The Goat Pen

just another day in Russia

wife has been on me to get back into exercising. I've dropped off since it started getting dark early. In the summer we were walking 4 miles a day and hiking 10 or so on the weekends. Didn't really lose much weight but I was in shape enough not to be embarrassed.

She's been leaving some pretty obvious hints. My Xmas present was a high tech scale which I refused to take out of the box so yesterday she set it up, installed the app on my phone and put it in our bedroom.

Did I mention my wife gives shit presents for Xmas?

I'm not a treadmill guy although I guess I can be if I have to. I've started watching House of Cards and they use a rowing machine. Read up on them and it seems like they do alot for you without the damage of running for an old fart with bad knees. Plus it seems easier to watch TV while I do it than a treadmill.

So I started looking at rowing machines - all kinds of options out there but there is really only one model that people gravitate to and that is the $900 Concept 2 Model D.

The one on House of Cards is an $1100 water rower . Its cool but *everyone* uses Concept 2.

Of course this is serious money for something I'll be hanging clothes off of in 2 months. But my wife is excited about it. Normally I'd buy a $200 thing, we'd be all excited about it and use it daily until we figured out a good excuse to quit, let it sit in the basement collecting dust for 2 years and then sell it for $50 on craigslist. This kind of investment means I have to be somewhat serious about it.

In the past month I put a roof on my house, bought my daughter a car, funded 13 people at my house for Xmas including presents for their kids and now this bad investment.

My bank account is D.O.A.

It arrives on Tuesday. I'm gonna eat nothing but garbage until then.

I have a couple of friends who love stationary rowing. I never got into it (I got a bad back and prefer walking, swimming or biking anyway) but these guys swear by it. Bon voyage...

my gift to her was a remote car starter so you don't have to get off the couch to start your car in the morning

clearly we are going in different directions at this point in our lives.

swimming would be amazing but the hassle to do it would be the easiest excuse to quit. There is only one indoor pool in our town that is available to the public and its at a very expensive health club.

Clermont County Y has an indoor pool.

16 miles away in Batavia

Backwoods ass county.

16 miles each way would be a bit of a haul. Luckily we've got a year round pool within walking distance for me with ridiculous seasonal rates (like $40 for 4 months). I haven't been in awhile, but it's the kind of thing for me that when I start doing it I go twice a day. Exercise-wise, nothing makes me feel better than swimming...

eCat you will curse the day that infernal torture machine arrives, but if you get in the habit of a 2K a day and a 10K on the weekend and you will see your split time drop and the lbs gradually fall off. Just make sure you get some good instruction on form or you can mess up your back.

The Gray Ghost wrote:eCat you will curse the day that infernal torture machine arrives, but if you get in the habit of a 2K a day and a 10K on the weekend and you will see your split time drop and the lbs gradually fall off. Just make sure you get some good instruction on form or you can mess up your back.

this is all gibberish to me at the moment

but I will take your advice on the proper back technique

You can watch workout porn while you row...

Rowing is the only exercise I do.

hedge wrote:You can watch workout porn while you row...

duh

and cupcake wars

Riley Reid is in a good workout porn scene with one of those big rubber balls on the floor. I'm guessing the chances are way more than 50/50 that you've seen it...

Probably, I was in my workout/gym/yoga porn stage about 18 months ago

the IPTV channel I'm paying $5 a month for dropped the behind the scenes strip club channel which was my latest obsession

they replaced it with transvestite porn which is a letdown

I mean I'll still watch it but damn

I looked forward to watching women bend over in a mirror and wash their ass with a baby wipe before going on the stage in a room full of other women.

Strippers are really, really concerned with having a clean ass before they stick it in some guys face. Good for them.

"they replaced it with transvestite porn which is a letdown

I mean I'll still watch it but damn"

LOL...

eCat wrote:Probably, I was in my workout/gym/yoga porn stage about 18 months ago

the IPTV channel I'm paying $5 a month for dropped the behind the scenes strip club channel which was my latest obsession

they replaced it with transvestite porn which is a letdown

I mean I'll still watch it but damn

I looked forward to watching women bend over in a mirror and wash their ass with a baby wipe before going on the stage in a room full of other women.

Strippers are really, really concerned with having a clean ass before they stick it in some guys face. Good for them.

I’m laying in bed laughing hysterically. Well done.

The Gray Ghost wrote:eCat you will curse the day that infernal torture machine arrives, but if you get in the habit of a 2K a day and a 10K on the weekend and you will see your split time drop and the lbs gradually fall off. Just make sure you get some good instruction on form or you can mess up your back.

so its been a little over a week now of using the rowing machine. Watched a couple of videos before I started to make sure I had good technique. The first 2 nights my back hurt but instead of just going hard, I paced myself, just did about 20 minutes and worked up to it.

Now I'm up to 5000 meters in 32 minutes. I know that isn't very good but I'll start shaving it off. Again its very early into this.

So far I really like it and that is something I have never said about a treadmill. I fucking hate treadmills but I did them because they worked.

The best part of the rower is I can control the pace.

Happy I got the Concept 2 instead of a cheaper option. Some friends of ours advised us to buy a pad for it so we did. I think that helps.

Got a nice setup - 39" TV with Fire Stick and bluetooth headphones, I only let myself binge watch if I'm on the rower.

I'm hoping to stick it out for the winter until is bike weather.

That's a good start, even more so that you get some enjoyment from it. 20-24 is a good target range for a 5K unless you can still be a beastly youngish athlete. There are some rowing teams in the Cinci area, go find one as you get stronger.

my wife and I were talking this morning, I want to set a goal of 23 minutes.

Not sure I'll get there but that's my goal