Ranger's training thread

[ranger]

Given that rowing involves a balance of physical and technical capacities, it is an astonishing imbalance, I think, that all of the major training plans for rowing just concentrate on improving fitness.

They say nothing whatsoever about how to train in order to improve technique.

I would say that, from bad to good, in a pretty balanced way, fitness and technique each account for about ten seconds per 500m.

That is, all else equal, given some rate, an unfit, incompetent rower pulls along at a pace that is about 20 seconds per 500m slower than the pace of a fit, competent rower.

Half of this reduction in pace is due to poor fitness.

Half of this reduction in pace is due to poor technique.

Given this, it seems to me that it would make more sense if training plans for rowing were split half and half, too, advocating that rowers spend half of their time/effort on sessions designed to improve fitness and half of their time/effort on sessions designed to improve technique.

ranger

[bellboy]

I take it the latest raft of posts and old screenshots are your cack handed attempt to bury the lie you were caught in with regards to your stay at the Hotel and the "special privaleges" you claimed they afforded you?

[ranger]

I take it the latest raft of posts and old screenshots are your cack handed attempt to bury the lie you were caught in with regards to your stay at the Hotel and the "special privaleges" you claimed they afforded you?

The "privileges" were not given just to me.

One morning, another couple made the same request (before me!).

So, they were in the fitness room and pool at 4 a.m., too, before I arrived.

ranger

[ranger]

If you pull 9 SPI, 1:45 (a 7min 2K) is race pace, rate, and level of effort/HR.

33.3 spm

TR

ranger

[snowleopard]

I take it the latest raft of posts and old screenshots are your cack handed attempt to bury the lie you were caught in with regards to your stay at the Hotel and the "special privaleges" you claimed they afforded you?

The "privileges" were not given just to me.

One morning, another couple made the same request (before me!).

So, they were in the fitness room and pool at 4 a.m., too, before I arrived.

Embellishing a lie doesn't make it more believable

(I've already spoken to the hotel BTW.)

I take it the latest raft of posts

I suspect that this wankfest has more to do with ranger reading Roy Brook's scores for a recent 5 x 1K @ 24. ranger would be hard pressed to do two at Roy's pace and as far as I can see he's not long back on the erg.

I can't wait for the start of the 2011 ranger season of excuses, commencing in the fall

[bellboy]

If Roy is cranking out the scores we will no doubt see Von ManBatt back at his bitchy best. I cannot wait!

[ranger]

5 x 1K @ 24

"Scores" on 5 x 1K @ 24 spm?

I don't see any reason to do the workout, much less "score" it.

Sure, if the workout is being used to improve your rowing, it has some function.

But if not, I would do a small batch of 1Ks at 2K rate and pace, and even so, only in final race preparation.

Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

A 17:52 5K with 12 minutes rest?

5K in 30min at 24 spm?

I don't see the point.

Sure.

Something like a 17:30 5K (no rest), or 8750m 30min (no rest), or 35:00 10K (no rest), or 17.15K 60min (no rest), or 1:15 HM (no rest), or 2:30 FM (no rest) would be impressive indeed.

But no reason to row 1:45 pace as "scored" intervals with regulated rest periods, once you know how to row well at low drag.

You just need to row well, rate 24 spm, relax, and go with the flow of the cadence.

At 24 spm, if you are stroking naturally, HR should be middlin UT1, not AT.

At 24 spm, rowing about 20K is more usual than 5 x 1K.

I suspect Roy needs to "score" all of his workouts so that his coach, who lives thousands of miles away from him, will know what and how he is doing.

I don't have this problem.

My coach is right with me--all the time.

We have no problem communicating.

ranger

[ranger]

I've already spoken to the hotel BTW

Total B.S.

I was in the fitness room every morning before 6 a.m.

As I mentioned, so were others.

The hotel was happy to oblige.

ranger

[hjs]

If Roy is cranking out the scores we will no doubt see Von ManBatt back at his bitchy best. I cannot wait!

you are served right away

[bellboy]

If Roy is cranking out the scores we will no doubt see Von ManBatt back at his bitchy best. I cannot wait!

you are served right away

Didn't take him long did it Henry?!!!

[Byron Drachman]

Check out the winning time (02:42.42) for event #182, mens hwt D, 4x at the Masters Nationals. Granted they shortened the course to 930m to make the course safer, and of course you really can't compare times OTW since conditions vary, but even so, that is absolutely flying. That is about a 1:27 per 500 split time if I did the arithmetic correctly.

R.A. (same age group as our hero) and M.R., both from Michigan, were in that quad. I see Leadville got a silver in his 2x in addition to his gold in the 1x.

[ranger]

For Roy, a middlin' UT1 HR (e.g., 80% HRR) is about 145 bpm, steady state, not 167 bpm.

For Roy, 167 bpm is AN, pushing right up against max (170 bpm?).

ranger

[ranger]

A nice technical workout would be a HM, rowing well, at a FM rate and HR (75% HRR, steady state), devoting 1K to a focus on each of these 21 technical issues, working from the catch to the finish.

In a loose format, I suppose that's sort of what I do now when I row OTErg.

(1) Get good length. Get all the way to shins vertical at the catch. The front of your seat should be only six inches from front stops when you fire off with your legs.

(2) Keep your hips/back forward at a good angle when you fire off with your legs. Hold that angle until your legs are done. At this point, the handle should be over your feet.

(3) Get your weight securely up on the balls of your feet at the catch, driving with your quads. Do _not_ take the catch with your heels and hams.

(4) Relax your shoulders at the catch.

(5) Relax your core at the catch.

(6) After about .1 seconds set your heels and stand up on the footplate, flattening your legs out with your hams. As in (2), at this point, the handle should be over your feet.

(7) Open your hips and swing your back with your core.

(8) While you are swinging your back, roll back up onto the balls of your feet and drive down on the footplate with the front of your foot using your calves.

(9) Keep your shoulders relaxed even though you have engaged your core, back, and calves.

(10) Pull through with your arms into your chest.

(11) Keep your elbows level as you pull the handle into your chest.

(12) Get a substantial lean with your back at the finish.

(13) Keep in good contact with the footplate at the finish. Point your toes and push the footplate away from you by digging in with your toes.

(14) Recover your arms as quickly as they finish.

(15) When you recover your arms, sit up tall and push the handle down toward your knees.

(16) Keep your knees flat on the rail until the handle sweeps past them.

(17) Recover your back as quick and fully as you did when you engaged it in the drive, returning to shins vertical (Prep Position). As in (2) and (6), at this point the handle should be over your feet, legs flat on the rail.

(18) The movements from (1) to (16) should be _very_ fast, 3/8 of the stroke cycle, at the most. If you count "And-ONE-and-TWO-and-THREE-and-FOUR" as you do the stroke cycle as a whole, execute the movements from (1) to (16) in the first three pulses of this counting/beating: "And-ONE-and."

(19) Set you heels firmly when you get into prep position.

(20) Break your knees and move the seat slowly toward the catch.

(21) As you do this, roll your weight slowly from your heels to the balls of your feet.

ranger

[Rocket Roy]

For Roy, a middlin' UT1 HR (e.g., 80% HRR) is about 145 bpm, steady state, not 167 bpm.

For Roy, 167 bpm is AN, pushing right up against max (170 bpm?).

ranger

178 max h/r is the highest I've seen in last few years, so I was hitting up to 93% of max today. I aim to race at 90-92 %.

I did find it tough today.

But after being out for over 2 years and not ever sitting on an erg in that time I am not too unhappy with how the comeback is going. 5 weeks into it now.

[leadville]

Hey Byron
Pretty good tail for that quad and great competition. There were at least three very fast boats in that event.

Can you imagine rangerboy in a quad or heaven forbid a double? Shudder!!!!

The gentleman I paired up with for the E ltwt 2x is about ten years older than me. Never rowed together before. Of course, if we'd done a FM HM 10k 5k blah blah...

Somehow rangerboy can't seem to get his febrile brain around the simple fact that sculling really isn't that complicated. It doesn't require millions of keystrokes or other strokes if you just have a good coach and listen to that coach.

But then rangerboy is a pathetic basement dwelling single-flipper and not a sculler or rower so he doesnt have the capacity to understand.