Concept2 Forum

I've been using Maffetone's approach for the past few weeks on my erg and I like that my performance is improving and that I'm not wiped out after a workout. I've become very interested in doing erg marathons and half marathons using MAF. I can pretty easily row for an hour straight and am wondering what a good strategy is to add meters. Has anyone trained for such events with MAF? Thoughts?

I only understand the method you refer too - have never trained for an erg marathon - which is to do low capped HR work at increasing volume. It would seem to make sense to me to train that way for a marathon! But throwing in some work at the AT level or above at around 20% of the volume per week would seem to add to your fitness program according to the research.

It could work, but will never give you good results, the method is very soft and aimed at general health not really on getting very fit.
For a marathon you need a high volume, do one longer row per week, build this to 30k befoe you try a fm.

Right, I guess the question is are you trying to finish or are you going for a stretch time? I ran a couple of them and all it took was running easy 4 days a week at around 3-4 miles each and then doing a long run every weekend that got longer and longer until it got to about 22 miles.

G-dub wrote:all it took was running easy 4 days a week at around 3-4 miles each and then doing a long run every weekend that got longer and longer until it got to about 22 miles.

Sounds like the Jeff Galloway plan. To remind everyone Galloway was an Olympian in 1972 and is known in running circles for his book on how to train for marathons, where his plan is much like what g-dub did. I actually ran cross country against Jeff in HS. Never saw the guy after 1/2 mile.

Yep, the good old Gallowy plan. As I think about it, the OP will have trouble on the long runs staying within Maffetones low HR requirement since there will be dehydration for sure.

I'm not quite following all the references to running since my question is about erg marathons. I imagine that endurance training for one sport could translate to another sport but that's not what I'm asking.

Also, I'm particularly interested in folks who are doing/have done Maffetone, which is also quite different from Galloway, btw. I get that MAF is controversial, that it works for some folks and not others, and that some folks modify it to make it work better for their situation. I do believe that opinions from folks who haven't personally done MAF just confuses things for everyone.

At this point I have zero interest in being a competitive rower. I understand that the culture here is predominantly competitive. I'd love to hear from folks, competitive or not, who have personal experience with MAF in the context of rowing on an erg.

Thanks.

slnm wrote:I'm not quite following all the references to running since my question is about erg marathons. I imagine that endurance training for one sport could translate to another sport but that's not what I'm asking.

Also, I'm particularly interested in folks who are doing/have done Maffetone, which is also quite different from Galloway, btw. I get that MAF is controversial, that it works for some folks and not others, and that some folks modify it to make it work better for their situation. I do believe that opinions from folks who haven't personally done MAF just confuses things for everyone.

At this point I have zero interest in being a competitive rower. I understand that the culture here is predominantly competitive. I'd love to hear from folks, competitive or not, who have personal experience with MAF in the context of rowing on an erg.

Thanks.

I never seen someone use it I am sorry. So you proberly won,t get a single response from your peers (if they uberhaupt) excist.

I don't know if this is helpful, but you could google for the Eddie Fletcher marathon training plan. Like Maffetone (which I'm aware of in the running context) it's built on long mileage at low exertion but does include some variety at higher rates although not what I would call speedwork. I suspect this plan is based on Maffetone but am happy to be corrected. I've sampled it but for my purposes as a non-competitive fitness rower it was too time-consuming. I also found that the long periods going slow caused what I thought were the signs of repetitive stress injury in my wrists (could be a technique issue there of course).

I have wondered in the past whether there is an erg equivalent of the Galloway run-walk (row-paddle?) programme but the lack of any mention around here probably means there isn't. I guess there's more of these theories around for running because running is more mass-participation.

Rowan McSheen wrote:I don't know if this is helpful, but you could google for the Eddie Fletcher marathon training plan. Like Maffetone (which I'm aware of in the running context) it's built on long mileage at low exertion but does include some variety at higher rates although not what I would call speedwork. I suspect this plan is based on Maffetone but am happy to be corrected. I've sampled it but for my purposes as a non-competitive fitness rower it was too time-consuming. I also found that the long periods going slow caused what I thought were the signs of repetitive stress injury in my wrists (could be a technique issue there of course).

I have wondered in the past whether there is an erg equivalent of the Galloway run-walk (row-paddle?) programme but the lack of any mention around here probably means there isn't. I guess there's more of these theories around for running because running is more mass-participation.

This plan is the right opposite, only tough high hf stuff.

From what little research one can do on the Maffetone Plan without joining and paying, it seems like another in a long line of LSD plans using a controlled fairly low heart rate. Sure there are plenty of ergers who do LSD most every day. But not the ones at the top of the rankings in various age groups. As far as adding meters, that's easy. Add a couple of thousand every week or so unless one's body says no.

Since none else has listened to the OP and left the conversation, even Maffetones plan has intervals in it after a base building period. So it is not such a precious thing. It just has you building base for a long time at a prescribed heart rate, one that he prescribes. But I am pretty sure it would take a long time to get to marathon at that heart rate since adding distance creates effort and dehydration which elevates the heart rate beyond what is essentially the bottom of UT2.

Want to see me "train" at 103 bpm. Watch closely! Detect any movement? Yes, the stretch and yawn! Didn't you see it?

Jack