Congratulations rowers!  You out-rowed last years meter total by 108,000 meters for a grand total of 2.79 million meters.  We also had more rowers rowing 100,000 meters and 200,000 meters  this year.  Look at these other fun stats!

• 1,700 miles were rowed…which equals Indy to Phoenix
• 138,000 calories were burned in 34 days
• 257 hours were spent sliding back and forth on the erg
• the equivalent of 55 days of power was generated to keep a 100 watt light bulb on

If you haven’t had enough rowing, then we encourage you to keep training and to participate in the Indianapolis Indoor Rowing Championships on January 26th at the International School.  There are several divisions and a team event, and we would love for you to join us!  Steve Smith (ssmith@fbdindy.com) will be holding try-outs for the mixed team event. Please contact him if you are interested!

The Indianapolis Indoor Rowing Championships were just held on January 28th.  The Indianapolis Rowing Center (IRC) puts on a great event each year.  This year we had more participation from FBD than ever before.  We registered 3 male rowers and 3 female rowers for the 2000 meter sprint event.  We also registered a 4-person mixed team for the 500 meter sprint event.

Training starts for most of us in mid-November with the FBD Rowing Challenge.  After the Rowing Challenge ends we continue with team practice and  our individual practice until the championships.   Steve Smith is the Coach for this event.  Each of us set personal 2000 meter time goals, and with Steve’s coaching plus the added adrenaline on the day of the event, we all managed to meet or exceed them.

Here is a list of our Events | Goals | and Actual Times:

Michelle Hayes  rowed in the Ladies Masters Regular Division.  This was her first time racing in this event, and she did a wonderful job winning her division!  Masters refers to the age group (30 – 50 yrs. old).  Her goal was to hold a 500 split time of 1:58 or less.  She held her goal time at 1:57.6 and finished with an overall time of  7:50.3, the WINNER of the Ladies Master Division.

AJ Smith joined us this year in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  His goal was to hold a 500 split time under 1:50.  AJ flew under his goal with a 1:45.8 average and fininshed in just over 7 minutes (7:03.2).  This was a great finish.  Congratulations AJ!

Steve Smith was entering his 4th annual race.  He was also in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  Steve’s goal was to better his record in the previous year.  He went in to the race trying to hold a low 1:40′s average 500 meter  pace.  He beat his overall race time by 4 seconds, finishing 2nd in his division with a time of  6:43.9  making his average exactly 1:41.  Nicely done!

Matt Hudson entered his first race this year, also in the Men’s Masters Division.  He, AJ, and Steve all competed at the same time.  His 500 meter split time goal was to hold it under 1:48.  Matt managed to come in just under his goal time  of 1:45 .3 and finished with an overall time of  7:01.2.  Like AJ, this was a great first year effort!

Lisa Hudson entered her third annual race.  Also in the Ladies Masters Regular Division, she went unapposed in the lightweight (< 135 lbs.) catagory.   Her goal was to maintain a 500 meter split time of 2:06 for the race.   She came in right on target with a 2:05.9 average, and a total time of 8:23.6

Finally, we had a surprise entry when Laura Smith (Steve’s wife) entered the Women’s Open race on the day of the competition.  Laura raced an impressive 2:02  pace and finished with an 8:11.2 time.  Her heat was comprised of collegiate athletes and Laura finished in the middle of the mix.  Very impressive indeed!

In the Team Event comprised of Michelle Hayes, Lisa Hudson, Matt Hudson, and Steve Smith rowing anchor, we rowed our best time shaving off 8 seconds.  We finished in fourth place with a combined time of 6:45.5.  We were among some fierce competitors.  Please put this race on your calendar for next year.  It is always held the last Saturday in January.  To all of you who rowed meters in the FBD Rowing Challenge, consider participating next year.  It is a blast!

AJ in the popular post-race position!

Michelle, Lisa, Steve, Matt

    Team Fitness by Design held our own at the Spin4Heroes event on January 21, 2012 covering 77 miles in the 4 hours we had to ride.  The mileage competition consisted of teams of 4 with only one person on the bike at a time.  Strategies were different depending on the team.  Some teams opted to share one bike and endure the discomfort of an unfamiliar fit, but quicker transitions.  Team Fitness by Design opted for comfort, by having our own bikes, with hopes it would make us faster, though slower in the transition.

Drew Conley was our lead off rider blasting out 19.5 miles in 55 minutes.  The transition included removing Drew’s bike and fitting Andrew Sroka’s into the trainer.  It went flawlessly and Andrew kept up a 19.4 mph pace for 30 minutes. All afternoon spinning instructors were leading the group with out of the saddle jumps, sprints, hill climbs – even offering ear plugs to those challenged by the inspiring music.  Matt Hudson built on Andrew’s efforts and held the line with a 9 mile 30 minute pull.  Gatorade and water were being chugged to keep dehydration at bay.  Right around the 30 minute mark Matt’s glutes were screaming for relief and Andrew stepped up and put in his final push covering another 9.7 miles.  “I’m ready to get off!” were familiar words spoken by each of us at the end of our pulls.  With a little bit of rest Matt was able to put in another  8 miles for the team.  During the transition from Matt to Steve we encountered a stuck “lock” bolt.  Eventually a pedal wrench acting as a crow bar corrected the situation and Team Fitness by Design was back in business. Steve then cruised in the last 21.5 miles.

Fitness by Design also had some clients spinning their hearts out including Joe and Kelly Todd as well as Alex Tegart.  Thanks to Vince and Cindy Todd for coordinating such a great event.

Alex,Kelly,Cindy

With 100 participants we raised a total of $17,000 for the Heroes Foundation –helping patients and their families with cancer.  Thank you for all your support as we (trainers) “suffered” for a good cause.

If you have never heard of or seen the event for yourself, here is a small video clip.  Toward the end of the clip you can just see Alex and Kelly to the right of the screen.   Spin4Heroes 2012

~Steve Smith, Personal Trainer

We’ve all seen these claims, and unfortunately they are usually much more ridiculous than this.  Yesterday, while sitting letting my hair “process” at my usual salon, I allowed myself to peruse through the usual trashy magazines.  Lo and behold they had the January 2012 issue of  SHAPE magazine (the holy grail for the uninformed workout enthusiast).   Blasted on the right side of the cover was ”Burn 600 Calories”.  I couldn’t help myself, I just had to look.

The article is titled, “Ready, Set, Row” and looked promising as it was promoting the Concept II Rowing Erg.  Unfortunately the focus was not geared toward helping you learn how to use the machine and get the most out of it, but just hype on how to burn a large amount of calories in an hour.   Now those of you who have just finished the FBD Rowing Challenge, I ask you, “How easy is it to sit on an ERG for an hour?”  That is exactly what this article is recommending.  Furthermore, it sets the beginner up for failure by telling you to row at a 2:10 500/m split pace.   The workout plan suggested is a good one, but only for someone who knows how to use the machine properly and has worked on their technique with a trainer who is knowledgeable.  The tips listed in the article do not replace good instruction, they don’t even scratch the surface.

The article could  have been productive if they had simply directed you to the Concept II rowing site or to the plethora of YouTube instructional videos.  But then again, I don’t think they are in the business to educate, just to sell magazines.  The sad fact is that many people who read this trash will give the Concept II a try using SHAPE’S tips and workout plan and then get frustrated, which is such a disservice to this great cardio tool. 

At Fitness by Design, we use the Concept II ERG all the time and have a team entered into the Indianapolis Indoor Championships on January 28th!  For instruction on this great tool, ask any trainer at FBD or sign up for Steve Smith’s Rowing Class!

~ Lisa Hudson

Final results for the 2011 Fitness by Design Holiday Rowing Challenge have been calculated by Steve Smith a.k.a. The Rowing MACHINE who personally rowed 400K meters during this year’s event.   Rowing just 25% of what Steve did, I can only say he must have buns of steel or a specialized padded seat he whips out when no one is looking!  Here are his calculations, congratulations and kudos!

64 participants rowed 2,685,750 meters equaling 1,666 miles.  This is about the driving distance from Indianapolis to Yellowstone National Park.  Approximately 134,500 calories were burned and it would take 1,345 bananas or 249 cups of Vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice-cream or 38.5 lbs of body fat to fill that tank!

Congratulations to all participants!  Hats off to the Members of the 100K Club:  Ted Bailey, Barb Stewart, Sam Stewart, Lisa Hudson and Matt Hudson.  We had 23 overachievers exceed their meter goal by a combined total of 370,000 meters.  Twenty brave participants met their meter goal, and valiant efforts of the 21 that didn’t reach their goal still added a very respectable 529,000 meters to the overall team total.  We couldn’t have done it without them.

Just so you know, rowing doesn’t have to stop with the end of the challenge.  Rowing Classes begin again every Monday and Wednesday evenings on January 4th.  We meet upstairs on the mezannine from 5:30-6:30pm.  Beginners are especially welcome.

Contact Steve Smith ssmith@fbdindy.com or by cell: 490-7231 to sign up!   ROW ON!!

~Steve Smith and Lisa Hudson