Comments please

[Trev]

Age 56
Weight 14st 5lbs
Height 5' 7"

PBs age 40
2000m 7:17 av 269 watts
5000m 19:20 av 225 watts

Mon 5,000m av 111 watts damper 4
Tue 5,000m av 105 watts damper 5
Wed 5,000m av 106 watts damper 4
Thur 5,000m av 108 watts damper 6
Fri 5,000m av 108 watts damper 4

I'm averaging 19 spm. I'm not going mad killing myself but this is the limit of comfortable breathing. Muscles are not finding this hard but any increase in power causes breathing to become a little uncomfortable.

I'm recovering well and have no pains or problems just very disappointed by the low wattage.

Up until a year ago I was reasonably fit from cycling. I was able to do 240 watts for 20 minutes on a Wattbike.

I have done no training other than going for a few runs for about 6 months. I have a long standing injury to my knee and have been advised not to run. I have not used the Concept 2 other than a handful of 10 minute efforts in the last 16 years.

I know how fat I am, I set my PBs as a Lightweight.

[jamesg]

Your fit weight (LW) at 5'7 would be about 67 kg, so between 100 and 130 W is reasonable for long pieces (1.5 to 2 W/kg). HR will tell.

The problem with breathing is that one breath per stroke may not be enough, at low ratings but with a hardish stroke. Breathing twice gets round it. When working at 100 W we are producing roughly five times the amount of heat/power that we do at rest, so breathing will involve five times as much air.

[Trev]

Your fit weight (LW) at 5'7 would be about 67 kg, so between 100 and 130 W is reasonable for long pieces (1.5 to 2 W/kg). HR will tell.

The problem with breathing is that one breath per stroke may not be enough, at low ratings but with a hardish stroke. Breathing twice gets round it. When working at 100 W we are producing roughly five times the amount of heat/power that we do at rest, so breathing will involve five times as much air.

I'm breathing twice or more per stroke able to talk- comfortable.

I'm not of normal build. Short arms and legs big body broad shoulders. I got down to 161 lbs once. Which is 73 kilos. My sporting background is sprinting, judo, football, fencing, squash, I ran for fitness, then switched to cycling age 40 due to injuries. I don't think I could ever get as light as 67kg.

[hjs]

Damper says not much, search for dragfactor. Depending on dust in the fan, the same damper setting can differ a lot.

[DanielJ]

I think your numbers are sensible given the parameters you provided. Being 5'7 and just about failing to make the cruiserweight limit (if you were a boxer!), you're bound to have at least a bit of a belly protuberance in the way of a stroke that's already short by rowing standards. Then when you add in that these numbers are born out of 19 spm, they're not too unimpressive at all, especially if you're "able to talk", Trev.

Just keep doing what you're doing, but see how you feel when you up the rate to, say, 20-22, maybe 24, even if it means you have to cut the workout short. Vary the workouts up a bit. And feel free to push yourself a bit harder.

I think you're doing fine.

[Trev]

I think your numbers are sensible given the parameters you provided. Being 5'7 and just about failing to make the cruiserweight limit (if you were a boxer!), you're bound to have at least a bit of a belly protuberance in the way of a stroke that's already short by rowing standards. Then when you add in that these numbers are born out of 19 spm, they're not too unimpressive at all, especially if you're "able to talk", Trev.

Just keep doing what you're doing, but see how you feel when you up the rate to, say, 20-22, maybe 24, even if it means you have to cut the workout short. Vary the workouts up a bit. And feel free to push yourself a bit harder.

I think you're doing fine.

Thanks. I'm deliberately keeping it easy to moderate as I have a tendency to over push and get too fatigued.

I will mix it up a bit, I'm doing 35 minutes on the treadmill walking 3mph at 10% to 15% gradient after the row. But I intend to replace the treadmill with more rowing when I get fitter and lose some of the gut.

You are right about the gut. It cuts short the stroke and interferes with breathing.

I think your numbers are sensible given the parameters you provided. Being 5'7 and just about failing to make the cruiserweight limit (if you were a boxer!), you're bound to have at least a bit of a belly protuberance in the way of a stroke that's already short by rowing standards. Then when you add in that these numbers are born out of 19 spm, they're not too unimpressive at all, especially if you're "able to talk", Trev.

Just keep doing what you're doing, but see how you feel when you up the rate to, say, 20-22, maybe 24, even if it means you have to cut the workout short. Vary the workouts up a bit. And feel free to push yourself a bit harder.

I think you're doing fine.

[DanielJ]

I will mix it up a bit, I'm doing 35 minutes on the treadmill walking 3mph at 10% to 15% gradient after the row. But I intend to replace the treadmill with more rowing when I get fitter and lose some of the gut.

I think that's a good thing to do too. I use the treadmill quite a bit, but if walking I prefer to push the pace a bit harder - say into the high 3s mph, (perhaps go for 3.5, as you're a bit shorter) and then play with the gradient from there. I think we're less susceptible to injury (particularly the shins and the back) if we walk a bit faster and with a shallower incline.

I find it a fun test to stick the treadmill at a certain speed, do the first five/six minutes at about 5%, and then just see how much you can climb in one hour. (You should have a total elevation gain metric on the treadmill somewhere.) We should push ourselves like this on occasion so we really know where we are.

[Trev]

I've seen some improvememt

Saturday 5000m 108 watts 35 min walk 10% gradient 3 mph.
Monday 5000m 119 watts 35 min walking 10% gradient 3mph.
Wednesday 5000m 118 watts plus 1000m 135 watts 1000m 126 watts
Today 5000m 115 watts plus 3000m 88 watts.

[Trev]

I've seen some improvememt

Saturday 5000m 108 watts 35 min walk 10% gradient 3 mph.
Monday 5000m 119 watts 35 min walking 10% gradient 3mph.
Wednesday 5000m 118 watts plus 1000m 135 watts 1000m 126 watts
Today 5000m 115 watts plus 3000m 88 watts.

Some improvememt. Yesterday did 5000m in 22min 56sec averaged 134 watts.

I don't feel any muscular stress, it feels easy, but my breathing is on the limit of comfort. If I up the wattage, I soon start to blow and gasp. No asthma like symptoms I just feel as if my lungs are too small. Breathing perhaps constricted by gut?

[jackarabit]

Feels pretty good to get the dust cover off the old jalopy, doesn't it? 5K power coming up fast which means you still have the engine; just needs to be revved. Jack

[Trev]

More improvement today. 5000m in 22min 40sec av 139 watts. Drag setting 120. Increased the rate today to 24 spm but holding the effort / breathing the same.

At least the old carcass is responding to training. I was expecting the increased rate to cause breathing problems but all went well.

[Trev]

03/03/15
Steady 10000m av 114 watts. 48min 26 min. Drag 120.
At half way mark was only on 111 watts but seemed to be putting out more power for same effort over the second half so just carried on at a comfortable pace.

02/03/15
Just 5000m today as feeling a bit tired, 22min 26 sec 140 watts, **record.

01/03/15
3 x 60 sec. 1st ?? Blew gasket. 2nd av 333 watts** comeback record. 3rd 300 watts
5000m av 121 watts. Started to feel better at 2500m and average increased from 118 watts. Whole session done with breathing very controlled
All at drag 120.

28/02/15
300m at over 300 watts.
60 sec at 326 watts
5000m at av 117 watts.
Feeling a bit tired and hungry so didn't push it.

27/02/15
Drag at 120. Damper 5.
5000m 22min 40sec 139 watts av.**record. Increased stroke rate from 19/20 spm to 24 spm. Held a steady pace breathing OK comfortable.

26/02/15
Damper 4 and did a steady session, 5000m easy at approx 100 watts with the last 100m of each 1000 and the last 200m at over 250 watts to finish on 111 watts average.

25/02/15
5000m 22min 56sec av 134 watts. ** record.
Got half way and saw was over the record so held the pace. Not an intentional record.

23/02/15
5000m av 115 watts
35 min treadmill 3mph 6.5% gradient.
Took it easy, talking pace. Felt tired from yesterday. Was at 113watts av half way.

22/02/15
5000m 23min 03sec av 132 watts.
35 min treadmill 7% to 10% gradient 3mph.


20/02/15
60 sec av 255 watts
60 sec av 300 watts
5000m 24min 15sec av 115 watts

18/02/15
5000m av 23min 26sec 126 watts**
35 min treadmill

15/02/15
60 minutes av 108 watts

[Trev]

Rest day yesterday.

5000m 22min 18sec av 146 watts. Drag 130. Stroke rate 22 ish. Breathing controlled able to speak. Still don't feel up to an all out full on effort.

Will do a lomger session tomorrow.

[jamesg]

Still don't feel up to an all out full on effort.

Wouldn't bother anyway, if there are no prizes; but a 500 can be fun to see one's upper limit.

[iain]

That is impressive improvement. I would suggest that you vary the workouts a bit more. Try and alternate 10ks at 100-110W with faster workouts including 3 x 2k with 3-4' rest between, 5ks etc at 140W. Another format is a cascade, try 3k at 140W rest 3', 2k at 145W rest 2' then 1k at >155W.

At your weight and pace, the calories burned (and cardiac load) is dependent on rate as well as power. At 140W 24SPM over a quarter of the additional calories burned compared to resting is due to moving your weight backwards and forwards rather than accelerating the flywheel, the wattage shown is only the latter. 140W at 24SPM is a similar calorie usage (and btherefore Oxygen usage) as 160W at 20SPM! So please show the SPM as well as Wattage!

- Iain