Ah yes, the age old question, “What is an erg?”
An ergometer, or “erg” for short, is also analogous with “the common enemy of all rowers.” This machine is what rowers use during winter training and when being on the water in a boat is not an option. You may all be familiar with this machine, because there are at least two in each fitness center, and while they always seem to be occupied, no rower voluntarily gets on an erg to workout (there is some sad logic behind the decision). To some, who have never rowed before, using an erg is an opportunity to get a great workout, for rowers, it’s torture.
Each morning, when we all make our way into the White Building to do our workouts, we trudge over to the rows of our ergs and complain as they are set up into formation depending on the workout for the day.
Now I know what you’re all wondering…”what is so bad about an erg?” Well, I’ll never really understand what is so horrible about using an erg other than the fact that, as a rower, you are constantly staring at your split time (this is how long it takes you currently to row 500 meters), trying to keep a certain stroke rate (how many strokes per minute you are currently pulling), watching the number of meters slowly decrease, watching the amount of time left you have to row decrease, or simply just the fact that it’s not a boat.
As horrible as ergs are, the relationship between a rower and their erg is a ” love/hate” one. Rowers all over the world use ergs, even Olympic rowers, therefore all rowers feel the same pain. But along with the pain that an erg brings, it can also bring an immense amount of joy when you finish a piece and notice that your split went down by a few milliseconds (because yes, just one or two milliseconds can make a difference from being in the top eight boat or not). So, the saying said by most rowers that I can not reiterate enough really is true, that “you have to suffer the pain of the erg to get to enjoy the love of being in a boat.”
So as we wind down on the last few months of not being on the lake and we count down until Spring break when the team travels to Gainesville, Georgia for training, we all come to appreciate the power of the erg and what it has helped us accomplish over these frosty months, but do not miss the massive amounts of time spent on them, once being in a boat comes back into our lives again.
I can completely relate when it comes to the slightest decrease in a few milliseconds making a difference. Over the past few weeks of spring season, the field hockey team and I have been running our hearts out, watching as seconds are slowly cut, improving week after week. Even though the pain of waking up early and running before the sun comes up can be too much sometimes, we all know it is worth it. It is truly a love-hate relationship. Good luck with your training over the next few weeks!