Regular People V Olympic Rower | Brutal Challenge 

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I rowed with Nick for a short time at Leeds rowing club. I recognised him in the thumbnail and knew he’d absolutely smash it. Absolute beast

As an ex rower, many people don’t realise how much of a beast the ergo can be, it’s pretty evil 😂

As a rower sat on my sofa watching this. My HR and adrenaline levels immediately spiked as soon as I saw the splits and the countdown haha

Proud to say my late father (one of the most humble and softly spoken blokes) had a 2 km PB of 6:40... at the age of 62! He used to race at the British Indoor champs and Redgrave and Pinsent would put on a bit of an exhibition race t the end (with Pinsent ending up with his usual faint in the last stroke 😂). Dad would turn a horrid shade of grey in the last 200m but absolutely loved his ergo.

"You warmed up for four seconds, that's a cardio workout for a Gymshark athlete!"

It was on this very challenge against 18 year olds a year ago I got a herniated disc which needed surgery later on...for the record I won...as a 48 year old and clocked a 1:25 on the 500m. Short term win and still in recovery

5:48 will always blow my mind. My fastest ever was 6:13 and it nearly killed me. Even the thought of going sub 6:10 seems too far fetched. However, I take my hat off to anyone who sincerely attempts the 2k test. Just doing it is no joke. As for the people who attempted Mark's test - they could definitely add many valuable metres to their distance if they'd been taught proper technique and rating. Great work! Finally, I hate to say it but it looked like that boat crash at the end of the vid involved my old rowing club, City of Cambridge (blue, yellow and claret colours), during the Bumps! 😄

This Sun I am going for a 5k pb (after totally giving up on running ). You are the reason , you planted the seed.

As a 56 year old Cornish pilot gig rower, I’m stoked that I can still beat that erg challenge. To be fair though, it takes a lot of time on an erg to get efficient and also endurance fit. I’m not surprised many of the fit gym guys failed, as it’s not something they particularly train for. It’s all about the repetition and building the engine. Great video 👍

Hey Mark, I was really inspired to dedicate more time to fitness after watching one of your videos in 2022. Thanks so much for the inspiration, much love from the USA.

Love these challenges. Average person has no concept of how fast the top performers are until they try it out themselves.

Great video, Mark. I’ve watched a couple of your rowing videos, now, and appreciated the split approach. I’m re-training after retiring from hockey due to proximal hamstring tendonopathy (I’m also 52 years old, which doesn’t help 😂), and had decided to take up rowing, starting indoors, and then moving, eventually, outdoors. Your videos are great, and have been a real inspiration - massive thanks and respect for the hard work!

Love the interactions Mark and Jen with the others ,who all appear to be above average great content 👍🏻

Who remembers that documentary filmed in the lead up to Steve Redgrave's final Olympics, showing them training on the Concept 2 rowers? They were literally PASSING OUT from exhaustion and falling off the rower, and I remember thinking you can't possibly work any harder than that.

Brilliant video Mark! Love this as a concept, also like how you backed up it first then asked others to follow!

Mark time to do that "above average guy does coaching". Subtle insults and backhanded compliments the whole time. Love your stuff. It does inspire me to keep going and be above average in things i'm good at. Rollerblading and snow skiing. Maybe endurance but I need to go some comps. I said i wasn't going to do any. But you said do it, so i think i will. I'm my start of running just a year ago. I said no races as they cost money. I'll just do my own timed runs. I think apes have a hierarchy for a reason. We do and it's just on the social medias.

I'm no rower (I'm a cyclist). Last year I rowed for the first time and did it in 1:42 and for someone who was 53, I thought it was quite good.

Yes Mark! Gotta get that duck pond podium in there, always makes me smile. Another brilliantly entertaining video. Looks like some real interesting characters train at your local gym!

I am loving these 'crowd challenge' videos, very well-done!

British sense of humour at it's finest! Loved it! Cheers for involving people into your challenges. Good work mate!

There are interesting rowing techniques in this video 😂

Back when I worked somewhere with a gym (20 years or so) the Concept 2 was the unloved bit of kit you could always get on. That and a StairMaster. I used to alternate between the two. Being a distance guy, I would aim for 5K at under 2 minutes per 500m. After a while, I could do that in 1:50. I don't think I got under 1:40 for a sprint finish and doubt I would have been much under that for a 500m sprint. 1:24 is way fast. Well done.

While at home during Covid, I rowed 1,000,000m. Took me 84hrs over 83 days. My best 500m was only 1:30. I can confirm, this is hard!

Watched since the beginning and this made me subscribe at the full membership, great content from a nearly 50yr old.

Out of all ur videos- these ones are the best! Love these

Top class content as always Mark, a challenge that looks a lot easier than it really is ! well done.

Looks like you have had a bit of a serious upgrade on your gym - good mix of people and some real quality individuals clearly. Good video as always.

Dang mark. I haven't watched your videos in a few months tbh, but been around since 4.5k followers. You've blown up! Congrats and great video.

Honestly, my favorite part is listening to you get back at the rowing technique experts from the comments before they get their chance. It's funny as hell. On an unrelated note, nice video!

I love this. Spent a decade enjoying the C2 and at 6’7”, 230lbs, I only wish I’d found this sport when I was younger. Thanks for spreading the rowing love!

One of the few cardio machines where 500m all out feels like it could literally make my heart explode

Great video, these types of challenges are really entertaining.

Makes me want to hit the rower next time I hit the gym. Kinda tired of the bike and can't run due to Achilles. Thanks for the inspiration!

Semi-regular indoor rower here, and I managed 1:36.3 back in 2020, aged 51, and then nearly threw up ! 100m I could do at 1:25 pace. Very impressive by everyone there, pacing the 500 right is tough

...that duck pond podium NEVER gets old 👍👍👍👍..... Entertained, again. 👍🌞👍.

Truly Great content!!! ❤ More like this plzzzz

I took a lot from the previous video and have started including 2k row splits as a way to track progression in fitness. Along way off the times seen here but gotta start somewhere

This is a fun challenge - quite a few of those taking part would have seen improvements purely from technique, which is rarely corrected (I've often seen PTs showing bad technique as well). The 500m is the only distance I've never taken seriously - seeing that chap doing that pace after the deadlifts correlates nicely with my belief that a strong deadlift will usually result in a fast pace over a shorter distance rowing (fella should try the 100m, which Shaw *doesn't* hold the record in, despite the claims that he did once hold it - current record is a barely believable 1:02 average!!!)

10:21 Mark goes all Gordon Ramsey!! 😂😂

Loved this, great challenge and great participants

I took up dragon bost racing in my late 40s in the UAE and loved it and ended up paddling with a Filipino crew who are amazing at the sport. We had 20 paddling in the boat and the memories of the 2k races is making me sweat just thinking about. Such a hard distance to do flat out and in time with the rest of the crew. Great video this.

Love watching these, they’re great 👍

what level or setting did you use on the fan side...1 thru 10 ?

Curious to try this at some point, what resistance do you set the rower to?

In the 90s my work at the time (Lombard) sponsored the Redgrave Olympic 4 . They had a celebration event after Sydney 2000 which featured a a little 90 sec ergo test competition for staff. James Cracknell made it and set a distance way 500m. I wasnt cardio fit then but managed to win it (Id rowed in my teens and have a frame like yours) probably 490m. I just remember it feeling really easy for the first 30 , the middle 30 getting harder and the oblivion pain of 60 secs to 90 secs. You and Karen showed some human suffering but the 2 lads that seemed barely out of breath and stood up quickly 😮😮😮.

I loved watching this. We have a challenge board at our Gym for this. I was currently leading but have been knock of the top step with someone doing a 1:28. I'm 120Kg 32%bf and can do 500m in 1:32.3 so watching these fitter people and a different techniques makes me feel if I can get my body weight under 100Kg I should smash this. Thanks for sharing :)

Lovely stuff Mark 👌 and a warm welcome back to my favourite Crossfit meme 😂

Great video and loving the positivity at the end. Yep, scooping chickens is a real warm up.

What damper setting do you use?

What level do you have the rowing machine at? Is it 10 resistance?

Simple, tough, whole body...Great work mate👊

Great idea for a video. There's a reason Nick was so good - he basically deadlifted each stroke, and then pulled into a finish. (See, see, I didn't comment on the bad technique!)

Love the rowing machine, usually it's part of the warm up and feel like am dieing sub 8min/ 2000m😁 at 6'6 its feels one of the few machine that fits (is gym equipment getting smaller?). Unfortunaly a few discs went at easter and took out a nerve when they flounced off but physio says its ok to start training again. Challange accepted, it may take a while you old before photo could be me.

I did a 1:30 500 m at 50 years of age , nearly threw up . A few years later did a half marathon in 1:33:08 and decided I don't need this torture device in my life any more...

Outstanding video! Quite the challenge!

Excellent content! Thank you.

I would love to see your heart rate data there next to distance and time. You make it look easy, until it is over and then it is obvious how hard you worked to go that distance.

Steve Redgrave was incredible. His fitness increased right into his 40s

That was brilliant to watch thanks 😂😂

Loved this👍👍

Duck pond comment, never gets old...🤣🤣.

Loved that vid

Love it! 20 years ago I managed a 1:33.0 500m and a low pull of 1:22. No chance I could do either these days! 🤣

Any tips for staying on the seat better? I never actually fall off but i have to slow my rythem down because I'm half off it.

One of your funniest videos I've watched! 😂 You were right about the comments its only been 35 minutes and theres 3 comments on form 😅

Gave this a go this morning, was thinking I would smash it and was nowhere near it. Really pushed and was getting 1:44 at best 😅 much harder than it looks

Thank you for explaining the concept of speed.😂😂

I so love your videos Mark. Goodness! Funny, entertaining and oddly educational hehe

What is the resistance set at? I imagine that this would make a difference Yes?

What resistance machine set at? Id like to have a go ..thx

Mad to think Redgrave did it while having diabetes and colitis at the same time aswell. Absolute hero and an inspiration. Nick was an absolute beast on there too

You've done it again .im off to the gym to have a go on the rower 😂

Used to love the rower back in my gymbro days. Always at the end of the visit though as the physical and mental distress of trying to beat your best 2K time always just ends you. Never known a feeling like it, lactic acid building up everywhere, your lungs bursting...

technique is a big issue. you're supposed to use your legs to do the bulk of the power and then follow through with your arms at the end. most people who don't row use their arms before their legs are even straight, and end up not only with shorter strokes, but wasted energy, as straight arms don't require energy to pull. By overlapping those phases you are almost like tapping your brakes while pressing the accelerator.

Super fun and easy going video. Impressive to see the ability of the best of the best in relation to everyday gym goers, which apparently include world record holders and other olympic athletes as well. what a gym 😂

i'll try this tomorrow for a laugh, and fail but a great warm up:)

Thank you for your sharing

Rowing is HARD. We have a danish champ called Eskild Ebbesen and he is a machine in all endurance sports. The carryover from rowing to other sports is great

06:47 fastest ever did and like others killed me 🥵 was a competitive canoeist so some type of aerobic background but darn rowing is a real leveler for sure .. would like to get a Concept 2 for home gym next year 🤞 Love the logo and merch 👊🐬

I want to give this a try what’s the resistance lever set at?

You are awesome - my favourite video of your's yet

A good friends of mine started rowing a couple months ago and he got 1:27 for 500m in indoor championships. He’s 14…

Love this vid. At my peak my best was 1:27 for 500m. But that was before I was diagnosed with asthma. Died on my arse at the time. Wish I knew what I could have done then!

Not sure why but the explosion effects made me laugh! 😂

What resistance level is used? I’ve never used this machine.

Mark if you wanted to get your own rowing quicker you could consider moving your hands away faster at the end of your stroke and leaning forward before you break your legs and move forward. PBS 6m07 and 16m22 for 5k.... a very long time ago and we are pretty much the same size and shape - well.. in your previous life - Love your channel - keep it up I love watching your videos - I think you are awesome (in a manly appropriate way)

The duck pond gets me every time.

I did 1min21.9 500m approx 7 yrs ago when i was bulking and 111kg at 6ft3, im 101kg now and leaner/fitter, i used all upper body/ back to do it....being big was a great help

Having already stood upon the infamous duck pond podium, I will have to give this a go too.

Love the quality of the average 'gym bro' rocking up to the plate in that place!

Great challenge. Really highlights how impressive elite 2k times are.

What resistance settings on the rower?

I want to try this. What was the drag set to?

This is now our work challenge. 🎉

outstanding. they all did better than I would :)

Loved this video! My best is 1:29 and every second is an eternity 😅

Great challenge 💪

Excellent video, I'm interested to find out what my distance is tomorrow morning after watching that 😂

What’s the resistance set at please