Flywheel to Close S Lamar Studio

It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of our S Lamar Studio effective June 30, 2013 after 4 years in business. 

Flywheel will continue to offer private instruction for individuals and groups, contact us to learn more about these services.  

 Flywheel will also continue its online presence, including the rowing & cycling technique blog at FlywheelFit.com as well as its retail offerings. 

 What Does This Mean for Members?  

 Members on monthly auto-pays will have their accounts terminated effective June 30, 2013.  

 Members with outstanding class passes will be able to use their remaining class June 1st through December 31st at Brodie Park CrossFit‘s newest location on Goodrich Avenue, just behind Flywheel Fitness. In addition to traditional CrossFit classes, this gym also offers CycleFit, a high intensity, high endurance program combining strength training with indoor cycling.  Current Flywheel members who would like to get started at CycleFit should email CycleFit co-founder Trey Steele.   

THE CURRENT FLYWHEEL CLASSES & SCHEDULE WILL BE EFFECTIVE THROUGH JUNE 30, 2013. RESERVE NOW. 

Thank you endlessly for your support and enthusiasm over the years, we’ve enjoyed introducing you to Indoor Rowing & Spinning, and we look forward to continuing our relationship via private instruction and online advice.  Please continue to follow us here, at FlywheelFit.com as well as our social media sites, Facebook, Twitter and IHeartRowing.com

“I have been honored with the task of helping a Ugandan rower (Gerald Ssemambo) train for the 2013 World Rowing Championships.   

FISA, the World Rowing Organization, is supporting Gerald with logistics, but is not supporting his coaching, equipment and outside logistic needs he requires to be successful.

This is his opportunity to make his country proud. It’s an even greater opportunity for Uganda to foster new athletes into the sport, and uphold the ideals of Olympic Solidarity. 

Please subscribe to Gerald’s progress Blog HERE.

When you have a chance, please link HERE to Gerald’s sponsor page where you will find his full racing schedule.”

Unfortunately for Flywheel, this means no more Wednesday night rowing beginning May 1. Team Survivor rowing programs will move to Monday nights beginning May 6. 

Join Coach Brock of Texas Rowing Coach for a fun Valentine themed movie row-along to Love Actually.

Prizes and give-aways for those who wear their best red rowing outfit. Come single, or come with friends!

Casual pace – perhaps 4 x 2500 meters? 

We’ll have post-row snacks and wine!

Cost of the ride is $20 – $10 of which goes to It’s Bigger Than You.

This is a team challenge – you must follow these steps to sign up.

1. Create a FREE Online logbook at Concept2.com

2. Join the TEAM Flywheel Fitness

3. Join the Challenge!

4. Row as many meters as possible between January 1st through 31st.

CLICK HERE for full instructions.

***

ROWING:

What better way then signing up for a rowing challenge! The Concept2 Rowlympics runs from July 27th through August 12th, and you can win gold, silver or bronze depending on the distance you cover in that time. All you need is a FREE online logbook, then enter the meters you row after each indoor rowing class. Sign up for an indoor rowing class here!

You can see the schedule of all the rowing events, athlete twitters, interviews and more at NBCOlympics.com. Another great website to follow is WorldRowing.com – the official site of World Rowing Federation where they have a special site dedicated to Olympic results, live viewing and more. Of course, our homegrown, Row2k.com is offering special Olympic coverage, and remains the most comprehensive source of rowing news in the US. Go Team USA!!!

CYCLING: 

Cycling in the Olympics is both outdoor and indoor. From road races, to time trials, to BMX, to mountain biking, to track cycling. You can see a breakdown of all the cycling events at NBCOlympics.com If you’re visualizing your Olympic gold medal in Spin class – the fixed gear bikes we ride are closest to a track bike. So perhaps you can self-motivate by visualizing yourself in the Keirin or the Omnium.  Click on the link to see what the heck that is. 

***

We hope you enjoy the next few days just as much as we do! Nothing inspires like the achievements of the amateur athletes (especially those in our 2 favorite sports: rowing & cycling) who dedicate years of training to enjoy their Olympic moment. We’ll come up for air over the next few weeks just to see you in class – and we’ll keep you posted on our favorite Olympic moments via Facebook and Twitter. USA!! USA!!! USA!!!!

It’s that time of year! Get on Amazon and order yourself some books. Get smarter with your free time. Here are some of our favorites for your summer reading list…

Nutrition:

It Starts With Food – Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

The Paleo Solution – Robb Wolf

Wheat Belly – William Davis MD

The Primal Blueprint – Mark Sisson

Rowing:

The Red Rose Crew, A True Story of Women, Winning and the Water – Daniel J Boyne

The Amateurs – David Halberstam

Row Daily, Breathe Deeper, Live Better – DP Ordway

Rowing Faster – Volker Nolte

High Performance Rowing – John McArthur

Cycling:

It’s Not About the Bike – Lance Armstrong

The Story of the Tour de France – Bill McGann

Inspiration:

From Good to Great – Jim Collins

Outliers, The Story of Success – Malcom Gladwell

Drive, The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel Pink

What books are on your list? Enter them in the comments below!

Cool Ways to Chart Your Progress in Workouts

Most folks have a love/hate relationship with the C2 monitor. They either become obsessed with the numbers, or they can’t stand to look at them. Personally, I think that learning to live with the screen (no matter what!) is an important part of the training process. Good day or bad day, you are missing out if you allow yourself to flip back that monitor and row without feedback. The monitor can be your best friend, even on your worst day.

At Flywheel Fitness, we like to use WATTS to measure power. I find this setting to be more sensitive than Average Split, and gives better feedback about the effectiveness of your technique. Yes, I said TECHNIQUE. Trying to push hard is the easy part. It’s how you do it that counts. And the monitor will show you what a slight change in posture, focus on the leg drive, or smooth change of direction at the catch can do for you. When you row better, your watts will increase.

It’s important to be aware of what your typical wattage is at each stroke rate, what max you can get to at each stroke rate, and what you can expect to hold for a long time at each stroke rate. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to increase by roughly 10 watts each time the rate increases by 2 beats. Not making it? You’re probably losing some technique as the rate goes up. Or, you need to work on your fitness.

So how do you remember all of this? First, just pay attention while you’re rowing. Over time, you’ll get used to what you see and you’ll “just know.” But there are other ways to track your meters, and here are a few options…

1. Keep a notebook. Most simple thing to do. Keep a monthly calendar with all your workouts. I like being able to flip through the pages and see how many off days I took, and what my workouts were. I also keep track of meters rowed, average splits, workouts, etc.

2. Good ‘ole Excel. I’ve seen people go nuts with the Excel spreadsheets. It makes it easy to compute averages over days, weeks, months. You can chart, graph, track to your heart’s content. Nerds and people with too much time on their hands love this option. 

3. Online. There are several options and ways to track your meters online, or even on your phone. Many online sites are fun because you can see what others are doing. You can also use social media to tell your friends how far you went, and who doesn’t love bragging to their friends? Especially if you’re working out and they aren’t. Some examples include, Beyond the Whiteboard, LogsItAll, The Rowers Logbook, and Map My Fitness. 

4. Concept2 Online Log Book. C2 has their own online log book. Unlike the above sites, here you are in a ROWING community. You can track meters and times, and compare notes, workouts and results with rowers from all over the world. C2 also provides several fun challenges, for both individuals and teams, that keep you motivated and allow you to compete for prizes. Sure, I’ll row more for a free t-shirt.

5. Concept2 Log Card. This handy card can be purchased at Flywheel Fitness and allows you to track your entire workout, then download it onto your PC using an ROHS card reader. (also available through C2) The “smart”, portable LogCard also allows you to program and store your own favorite workouts for instant set-up. Each LogCard can store information for up to 5 different users and stores approximately 300 workouts for each user. You can’t get much more detailed than this.

6. Sit next to someone! Last but not least, let’s not forget the good old fashioned benefit of training in a group. Come to a class, sit next to someone. I’ll bet you can glance at their monitor every now and then and see who’s winning. Over time, you’ll become familiar with how you stack up to your teammates, and what it takes for you to do your best in class. The more you show up to class and push yourself, the sooner you’ll see improvements. It’s simple. The workout that gives the best results is the one you actually do. In an Advanced class, we complete specific workouts for time or distance, and track results. But you can do this on your own at any Indoor Rowing class.

One final reminder, now that you are recording your distance and tracking your times, go easy on yourself. Compare your good days to your other good days, and compare your worst day this week to your worst day from last week. Not even elite athletes improve on every single workout, this is impossible. Your graph of improvement will not be a straight line. But keep working at it and eventually, your worst day this week will be better than your best day from two months ago.

Do you have a good workout tracker? Add it to the comments below!

Max & Ashley first started coming to Flywheel a little over a year ago. They were newly engaged and wanted to get in shape for their wedding. Although they frequently walk together with their two dogs, and they had a membership to a gym, “neither one of us was very motivated in that environment” says Ashley. Motivation is a key factor for this couple, who have even seen a competitive side develop as they race each other to finish first in Rowing Boot-Camp classes. Ashley says that attending classes together has had a positive impact on their relationship. “Being able to see how far we can push ourselves in these workouts is a side of each other that we wouldn’t otherwise get to see.  I feel more confident in myself and love showing that to Max.  It can be pretty sexy to see him accomplish these workouts too! 

“It helps us bond in a way that we wouldn’t otherwise do.  We get to see a strength in each other that we don’t otherwise see on a daily basis.  It’s pretty amazing to see what your partner can do!”

Valinda & Andrew just recently started attending classes as a couple, although Valinda has been a member of Flywheel for over a year. She recently convinced her husband to join her. Although it took some convincing to get Andy to attend the 6:30am classes, Valinda says “It’s a lot easier getting out of bed in the dark at 6:00 AM when you’re both getting up  – out of bed – in the dark – at 6:00 AM.” Both Valinda and Andy enjoy working out together and feel as though it’s been a positive shared experience, “It’s good to know that your loved one is doing something good for them” says Valinda.

“It’s fun to be together. We’re practicing for our empty nest after our son goes off to college.”

Nick & Lisa first came to Flywheel Fitness when Nick saw a Flywheel Groupon. Lisa says it wasn’t tough convincing her to join as well. Before Flywheel, walking through the neighborhood was their main form of exercise. Although they aren’t really competitive with one another, Lisa does say it’s different than working out with friends because “I don’t want him to see me do anything foolish like falling off the rowing machine.” (note: that doesn’t happen) Lisa says she’s more likely to attend classes if Nick is with her and believes it’s had a positive impact on the  relationship. “Working out as a couple probably isn’t for everybody but it works well for us.”

“We have really enjoyed our classes at Flywheel because it allows us to row together at our own pace.”

You can race in any or all of the following categories: 

• Masters/Open 1000 meter
• Masters 2000 meter (categories broken down by age group)
• Open 2000 meter (categories broken down to lightweight/openweight – you will race mostly collegiate rowers)
• Mixed relay (total of 8500 meters rowed by up to 9 people)

The full event list is posted at RegattaCentral.com, where you will also go to register for INDIVIDUAL events. If you need help using this system, please contact us. To be on the Team Flywheel or Team Survivor relay team, please go to our online scheduler - this is where you will register for the TEAM RELAY event.

Please note, the first race of the day is at 8am, the last race of the day may be as late as 4pm – the exact schedule with race times will not be posted until the day prior to the event. If you are participating in the relay – it’s an afternoon event.

You should expect to arrive 1.5-2 hours prior to your start time to allow for check-in and warm-up. See this article on our recommendations for a warm-up. 

Need help training? All of our Team Flywheel classes now through February will be devoted to getting ready for the Erg Rodeo – so come on down! Proceeds from Erg Rodeo go towards supporting men’s and women’s club rowing at the University of Texas.

Team Survivor competing in the 2011 relay division

After completing a Friday afternoon and two Saturday morning rows on the water, the group headed to Flywheel for the Saturday afternoon workout. The girls executed a 1 minute max watts test, as well as a 4 x 10 minute workout. Exemplifying what it means to be a student athelte – those not rowing were finishing up on homework in the sweat-filled studio. 

homework, warm-ups, and workouts

For Flywheel Fitness members who are wondering just how strong these future World Champions are – this 18 and under group was expected to stay above 200 watts for the course of the 40 minute workout. Inspiring!

For photos of the day, check out our Facebook page.

For more on the USRowing Junior Program see the USRowing Website.

To sign up your own daughter (or son!) for rowing, check out the junior program offerings at Austin Rowing Club!

the group outside the Flywheel studio