Powerhouse Fitness, the website of champion rower Jack Nunn, says Olympic/National Rowing Teams around the world use the Concept 2 rowing machine for endurance training and physical testing. That is echoed by Dummies.com, which says,the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team trains on the Concept 2 during the off-season."
Concept 2
Concept 2 Rowing is the creation of Pete and Dick Dreissigacker, brothers who competed for a spot on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team. With an engineering background, the brothers developed an advanced set of oars. They didn't make the team, but the Dreissigacker Racing Oars is used by Olympic medalists and world champions. In 1981, the brothers developed the Concept 2 rowing machine.
CRASH-B
Concept 2 is the organizer of the CRASH-B Sprints. Rowers ranging from Olympic champions to recreational health club rowiing enthusiasts, compete side-by-side in a 2,000 meter race. The CRASH-B celebrates its 20th running in 2011, Rob Waddell, winner the 2000 Olympic gold medal in the single skulls, posted the fastest time in the history of the CRASH-B, zipping the 2000 meters in 5:36.
Other Athletes
Champions in other sports have turned to the Concept 2 to enhance their normal training routines. Ricky Carmichael, a Motocross star, trains on the Concept 2, and the machines are used in the training rooms at a number of top Motocross exercise facilities. Mixed martial arts star Chuck Liddell makes extensive use of a Concept 2. After a rowing workout, he fights with sparring partners and then gets back on the Concept 2 for a second session.
Marines and Astronauts
The Marine Corps is testing a form of fitness training it calls "Combat Conditioning." The Concept 2 measures a Marine's fitness level before and after a Marine goes through the fitness program. Researchers at the National Space Biomedical Research Institute are studying the Concept 2 for its potential use in space. Astronauts lose muscle mass and bone strength in zero gravity, and rowing machines might provide the strength training and cardiovascular workouts they need to minimize the losses.
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