{"id":11367,"date":"2017-01-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/test\/how-to-translate-calories-to-meters"},"modified":"2023-03-30T15:46:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T22:46:32","slug":"how-to-translate-calories-to-meters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/how-to-translate-calories-to-meters\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Translate Calories to Meters"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rowing For Calories vs. Rowing For Meters<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>We understand the confusion. Not unlike the confusion an American might feel driving<\/span>\u00a0in England where they drive on the other side of the <\/span>road, moving<\/span>\u00a0at speed limits displayed in km\/h and pay in pounds instead of d<\/span>ollars at the gas station where they are selling the gas by the liter and not the gallon. Even in weightlifting, it seems confusing when one begins to use kilos or in tack when one might program run 4 – 400m laps compared to a 1-mile run. A s<\/span>imilar situation is happening with rowing when it comes to rowing for time or distance versus rowing for calories.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There is a common pattern in the situations described above. The difference in the unit of measurement.\u00a0<\/span>When you drive on the other side of the road you still need to push the gas to accelerate or push the break to slow down, driving in km\/h doesn\u2019t make you faster or slower, it just appears in a different unit. P<\/span>aying<\/span> in pounds instead of dollars to fill up your gas tank in liters doesn\u2019t make it bigger or smaller than in gallons. A 220.5 lb snatch feels just as heavy as a 100kg one. And, you can run 1600m in the same 6 minutes you run a mile in 6 minutes. The unit of measurement <\/span>is <\/span>changing<\/span> <\/span>but nothing else. You will still use the same snatch technique and that perfect pose running. The s<\/span>ame is also true when you<\/span> row for distance, time or calories. Your technique, power output or basic machine setting shouldn\u2019t change<\/span> regarding the given conditions<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not surprising when changing units it causes some confusion. However, it can be cleared up by understanding<\/span> the relation between one unit and<\/span> another. The question at hand isn’t how to row for calories<\/a>, but how you can translate calories to units you are familiar with. How can you translate the cal\/h to a 500m pace that makes sense or the other way around? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Distance measures how far you\u2019ve gone. How far you\u2019ve gone depends on how fast you\u2019ve gone for how long. When you go faster you go farther in any given period of time. Calories measures how much energy<\/strong> you\u2019ve put into the system. When you go faster, you put more energy into the rower\u00a0at any given period of time. Therefore, c<\/span>alories are a unit of energy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Energy = Power Output x Time<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Power output is measured by the rowing machine every second <\/span>based on the duration of the row, how fast the flywheel slows down, how many times it <\/span>spins<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>around,<\/span> <\/span>and the chosen unit displayed on <\/span>the monitor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Calories are calculated based on power output performed over a certain time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n To see this through, let\u2019s demonstrate what it means to understand the numbers from one unit to another. We ask<\/span>ed<\/span> our athlete, James, to row\u00a0<\/span>60 calories for <\/span>time. James is familiar with rowing for distance and time and did most of the staple tests<\/a> before but never really caught the details of rowing for calories. We explain<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0to him<\/span> that since<\/span> it’s just a\u00a0<\/span>change of units his machine settings and preferences should be the same he usually <\/span>uses<\/span>. We also ask<\/span>ed<\/span> him to row at maximum effort, and he promise<\/span>d<\/span> us that he w<\/span>ould<\/span> give everything he got.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Results from the monitor:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n When we recalled the results from the memory of the performance monitor, w<\/span>e saw it took him exactly 1000m to row 60 calories. We also knew his 1000m PR time is 3:49.0, which he rowed just a few months ago.\u00a0After analyzing\u00a0<\/span>his performance and <\/span>once he recovered, we\u00a0<\/span>asked him what the <\/span>most challenging part was during the test<\/span>. <\/span>His answer was<\/span> not being sure what his 500m split was since the display was reporting in cal\/h. Just to see a comparison of how his row would look like if he used his PR numbers,\u00a0<\/span>we ran some quick calculations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Based on his previous 1000m <\/span>PR<\/span>:<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Besides being surprised, James got curious. He asked me to run the numbers on 60 calories with his 1000m PR split to see how much faster he could have gone being aware of his average cal\/h based on his 500m split. <\/span><\/p>\n 60 cal for time\u00a0based on his 1000m PR (500m split):<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Using these numbers, Jason could have been faster by more than a whole minute. He also noted that his total meters were only 857, compared to 1,000, which\u00a0helped him realize the possibility of being able to go faster even more.<\/span><\/p>\n We already mentioned rowing for calories is just a different unit of measurement. What we didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>mention is <\/span>rowing at a higher<\/span> cal\/h (lower average 500m pace) will eventually result\u00a0in lower total distance as well. In our case, if Jason is 18.3 seconds faster on his average 500m pace he would have gained 1:09.2 and would have rowed 143m less.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Now that you understand the only thing changing is the unit of measurement, your technique and most efficient <\/span>machine <\/span>settings<\/span>\u00a0such as your drag factor<\/a>\u00a0should remain the same. And, w<\/span>hen you go faster you are rewarded exponentially when rowing for calories. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n To help, we created a calculator to figure out calories<\/a> over a certain time to both your average 500m pace and your average cal\/h pace, giving you the total distance.<\/p>\n <\/span>Now that you’ve seen the power of understanding the numbers and how rowing for calories can make a significant impact on your workouts, imagine the results you could achieve with personalized guidance and support tailored to your unique needs and goals.<\/p>\n If you’re ready to take your rowing to the next level and achieve real, lasting results, we invite you to join The Crew, our exclusive membership program<\/a>.<\/p>\n By becoming a member, you’ll gain access to expert coaching, customized workout plans, and a supportive community of fellow rowing enthusiasts, all dedicated to helping you reach your goals faster and more efficiently.<\/p>\nWhat<\/span> Actually<\/span> Changes<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/span>Understanding Why<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
A Scenario B<\/span>y The Numbers<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The Actual Difference<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Know and U<\/span>nderstand Your Numbers<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n