Ranger's training thread

[ranger]

Right now, at 3 p.m., my thermometer says 32 degrees F.

Freezing.

May 15th!

My wife tells me that she saw snowflakes.

Absurd stuff.

ranger

[ranger]

Looks like Roy's erg training is off and running

Yes.

Good luck to him.

After a year off, 6:50 should be a significant accomplishment.

I am sure he'll get there, if he gives it his all.

ranger

[lancs]

Hi Prof. Welcome back to your true fans. I had a little peek at your blog over here on the UK site and was grabbed by this quote in particular when discussing 500m sprints with another Forumite who I hope knows of your history of compulsive lie-telling:

For me, 1:28 would be easy.

Can you clarify what you meant by this? A 500m sprint, completed at 1:28?

I'm not sure how some thing can be easy if you can't actually do it?

See if you can answer this valid question without hiding behind the excuse that you're not yet round to doing 500m trials.

One other thing. You know how you've been promising a FM for several years now? Whilst I see that you've impressively lowered your vPB from an amazing 1:48 to a truely incredible 1:44, have you actually made any attempt to complete a FM at any pace? I recall you stating your plan was to try a first attempt at 1:54, then go down in 2 second increments over subsequent attempts? How did that 1:54 pace attempt go? I think you could probably get to 10k, but I suspect you probably had to put the handle down shortly after, just to stay comfortable, in true RWB fashion.

Anyway, I know we won't hear anything much from you in the remaining months of 2011 so good luck with your remaining lie-telling. I should warn you however that people are starting to get just a little suspicious that you occasionally don't tell the truth...

[ben990]

Right now, at 3 p.m., my thermometer says 32 degrees F.

Freezing.

May 15th!

My wife tells me that she saw snowflakes.

Absurd stuff.

ranger

You misheard her. She told you that you are a flake, not that she saw snowflakes.

And yes, your rowing is absurd stuff.

[eliotsmith]

I think it is time to place bets on how many consecutive posts our hero will make upon return.

I say 6.

Eliot

Well done Eliot!

That was a bet I had hoped would remain undecided.

[ranger]

Yea.

24 spm is fine for FM rowing, and so now, for everyday training.

At low drag (120 df.), with my little lightweight legs and high stroking power, the 4-to-1 ratio I get at 24 spm is _enormously_ deliberate.

Everyone should be able to row a FM at 24 spm.

Middlin' UT1 HR (75% HRR).

That's what I'll rate for a FM trial.

Given that both the rate and the energy cost at that rate are common ones, the only question left when it comes to a FM trial is how well you row, your stroking power, just pulling naturally.

At worst, I now pull 11 SPI for this sort of rowing; at best, 13 SPI.

I usually settle in at 12 SPI, 1:46 @ 24 spm.

So that's probably what I should pull for a FM, when I finally get around to it.

1:46

2:29:20

I would be happy with that.

That would be both a pb and a 60s hwt WR by 8 seconds per 500m, 55 watts (290 watts vs. 235 watts), over ten _minutes_ in time over distance rowed.

Among lightweights, that 2:29:20 would best Matthias' lwt FM WR by half a minute.

Among heavyweights, that 2:29:20 would be an American hwt FM record by a minute and a half.

Taken to 50K rather than 42K, three hours, rather than 2.5 hours, that 1:46 @ 24 spm (12 SPI) would be back to back to back 17K 60min rows.

No rest!

For me, 1:46 OTErg is like 2:06 OTW.

ranger

[ranger]

BTW, 2:06 @ 24 spm is right about 10 MPS.

Those are pretty good strokes OTW.

ranger

[ben990]

BTW, 2:06 @ 24 spm is right about 10 MPS.

Those are pretty good strokes OTW.

ranger

I think you meant to write:

BTW, 2:06 @ 24 spm is right about 10 MPS.

Those are pretty good strokes OTE for me right now.

ranger

[ranger]

The heavyweight counterpart to a lwt FM, 1:46 @ 24 spm (12 SPI), is a hwt FM, 1:39 @ 24 spm (15 SPI).

2:20?

ranger

[ben990]

The heavyweight counterpart to a lwt FM, 1:46 @ 24 spm (12 SPI), is a hwt FM, 1:39 @ 24 spm (15 SPI).

2:20?

ranger

Yep, you nailed it. You *might* be able to do a full marathon at a 2:20/500m pace. Gotta watch those breaks though.

[BrianStaff]

Another hard day on the F5 key.

How does that work?

Bob S.

Shift+F5 is the same as clicking the browser reload button. Each reload adds one to the view counter.

I believe it's CTRL_F5

[ranger]

Hey all! I came across this on the web a couple days ago. Looks really interesting and I'm considering jumping into it (although it does admittedly seem too good to be true). Flip through it and let me know what you think. It's a pretty short document. Thanks!!!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/55434688/Ligh ... Management

Sure, this is great advice, if you can hack it.

Yep.

If you can do 35 pull ups and row 90min, day in and day out, at, say, 1:52 @ 19 spm (13 SPI), rowing perfectly, with a middlin' UT1 HR, etc., you will indeed be able to row 6:20.

The only question is: Can you?

If you are a collegiate rower, this 6:20 would put you six seconds per 500m or so off the best in the world for your age and weight, a modest goal.

The difficult part is how to get that last 25 seconds in order to be the best.

The harder thing yet would be to do this plan when you are 60 years old, as I am, rather than 20.

The difference between the 60s and Open age categories is 45 seconds over 2K, over 11 seconds per 500m.

6:20 as a collegiate lwt is the equivalent of 7:05 as a 60s lwt.

If you are rowing well, 7:05/1:46 is 23 spm.

ranger

[ranger]

Gorgeous rowing now at 24 spm, building up to 13 SPI (1:44) and then holding it there.

Rowing well!

UT1 HR

Nothing else needs to be done but more of the same.

Day after day.

Great preparation for distance trials of all sorts.

ranger

[ranger]

There are three components to fitness: cardio, strength, and flexibility. If you want to have the fastest 2k, then you need to have the most cardio, the most strength, and the most flexibility

Sure.

You have to be in good shape to row.

And if you get in good shape, you will indeed row pretty fast.

But you won't have the best 2K unless you row well.

Rowing well doesn't have anything to do with fitness.

It has to do with technical and skeletal-muscular effectiveness and efficiency while rowing--length, quickness, timing, sequencing, angles of leverage, posture, footwork, consistency, preparation, control, balance, relaxation, etc.

It appears that rowing well vs. rowing badly can be worth as much as 5-10 seconds per 500m, just the difference between a so-so collegiate/club rower and the best in the world.

ranger

[Carl Watts]

Rowing well doesn't have anything to do with fitness.
ranger

Another Ranger Classic.

I guess thats why you jumped on an Erg with only your "fitness" and by your own admission "Rowing Badly" and set a WR all those years ago.

The Erg has everything to do with fitness and next to nothing to do with technique. If you want a sport that requires a huge amount of technique then try compeditive swimming.

I presume you wasted your week off and still did not manage to post that FM. Shame I was hoping you would let your rowing do the talking on your return.