. See you next week…
