Fall Team Challenge 2011 Here's a team challenge that will help build club spirit and loyalty. It's the 12th annual Fall Team Challenge! Create a team at your facility and row or ski your way to fun and fitness. We provide the program and the prizes! Each team needs to collectively row or ski as many meters as they can. There are two goals for participants to choose from: - 100,000 meters between September 15 and October 15
- 200,000 meters between September 15 and October 15
SWEAT For a VET Concept2 CTS is proud to be a sponsor of the second annual SWEAT for a VET—a 3-hour, all-cardio, all-inclusive fitness fundraising event on November 12, 2011. Hosted by non-profit Project VisAbility, with Sport & Health and diamond sponsor Myzone, SWEAT for a VET 2011 will take place at Tysons Sport & Health Club in McLean, Virginia. In addition, there will be local SWEAT-a-thon events at clubs and facilities around the world. Each event will be linked in through live video, sharing and following the same exciting program. SWEAT for a VET benefits wounded warriors in the Washington, DC area and around the globe in areas where SWEAT-a-thon events are taking place. The goal is to raise money to purchase fitness equipment for VA hospitals and other facilities serving our wounded warriors across the US. Funds raised internationally will support training camps for athletes and others with physical challenges. Unlike many fundraising events, the people who will benefit from the effort will actually participate in it! SkiErg: It's a Lot More than Just Skiing Although the SkiErg started as a training tool for competitive Nordic skiers, it is rapidly gaining fans from a wide range of sports. From wrestlers to golfers, motocross riders to runners and adaptive athletes, people are finding that the SkiErg offers valuable cross-training and conditioning. What are the secrets to its success? People like the downward pull motion, which is rare in other aerobic exercise equipment. They also like that it's a standing exercise that involves so much of the core muscles—while still working the entire body. And it has the same accurate Performance Monitor as our indoor rowers, so it gives you feedback on every pull. The SkiErg can be used in a number of ways. Try some of the following in your facility: - Personal workouts: The SkiErg offers a great combination of core strengthening and aerobic conditioning. You can do any kind of workout from intervals to long steady state.
- Combined training with indoor rower: The motion of the SkiErg complements the motion of rowing. Try alternating intervals between rowing and skiing for a high quality and varied workout.
- Group workouts: Just as you can run group rowing classes, the SkiErg is suitable for group skiing classes. Participants can pull in sync while still working at the intensity level that suits them.
- Competition: Take part in the 3rd Annual SkiErg Sprints, November 11–13, 2011. Set the monitor for 1000m and ski it as fast as you can.
What's the Skinny?
Skinny shaft (left) vs. Standard shaft (right) |
This spring marked the introduction of our new Skinny sweep oar that features a skinnier shaft with reduced wind resistance and smaller outer grip options than our standard sweep. The Skinny was specifically created in response to women's crews who desired the efficiency of the Fat2 blade but felt our standard shaft with the Fat2 blade was too stiff for their style of rowing. To create an extra-soft shaft, we build it with a smaller diameter. This allows us to achieve the decreased stiffness while maintaining durability and providing the additional benefit of reducing wind drag. Preliminary testing demonstrates measurable savings, particularly in headwind conditions. Crews like this! Indoor Rowing in China Concept2 China had a busy summer with several rowing instructor trainings and education for gyms, companies, clubs and individuals. After putting the finishing touches on the Master Trainer and Personal & Group Trainer courses, we are happy to report that there are now five Master Trainers and 15 Personal and Group Trainers located in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, China. Our Master Trainers have conducted six 2-hour "Introduction to Rowing" classes at local gyms and have introduced over 60 trainers to the benefits of rowing and how it can be incorporated into their personal training classes. They have also provided rowing clinics on cross training for the growing triathlon community at triathlon clubs and retail stores. On August 6, 2011, Concept2, in cooperation with the local governments and sports association of Beijing, held the first Beijing Indoor Rowing Race. Approximately 120 people raced the 2000 meters distance. It was a great way to really kick off the sport of indoor rowing in China. CrossFit News We are pleased to announce that former US Rowing Team member Anna Cummings has been named a new Concept2 master rowing instructor and the newest CrossFit rowing coach. Anna has an impressive rowing resume having raced with the United States Rowing Team for eight years. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. At the Beijing Games, Anna was the only US athlete to compete in two events, the women's pair and women's eight. She is a three-time World Rowing Champion and won four NCAA titles while competing for the University of Washington. After retiring from elite competition, Anna found CrossFit as the perfect way to maintain her elite level of training. Her favorite part about CrossFit is the camaraderie at her home gym, CrossFit Bellevue, and all the health-focused people she meets in the CrossFit family. Anna's passion is to help all rowers utilize their body's power to achieve maximum results, while maintaining technique and good health. Anna joins our ranks of exceptional rowing instructors who travel throughout the US and Canada delivering jam-packed rowing workshops. Our workshops are the leading educational resource for indoor and group rowing and offer clubs and fitness facilities the opportunity to provide a high level of indoor rowing education and support for their members. Welcome Anna! Training Opportunities and Schedule Rowing is for every body! If you have a rowing machine or machines collecting dust, or you've looked curiously at the one in your gym, wondering how to use it, maybe it's time to bust out of that rut and learn to row like the pros. Using the Concept2 Indoor Rower to help your members get their best results can set you apart from the competition. Rowing is a total-body, non-impact, safe, fun and effective exercise for people of all ages, sizes and abilities. But here's the catch: you have to learn how to use the machine correctly. Concept2 CTS offers indoor rowing instructor trainings in locations across the country. The sessions are taught by a Concept2 CTS master instructor who will show you the ins and outs of proper technique to build strength, improve performance, burn more calories and have more fun. You'll also learn how to use the indoor rower to build workouts that you can do with a group as an instructor, with personal training clients, or on your own at the gym or at home. Visit concept2cts.com/workshops and click Calendar & Registration for a list of upcoming trainings and to learn more about how you can row strong to better health and fitness. Custom trainings are available by request through UCanRow2 for the indoor rower and Concept2 SkiErg. Rowers Get A Helping Hand—and Voice—With New App Wahoo Fitness and Concept2 announce the release of a new fitness and rowing app that literally speaks to rowers and workout enthusiasts—ErgBuddy. ErgBuddy audibly delivers data—such as pace and meters rowed—from the Performance Monitor on the indoor rower. Users can view workouts on the iPhone or iPad via the device, app and Wahoo Key combination. Those who are visually impaired or have trouble seeing while training in a dimly lit room now have a solution to track performance data using ErgBuddy. The display features large, bright digits, which provides high visibility and the ability to easily see all data. ErgBuddy users have the option to activate the voice mode or use visuals only. The ErgBuddy app is available for free from iTunes and is functional when paired with the Wahoo Key. Users will also need any model Concept2 Indoor Rower equipped with a PM4 running the latest Beta firmware. More information is available at concept2.com/ergbuddy. Concept2 CTS on the Road in 2011
| Event | Dates | Location |
|---|
| SIBEC | 9/22–9/25 | Marina Del Rey, California |
| Head of the Oklahoma* | 9/30–10/2 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Head of the Charles Regatta* | 10/22–10/23 | Boston, Massachusetts |
| New England Boomers & Seniors Expo | 10/29–10/30 | Boston, Massachusetts |
| The Athletic Business Conference & Expo | 12/1–12/3 | Orlando, Florida |
We Are Here for You! We appreciate the investment you make when you decide to purchase the Concept2 Indoor Rower or SkiErg for your facility, and we won't forget about you after the sale! As always, we are available to answer questions, give technical support, offer programming suggestions and motivational challenges that will help keep your members motivated. We also stock spare parts for the SkiErg and all model rowing machines—even the original Model A! Our website is packed with all kinds of great information as well as videos on rowing technique. Make sure you check out concept2cts.com. | 
