Pete Plan Thread

[hjs]

Horrific is a perfectly executed Pyramid! Awesome work and huge improvements.

Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the comments and feedback. It was a scrap for sure.

The Pyramid is pure evil when you find the right pace. The first half guy writes checks that you're hoping the second half guy can cash

You now are getting into the real training area, before you hads lots left, now you are doing what you can. The middle part is a good indication for your current 2k.

[rascott]

Hi Mike much appreciated...yes I had to take a full day off doing anything after that one! 19:40 is more in line with my current 2K of 7:26 (according to Paul's Law anyway).

Hope you're rowing well whatever you're doing

[JMac]

PP 1.5

5k TT today

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M HR
18:06.9 5,000m 1:48.6 273 1237 26 166
3:41.5 1,000m 1:50.7 258 1185 26 157
3:38.6 2,000m 1:49.3 268 1221 26 164
3:36.9 3,000m 1:48.4 274 1243 27 168
3:36.6 4,000m 1:48.3 276 1247 27 171
3:33.4 5,000m 1:46.7 288 1290 26 174

It went to plan in terms of pacing. New PB by 7 seconds. Didn't have much more to give on that one, still lots of work to do in terms of stamina.

[JMac]

PP 1.6

Another 10k today

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/HR S/M HR
39:57.5 10,000m1:59.8 203 998 21 160
7:59.6 2,000m 1:59.9 203 998 20 148
7:59.3 4,000m 1:59.8 203 999 20 155
7:59.5 6,000m 1:59.8 203 998 21 160
7:59.4 8,000m 1:59.8 203 999 21 171
7:59.6 10,000m1:59.9 203 998 22 170

Looking forward to the pyramid session tomorrow

[bob.haffner]

10K at 2:05.6 for me today

[iant187]

Do any of you guys do extra sessions on top of the PP? or do you think it weakens the interval days if you do?
If you do, what do you do? Just more SS very low intensity??

[bob.haffner]

Do any of you guys do extra sessions on top of the PP? or do you think it weakens the interval days if you do?
If you do, what do you do? Just more SS very low intensity??

I used to do just the Speed and Endurance intervals. Lately, I've added two 10Ks at a lower intensity (see prior post)

So I'm only doing 4 workouts a week. Prescribed PP is 6 a week. Personally, I can't imagine doing anything on top of prescribed PP or at least any additional rowing.

[rascott]

I do all the PP sessions including the steady distance sessions - just not necessarily within a week. I think it’s more important to do all the sessions including the steady states rows than try and keep everything within a calendar week then skip sessions if you don’t have time.

[JMac]

I've decided to focus on solely the PP this time, no weight training. I'm still playing basketball 1/2 times a week.

Due to "life" constraints I'll probably only be able to do 4 or 5 sessions a week. And definitely no extra sessions!

[Andrew Shuck]

Do any of you guys do extra sessions on top of the PP? or do you think it weakens the interval days if you do?
If you do, what do you do? Just more SS very low intensity??

Hi, i start my 5x week pp on Weds and end on Sunday. Sometimes i do 5 days othertimes 4 days.On steady days i like do a HM, which is extra.
Yesterday was 3k,2.5k,2k
splits 1:40.8 that's a second quicker.
Today i did a HM.
Cheers.

[mdpfirrman]

Do any of you guys do extra sessions on top of the PP? or do you think it weakens the interval days if you do?
If you do, what do you do? Just more SS very low intensity??

Sorry to just pop in and out not doing the plan presently, but this is an interesting question. Personally, people have (at least over 40) vastly different training tolerances. There are guys like Rod Chin, who just turned 61, that do incredible amounts of meters and thrive. What Gammo (Paul) does volume wise, to me, is incredible -- both the meters and the lifting. I tend to be the opposite, and after nearly four years of doing the Pete Plan yearly, I think I'm more the norm at my age. Two/three or more rotations of the PP, going really hard, seem to be about the limit before people start breaking down a bit. If someone is looking for a year round plan, it's probably not the best year round plan. I'm astounded at how many reps of it Bob has done, but as he mentioned, he was (until recently) just doing the interval and the TT pieces. What I've seen in general is that people that have maintained a high degree of fitness their entire lives seem to break down less with added volume. I've tried everything in terms of moderation and gradual increases and I just reach a point where I can't do any more. I'd love to, but can't. Now, over four/five years of rowing I do a LOT more than I did when I started but it's been so incremental it's not funny with many setbacks like the back issue I've had recently.

Personally, I do think people do better with more meters. But then you're getting into the whole periodization/polarization plusses and minuses. Some can lift heavy on top of it and still do fine (most of the really top guys do but I also know guys that are top that mostly do bodyweight, light lifting and plyo work). Others, like me, are more limited in how much they can lift and not get injured with all the stress already that the PP creates. I do better lifting heavier away from the Pete Plan (periodization), though last year I was lifting until my race week -- not really heavy but a lot of explosive type stuff like box jumps, single armed power cleans, etc. along with things like Goblet squats, lunges, standard lifts (though I can't do heavy barbell with my right knee, so I have to do deadlifts more creatively, like with heavy KBs -- pendulum one legged deadlifts, KB swings).

I know you didn't ask about lifting, but I know very few that can keep everything they want to do -- lifting, volume, the PP and outside activities successfully. So I think you have to consider how lifting fits in versus the ideal maximum volume and where the trade offs begin. Not even sure that just doing massive rowing meters, the PP and lifting is the smartest thing to do as many of these guys doing cross training like on the SkiErg are demonstrating. I think it keeps some more balanced and less likely to get injured.

If you're talking two a day type sessions, very few can do that physically while doing the Pete Plan. I have thought about doing my AirDyne Pro along with/on top of the Pete Plan to build more meters, but I'm not even fully recovered yet rowing as much as I was (I'm getting close). If I had a SkiErg, I'd likely mix that in on top of the PP too but not more rowing.

[iant187]

Thanks chaps,
I've done the first cycle of the PP, but I was adding quite a lot of extra SS sessions (doing about 60k+ a week and doing double sessions on a couple of days). Part way through the cycle, my old back injury started twinging so I eased off and noticed how much quicker I was on the interval session with 3 days rest in the week (instead of the 1) and doing less distance.

I'm not finding the plan too bad for now and happy doing "extra", but I definitely notice that I'm not as quick on the intervals because I'm feeling tired even with doing just very easy SS. I think for me having a couple of rest days allows me to rest and recover better. I'm actually thinking of doubling up some days, interval in mornig and SS in evening, then I can do all the PP sessions and also get 2 or 3 days rest in there.

NB I used to row about 20 hours a week, but that was 12+ years ago and getting back into it now properly, but seems a hard slog and a long way from where I want to be. I can probably afford to put 10 hours a week into training, but I'm just not sure my back and body will hold up like it used to.
50 years old, 6'2', 82Kg, probably around 7:15 2k at the moment

[rascott]

Slightly off topic but I took the day off work and went to my first ever mountain biking coaching session today. I’ve been riding for 25 years and I now know how much I’ve been doing wrong!!

Anyway I managed to slightly sprain my right ankle doing a 3 foot drop so I may be off the PP for a couple of days. Catch up soon!

[Andrew Shuck]

Hi all, 10k today, got uncomfortable 5k in and 7.5k got the burps. Must swallowing air.I did start to listen to the inner voice of why not stop it hurts.
Got a seasonal best 35:48.6 Ave/ 1:47.4
I need to beat 1:46.4 to do p.b.

Afterwards was a shoulder routine which was,
Shoulder Press (Smith Machine) 4x 10 reps s/s 1 (super sets)
Shrugs 4 x 10 reps s/s 1a
Side Raises 4 x 10 s/s 2
Rear delt face pulls s/s 2a
Seated front raises 4 x10

I do weights after the the faster pp sessions, and weights before the slower steady stuff. I don't lift to failure but almost everything is super sets.

[SowfLondonRower]

BPP 11.1: 10,000m - @2:08.5. Felt good, mostly around 21spm, pushed the pace slightly at the end to dip under 43 minutes. Feels good to have done my first ever 10k!

BPP11.2: 8x500m, 2min rest - overall pace 1:50.9.
Splits:
1:51.9
1:51.8
1:51.7
1:51.6
1:51.4
1:51.3
1:51.2
1:46.8

I realised a few days ago that I was slightly over-extending at the catch, so stopping that has let me up the stroke rate on my sprints and really maximise the pressure from my legs. Has increased my pace a good amount (as you can see from that last rep).