Ranger - News To Shock

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Have you decided what rate you are going to start off on Sat? My initial prediction was 1:36. are you considering this or maybe something more conservative? </td></tr></table><br /><br />I haven't done enough final race preparation yet to go out at 1:36. I'll just try to row flat splits, if I can, perhaps even negative splits, if I feel that is necessary. I am not at all fully prepared to race, yet. I am just getting the feel of things. On this one, I am just out to enjoy the experience of racing again.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] hjs]

<!--QuoteBegin-John Rupp+Jan 16 2006, 09:15 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(John Rupp @ Jan 16 2006, 09:15 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-ranger+Jan 16 2006, 12:03 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ranger @ Jan 16 2006, 12:03 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I haven't raced since 2003. I will be racing this week.<br /><br />And the next.<br />And the next.<br />And the next.<br />And the next.<br />And the next.<br /><br />So I guess we'll see about that 2K power.<br /><br />My last race in 2003 was a 6:32, at EIRC 2003.<br /><br />ranger </td></tr></table><br />I'm sure you will improve in all your 6 races this year and am rooting for you and looking forward to your results.<br /><br />My point is that your training from 2002 to 2003 was highly effective, improving as you did, a full 25 seconds from the year before. This shows me that your previous training was indeed very effective. My feeling is had you continued that previous training, instead of being sabotaged, that you would have kept improving and your times would be considerably faster by now than they are.<br /><br />However, who knows, perhaps you will make up for all that and more.<br /><br />I hope you do. <br /><br />Cheers. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />The beginning is easy, every erger improves rapidly at that stage. After that first stage the harder/smarter work needs to be done. Just making meters isn,t enough anymore.<br />

[[old] hjs]

shocking news. ranger 's injuired. years off training and all is going well, races are coming up and yes............................... <br /><br /><br />uk forum for details.

[[old] ranger]

Yes. Mending pretty quickly, though. Haven't been injured much, so this is indeed a worry at this point. Injury is always possible, though, and is certainly a part of this game, of most games, really. I have just been lucky in avoiding injury to this point.<br /><br />My guess is that the injury is coming from rowing at high rates with my new technique, which demands, simultaneously, quick and full compression at the catch and good toe-to-heel coordination on the footplate. My injury is on my right side, both in the ribs and in the back, the side of a weak ankle, which I also have problems with when rowing for extended periods at high rates with my new technique. My guess is that I might be compressing my ribs too fully or too awkwardly on this side when I am doing quick catches and/or getting poor leverage at the footplate on this side at high rates when I hang from the handle and really push and pull together with my legs and back. I'll certainly have to pay attention to this when I mend and am rowing again. <br /><br />I am disabled at the moment; I can't erg, no upper body leverage.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] 1xx]

I have been a silent reader of this forum (and erger) for over 5 years, and have been entertained by the frequent Ranger discussions. After this latest turn of events (Ranger's injury) I felt like I had to weigh in... <br /><br />I think I let myself get sucked in to believing Ranger over the years.. and actually found myself looking forward to hearing some good results this week to prove that in fact this guy is not just a nut case. Well my faith has been misplaced. Honestly I think this guy is just a way overconfident blow-hard... who appears unable to step up and race anymore. <br /><br />His non-stop discussion of how it took years to change his stroke - then last minute injury.... my god man, I rowed at a top university for 4 years, and the rowing stroke is not that complicated. At some point you just have to (as my old coach used to say) shut up and pull. <br /><br />I find it interesting that a large number of us tend to just want to believe that people are honest. Unfortunately as this (and some of the posts on Dwayne) show, our faith is not always well founded.<br /><br />A pity. I think I will resolve to root for those rowers who show up at events in person and actually participate....

[[old] FrancoisA]

<!--QuoteBegin-ranger+Jan 18 2006, 02:40 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ranger @ Jan 18 2006, 02:40 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Yes. Mending pretty quickly, though. Haven't been injured much, so this is indeed a worry at this point. Injury is always possible, though, and is certainly a part of this game, of most games, really. I have just been lucky in avoiding injury to this point.<br /><br />My guess is that the injury is coming from rowing at high rates with my new technique, which demands, simultaneously, quick and full compression at the catch and good toe-to-heel coordination on the footplate. My injury is on my right side, both in the ribs and in the back, the side of a weak ankle, which I also have problems with when rowing for extended periods at high rates with my new technique. My guess is that I might be compressing my ribs too fully or too awkwardly on this side when I am doing quick catches and/or getting poor leverage at the footplate on this side at high rates when I hang from the handle and really push and pull together with my legs and back. I'll certainly have to pay attention to this when I mend and am rowing again. <br /><br />I am disabled at the moment; I can't erg, no upper body leverage.<br /><br />ranger <br /> </td></tr></table><br />Rich, I am sorry to hear that you are injured and sympathize with you.<br />I also injured myself about 4 weeks ago. In may case, after a hard week of swimming and rowing, I did a 60 min time trial, and instead of resting the following day, went for 20 km of x-country skiing (it was the first time in the season). I started to feel a slight discomfort between my spine and my right shoulder blade, but made things much worse by doing a level 1 the following day!<br /><br />I hope you will be wiser than me and just take it easy on the erg for a couple of days. <br />As we get older, we have to be more careful with changes in intensity and volume or when doing a new activity.<br /><br />Good luck.<br /><br />Francois

[[old] hjs]

You never talk about any injury at al. seem to be a man of steel. You can train for 4 hours a day. year after year. Erging with very spi, very demaning and now shortly before the season starts your body is giving in? What would you think If someone else would teel you this?

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->You never talk about any injury </td></tr></table><br /><br />True, because in the five years I have been rowing, I have never been seriously injured. <br /><br />The increased danger of injury this time around is clear. I used to row in just a natural way that foregrounded my strengths and natural capacities. But for the last couple of years, I have been learning a technique that is neither natural for me nor foregrounds my strengths. Just the oppoosite. Instead of allowing me to overuse my upper body (my back in particular), a good OTW stroke puts emphasis on the legs. As with my running as I got older, this can become a problem if you have weak ankles, as I do. It appears that my weak ankles might be hurting my riibs by weakening the solidity of my connection with the footplate. I think I might also have a problem with compressing my rib cage too severely at the catch, now that I am using a full slide. I used to row at about 2/3 slide with my old stroke.<br /><br />All of this is accentuated, of course, when the rate is upped from 20 spm to 40 spm, as I have done over the last week or so.<br /><br />I would guess that this is the difficulty.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Rich, I am sorry to hear that you are injured and sympathize with you. </td></tr></table><br /><br />Thanks, Francois. Yes, I'll just be taking it easy for a couple of days.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->our faith is not always well founded. </td></tr></table><br /><br />True. If you don't have much faith, it is easily lost.<br /><br />I am sorry to hear you are so easily disillusioned.<br /><br />Sign of the times, I guess. Not much faith out there anymore. Just a lot of doubt.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I think I will resolve to root for those rowers who show up at events in person and actually participate </td></tr></table><br /><br />I am not sure that Dwayne and I are a close parallel on this. I have a hammer and golds from all three major championships. I have three world record rows. You have to show up to get this done.<br /><br />Dwayne has yet to row well in a major championship--at all.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] Cant Climb]

<!--QuoteBegin-ranger+Jan 18 2006, 10:53 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(ranger @ Jan 18 2006, 10:53 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><br /><br />All of this is accentuated, of course, when the rate is upped from 20 spm to 40 spm, as I have done over the last week or so.<br /><br />I would guess that this is the difficulty.<br /><br />ranger<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Ranger,<br /><br />Did you wait until the last couple days to do such high rate work......?<br />Wouldn't this require different muscle fibers...slow twitch vs fast twitch....?<br /><br />You very well may have shocked your body by doing something it is not accustomed too. The rest might do you some good BTW.

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Did you wait until the last couple days to do such high rate work......? </td></tr></table><br /><br />As I usually do, I waited until the last six weeks before a target peak to do my high rate rowing and final race preparation. <br /> <br />The difference this time, clearly, is that I am using a new stroke while making this transition. Undoubtedly, it is this that has brought on the injury. Given this, the transition should have been made more gradually. I have made a similar transition before--many times; but I had never made this transition using a very different and untested technique.<br /><br />Live and learn, I guess.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] ranger]

<!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Wouldn't this require different muscle fibers...slow twitch vs fast twitch....? </td></tr></table><br /><br />Rowing seems to favor slow-twitch muscles, even when rowing fast, or at least, this is what I hear.<br /><br />ranger

[[old] Taylor Miller]

I like 1xx have been reading this and the UK forum for nearly a year now.<br />I’m 54 and capable of a 7m 3 sec 2000m – so Rangers age group<br />has been of much interest to me – and more so Rangers antics.<br />Massive disappointment for all of us regarding<br />Rangers injury set back. Even more so – Ranger must<br />be very disappointed – no – more like devastated about<br />his overall lack of improvement (2000m race time) <br />over the past couple (4?) of years.<br />To think of his unbelievable, near on “professional athlete”<br />quantity of training and he can still not better<br />his 2000m time when he was a 195lb fatty.<br />I’ve been training 3 times a week – about 35k<br />following (as best I can) the WP. Over a 10 month<br />period my time has improved from 7m35s to 7.02.6s.<br />I’m going to try and join the “elite” <br />and do a sub seven minute by WIRC.<br />Mentally Ranger must be distraught.<br />Imagine having a poor training program, being over weight <br />and logging a 2k time that you can not better (around 6.27 ) – <br />even with a 30lb loss of body weight and around<br />1000 hours a year (conservative 3 hours a day estimate)<br />of intense training. In my age group, take any<br />of the sub seven minute guys and give them an<br />opportunity (or desire) to embark on a 1000 hour<br />a year training program – and I’m pretty sure we’d see<br />some improvement. From what I’ve read, Graham Watt<br />the holder of the WR spends very little time on the erg,<br />and it appears that non of the others in this age <br />group are “intense” trainers. It’s pretty belittling<br /> for Ranger really – bragging about the enormous <br />hours he puts in everyday – and for what?<br />Certainly not a vastly improved 2k time.<br />His 195lb poor technique, very average training<br />program WIRC time of 6.27 still reigns as his fastest ever.<br />I’d understand more if Ranger was doing all<br />this to be healthier or fitter, or just feel better. <br />But he consistently talks about his 6.16 potential – <br />so I’m gathering he’s an all out 2k man. <br />Always talking about his SPI too.<br />Yet his TPI (training to racing index) is another World Record.<br />[That’s the number of minutes you spend training<br />divided by the number of minutes racing 2k). Dismal!<br />That so – I guess his introduction at the WIRC <br />or any 2k competition he turns up at,<br />will be announced something like this:<br />And now – introducing the athlete who can indisputably<br />claim more than 1000 training hours a year, and who has <br />sculptured his frame into a 3% body fat, 165 pound lean machine.<br />A former three times World record Holder, king of SPI, <br />with the World’s worst TPI . Former marathon runner, <br />swimmer, canoeist, track runner and bike rider he’s disappointed<br />beyond imagination that he still is unable to eclipse his best ever <br />six minute twenty seven effort as a poorly prepared, <br />atrocious rowing style, grossly overweight 195 lb mass –<br />let’s welcome Professor Richard Cureton.<br />