Building the Basics

[Kai]

OK, back at the gym today I did four intervals of 500 metres each with a 1 minute rest between pieces. Beforehand I did some stretching and a 5 minute warmup on the rower.

So my average for this workout was 28 spm and 2:30/500 metres.


Of course I didn't do the whole 2000 metres at one go because I wanted to experiement and apply some of the advice you guys gave me here on the forum. Aiming for 28 spm seemed to work out well for me and, indeed, I was able to increase my power. I think my technqiue is mostly adequate but I'm keeping a close eye on it by how it feels and the reflection in the plexiglass in front of me.

I'm not sure what kind of workouts to do going forward. Concept 2 has a package of workouts that I downloaded from their website though I find the gym's Concept 2 PM3 a bit tricky to program if the workout has a lot of detail to it. Nevertheless would I be well advised to follow their workout package or is there another source of workouts I could be accessing to help me train and improve on the rower?

[gregsmith01748]

Try this: https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

[Cyclingman1]

OK, back at the gym today I did four intervals of 500 metres each with a 1 minute rest between pieces. Beforehand I did some stretching and a 5 minute warmup on the rower.

So my average for this workout was 28 spm and 2:30/500 metres.

Way better than 2:54/500m. OK, about intervals. Intervals are not primarily about breaking up a workout. Intervals are done under the pace that is sustainable for longer distances and are uncomfortable to some extent. Because the exertion is high, rest is imperative. I would see no point in doing intervals without at least a 1 to 1 ratio of work and rest. You can do better than 2:30. Also, one can certainly do far shorter intervals to ramp up the speed, like say 250m. The rest may be say 1.5 to 1 for shorter intervals. A basic principle of training is to overload the system to make progress. Without doing intervals, it takes a long time to get faster. With intervals the body learns what speed feels like and then one can back off a little [ still faster than before] for longer rows.

As far as training. There are plans, but maybe you don't want to fool with them. You need to do intervals, both shorter and longer; you need to do moderate distance rows 2-5K; you need do longer some longer rows 6-10K. I don't think a beginner needs mega-meters. 2K is the distance for comparing rowers. If you get good at 500m intervals and the 5K distance, you will be good at 2K, actually far better than if you did 2K every day. You have to develop speed/power and endurance. It is the combination that makes one a good rower.

Finding the right training pace for the various distances can take some trial and error.

[Kai]

That looks like a great training program for where I'm at, Greg, thanks!

[Bob S.]

Another training program to check out can be found at the UK website:

http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/training/interactive

It has similarities to the Pete Plan in that it includes a combination of long, continuous pieces for endurance and more intense interval sessions. The differences are that the PP goes in three week cycles, with each weak including a set of short interval, a set of longer (endurance) intervals, a couple of long pieces at low intensity and one hard distance piece. The Interactive Programme (sic) has more variety and is stretched out over many weeks, starting with a lot of long pieces at low to moderate intensity and gradually working in more intense pieces, especially intervals. It is designed to start with just building up endurance and ending up with preparation for 2k competition. A few years back, I found it useful to use the IP for a few months and then switch over to the PP in the last few weeks before competitions started. I no longer follow these kinds of plans, since age forces me to take too long a time between workouts for recovery. I limit myself to 2 or 3 days a week and 3 is a bare minimum for such plans.

Bob S.

[Kai]

Cyclingman, somehow your post popped up after I replied to Greg's. Thanks for your ideas.

And Bob, I appreciate the link you posted. That looks like an interesting training program too however, if I understood it correctly, it requires a minimum of 4 workouts per week.

I would like a training plan the is not too complicated so that I don't have to wrestle excessively with the rower's monitor to set things up. And, of course, something that will help me improve at a realistic pace. And because I also run three times a week and weight train on the days that I do my indoor rowing, I think rowing more that three times a week, at this point, may be too much for me. Because of these points, it looks like Pete's Plan is looking quite attractive to me, as a starting point for some systematic approach to training. That said, I really appreciate being made aware of other training concepts and options.

[jamesg]

Just get on and pull, you don't need any plan. Technique and endurance are just time aboard.

A 5-minute slow easy warm-up, followed by 10 minutes at the pace you reached is enough to get started. Later 2-3 hours per week will seem normal.

Essential is the recovery sequence in the stroke: hands away, then swing forward, only then lift the knees. This puts you into a posture for a quick long pull and so leaves plenty of time for the recovery. Low drag, low feet and low rating all help to get it right, or at least avoid the worst faults.

In due time you'll be pulling at somewhere between 80W rate 20 and 100W rate 25, for 30-40 minutes.

[hjs]

OK, back at the gym today I did four intervals of 500 metres each with a 1 minute rest between pieces. Beforehand I did some stretching and a 5 minute warmup on the rower.

So my average for this workout was 28 spm and 2:30/500 metres.


Of course I didn't do the whole 2000 metres at one go because I wanted to experiement and apply some of the advice you guys gave me here on the forum. Aiming for 28 spm seemed to work out well for me and, indeed, I was able to increase my power. I think my technqiue is mostly adequate but I'm keeping a close eye on it by how it feels and the reflection in the plexiglass in front of me.

I'm not sure what kind of workouts to do going forward. Concept 2 has a package of workouts that I downloaded from their website though I find the gym's Concept 2 PM3 a bit tricky to program if the workout has a lot of detail to it. Nevertheless would I be well advised to follow their workout package or is there another source of workouts I could be accessing to help me train and improve on the rower?

You need more volume, so a next time do more reps, try to build to at least 10.
If you can slowly increese the distance and decreese the number of reps.

Next to this do also CONTINUES work, the focus here is making the meters, not worrying about pace.

Most comments are well ment but for you to complex, your number one weakness atm is not enough volume. Work on that, if you get that up every part of your rowing will get better. There is nothing magical about any plan, first you just have to put in more work, nomatter how.

4x500 is fine, but only one toe in the water, do more.......

[Kai]

James and hjs, I hear yah! Get in there and train for longer time and distance!

I will start the Pete Plan this week because I need some basic structure to follow and it looks like it has built in longer workouts than I have been doing.

Originally the rower was just my fill in workout between running days but if this keeps up I may have to switch my focus to rowing and let the running become the off day activity!

[G-dub]

I was in the same boat at the beginning - using the rower as a piece of a running and mtn bike riding week. Eventually the madness of trying to hit some time goals for distances shifted the balance to almost all rowing! The thing that I found that needed juggling was how to organize the hard days. Are they on the rower? If so, the Pete Plans steady days can be swapped for some running or soft running can be added in. If not on the rower, then I would be careful about doing too many hard days in a week. So you may have to drop an interval session or two OR the PP may not be the right plan right now for your goals.

[jackarabit]

Volume is good. At the beginning and working with a reconstructed knee, that means as much as you can stand and without re-injury. Why don't you think about 3-4500m total over three sessions next week, 4500 to 6K meters total week after. Please, if possible, make a video of your rowing stroke in profile and submit to Concept 2 for critique and suggestions for improvement (cost 10$) or load to U-tube, post link here, and get the analysis for free. Doesn't need to be more than 2 minutes or so. The body makes the rower (on the water and on the erg) but technique coaxs out what the body is capable of. Don''t delay! Jack

[Kai]

Jackrabbit, I'm a little confused by some of the details in your previous post...'re-constructed knee'... 'without re-injury'...
My body parts are still original and I am happily injury free. Were you confusing me with someone else on the forum, perhaps?

The idea of posting a video for analysis is a helpful one and something I will look into doing in the near future.

[hjs]

Jackrabbit, I'm a little confused by some of the details in your previous post...'re-constructed knee'... 'without re-injury'...
My body parts are still original and I am happily injury free. Were you confusing me with someone else on the forum, perhaps?

The idea of posting a video for analysis is a helpful one and something I will look into doing in the near future.

Jack is mixing you up with an other. Hahha. Lets wait for his excuse

[jackarabit]

Yes thank you. So very sorry. Please take excuse of choice from list. List posted alternate weeks. This is not. We don't gift wrap. Yes thank you. Perhaps 9K this week then? Jack? (Sounds right)