Concept2 Forum

wera72 wrote:I am a new guy here and would like to thank everyone for the training tips and techniques.

I'm 52 years old and started rowing nearly every day for 30 minutes about 8 weeks ago. I thought i was doing ok, but then progress pretty much stopped. I seemed to have hit the wall at around 6400 meters in 30 minutes.

But, I read something on one of the threads a couple pf days ago that seems to be the best advice i have read yet. it was - Feel Like You Are Pushig The Fan Away from you, or something close to that.

I kept that thought in my head yesterday and improved by 100 meters over my previous best time and it seemed like an easier row.

Thanks again..

NavigationHazard wrote:In addition to the Wolverine Plan (and its cloned offspring the Pete Plan), other coherent (and free) training programs maybe worth a look from you include:

Terry O'Neill's Oarsport plan(s). Tel is a multiple-time British international and Olympic rowing coach who now runs a private training-advice firm in the UK. The program is designed for on-the-water rowers, but easily can be adapted to strictly dry-land ergers. Moreover, the 'documentation' includes all sorts of sensible advice on aging, weight training, recovery, etc. etc. See http://www.oarsport.co.uk/training

The C2 Interactive Programme. This also was developed mainly by Terry O'Neill. It's an on-line program generator designed to point you to a 2000m race at some future date you plug in. It's predicated on heart-rate based training bands, and can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/interactive.

The 'original' C2 British training guide. It's downloadable as a PDF file or else can be browsed on line. Subsumed within it are a number of 'preset' training plans: basic conditioning, 20' and 40' fitness workouts on an erg, a 2000-meter race program, a marathon-training program, and a weight-loss program. There's also a wealth of associated info and advice. See http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/guide

Along with the free plans, a number of individuals/organizations will create individualized programs for you and do on-line coaching. For a fee. A few that I know of (no endorsement implied, listings solely informational):

US Rowing Hall of Fame/ Boston U coach Tom Bohrer. See http://www.tbfit.com/index.php?page=about&family=Rowing

GMS Rowing Center in New Milford CT. It's run by a former German international rower and coach named Guenter Beutter and offers programs predicated on (among other imputs) lactate testing. See http://www.gmsrowingcenter.us/training.asp

Marlene Royle, erg WR holder (2000), 20+ year rowing coach at Craftsbury sculling camp, US National OTW champion, etc. AFAIK she was the first to offer on-line erg coaching. See http://www.roylerow.com/

Xeno Mueller, former Olympic single sculling champion, now running a training firm called "Iron Oarsman" in Costa Mesa CA. He's got a range of products/services for sale. See http://www.row2go.us/index.php/xenos-rowing-products

Eddie Fletcher, a British sports physiologist who has coached a number of erg WR holders on-line. He tends to favor HR-based training using Suunto monitors, I think. See http://www.fletchersportscience.co.uk/.

Mayrene Earle et al. at Mastersrowing.com. This program offers scheduled group workouts followed by phone feedback (I can see them moving to RowPro online workouts as well). See http://www.masterscoaching.com/

No doubt there are others out there.

In my experience some people do quite well with the 'free' programs. Some even set world records at various distances. Others however are likely to do better with more individualized training regimens that include human feedback. Your self description suggests that you're probably ahead of the pack in terms of physiological self-awareness, and capable of tinkering on your own with a 'preset' plan. But if you have the money to spend on professional expertise, it might be even more worth your while.