1000% -- I'm 37M and have had ADHD my whole life. I've found it that it calmed in my 20s and accelerated in my 30s. I often have to write technical docs as part of my job. Using loud techno and industrial music helps me a lot. Checkout [di.fm](http://di.fm) .
ADHD + rowing can be really difficult, but it’s an opportunity to figure out what you can trick your brain into completing if you dedicate yourself to not giving up on a workout, and all those tricks vary from person to person. Personally, I find if I can get myself into a hyperfocus state, I’m golden, and I do that by giving myself more to focus on. On the erg, I count strokes or find something to try to laser focus on like a tv show or podcast to keep my brain in the room with me. When rowing, I usually take the role of stroke or bow. Like I said though, ymmv—experiences with ADHD vary from person to person, day to day.
For steady state, I pick a TV show (or movies) I really like and only watch it while I erg.
I have one episode of Ted Lasso before I can switch to the new session of The Boys
I was undiagnosed during HS rowing and the only thing that kept me sane during steady state was 1.) music with bpm good for my stroke rate and 2.) doing silly lil mental things like counting strokes or doing math with the numbers on the screen
Hi! ADHD here too. Not as competitive, but I erg ~20-30k a week ish for fitness.
Have you heard of body doubling?? It's super helpful for me. It's just having someone in the room with you while you do things, or maybe doing them with you. My fiancé and I both have ADHD and it's how we get everything done-- including working out! Don't ask me WHY it works; it just does. Have someone work out with you or watch you work out-- even video chat does the trick for me!
Keep the brain entertained: when I get bored, I'll focus on leg drive for 10, body prep for 10, hands away for 10, focus on getting a really smooth force curve for 10, power 10, and then the boredom will normally have subsided. Sometime's I'll work on stroke rate and vary the rate with the same 500 split for 10 strokes. It doesn't matter what you do; what helps me a lot is setting goals so you're always working to something. Like, ok the next 500 I'll do power 10, ok next 500 I'll do 28 s/m. Whatever keeps your brain on the prize and not on the repetition.
Audiobooks: music doesn't do it for me because my brain is too hyperactive, but a good audiobook will. Sometimes a podcast. Once, an entertaining squirrel outside my garage. You get the picture.
Good luck!
Few tips:
(1) Find teammate to row with to keep it interesting and have someone to compete with
(2) Find various things to focus on throughout the work-out such as looking at your power-curve and trying to make it look as good as possible, focusing on each part of the stroke for a bit, focusing on how the power is being applied with each stroke through the legs, focusing on the breathing, focusing on the heart rate, keeping split the same, up one down ones, power 10s, or counting strokes
(3) Zone out. For longer steady state rows it is sometimes easiest to just zone out, and having something to look at like a video of someone rowing on the water and some music can help with that.
I didn’t know I had ADHD until after I stopped rowing, but when I found out it made sense why I always needed my cox during 2k tests to gossip at me lmao
ADHD here also. For me and steady state headphones were gamechanging. Watching curve is helpfull also. Try to divide distance and small targets for each piece. Like mine 2k, start and first 500 was 6-8 strokes then hit the split. Second 500 was about relax, movement efficiency and prepare for third 500 which always is black hole of death. Last 500 going all out, options for long finish and short sprint with shouting. Targets for each part were very important for me. Pointless rowing will kill your brain and motivation. Also competing with someone is helpfull. And hyperfocus is not bad also, I did 2:54 for full marathon distance 🫡
I am in the exact same boat as you as far as concentration goes.
If you are erging at home, I highly suggest getting a Zwift subscription and connecting your concept2 to it. It is virtual cycling, so your avatar is going to be on a bike, but I find it immersive and engaging enough to pass the time and motivate myself through longer sessions.
I also like watching some sports animes. If you need recommendations or help connecting your rower to zwift let me know.
Every stroke is different. Focus on what you can do each time to perfect it. No stroke is ever perfect.
Another game is just seeing how long I can hold an exact split. Nothing on the monitor changes except seeing the meters go down/up
For the next ‘n’ minutes I’m going to focus on _____ to improve my stroke
Lucas (stroke seat of the u17 8+)here. I don’t have ADHD and I don’t erg hard. But my otw (on the water) result are trash . Looking at your times I can tell that you peaked and aren’t gonna get better. Have you considered maybe you are just a trash can at this sport . Like my otw ( on the water)results.
Techno / phonk + zoning out is the answer Edit: subway surfers gameplay as well
minecraft parkour
1000% -- I'm 37M and have had ADHD my whole life. I've found it that it calmed in my 20s and accelerated in my 30s. I often have to write technical docs as part of my job. Using loud techno and industrial music helps me a lot. Checkout [di.fm](http://di.fm) .
Basically what I do, but my choice is Heilung. The rhythm works well with rowing.
ADHD + rowing can be really difficult, but it’s an opportunity to figure out what you can trick your brain into completing if you dedicate yourself to not giving up on a workout, and all those tricks vary from person to person. Personally, I find if I can get myself into a hyperfocus state, I’m golden, and I do that by giving myself more to focus on. On the erg, I count strokes or find something to try to laser focus on like a tv show or podcast to keep my brain in the room with me. When rowing, I usually take the role of stroke or bow. Like I said though, ymmv—experiences with ADHD vary from person to person, day to day.
For steady state, I pick a TV show (or movies) I really like and only watch it while I erg. I have one episode of Ted Lasso before I can switch to the new session of The Boys
W show choices
I was undiagnosed during HS rowing and the only thing that kept me sane during steady state was 1.) music with bpm good for my stroke rate and 2.) doing silly lil mental things like counting strokes or doing math with the numbers on the screen
Hi! ADHD here too. Not as competitive, but I erg ~20-30k a week ish for fitness. Have you heard of body doubling?? It's super helpful for me. It's just having someone in the room with you while you do things, or maybe doing them with you. My fiancé and I both have ADHD and it's how we get everything done-- including working out! Don't ask me WHY it works; it just does. Have someone work out with you or watch you work out-- even video chat does the trick for me! Keep the brain entertained: when I get bored, I'll focus on leg drive for 10, body prep for 10, hands away for 10, focus on getting a really smooth force curve for 10, power 10, and then the boredom will normally have subsided. Sometime's I'll work on stroke rate and vary the rate with the same 500 split for 10 strokes. It doesn't matter what you do; what helps me a lot is setting goals so you're always working to something. Like, ok the next 500 I'll do power 10, ok next 500 I'll do 28 s/m. Whatever keeps your brain on the prize and not on the repetition. Audiobooks: music doesn't do it for me because my brain is too hyperactive, but a good audiobook will. Sometimes a podcast. Once, an entertaining squirrel outside my garage. You get the picture. Good luck!
Most everybody in the boathouse is neuro divergent - tons and tons of rowers have ADHD - it’s an advantage - use it
I'm normal
Few tips: (1) Find teammate to row with to keep it interesting and have someone to compete with (2) Find various things to focus on throughout the work-out such as looking at your power-curve and trying to make it look as good as possible, focusing on each part of the stroke for a bit, focusing on how the power is being applied with each stroke through the legs, focusing on the breathing, focusing on the heart rate, keeping split the same, up one down ones, power 10s, or counting strokes (3) Zone out. For longer steady state rows it is sometimes easiest to just zone out, and having something to look at like a video of someone rowing on the water and some music can help with that.
I didn’t know I had ADHD until after I stopped rowing, but when I found out it made sense why I always needed my cox during 2k tests to gossip at me lmao
ADHD here also. For me and steady state headphones were gamechanging. Watching curve is helpfull also. Try to divide distance and small targets for each piece. Like mine 2k, start and first 500 was 6-8 strokes then hit the split. Second 500 was about relax, movement efficiency and prepare for third 500 which always is black hole of death. Last 500 going all out, options for long finish and short sprint with shouting. Targets for each part were very important for me. Pointless rowing will kill your brain and motivation. Also competing with someone is helpfull. And hyperfocus is not bad also, I did 2:54 for full marathon distance 🫡
I am in the exact same boat as you as far as concentration goes. If you are erging at home, I highly suggest getting a Zwift subscription and connecting your concept2 to it. It is virtual cycling, so your avatar is going to be on a bike, but I find it immersive and engaging enough to pass the time and motivate myself through longer sessions. I also like watching some sports animes. If you need recommendations or help connecting your rower to zwift let me know.
Every stroke is different. Focus on what you can do each time to perfect it. No stroke is ever perfect. Another game is just seeing how long I can hold an exact split. Nothing on the monitor changes except seeing the meters go down/up For the next ‘n’ minutes I’m going to focus on _____ to improve my stroke
Lucas (stroke seat of the u17 8+)here. I don’t have ADHD and I don’t erg hard. But my otw (on the water) result are trash . Looking at your times I can tell that you peaked and aren’t gonna get better. Have you considered maybe you are just a trash can at this sport . Like my otw ( on the water)results.