Rod Freed

[[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--> Now you are really kidding, right?! I'm not even going to go look, but I'm pretty sure you have claimed to do that "easily".<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Yes, I find it pretty easy to step for an hour at 305 watts, although that should be taken with my definition of "easy" (which includes things like comfortable, but at the end, totally spent, i.e., able to be done at a steady state, albeit with a pretty elevated heart rate). I don't have any problem stepping comfortably (i.e., in a steady state, with no mental, muscular, or aerobic discomfort) with a heart rate of 160 bpm (or whatever) for an hour (two hours gets more challenging).<br /><br />Since I never race when I step, I have never tried to see how fast I could step an hour, but my guess would be that there would be diminishing returns _very quickly_, if I upped the wattage, though. 172 bpm is my anaerobic threshold. The muscular and mental strain of stepping for an hour at a wattage that you are not entirely used to is pretty severe. As in rowing, a lot of stepping is all "rhythm and relaxation." If you get out of your comfort zone, if even a bit, it can be excruciating.<br /><br />It sounds as though Gary was giving some testimony to this the other day!<br /><br /> <br /><br />My stepping has progressed very smoothly but also very gradually. As I mentioned, when I began stepping five or six years ago, I used to go along at 250 watts. Now I can do 305 watts with just about the same effort. That is a _very_ nice improvement, equivalent to 7 seconds per 500m or so on the erg.<br /><br />Those who have not facilitated to stepping slowly and carefully as I have now over a matter of 5-6 years of consistent work might find stepping _very_ difficult, and not just the part that involves maintaining a heart rate of 160 bpm for an hour or two. As with erging, for a long, long time, beginning steppers might have very little tolerance for the activity. Those who don't run, or have never run seriously, might have even more difficulty. The muscular and other work that I can do on the stepper at 160 bpm for two hours might turn into 10 minutes for them. The heart rate might soar with the slightest move out of their comfort zone, which might be very narrow and minimal indeed.<br /><br />I suppose I am saying this: Over time, I think I have fashioned a great training tool for my rowing with the efficiency, intensity, and duration of my stepping; but if others want to use this tool, they might have to "fashion" it, too, just as they fashion their efficiency in rowing by doing a lot of erging. This is true of any cross-training. Many rowers just can't run to cross-train. They are just hopelessly bad at it, and doing a lot of it, especially as a supplement, creates more problems than it solves. I have no problem running; I have done it seriously all of my life.<br /><br />Rhythm and relaxation. Rhythm and relaxation. Rowing is all about rhythm and relaxation.<br /><br />I now have it on the stepper, and therefore using stepping for cross-training can do wonders for my rowing.<br /><br />ranger<br /><br />P.S. As far as cross-training goes, I have done very similar things with sit ups and skipping. They are also valuable cross-training tools for me now, but only after years and years of labor with them. I can now do 1000 sit ups "pretty easily" (meaning without severe physical or mental stress, i.e., relaxed and rhythmically), even though by the end I am breathing pretty hard and am covered in a rolling sweat. I can also jump rope for a couple of hours with a similar response. When you facilitate to it completely, skipping rope is _amazingly_ relaxing and rhythmic. Most folks can do 100 sit ups or so, at best. Many can't jump rope at all.