Pete Plan Group - Startup Aug 20th thru 22nd

[JohnAd]

Rohan, Nice session! Your evil twin can certainly row, no change in the rate too some some strong work on that last rep.

[G-dub]

Glenn or anyone else talking about rates.

What are the rates we (beginners) should be looking at and/or targeting for different kinds of work? I see a bit of 24 or less for SS stuff but not much guidance on intervals. Also while most beginner advices seems to indicate we row too fast what would be too slow? I'm working around 19-21 for me SS rows.

thanks for sharing,
Ben

My first answer would be what feels comfortable to you. Learning how to row SS at 20-24 (and even lower) will help build a great stroke and also allow you to do it for longer since you won't get as gassed. FWIW, on the speed intervals I try to mimic my current comfortable 2K rate which is 30-34 (but I wonder about 36). On the longer endurance intervals I try to mirror my 5-6K test rate which is 26-28 (but I'm trying to work on getting that to 30).

[G-dub]

Geez Rohan and John, you guys are making it hard to keep up! Great sessions for sure.

[mudgeg]

Ben, I am just a beginner too, so this is not based on any great experience but I tend to average out around the 24spm mark. My breathing actually feels a bit more comfortable at a higher work rate, for some odd reason, so I do pick it up to 26/28 every now and then but only reserve a really high rate (30 plus) for the final sprint.

My problem is getting the pace right. In great part this is down to experience I think but also partly because my gym only has one erg and that has a PM2. So I don't get 500m splits just a constantly changing 500m pace and a average 500m pace which is the one I mostly look at.

Gordon

[mdpfirrman]

John - nice work, especially under the circumstances! That's hard when you're still feeling the effects from the night before!

Rohan - I enjoy the data geeks like you and Greg! Nothing wrong with that. I enjoy looking at it though my information isn't nearly as detailed. Nice work on the 1500s!

Gordon - nice row. You pushed it hard and figured out the limit. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Ben - What Glenn said. Rate is something relative (also) to height. The taller guys like Dean / Joe, will rate lower naturally. The average height guys like me will naturally have higher rates. I'm 5'10". My speed intervals are usually 30 to 32. My intermediates around 27 to 28. My long rows around 22 to 24. Just do what feels right for now to you. It will eventually fall in to place for you.

[mudgeg]

Thanks Mike, appreciated, but it wasn't pretty to look at. Thought I was going to DH a couple of times but just about managed to push through.

I am going to do the 2 x 2000m tomorrow and then a rest day on Wednesday as I am in a business meeting all day. Target is about 2 secs faster then today, so about 2:10/500m which is around my 8min time for last week and achievable I think, possibly even a touch better is possible.

[mdpfirrman]

Glenn or anyone else talking about rates.

What are the rates we (beginners) should be looking at and/or targeting for different kinds of work? I see a bit of 24 or less for SS stuff but not much guidance on intervals. Also while most beginner advices seems to indicate we row too fast what would be too slow? I'm working around 19-21 for me SS rows.

thanks for sharing,
Ben

We shared this a while back but if you didn't read through the thread far enough, doing SS rows strapless teaches better form naturally (you know you're not wasting momentum if you're not falling backward off the rower). Nothing more has personally helped me to understand "fast hands" than doing rowing strapless. If I had a video of my technique a year ago versus now, I know it would be night and day. I went to another gym today (that has a glass wall to the side of me). My technique now (trying not to sprain my arm patting myself on the back) is pretty good. Constant motion is the key. Right after you finish (not thumping your chest with the handle like I used to) softly, begin moving your hands back out quickly. Much more important than rate is (like John said) technique. Instead of dying of boredom on SS days, use those days to further refine technique so that on the speed days it comes more naturally (when you're strapped in). My rates have sped up 1 to 2 SPM since last year simply because I'm not wasting time at the top of the finish either artificially "holding" to lower stroke rate or finishing too far backward with my body alignment. Low rate work will feel artificially slow because the deliberate part of the movement back to the catch should be slow and controlled but constantly moving (if all that makes sense!).

[Slacker]

Thanks guys. Awful lot of learning going on for me. I picked the Pete Plan because I needed some structure and it looked good. Problem is when you don't know anything it's hard to read between the lines sometimes and it doesn't seem it was completely written for a beginners knowledge base. At least with some of the nuances. I'm sure as long as I put the sessions in I'll get somewhere, but if I can learn from someone else all the better. Just trying to process everything and enjoy the rowing as I go.

@Glenn. Yes, I noticed I was a week ahead of you in the plan but your sessions are better than mine. I hope to close that gap when I can...

[Litewait]

As far as rate goes, being a beginner I seem to suffer as I lower the SPM to 19-20 the flywheel seems to slow down on recovery to the point where it feels like I am doing my first stroke all over again! I try to compensate by driving at 110% but that of course gasses me, much like using a higher rate to get back to the catch before the flywheel slows down too much. Of course I am in my glory when I try 30+ and the flywheel is whirring only to wipe myself out after a couple minutes. 23-24 seems to be the magic number for me, but I hoping as my drive improves I'll be able to drop the rate even further.

[Pie Man]

What drag factor are you using? A lower drag factor will allow the erg to spin longer.

[G-dub]

Not so fast, my very young friend.

[Litewait]

What drag factor are you using? A lower drag factor will allow the erg to spin longer.

Week 4.3 6500m

Seeing I could barely break 6400m for 30' at 2:19-2:20, I see motivation in having a room full of (virtual) people cheering (or laughing) at you. Erg'ing has given me a new appreciation what it was like to be picked last in gym class

Average Watts 142
Calories Per Hour 788
Stroke Rate 21
Drag Factor 94


Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
29:14.0 6,500m 2:14.9 142 788 21
5:43.1 1,300m 2:11.9 152 822 23
5:47.6 2,600m 2:13.6 146 802 22
5:53.2 3,900m 2:15.8 140 781 21
5:55.9 5,200m 2:16.8 136 767 21
5:54.2 6,500m 2:16.2 138 774 22

[Bloodbuzz Corio]

BAM!

Glenn that is an awesome session there! Looks like you were 2.3" faster than cycle 1 yeah - but still with great consistency over the first 4 and some gas left for the last one. Very impressive! That's obviously well under your 5k pace - what sort of clip were you doing this workout at in pervious PP adventures?

[JohnAd]

Glenn, great stuff, nicely paced and a big improvement on last cycle, you've got to be pleased with that as well as be twitching to get a 5k attempt soon.

Tim, it's all cheering. Great work to keep going to the end even while you're getting slower, it's much harder rowing the pieces that way round.

[G-dub]

Thanks boys! So now that you've asked....
First interval session in a few (it seems anyway) where I wasn't jumping out of the car after a few hour drive. Also ate correctly today and got a great nights sleep. Blood - it is a almost a second below my best on this session, which was last summer, and I was way more gassed on that one than this one for some reason. That one was a 100% er. But this was one of those days where it all felt 80-90% and very positive. Thanks for kicking my butt into gear with your great examples.

AND - I am deliberately rating higher than I used to and I think it's huge in terms of PE. I need to make sure that I don't rate so high on 5K pace work that I screw up 2K!