Ranger's training thread

[PaulH]

Last year, on the erg, I really did no "pieces" at all, and therefore, in your terms, didn't time anything.

And that, in a nutshell, is why you wind up so many people here. Not because you didn't do any "pieces", which is your right of course. But you did say over and over again that you *would* try various "pieces", and yet you did not. In the last 5 years you've said that you'd do dozens and dozens of pieces, and yet you only ever follow through on venue 2Ks.

[whp4]

Last year, on the erg, I really did no "pieces" at all, and therefore, in your terms, didn't time anything.

And that, in a nutshell, is why you wind up so many people here. Not because you didn't do any "pieces", which is your right of course. But you did say over and over again that you *would* try various "pieces", and yet you did not. In the last 5 years you've said that you'd do dozens and dozens of pieces, and yet you only ever follow through on venue 2Ks.

To be fair, he failed to follow through on quite a few of those, as well!

[ranger]

Given the advice that rowing well at low drag (e.g., 118 df.) is the best way to train, as all of the OTW coaches advise, the best rate to row at most of the time is something like 20 spm, so that you can practice the striking difference between the quickness of the drive and recovery of the arms and back vs. the slow descent down the slide into the next stroke on the recovery, and so that, as you get the hang of it, you can do as much rowing well at low drag as you want, if you can get it so that your HR is something like UT2 (or less) as you are rowing 20 spm.

If rowing well for males is 13 SPI for lightweights and 16 SPI for heavyweights, the two paces that should be on everyone's mind, because they are the ideals in the sport, are 1:50 for lightweights and 1:43 for heavyweights.

If you are lightweight male and you row most of your meters, 1:50 @ 20 spm (13.2 SPI), you are doing just fine in your training. You are just rowing well, rowing well, rowing well. If you do it for a couple of hours a day, you can get _very_ good at rowing.

If you get so that you can do it for a FM with a UT2 HR, you are probably one of the best lightweight rowers in the world.

Similarly, If you are heavyweight male and you row most of your meters, 1:43 @ 20 spm (16 SPI), you are doing just fine in your training. You are just rowing well, rowing well, rowing well. If you do it for a couple of hours a day, you can get _very_ good at rowing.

If you get so that you can do it for a FM with a UT2 HR, you are probably one of the best heavyweight rowers in the world.

ranger

[ranger]

In my background rowing, while I am sharpening, I am now just rowing a lot of 1:50 @ 20 spm (13 SPI) at 118 df. with a UT2 HR.

Happy with that.

I'll just keep doing this, both OTW and off, until BIRC 2010, and then continuing on until WIRC 2011.

I suppose the goal is to train myself to do it for a (continuous) FM.

Given my size, this rowing is ideal for a rower of any age.

In January, I will be 60 years old.

ranger

[ranger]

Last year, on the erg, I really did no "pieces" at all, and therefore, in your terms, didn't time anything.

And that, in a nutshell, is why you wind up so many people here. Not because you didn't do any "pieces", which is your right of course. But you did say over and over again that you *would* try various "pieces", and yet you did not. In the last 5 years you've said that you'd do dozens and dozens of pieces, and yet you only ever follow through on venue 2Ks.

Sure.

I wanted to try the pieces, but in the end, it didn't make sense.

I still hadn't worked out all of the kinks in my technique.

In rowing, if you work out some of your kinks in technique and not others, things can really get conflicted and unproductive.

That's sort of the state I have been in over the last few years.

I have been making consistent progress, working out this, and then working out that, but as I was going along, I was not yet at the point that the engine really ran.

It just clanked and sputtered.

Things didn't really fall together enetirely with my technique until this summer, when I lowered the drag to 118 df., extended the slide, and learned how to relax my hands, arms, and shoulders at the catch and during the swing in the middle of my stroke with my back and core.

I've got it now, though.

So, now, it makes sense to raise the rate and pace and push my effort to the max.

It doesn't make any sense to bust a gut rowing badly.

You just ruin your chances of ever rowing well.

Being good at rowing is all about efficient leveraging.

ranger

[ranger]

If you want to be good at rowing, the worst thing imaginable to do with your training is a lot of timed "pieces" rowing badly.

ranger

[whp4]

If you want to be good at rowing, the worst thing imaginable to do with your training is a lot of timed "pieces" rowing badly.

ranger

Right — your answer to this problem is to do a lot of untimed "pieces" rowing badly. Big difference!

[ranger]

I suppose that this is all more than a little esoteric if you are not an aficiando of rhythm, but I like to rhythmize rowing at 20 spm in a four-beat meter to a metronome beating at 160 bpm with an upbeat on leg drive and the downbeat on the arm pull, two beats to the drive and six beats to the recovery.

With a beat every .375 seconds, that makes the drive .75 seconds and the recovery 2.25 seconds in a 3-to-1 ratio.

Then again, if you are _not_ an aficianado of rhythm, you should probably be doing some other sport.



ranger

[ranger]

If you want to be good at rowing, the worst thing imaginable to do with your training is a lot of timed "pieces" rowing badly.

ranger

Right — your answer to this problem is to do a lot of untimed "pieces" rowing badly. Big difference!

Sure, working out kinks in my technique, learning, until I am rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

It has taken a while, but I am now rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

Happy with that.

Now, I can do "pieces"--of all sorts, at will--without training myself to be bad, as most people do.

How many can say the same?

A few?

At 60 years old:

None.

ranger

[PaulH]

Sure.

I wanted to try the pieces, but in the end, it didn't make sense.

What do you mean, "in the end"? You've repeatedly said that you'd try a particular piece the following day, but then not done it. How does the passage of less than 24 hours count as "in the end"?

[ranger]

Sure.

I wanted to try the pieces, but in the end, it didn't make sense.

What do you mean, "in the end"? You've repeatedly said that you'd try a particular piece the following day, but then not done it. How does the passage of less than 24 hours count as "in the end"?

How not?

Anyway, that's all spilt milk now.

A matter of the past.

There is now no barrier technically that prevents me from lifting the rate and rowing fast.

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (118 df.).

ranger

[hjs]

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (188 df.).

ranger

on the booze already ?

[hjs]

As I mentioned before (and you conveniently ignored), for you to pull a near WR (6:38-6:39) right now would be the equivalent of a 7:00 erger pulling a 7:26. Within 15 minutes of reading this post you could walk downstairs, pull your sub 6:40 at 27spm, shoot a picture and post it here.

More importantly, you could silence all the critics. This should not even be a challenge for you. This would not sabotage your training. This would not compromise your training in any way. Hell, you claim to be doing almost this pace for hours at a time. The only reason not to do it would be the actual truth...you are nothing but a troll looking for attention and have no intention of doing anything remotely close to the lies you spew.

Oh yeah, why don't you throw the HRM on for the little WR pull just so we can see how easy it was for you.

No reason to be so simplistic.

No 2Ks at WR level are easy.


ranger

The question is erging a 2k 25 second above your current level. Not A Wr, but for thta would be 7.25/30 orso right now, so indeed not soemrthing you want to show.

[ranger]

The only proper sense of "know" when you say that you "know" how to row well is that you actually _do_ row well.

Given this, almost no one "knows" how to row well.

No 60s rowers "know" how to row well.

No 50s rowers "know" how to row well.

A few 40s rowers "know" how to row well.

Elite 20s and 30s rowers "know" how to row well, but not the rest of the folks out there thrashing away.

ranger

[ranger]

The question is erging a 2k 25 second above your current level

That depends on how you train.

If you train up through the training bands, as I am, you are not rowing 2K trials at all until you are fully sharpened.

To do so is not only a waste of time.

It is a gaff in understanding.

If you haven't sharpened yet, you have no "current level" for a 2K trial.

To do a good 2K, you have to train your anaerobic systems and get used to rowing smoothly and easily at rates in the middle 30s, if not up and beyond 40 spm with the technique you have developed and nurtured in your UT rowing at lower rates.

What you say makes no sense.

Are you just gaffing in what you say because you are naive and don't know how to train?

ranger