Concept2 Forum

I have read alot of Stephen Seiler and his rekommandation is alot like the Way i trained egen i run. But one thing i cant figure out. What interval do He recommend, how many, how long?

I read this before. But im not sure i understand how 8min intervals Can be the best for rowers. 8min is more than 2k for many.

teddyDK wrote:I read this before. But im not sure i understand how 8min intervals Can be the best for rowers. 8min is more than 2k for many.

The Pete Plan calls for what are described as endurance intervals. These range from 2k to 3k and I believe are a regular part of each week's schedule.

Bob S.

I too find his papers a little confusing on this point too. They clearly (at least I think they do) say that intervals at between 8 minutes are ideal for events that last over 4 minutes. Looking at the Pete Plan in this context, one wonders if the interval sessions shouldn't be based on time vs distance.

Edit- I just re-read the "understanding intervals" article and it's actually intervals of 10-20 minutes at 85% vo2 Max for events over 4 minutes! I've attached it here again. Maybe someone can bring clarity.

http://web.archive.org/web/200710210338 ... terval.htm

The 80-20 polarized training model is a provocative milestone in training theory. I don't see the payoff in worrying ourselves sick over the relative benefit of 6' vs 8' intervals. The sports rag flaks love to extract an easily remembered, quantifiable answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Seilor has never protested being made the darling of the popularizers who conclude this from one study and that from the next. Bit of reputation enhancement there.

Scientific observation is bound and tied to specificity of subject and context. Prescriptive systems tend to spread like kudzu over everything in their path--borrowing, incorporating, synthesizing, syncretising. And the beat goes on--dah-duh-dah-duh-dah.

Not sure I agree with you. Intervals aren't very fun to me and if someone told me without doubt that if I just focused on X that I would get the best results for what I was tying to accomplish, I'm pretty sure I would follow that route instead of wandering around doing things that may not provide the most bang for the buck.

The author is stating that middle of the road intervals produced the best results in his study. Whats middle of the road for a 2K race - 500-1500m intervals? Seems like the study confirmed what everybody is already doing (for the most part).

. . . If someone told me without doubt

Whole lot of someones have told me things they hoped I wouldn't question. There's an unstated if>then. Germaine to our subject would be "If Seiler is correct, then 8' intervals or 10' intervals or the flavor of the day will, without a doubt, produce the performance improvement you desire." Seiler's research and lectures are provocative and evolving over twenty yrs. Is there a lecture I've missed which specifies the minutiae of daily training for any sport? I'm willing to read it.

mg6682 wrote:The author is stating that middle of the road intervals produced the best results in his study. Whats middle of the road for a 2K race - 500-1500m intervals? Seems like the study confirmed what everybody is already doing (for the most part).

Don,t think its that important, as long as you done some kind of hard work next to the more important aerobic work. I myself have done almost zero longer distance intervals. 1/2k ish stuff and intervals more or less randomly below 1k, mostly 500 and less. And my speed on 2k and middle distance is fine. The thing that seems to give me the most fitness are the low rate 18/21 aerobic meters. 35/50 min sessions.

He talks about 3 training zones instead of 5. How is this zones??

There is a real tendency to look for more precision in this stuff than really exists. The most recent lecture that I've seen from Seiler actually makes this point that an individual athletes response to a specific training plan was much larger than the statistical variation between the plans.

Take a look at this plot from his lecture.



So, his advice was to try something and measure results. If it isn't working change what you are doing. I think it's a big distance from that to "always do 8' intervals"

gregsmith01748 wrote:There is a real tendency to look for more precision in this stuff than really exists. The most recent lecture that I've seen from Seiler actually makes this point that an individual athletes response to a specific training plan was much larger than the statistical variation between the plans.

Take a look at this plot from his lecture.



So, his advice was to try something and measure results. If it isn't working change what you are doing. I think it's a big distance from that to "always do 8' intervals"

Im sorry i dont really understand what you are saying here.

I try to make some guidelines for myself to train by. I train alot of low intensity rowing. But dont really know how hard the interval training should be.

Sorry that I wasn't clear. I was trying to agree with what Henry had said.

It is far more important to include a portion of your training at high intensity. It is less important exactly how that high intensity work is structured.

I consider high intensity to be anything that is at 6K pace or faster. Within the world of high intensity workouts, you can vary the duration of the intervals, the pace of the intervals and the rest of the intervals.

There are clear short term benefits to doing short, high intensity intervals (like 8x500 and 4 x 1000) in the 6 to 8 weeks prior to a specific event. Doing these types of efforts all the time can result in a degradation of aerobic fitness. There are benefits to doing longer intervals (8' around 6K pace) as well.

If I were to make a suggestion, you could try adopting a plan like the Pete Plan, or the Interactive Plan which provide pretty clear guidelines about pacing and have been used successfully by many athletes.

Thanks Greg

I have taken the Pete beginner plan more or less. But chanced it so it fit my week better. A longer row in the weekend instead og the two 'medium' steady state and then one day with interval.