Ranger's training thread

[ranger]

A fun technical exercise is to isolate one part of your stroke for emphasis while downplaying the rest.

Today, I tried this with the second part of the drive, the push with the hams and gluts off the heels.

catch-PUSH-swing-finish

The trick is to keep the rest of your stroke in order, but at low pressure, while you do this.

Not an easy thing to do.

Interestingly, if you emphasize the push with the heels on the second beat of the drive, while downplaying the rest of the drive, you get a trapezoidal force curve, even at low drag.

For instance, with my force curve, I usually get an almost instantaneous 135 kg.F of peak pressure at the catch.

Then a 45 degree angle descent to the baseline.

But if I emphasize the push with my heels on the second beat and deemphasize the catch, swing, and finish on the other three beats in the drive, I still get an instantaneous catch but only up to 100 kg.F.

Then I get a flat line continuation of that 100 kg.F for most of the rest of the drive.

Then, at the finish, I get a steep, almost vertical drop-off.

Trapezoid.

When you catch the wheel with your heels, you lift your weight off the seat and hang on the handle.

This is easy to do at high drag and/or after a weak catch.

It is more difficult to do after a strong catch at low drag.

Isolating this difficulty and working on it for hours and hours can help develop the needed skill.

ranger

[ranger]

Again, you are caught in a lie. Or have you forgotten the 5k trial you did for the USIRTDS? You know, the one you insisted you did, but the results were for the coaches' eyes only?

So, were you lying then, now, or both?

Trials imposed upon you by coaches and others have nothing to do with organized training and can never be your best effort.

The USIRT trial was not my 5K pb--by a long shot.

ranger

[ranger]

Interesting - so we've now established that while everybody *else* sharpens in about the same way, with about the same effect, you don't.

Not at all.

I have sharpened many times (Winter of 2002, Winter of 2003, Fall of 2003, etc.), and when I do, I sharpen just like everyone else, and get right about the same benefit (a dozen seconds of 2K).

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

What I said is that I haven't sharpened since 2003.

I didn't say that I was sharpening in some other way.

ranger

[whp4]

Again, you are caught in a lie. Or have you forgotten the 5k trial you did for the USIRTDS? You know, the one you insisted you did, but the results were for the coaches' eyes only?

So, were you lying then, now, or both?

Trials imposed upon you by coaches and others have nothing to do with organized training and can never be your best effort.

The USIRT trial was not my 5K pb--by a long shot.

ranger

Immaterial. You said you hadn't done any distance trials. Not surprising it wasn't your PB, as your ruinous training has caused your performance at 2k to plummet.

[JimR]

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

At the heart of it you just keep repeating the same old, tired story ...

"I will do x" followed by "I didn't do x". The only think that changes is the excuse on why you didn't do x.

You list your best 2K times in the past five years ... and neglect to mention that every single one was preceeded by a prediction that a 6:61 2K was "a lock".

JimR

[Citroen]

So, were you lying then, now, or both?

Simple answer - everything Ranger posts on here has at least one terminological inexactitude contained within it. (Even his forum signature "Rich Cureton M 60 lwt 5'11" 165 lbs. 6:27.5 (hwt) 2K; 6:28 (lwt) 2K" doesn't tell the truth. As he's not 165lbs.)

[whp4]

A fun technical exercise is to isolate one part of your stroke for emphasis while downplaying the rest.

Yeah, we see this in all of your videos — that bobble-head thing you do

Legs-back-arms-HEAD-arms-back-legs

I guess Concept2's graphic designer forgot to leave space on the instructional sticker for the most important part of the stroke

[Citroen]

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

It must be a red-letter day. We've had the first of this year's "in the fall" posts.

[whp4]

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

At the heart of it you just keep repeating the same old, tired story ...

"I will do x" followed by "I didn't do x". The only think that changes is the excuse on why you didn't do x.

You list your best 2K times in the past five years ... and neglect to mention that every single one was preceeded by a prediction that a 6:61 2K was "a lock".

To be fair, last season he almost did it, he got a 6:62.3

[JimR]

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

At the heart of it you just keep repeating the same old, tired story ...

"I will do x" followed by "I didn't do x". The only think that changes is the excuse on why you didn't do x.

You list your best 2K times in the past five years ... and neglect to mention that every single one was preceeded by a prediction that a 6:61 2K was "a lock".

To be fair, last season he almost did it, he got a 6:62.3

Touche' ... a Freudian slip it seems! I think it is appropriate to leave that post unchanged ...

JimR

[PaulH]

Interesting - so we've now established that while everybody *else* sharpens in about the same way, with about the same effect, you don't.

Not at all.

I have sharpened many times (Winter of 2002, Winter of 2003, Fall of 2003, etc.), and when I do, I sharpen just like everyone else, and get right about the same benefit (a dozen seconds of 2K).

When I sharpen this year, I'll also sharpen like everyone else.

What I said is that I haven't sharpened since 2003.

I didn't say that I was sharpening in some other way.

ranger

Actually what you said is that you tried, but failed, to sharpen last September. It's not possible to fail in sharpening, unless you're physically prevented through injury, because *everyone* sharpens in about the same way with about the same effect. If you started to sharpen, which you said you did, then either you *must* have completed sharpening, or you *don't* sharpen the same way everybody else does. It's not a point of debate, it's a binary decision; you either did one or the other.

[JohnBove]

No, Paul hasn't yet outdone my lwt 6:28 at 52. This last year, at 52, Paul pulled 6:34.

No, Roy wasn't faster than I was 55-60, especially in competition. I pulled 6:29.7, without even preparing for it. The best Roy pulled was 6:38.

Sorry, assface; the world records are theirs. Your excuses, however (and however meaningless), are yours alone.

[lancs]

two people have achieved greater "quality'" if that 's the term you prefer. Paul Siebach, who topped every row you made between 50 and 55, and the Rocket, who was faster 55-60.

No, Paul hasn't yet outdone my lwt 6:28 at 52. This last year, at 52, Paul pulled 6:34.

Unfortunately for you, C2's WR age groups fall in 5 year segments, not single years. So when Siebach beat Watt's WR for that age group, he'd accomplished his target, ie the WR. His target was not to wait two years and pull a slower time of 6:28. You're right to be proud of your time of 6:28 @ 52 years of age. It was terrific. But you should also respect Siebach's ability as a superior athlete to you.

No, Roy wasn't faster than I was 55-60, especially in competition. I pulled 6:29.7, without even preparing for it. The best Roy pulled was 6:38.

That's not at all the whole story, though.

You're right that it's not the whole story. That 6:29.7 was as a hwt, Roy's rows were as a lwt. Hardly a fair comparison. Your best lwt row during your 55-59 years was 6:41. Again, you should respect Roy's ability as a superior athlete.

Why do you lie so much?

[Byron Drachman]

Oct 3, 2006: Sharpening needs to be done for six weeks or so before you race

Jan 27: 2010: I now have seven weeks of sharpening.

July 8, 2011: What I said is that I haven't sharpened since 2003.

[ranger]

Actually what you said is that you tried, but failed, to sharpen last September. It's not possible to fail in sharpening

True, if your technique is in order and therefore you are ready to do it.

But for the last few years, I have been changing my technique--slowly but surely, for the better.

So, each time I tried to sharpen, I found my technique was still not in order and therefore I wasn't ready to sharpen.

The whole point of my training for the last few years has been to improve my technique, not to sharpen and race.

Sure, I can sharpen and race.

I have done it many times.

But why bother, if your training is still not complete?

I don't row on a team.

I don't have a coach, other than myself.

I already have three WR rows and have won all of the major championships.

I have nothing whatsoever to gain by breaking training in order to sharpen and race.

In retrospect, I think my decision about this has been exactly right.

I don't think that I would have made the progress I have made with technique if, every four months, I sharpened to race, reverting back to my old technique in order to go as fast as I could, given that I didn't yet have a more productive alternative.

The pressure to perform at your best--a couple times a year, monthly, weekly, even on a daily basis--is probably the major reason that most people never get any better at rowing.

They use all of their training time preparing to race and racing.

There is no time for anything else, much less time for getting better at rowing.

Perhaps it's just my odd opinion on this, but I don't think there is any virtue at all in rowing badly, and therefore slowly, year after year, just because you can't be arsed to take the take to learn to row well, and therefore fast.

ranger