Am I doing "high intensity" wrong??

[Gammmmo]

1. you still haven't done a max test have you? You cant use 220-age.

2. "all the online sources say it’s very dangerous to spend much time in the 90-95% zone" - if you want to push hard or race you should build up to being able to up to an hour at that pace.

3. 2:30/500m is a modest pace for someone of your age/gender/size etc...if I were you I'd do some steady state blocks at different intensities and record the average HR. You'll need a big fan to stay cool and get lots of data so you can build up a profile of where your HR is in relation to different paces. It may well be you are unfit and 2:30 is hard for you. How did it feel? Related to this why not (if you are fit and healthy - disclaimer I am not a doctor so all at your own risk) shoot for some PBs over the various distances? This will give u great info to work with for common sessions on here - for example people might say do 8x250m (rest=1min) and shoot for 2K-5 pace.

4. 9mins "off" (assuming it is) and 1min "on" sounds like a useful way to break up volume but there are better HIT sessions such as 8x250m (rest=1min) or 4x1K etc...plenty of info on this forum as to the intensities to shoot for.

5. What is the ambient temperature where u r working out?

[Nomath]

The fact that your HR increased from about 140 after 1 min to about 160 bpm after 5 mins shows that you are pulling too hard.

My suggestion : try to stabilize at HR=140 (about 75% of your likely HRmax) by dropping intensity (letting pace increase to 2:40 or whatever is necessary) and maintain 140 for 9 mins.
In the beginning this is difficult because the HR has a delay of about 10 sec with perceived intensity. You can see this if you suddenly stop pulling and count the seconds before the HR starts to drop.
But after some time you will be able to stabilize HR at ±3 bpm of a target rate.
Try to make a graph of pace versus average HR (say, 140 - 160 - 180 bpm) during a 2000 meter run. This will tell you about your performance elasticity and how to control your effort guided by HR.

[mitchel674]

Where are your intervals in this workout? It's not really clear to me what you consider your "high intensity interval". The 9 minutes you row at your comfortable pace? Your slightly harder pace?

To me, you should be picking an interval (time or distance) and give it your targeted high intensity pace or HR. This would be followed by a timed interval or rest or really slow rowing to get your HR back down.

Here's an example of my HR during 10 minute X 4 interval training with 4 minute rest intervals. Does this make sense?

[jamesg]

I finally got a heart rate monitor, and after doing my first workout, I am really confused and very alarmed at the results.

So forget it. If you row with a decent stroke and stay at rate 18-23, you're aerobic.

Rowing is managed with ratings, not HR: if your 2k race cruise rate is say 32, use the same stroke at 18 to 24 for LSS (distance) work, so that you train both stroke and endurance. This is effectively HIIT work: each stroke is long and hard, but we manage the CV load by adjusting rating. Low rating is NOT slacking off: you keep going hard for a long time.

A typical HIIT workout on the erg might be 3 sets of 10 bursts, with each burst 10 strokes: total 300 strokes. You don't have to rate 50, or even 40; likely 25 will be plenty if there's only 10 seconds rest.

The PM shows Watts: if you want to train effectively, keep the power roughly linear with rating. For more detail, see the Wolverine L4 tables.

[Cyclist2]

1. you still haven't done a max test have you? You cant use 220-age.

This is where I'd start. If your HR went up that fast (and you weren't feeling something wrong, which you indicated you weren't), your max HR is likely higher than 185 (I'm almost 70 and my max HR is about 175). Those max tests hurt, but you need several of them over a span of time to get the true max HR. Have fun!(?)

The rest of Gammmmo's post is also spot on. It takes some time to get enough data to know what is normal for the various HR zones and training intensities. You'll soon be able to accurately correlate HR with perceived exertion and paces. Lots of threads on here regarding HR training.

[hjs]

Where are your intervals in this workout? It's not really clear to me what you consider your "high intensity interval". The 9 minutes you row at your comfortable pace? Your slightly harder pace?

Well, that's my point: I couldn't even DO intervals, because my "normal" pace of 2:30 was already 90% of my maximum heart rate... Even though I wanted to go higher intensity during those short 1 minute intervals (like I said, I planned on 2:20), I didn't want to because I am looking at the numbers (my HR) for the first time and seeing that they're already maxed out...

In normal HIIT, I do more intervals, yes, but for this occasion I wanted to see what my steady state was, since it was my first time measuring heart rate. And my "steady" was already nearly max HR.

For you age and height, like you said, you really are not fit. Can,t say much more, cause don,t know you of-course.

Our Heart is should last 80/100 years, it dan easily reach high rates, it has a build in break, without it, it could go much higher.

I would consider this session a warm up. It really has nothing to do with a hard work out. Volume is low, intensity was far from hard.
The fact you hf dropped do rapidly also indicates that it was easy for you.

Real hit would be something like 8/12 reps, where you max out your hf almost every rep. Not saying you should do that, but a healthy fit guy could do that.

Think you really should and could a better aerobic fitness, atm its very modest...

Re Hf, trust your feeling, if you feel ok, you are ok, if you really push yourself on the erg, you feel like you almost pass out. Again not saying you should, but say “we” do...

[hjs]

I finally got a heart rate monitor, and after doing my first workout, I am really confused and very alarmed at the results.

So forget it. If you row with a decent stroke and stay at rate 18-23, you're aerobic.

Rowing is managed with ratings, not HR: if your 2k race cruise rate is say 32, use the same stroke at 18 to 24 for LSS (distance) work, so that you train both stroke and endurance. This is effectively HIIT work: each stroke is long and hard, but we manage the CV load by adjusting rating. Low rating is NOT slacking off: you keep going hard for a long time.

A typical HIIT workout on the erg might be 3 sets of 10 bursts, with each burst 10 strokes: total 300 strokes. You don't have to rate 50, or even 40; likely 25 will be plenty if there's only 10 seconds rest.

The PM shows Watts: if you want to train effectively, keep the power roughly linear with rating. For more detail, see the Wolverine L4 tables.

Lots of rowers use Hf. Nothing wrong with that.

[mitchel674]

Where are your intervals in this workout? It's not really clear to me what you consider your "high intensity interval". The 9 minutes you row at your comfortable pace? Your slightly harder pace?

Well, that's my point: I couldn't even DO intervals, because my "normal" pace of 2:30 was already 90% of my maximum heart rate... Even though I wanted to go higher intensity during those short 1 minute intervals (like I said, I planned on 2:20), I didn't want to because I am looking at the numbers (my HR) for the first time and seeing that they're already maxed out...

In normal HIIT, I do more intervals, yes, but for this occasion I wanted to see what my steady state was, since it was my first time measuring heart rate. And my "steady" was already nearly max HR.

Well, that's not really a "steady state" row then, is it? Steady state for rowing purposes is typically a long, slow row at UT2 heart rate (60-70% of max). You don't really know your max HR, but I agree with Gammo, it's probably around 185-190. So figure your steady state heart rate should be around 130. Row 10k at 20-22spm and keep your HR at or below 130. That's a steady state piece. This builds up your aerobic base. Don't use terminology like "steady state" when discussing your HIIT. That's a different animal.

[Remo]

Your post is mainly about your heart rate, so let's start there.

Hitting your max heart rate, or at least getting close, is pretty common when doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Your heart won't fail just cause it gets close to your maximum. However, if you have any worries, you should see a doctor and get a stress test. (You'd be referred to a clinic where they'd wire you up and put you on a treadmill)

That said, heart rates vary a lot between people. My maximum heart rate is about 15 beat lower than predicted for my age. A friend of mine has a max HR that is 15 beats higher than predicted.

Here is a test to find you max HR, or at least get pretty close:

"Find your exact maximum heart rate

Our research shows that the variation in maximum heart rate within age groups is fairly large. Genetics contribute more to maximum heart rate than physical fitness. Therefore, it's hard to make a calculator that can estimate maximum heart rate precisely, and we recommend all of you who want to find your real HRmax to test yourself by pushing yourself to exhaustion:

Warm up thoroughly so you start sweating.

Do two intervals, each four minutes long. During the intervals you should be too short of breath to talk. Intersperse each interval with three minutes of active rest.

Start the third interval, but two minutes in, increase your speed even further an run until you're too exhausted to continue. Your HRmax will be the highest heart rate you reach. The heart will reach a plateau at which it cannot beat any faster, regardless of how much you increase the workload." Ref: https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/hrmax#Test%20yourself

Looking at your data, I strongly suspect that your Max HR is above 190 and quite possibly be over 200.

A drop of "64 beats in one minute" is extraordinary.

Good luck

[Carl Watts]

You seem to be getting a bit to hung up on the data rather than just rowing.

Really its going to take hours of longer steady state rows at a slower pace(forget the intervals for now) and just drop your heartrate way down because your cardiac drift to go from resting to 177 in only 9 minutes is a bit frightening at only 2:30 pace.

Get into some 30 minute plus rows, preferably 40 minutes and work up to an hour. Try that for 3 months and look at your heartrate results once a week and compare them to the week earlier. ErgData is brilliant now with the HR graphs and also look at your average HR for the rows. Use the stroke counter in ErgData because you need fairly constant ratings from one row to the next for a direct comparison.

IMO You just look like you need a bit more "Base Fitness" before you go thrashing yourself on high intensity workouts. Also the high intensity stuff is not much "Fun" and will totally put you off if you overdo it.

[hjs]

I don't know. At this point I'm even more confused. Now people are saying I'm just really un-fit based on this data, but how can I be unfit if I can sustain 90% HR without it feeling all that difficult??

First of all, you did not know you reached 90%, you max hf could be 220, thats not rare. In time you will know if you do harder sessions. It should really feel a at least close to max effort over 5/10 min to be relative sure what you max is.

Second reaching 90 max hf has nothing to do with fitness. The output you get is the fitness. 2.30 pace is really not fast at all.

To give you an example. A top rower recently posted a 60 min session, capped at 70% hff, for him high 130 ies hf. Ut2 work. Ge pulled 143 pace at rate 20......


Oops, I think I made a big mistake. You being 6.1 I though you where a Male, but you are female not? Thats makes it very different. You are still not super fit, but ofcourse females are a good bit slower compared to man. The talk about hf stsys the same though.

[Citroen]

1. you still haven't done a max test have you? You cant use 220-age.

This is where I'd start. If your HR went up that fast (and you weren't feeling something wrong, which you indicated you weren't), your max HR is likely higher than 185 (I'm almost 70 and my max HR is about 175). Those max tests hurt, but you need several of them over a span of time to get the true max HR. Have fun!(?)

That's because 220-age is the least scientific thing in the whole of exercise physiology. Cyclist-too has the correct answer, test with a max test to failure.

Ironically, inquiry into the history of this formula reveals that it was not developed from
original research, but resulted from observation based on data from approximately 11 references consisting of
published research or unpublished scientific compilations. Consequently, the formula HRmax=220-age has no
scientific merit for use in exercise physiology and related fields.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ro ... uation.pdf

Step test to failure instructions: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/rowsteptest.htm (you CAN NOT do this alone in isolation)

[Gammmmo]

You seem to be getting a bit to hung up on the data rather than just rowing.

IMO You just look like you need a bit more "Base Fitness" before you go thrashing yourself on high intensity workouts. Also the high intensity stuff is not much "Fun" and will totally put you off if you overdo it.

Yes, quite true. HR monitors can be useful but don't get "paralysis thru analysis" so to speak. Quite frankly, I suspect you'll get rapidly better if you just row with no real structure but much more often. Newbie gains innit.

As said, if you've never built your base then doing some of it and then cutting back and doing more HIT will see your performance stagnate in time. Been there done that in 1990s with bike racing - did loads of base over winter and then raced too much (saved myself for the races) and got slower and slower as the year went on!! Also true as per above, that HIT is great esp on the ergo to accustom yourself to redline efforts but only so much you can do before it feels like you aren't improving...so best to periodise.

[hjs]

Yes, exactly! I didn't know my max HR was way higher than 185 -- thanks to people's advice here, I'm about to test that today and finally find out.

Also worth noting - I only just started rowing again last week, so the fact that my pace is so low makes sense. I've had less than 10 erg sessions... so my body is still adapting and probably even still building the muscle. As others have said, I just need to do more rows at lower intensity. That HR should definitely go down.

Other point, as a female your age changes there is anything wrong with your heart are close to zero.

You don,t need to know right away what your max is, in time you will find out. A real test is very uncomfortable, at this point your better focus on your technique first.

And, again, really trust your body and your feeling, if you feel good you are good. And our heart is build to be able to work hard, nothing wrong with that.

And yes as a beginner you will make rapid gains, fitness wise and also muscle wise. Expect rapid gains the first months at least.

[mitchel674]

3. "How did I feel?" Well, I already stated it in my post. I said that it's a great workout that I would want to repeat. It felt sustainable yet challenging. Even though my HR was 90% max for the vast majority of it, I felt fine... Quite honestly, going less hard than that feels like a waste of time. If I'm going to work out, I want to work out. Also, what is a "PB" ?

Perhaps you don't really want to approach the erg as a rower? You sound like you just want to use the erg as a machine to do your HIIT.

If that's the case, just do your intervals to your desired perceived exertion level. Long, slow steady state rows are how rowers build their aerobic base. If that is not your goal, then those workouts are a "waste of time" as you say.