34M 5'11 270lbs. I used to be in great cardio shape, played tennis, no cardio issues etc. That feels like a lifetime ago as over the years life caught up and I now find myself 100lbs heavier than my normal weight for most of my life. Decided to lock in with diet and exercise and chose rowing as my cardio source.
Bought a concept 2 about 10 days ago and was shocked at my complete lack of stamina and strength. I was able to just get to 500 meters rowed at around a 2:30 pace before I thought I was gonna die. I have been doing various workouts over the last 10 days. Today I was finally able to complete 2500 meters rowed continuously in 14:40. I know that time is what it is, but for me just being able to row for 15 minutes straight and go 2500 meters felt like an accomplishment.
My question is how should I continue to strategize my cardio sessions on the machine in order to maximize my cardio on it. Its humbling to see what people consider even below average production on a rowing machine is like but for me I am just a guy at the crossroads in life where its time to do something about my cardio ability and weight.
Any advice would be appreciated, I actually enjoy the rowing exercise and find myself watching videos on end at night about form/technique and I feel like I am improving that every session but just dont know how to structure my workouts until rowing for 45 minutes to an hour is doable.