is my "body sculpture" air resistance rowing machine rubbish? also, catabolism?

[jimbob2]

I read people saying that you have to have a flywheel one - does it make a big difference? It was ultracheap on ebay

it doesn't feel like a natural resistance, but I've just accepted it!

also, is anyone up to explaining catabolism? I'm reading here that my muscles are being broken up for food whilst i train. that's not cool. So what's the best way to gain the muscle?

[Rishi]

Best way to gain muscle:

(1) Train hard!
(2) Eat well.
(3) Ensure your getting 1.5 grams of Protein x your weight daily.
(4) Combine Creatine, L Glutamine, Zinc and Magnesium into your supplement routine.

Most important of all, enjoy it.

[SiM]

Originally Posted by Rishi

Best way to gain muscle:

(1) Train hard!
(2) Eat well.
(3) Ensure your getting 1.5 grams of Protein x your weight daily.
(4) Combine Creatine, L Glutamine, Zinc and Magnesium into your supplement routine.

Most important of all, enjoy it.

1g of protein per pound of body weight is enough for most people imo...
I would say what you need to do to gain muscle (in order of importance):
1) Diet (eating enough real food: protein, carbs AND fats)
2) Rest (training everyday might be over the top. Sleep is important too)
3) Lift heavy (6-8 reps is optimal, but is ok to throw in some high rep sets in now and again)
4) Whey or other protein supplement
5) Creatine, glut, other stuff

Cardio only becomes catabolic if you do too much too fast or if you haven't fuelled up before.

[Rishi]

Good call SiM, 100% agree with the rest.

Sleep should be ideally 8 hours, to get lean muscle doesnt mean daily trips to the gym and simple 3 day training routine will suffice.

[jimbob2]

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

Specifically, my goal is to be a strong rower in 12-18 months. I want to row full whack for 20 minutes, for a particular race.

So that's both cardio and resistance, right? Should cardio and resistance be done seperately, or should I just aim to row full resistance for as long as possible, and increase the time as possible?

I'm 30, reasonably in shape, can just about do 30 pushups, working on increasing that. I don't need a heart monitor right? I see rowers sometimes come with that

[jimbob2]

Just one more thing re: protein supplements - at my local health food shop, they ALL contain soya, either as "protein isolate", or as lecithin (a dark gunk residue left over from degumming the oil). A lot of research is showing that soya is a major feminizing agent. The only other option was hemp protein, which was basically just crushed blended hemp seeds.

So I'm going to go with 2 boiled eggs before and after a workout - that should be just as good, what do you think?

[SiM]

Well since you have 12-18 months I would suggest both rowing/cardio and free weights. Since your goal is to improve your rowing speed/stamina, you should prioritise rowing. How often do you get time to train each week? Can you join a gym? I would suggest something like this:
Mon: 1 hour rowing
Tues: Weights
Wed: Rest
Thur: 1 hour rowing
Fri: Weights
Sat: Rest
Sun: 1 hour rowing

You should aim to hit different body parts on the different days when weight training. (Eg: Back/Shoulders on Tues, Chest/Legs on Fri).

If you don't have time to train as often you can do cardio and weights in the same day but its better doing them separately. Eg on weekends Cardio morning, weights evening, and eating properly in between.

Oh and regarding the rowing machine, its probably fine to start off with but as you get fitter and stronger its probably worth using the ones at the gym (they are very expensive).

myprotein.co.uk does cheap protein. Whey is very good, cheap and popular (PM me if you would like a discount code).

2 eggs isn't a lot of protein really. I would eat all 4 eggs after (maybe leave out 2 yolks because too much fat) and fuel up with some slowish carbohydrates 1 hour before.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a heart rate monitor (trust me I have got one). Its a waste of money unless you really want to go fully hardcore.

[Rishi]

Whey Protein much better then eggs its just less hassle and you can neck it straight after the gym, even take a little bit before, personally I just find it easier to buy a All-In-One supplement, it has everything you need in a serving - two servings and your done.

I'd possibly try and work back and upper body too. Something like the "Low Row" machine would be amazing for the arms. Also cable resistance would benifit too.

[jimbob2]

Thanks for all the advice. I took your advice & went for the protein shake. I tried PM-ing, but it didn't work!

I found the 5% myprotein.co.uk discount code though: MP43213

That machine WAS rubbish! I've now tried a newer fan-type, but there's almost NO resistance. I like to strength train with it, so I need HARD resistance. Back to the basic floor model for me.

They DO have a soy-free protein - whey protein 75 NZ. It *is* harder to mix, so I'm investing in a hand blender.

[freese]

won't all that eggs and protein make you gassy? it happened to one of my friends before.. he was a hell of a person to be in a car with.

[jimbob2]

I've had it a while now, and it's really good. Milk doesn't agree with my stomach, so I was hopeful that I wouldn't have any problem with this. There's no egg, just whey.

And it's absolutely great. Into a large glass I put an inch of water, a handful of all bran, a banana, and a scoop of protein, and use the hand blender, sometimes I add creatine & glutamine when it's a workout day, and it is really good. I either have it with a meal, or just with some toast.

[shiato storm]

rowing is not a power sport, its a power-endurance sport. building up bulk through weights is fine but cannot be relied on alone. it has been proven that long periods of low-level work builds up a base endurance, critical to any race in rowing from 2k upwards, to put it simply its down to physiology. creatine and proteins are fine but they do sweet FA for building endurance, they're more important for muscle bulk and explosive power, rowing is all about consistency and rhythm. Carbohydrates are your friend for these sorts of work outs, and you'll burn fat too = getting lean!
If you are looking to improve, and are serious, its worth looking at the Concept2 machines, these are the ones used by rowers the world over and considered 'standard' or near as you can get to being on the water...apart from the fact it gets a little boring after 15mins and you know there's an hour left to go is beside the point, there is no substitute for the real thing! concept2 machines have a variable resistance fan from 1 to 10, I train on about 4-5 - as do all the other rowers I know. Oh and if you're wondering I train twice a day 6 times a week for competition, some last just 6 minutes others up to 20 and beyond so knowing what works counts.
The big thing to recognise is the stage you're at now and then set goals of improvement at regular intervals, its no good trying to bash it along and over-train only to become ill a few days down the line. start increasing your endurance base and supliment it with weights - don't just do beach weights (heavy, near max lifts), its best to do 3/4 week rotations of beach, power then endurance weigh programs...again depending on your fitness level it depends on how many days a week you do them, typically 3 days a week i.e. mon, wed, fri. is the norm...with a warm-up/cool-down program incorporating some endurance work e.g. 10min jog to loosen up before and after.
it takes the body 3 months to adapt to endurance training...keep up the good work!

[kalniel]

I wouldn't have thought you need that much variable resistance - a good ergo will more or less match the resistance of water.

Good luck on rowing full whack for 20 mins. It's usually faster to keep to aerobic speeds and only go anaerobic for short pushes with recovery periods between. But I think the above poster would be better placed to comment on that than me

Other than lungs and heart the main thing you'll need is technique - but there isn't any substitute for getting out on the water for that!