Metronome Training

[StevenWayne]

Tsnor, I set mine to one beat per stroke, manageable only because this metronome app goes as low as 10 bpm. My inexpensive music metronome I believe only goes down to 30 bpm minimum, so I really can't use it for rowing 1:1 SPM. You have a thought though...I wonder if using the metronome to lock in a SPM rate for a couple workouts--say, 26 SPM at one beat per stoke--and then slowly wean down by next setting the metronome at 52 bpm, then 78 bpm, allowing the body's natural clock to fill in. I may well try that, thanks. #VarietySpiceOfLife

Popcorn, I experience the exact same thing (especially when watching TV lol) regarding the unintentional variability, sometimes imperceptible. I think there are simple free metronome apps for Android and iOS that you could try. What the heck, give it a whirl and let us know.

GreenStratMan, that's interesting about the stock app metronome click being in rhythm with your creaking erg (I sprayed wd40 on my joint and the creaking never came back ymmv). This particular app that I'm using on iOS is EUMLabs Pro Metronome, and I cannot recall if I paid for it or not. It has, literally, about 30+ different sounds. I particularly like the voice counting "one, two' three, four, five" (can be set to any desired count up to 12 before repeating)...it's like having my own personal coxswain. LOL Although I think this metronome app serves my purpose, I know there are a bunch of metronome apps out there, so I'm sure many are great. That is super cool about being a hypnotherapist. So you can really appreciate the soothing nature of relaxing while smoothly erging. I admit to a dislike of looking at the PM5 and ErgData while I row. I do it out of necessity, but I much prefer tossing a towel over the PM5 and iPhone once I get it going, then having my only feedback be from an external timer ("Alexa, set a countdown timer for 30 minutes"), and pacing myself only with the metronome. Please keep us abreast as you continue this experiment. I'm sure many other nuances yet to be discovered. Thank you

[GreenStratMan]

Do you set the metronome to 1 beat per stroke? Or some multiple like 3 beats (1 pull, 2 beats recovery)? Or to something faster ?

I just used one, at the catch.

[GreenStratMan]

Tsnor, I set mine to one beat per stroke, manageable only because this metronome app goes as low as 10 bpm. My inexpensive music metronome I believe only goes down to 30 bpm minimum, so I really can't use it for rowing 1:1 SPM. You have a thought though...I wonder if using the metronome to lock in a SPM rate for a couple workouts--say, 26 SPM at one beat per stoke--and then slowly wean down by next setting the metronome at 52 bpm, then 78 bpm, allowing the body's natural clock to fill in. I may well try that, thanks. #VarietySpiceOfLife

Popcorn, I experience the exact same thing (especially when watching TV lol) regarding the unintentional variability, sometimes imperceptible. I think there are simple free metronome apps for Android and iOS that you could try. What the heck, give it a whirl and let us know.

GreenStratMan, that's interesting about the stock app metronome click being in rhythm with your creaking erg (I sprayed wd40 on my joint and the creaking never came back ymmv). This particular app that I'm using on iOS is EUMLabs Pro Metronome, and I cannot recall if I paid for it or not. It has, literally, about 30+ different sounds. I particularly like the voice counting "one, two' three, four, five" (can be set to any desired count up to 12 before repeating)...it's like having my own personal coxswain. LOL Although I think this metronome app serves my purpose, I know there are a bunch of metronome apps out there, so I'm sure many are great. That is super cool about being a hypnotherapist. So you can really appreciate the soothing nature of relaxing while smoothly erging. I admit to a dislike of looking at the PM5 and ErgData while I row. I do it out of necessity, but I much prefer tossing a towel over the PM5 and iPhone once I get it going, then having my only feedback be from an external timer ("Alexa, set a countdown timer for 30 minutes"), and pacing myself only with the metronome. Please keep us abreast as you continue this experiment. I'm sure many other nuances yet to be discovered. Thank you

Ha, the last time I spayed WD40 on my joint I singed my eye brows ;o)

It's a funny thing the mind. I always start with the intention of relaxing and paying no attention to the monitor and as soon as I get comfortable and relaxed, I have to look. If I try just to keep an eye on the pace every fourth of fifth stroke, my peripheral vision picks up the time or distance left. Theoretically, if you ask your unconscious to row at a specific pace and see your self at the end being pleased with the correct result, then you should arrive at that. It's just having the trust. I will give it a go today though. As humans we are apt to tinker with stuff and can't help sticking our grubby little fingers in the machinery to make it better. It's a pity we can't program the PM5 to beep when we are going faster or slower than a specified pace.

Years ago I had a Polar monitor which was very basic, but you could set an alarm to let you know if your heart rate was below or above your specified target. Useless on a bike, unless where you live is very flat.

When I was a runner a long, long time ago, some of my best and longest runs were just so blissful and effortless. But then when I tried to assess and analyse it in an attempt to do it better, it evaporated. There are loads of pro athletes now who use either hypnosis or something similar. It's all hypnosis really though; whether it is a formal trance induction or not. We spend a majority of our time going from one trance to another and then we think there is something wrong when we habitually find ourselves in trances we don't like or that don't suit us.

I have a metronome app on iOS, I think it's called Tempo and you can program it to play silents bars. So you could have it play 4 bars followed by a silent one. I use it when playing guitar, some musicians can go 8, 12, 16 or more bars without the click and still be in time when the click resumes.

[MPx]

Do you set the metronome to 1 beat per stroke? Or some multiple like 3 beats (1 pull, 2 beats recovery)? Or to something faster ?

I just used one, at the catch.

As I was using a music metronome it didn't go low enough for one click per stroke and I used 54 for an r18 session taking the catch on every "one" count (counting 1,2,3 in my head all through).

[GreenStratMan]

Do you set the metronome to 1 beat per stroke? Or some multiple like 3 beats (1 pull, 2 beats recovery)? Or to something faster ?

I just used one, at the catch.

As I was using a music metronome it didn't go low enough for one click per stroke and I used 54 for an r18 session taking the catch on every "one" count (counting 1,2,3 in my head all through).

I have 3 metronome apps and 2 of them go as low as 20. The other one might, I'm not sure. So you should be able to get one. I like "Tempo", that goes down to 20 and has loads of different sounds.

[pagomichaelh]

During my military days, we'd go out and double time (jog), sometimes for hours, carrying heavy loads.

You'd get into the constant 'slap slap slap' of the feet on the ground, completely zone out, and your mind would go to another place until the order was given to stop.

I'm going to give this a try for the LSD work and see if I can recreate it.

[BillyRayDavis]

As a 62yo blind athlete, I train using the metronome. During my workouts where I’m focusing on pace, I use ErgData w/voice, and Pro Metronome apps simultaneously with no issues.

[Rick]

You're as mad as a box of frogs.

He who cannot be named. The only poetry professor to ever get banned for life from this forum used to advocate it. Everyone else thought he and his preachings were completely crazy.

You'll find some of his noise and complete nonsense in his eponymous thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10509&start=4230

Wow… that was educational. Everything not to do in one endless thread.

I’ve got an old metronome from the 50s or 60s with a loud click and a flashing light on top. I might give this a try just to see… for a musician, it might get the internal clock on time.

Oh yeah, and I’ll row my record 2K at 8% BF next week Good grief!

[max_ratcliffe]

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Oh yeah, and I’ll row my record 2K at 8% BF next week Good grief!

Yeah, I'm also going to spend the next decade learning how to row, and then I think I'll pull a 6:16 at 60.

[Dutch]

The metronome training thing is just the modern version of a drum beat to the pace. Anyone seen Ben hur lol

"Most of the rowers were slaves or the lower of the five social classes, plus there were other navel ratings aboard. To get maximum effect from a ship’s company of rowers – whatever the size of the seagoing vessel – there was a rating aboard who sat at the stern of the ship. He sat slightly above, overseeing the deck tiers of the rowers. This man was called a Pastorius or Hortator and he would bang a drum to urge the rowers. They were encouraged to sing in tune with the rowing strokes. This kept the galley oars working in unison among large numbers of slave oarsman. It also gave maximum propulsion with a coordinated rowing system".

A link to it: http://thelastdaysofthunderchild.blogsp ... cargo.html

[mict450]

Interesting filmed sequence of the rowers. Lot of the guys here would be stud-ly like Chuck Heston during the power 50. I'd be the guy passed out on the deck being whipped to get up!