Concept2 Forum

Well been away way too long.

Need to get back on track.

Pete's Plan looks like a good disciplined place to start. Wolverine way too much for me.

I see 2 different versions of the Pets Plan which I have linked below.

As what i would call a newbie is one version preferred over the other. It looks like the second one linked would be preferable for me.

Thanks for all the help.

https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/

https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/

Weekly volume:
Pete: 1st wk. 39.5Km
Pete Beginner: 1st wk. 18-23Km

Rest days per wk:
Pete: 1
Pete Beginner: 1-4

If you have not devoted much time to the erg in recent memory, starting with a bit less of everything except rest is the way to go. You will have control over volume and the promise of gradual but sustainable gains in endurance and pace. PP is serious medicine in a very strong daily dose. Jack

Once you've sorted out technique, which on the erg is mainly sequence (leg, body, arms; reverse for recovery) with plenty of length, best do some long slow stuff to get off the ground. Say 20 minutes a day at low HR, low drag and low rating. Then move on to a plan according to your target; which could be just keeping fit, or racing too.

Always warm up slowly, especially if unfit, otherwise the first few minutes will seem killers.

This is how to make rowing really hard work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf84O5cTWY4

Hey Jamesg, I have seen where you link to this great YouTube video in several threads. I have a question about it, maybe it should be a new thread for others reference but for now, hopefully you will get a chance to read this, or someone else will respond.

On the erg, if one were to put this video up and mimic the motions exactly, what would be considered decent results in watts or time /500? I saw elsewhere that someone said Damper about 6 feels about like rowing on water so maybe we assume that too?

Thanks.

Zac Purchase is a lightweight Olympic sculler. In a 2k race afloat he probably pulls something like 450 W, if not more, at say 35 so with a 13 W' stroke. He breathes twice per stroke at 24 in the UT1 video, so clearly is working very hard. His UT1 pieces, insofar as we can relate this band to racing, I guess as 300 to 350 W, same Work. An equivalent pace aground would be 1:40-45 for UT1.

His power levels are the result of style and strength, if we think about the first ten strokes, and of vast amounts of training, if we think about the next thousand. Anyone with the right size, style and strength, can pull the first ten as he does. Not the next thousand.

As lightweight, 75 kg max, if he's pulling 350W thats 's over 4W/kg. A good initial target for a beginner would be 2W/kg (or 1W/pound) body weight, excess fat excluded, in LSS work.


Drag serves only to slow the flywheel between strokes. We set it to let us deliver the power we want. The pull has to be quick so that we can pull a long stroke and still have time to recover without rush. The long stroke is essential, because it's the only way to make the legs do their work (60-70% of the total).

Drag is unlikely to be critical. If it's too low you won't be able to catch up with the flywheel because it's still spinning too fast; can't avoid noticing that, just increase it slightly. Try putting a towel over the cage, at drag 30-50 it's almost impossible to row.

I use drag 90 and usually work at about 140W, rate 18-20. I can get to 280W for 500m without changing the drag, at twice the rating.

NB resistance is not drag: resistance is Newton's reaction in "action and reaction are equal and opposite". It's the inertia of the flywheel resisting acceleration.

Thank you that was very helpful. I appreciate the insight.