Heart Rate Zone based workouts (BPM, Pulse)

[SumBigGuyRowing]

Where can I find Heart Rate Zone based workouts?
I've been rowing using workouts from Dark Horse Rowing and also the Concept2 podcast.
I have a pulse monitor. So I want workouts based on pulse / BPM / Heart Rate Zone.
I used the Tanaka Max HR Formula. I calculated my Heart Rate Zones, and the lower and upper boundaries in BPM: Very Light, Light, Moderate, and Hard
I guess I would like a workout which is about 30 minutes long, beginning in the Light range and working up to Hard.
I probably would want two minute intervals
I'm not into interval training now, but maybe I should try that too.
What do you recommend?

[Carl Watts]

Just work out your zones from the Free Spirits calculator and do your own training sessions to match.

https://www.freespiritsrowing.com/forum ... calculator

As long as my "Average HR" for the row was in the band for a constant pace from start to finish it was good enough for me. I printed it off and wrote my heartrates on it and stuck it on the wall in the rowing room.

Gets pretty hard eventually to slog away on your own so I needed RowPro to be able to doing the meters every week.

[MPx]

Can't help with the workouts you want but wanted to post the usual warning that the Tanaka (or any) HR formula will be OK "on average" across the population, but is likely to be very misleading for any one individual. For me it suggests my max is 162. Its not, its at least 170 as I've seen that on the monitor but I've not gone through the pain of a test for some years so it may be a beat or two more. Others will be lower than the formula. We are what we are and training/fitness/etc. won't change it. If you want to train in HR Zones, you really need to do a test to find out what your specific personal HR zones are. Otherwise choose a different metric. Best of luck with it...

[SumBigGuyRowing]

Just work out your zones from the Free Spirits calculator and do your own training sessions to match.

Yes, that's what I have in mind.
I'm just looking to improve my general fitness and maintain cardio health. And I like that I feel a lot better on days that I row.
Would a good workout be something like:

• 2 minutes warm up
• 2 minutes UT2
• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 2 minutes Rest
• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 1 minute TR
• 2 minutes AT
• 2 minute UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 3 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes UT2
• 2 minutes cool down

I guess an Interval training workout would be

• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 1 minute TR (or maybe AN?)
• 2 minutes AT
• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes UT1
• 2 minutes AT
• 1 minute TR (or maybe AN?)
• 2 minutes AT
• 2 minutes UT1

[Carl Watts]

Prefer constant pace training rows and the odd days with intervals myself.

Constant pace training rows allows you to track your improvements in fitness more easily over time by comparing the row with respect to reduced HR, faster 2 min HR recovery at the finish using a stopwatch and a more gradual slope on the HR graph.

A good baseline pace is found when you can row at that for 30 minutes and your heartrate basically flatlines at about 4 minutes into it. For me a max HR of 150 or a "Capped HR" of 150 is working really well at present and I can row 7 days a week by just slowing to 2:06 pace for 30 minute rows at very low ratings of 16-17spm.

Clearly its a very aerobic pace for me when your HR really doesn't drift any more than say 10bpm for 26 minutes.

Each to their own but you need to be doing 30 to 40 minute rows on a regular basis to get the gains. Its really not that complicated its just seat time and some decent total meters each week.

The HR monitor really allows you to get to know your body and keeps you in the intended bands and hopefully stops you going nuts all the time.

My only tip is that you should have a plan before the start of the row and stick to it. Its discipline that pays off should you get online and row with others or everything turns into a "Race".

[SumBigGuyRowing]

Prefer constant pace training rows and the odd days with intervals myself ...
For me a max HR of 150 or a "Capped HR" of 150 is working really well at present

What would that be in Concept 2 Training bands?
Are you at AT, Anaerobic Threshold, 80-85% of MHR, and you maintain that for 30-40 minutes?

It looks to me like you set what the Polar website calls a moderate pace and you maintain that for 30-40 minutes
Zone 3, Moderate, 70–80% of MHR ... https://www.polar.com/blog/running-hear ... es-basics/

Your rowing pace is very consistent. Is that what you focus on while rowing, more than the heart rate?
How did you choose that pace?

[jamesg]

What do you recommend?

Rowing uses the legs, already strong, to get fit. So we have to know how to use them without risk.

After a good warm-up with technique drills such as backstop, do a few 1 minute intervals at low rates. Stroke will be full length, full force, using standard rowing style with the legs. Power level will be about 2W/kg at 20; this can be seen immmediately on PM.

This is a typical set of training plans that starts from scratch:
https://www.britishrowing.org/indoor-ro ... ing-plans/

[Ted12]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have some questions about Heart Rate Training,

I have been rowing for a couple of years just for general fitness and good cardio workout, average 3-4 times a week generally doing 10k at what I would class as UT1. I recently purchased a HRM and am keen to base all my workouts using this.
I have calculated that my UT1 HR level should be 140 bpm, questions being
1. it normally takes 15 mins into my session to get my heart up to 140 bpm, should i get my heart up before starting ?
2. when my rate starts to get above 140 bpm should i control it by slowing down my s/m or keep same s/m but with less effort ?
3. how is best to measure any improvement

Hope these questions are clear and have not made myself look too much of a noobie

[hjs]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have some questions about Heart Rate Training,

I have been rowing for a couple of years just for general fitness and good cardio workout, average 3-4 times a week generally doing 10k at what I would class as UT1. I recently purchased a HRM and am keen to base all my workouts using this.
I have calculated that my UT1 HR level should be 140 bpm, questions being
1. it normally takes 15 mins into my session to get my heart up to 140 bpm, should i get my heart up before starting ?
2. when my rate starts to get above 140 bpm should i control it by slowing down my s/m or keep same s/m but with less effort ?
3. how is best to measure any improvement

Hope these questions are clear and have not made myself look too much of a noobie

In general, if you want to cap your. 140 in this case, you stay below that number. If needed you slow down.

1 up to you, 2 schools of thought. 1 start faster, get rapidly at your hf cap and bleed your effort to stay there. 2 start out slower and taken time to reach your cap. The first gives you more time at your cap effort

2 both, try to keep a good technique. There should be a relation between spm and pace. The higher spm the faster you should go.

3 improvement is simple, when you go faster on average at the same hf you are improving. Nothing more or less.

[SumBigGuyRowing]

Improvement is simple, when you go faster on average at the same hf you are improving. Nothing more or less.

Yes, exactly.
So if I calculate my UT1 to be 139-149 we ould your recommendation be
5 minute warmup
30-40 minutes rowing in the UT1 zone. Maintain good form.
5 minute cooldown

[dabatey]

If you want a good mix of UT1 and UT2 workout for starting out I can recommend following the C2 Version 2 training guide (Preparation phase of Original Programme). I appreciate that is a mouthful, but there are various different programmes in the guide.

I used the above along with the pacing guide for the 'Interactive Programme' to set my paces for each zone. At first my heartrates did not align, but when I got fitter and upped my reference paces everything aligned.

You would need to do a 2K as fast as you can to get your reference paces. I did a 2K every 3 weeks to update my paces.

If you really want to know your HR zones, I would recommend doing a 'ramp test', basically just start low and increase your pace a little bit every 3 or 4 minutes aiming to go for over 20 minutes total, and when you think you are on your last step absolutely go for it as long as you can.
Formulas can be way off.

Link below is C2 Version 2 guide

http://www.redking.me.uk/sport/rowing/t ... ing_v2.pdf

[Carl Watts]

So roughly the average HR for the row is what you see the HR on screen is half way through the row.

The "Slope" of your HR graph will be steeper to more unfit you are. Its pretty hard to stay at a HR cap for the whole row unless you start to decrease your pace. Obviously at the extremes an elite athlete will simply be able to hold a very high HR for the duration of the row. The fitter you are the longer you can stay in the higher HR bands.

Really it just comes down to you using the HR strap for every row and you become very familiar with what to expect. Also pretty useful to just sit on the rower for a couple of minutes before you even start to get a baseline. if your tired or fatigued or overtraining this HR will rise above normal.

Heartrate is an incredibly useful tool for training.

If you start a Concept 2 Logbook you can upload all your results and you can see the HR graph and make notes.

[hjs]

Improvement is simple, when you go faster on average at the same hf you are improving. Nothing more or less.

Yes, exactly.
So if I calculate my UT1 to be 139-149 we ould your recommendation be
5 minute warmup
30-40 minutes rowing in the UT1 zone. Maintain good form.
5 minute cooldown

Could be. Ut1 though is pretty intens. 30/40 min in that zone is firm work. You should not do that daily. Ut1 is above the 2mmol lactate. See how it feels and goes. Do also slower ut2 work. 2 serious ut1 sessions per week is enough.

[SumBigGuyRowing]

Link below is C2 Version 2 guide
http://www.redking.me.uk/sport/rowing/t ... ing_v2.pdf

Yes, "Indoor Rowing" is a comprehensive guide. Is there something specific in there you think would be helpful?

[dabatey]

Link below is C2 Version 2 guide
http://www.redking.me.uk/sport/rowing/t ... ing_v2.pdf

Yes, "Indoor Rowing" is a comprehensive guide. Is there something specific in there you think would be helpful?

I went for the 'Original Plan' preparation phase 6 day version(3 week cycle) and looped it round a few times resetting my reference paces with a new 2K at the end of every 3 weeks. At first my heartrates were not hitting the UT1/UT2 zones as 'expected' but once I got fitter they did after a couple of 3 week cycles and upping the pace to new references. (My 2K went from 8.33 down to 7.56).

I had done maybe 3 weeks of 4 or 5 10K's a week on the rower beforehand (not to any strict paces) so if you haven't done anything then 6 days a week might be too much and maybe go for a 4 or 5 day version of the plan first.

To be honest the Heartrate belt although I wore it every session wasn't really used, except to remind me when I wasn't mentally 'in the zone' that maybe my body wasnt under as much strain as I thought. It was a bit disconcerting to find my heartrate very low during UT2 workouts, and barely getting out of UT2zone into UT1zone during supposed UT1 workouts. However, these zones are pretty arbitrary (For example some folks recommend using max HR% instead of HRR%) and when completely unfit are probably in a totally different place to someone even moderately fit.

It will feel like you are heaving like Charles Heston in Ben Hur at first because of the low stroke rates but you get used to it.

Just need to do a 2K first tho to set reference paces. (And probably a ramp test to get your max heartrate and work out your zones, but thats not a hard and fast requirement as you could follow the plan without a HR monitor.)