Concept2 Forum

Folks:

Long time rower here - both OTW and C2. I'm looking to apply for a job soon that has a pretty substantial physical fitness threshold for admission. Basically it requires me to do a ton of situps in a minute, run a 300m sprint, do a bunch of perfect-form push-ups, and run 1.5 miles.

At the moment, though, I wouldn't qualify. At all. Clearly drastic measures are in order.

My question for the forum is basically this: how do I integrate my existing rowing schedule with cross-training for the PFT?

I'm 35 and I've been working out with a rowing now team 3 times a week for about 5 months now. We started in late spring with mostly technique work on the water and have lately migrated to three hard workouts (AT intervals, hard steady state) on those three days a week. Then we have optional off-day practices that are just steady state.

My rowing schedule looks something like this
Monday: 90' slow steady state
Tuesday: 60-90' workout with AN intervals
Wednesday: 45' steady state
Thursday: 60-90' workout with AT intervals
Friday: 45' steady state
Saturday: 60-90' workout with long AT piece

I would like to add 3 workouts for push-ups and sit-ups per week. For recovery I need to separate those by a day. (I'm using the "hundred push-ups" plan at the website by that name.) I would also like to add running sprint and 1.5 mile training. I'm happy to double up on workouts as necessary.

Thoughts?

What can you do now and what do you need to able to?

Rowing will not make you run a fast 300 at all. For that you need real run sprintwork.

What is you running background last year? Btw push ups and sit ups 3 times a day you can do every day.

As for current accomplishments:
- 19 situps in a minute
- 53.0 seconds / 300m
- 15 pushups before failure
- 13:32 1.5 miler

The protocol is challenging and scored based on points, so there's no strict minimum for any particular one, but I'd like to do the following:
- 50 situps
- 45.0 / 300m
- 53 pushups
- 10:15 for 1.5 miles

I'm not in bad shape and I only started running again in July, when I got a new pair of good running shoes, so I know there's a lot of room for improvement.

Livio, what do you mean by pushups and situps 3 times a day? If I max, my core muscles are feel stressed the next day, so there must be some way to avoid muscle failure.

TheRocketeer wrote:As for current accomplishments:
- 19 situps in a minute
- 53.0 seconds / 300m
- 15 pushups before failure
- 13:32 1.5 miler

The protocol is challenging and scored based on points, so there's no strict minimum for any particular one, but I'd like to do the following:
- 50 situps
- 45.0 / 300m
- 53 pushups
- 10:15 for 1.5 miles

I'm not in bad shape and I only started running again in July, when I got a new pair of good running shoes, so I know there's a lot of room for improvement.

Livio, what do you mean by pushups and situps 3 times a day? If I max, my core muscles are feel stressed the next day, so there must be some way to avoid muscle failure.

The point with doing stuff a lot is never doing it to failure. Say you can do 50 pushup, do a few sets of 15/20 reps every day, take 1 day rest. Do this for a month and try a test to the max. If you improve ad a few reps to your daily sets.

Sprinting you need 15 seconds per 100 meter. First start out doing some 100 meters a 90%, time them. Take enough rest. Few minutes. Try to build up to 10 reps. If you can do this try a 300 meter.

For longer work just do some 20/30 minutes runs. Every 4 th one make it an faster run.

Go on feel for the rowing. You should proberly do some less for that.

Interesting. It probably makes sense for me to stack up the pushups/situps on the same days as my intense rowing workouts since they aren't working the same muscles, and that gives me time to recover on the off days?

As for the sprint workouts, is 1 workout like that per week enough, or do I need to do 2?

The longer runs seems straightforward enough -- just run.

Many thanks for the thoughts.

TheRocketeer wrote:Interesting. It probably makes sense for me to stack up the pushups/situps on the same days as my intense rowing workouts since they aren't working the same muscles, and that gives me time to recover on the off days?

As for the sprint workouts, is 1 workout like that per week enough, or do I need to do 2?

The longer runs seems straightforward enough -- just run.

Many thanks for the thoughts.

Try the sprints out first, those are the most tricky with chances of injury. Once a week sounds good, see how that works for you.

I tried the sprints, but failed to stretch adequately beforehand and came mighty close to injuring myself. Phew. I'm going to try against this weekend and stretch more thoroughly this time.

TheRocketeer wrote:I tried the sprints, but failed to stretch adequately beforehand and came mighty close to injuring myself. Phew. I'm going to try against this weekend and stretch more thoroughly this time.

Be carefull, no matter what a serious injury is never welcome.

Good call. I keep feeling like my quads are going to cramp, which I assume is the result of the rapid increase in my training load on the running. (I'm getting plenty of salt and magnesium and potassium.) BUT: I have discovered the magic of foam roller for tamping down post-workout soreness. Those things are AMAZING.

TheRocketeer wrote:Good call. I keep feeling like my quads are going to cramp, which I assume is the result of the rapid increase in my training load on the running. (I'm getting plenty of salt and magnesium and potassium.) BUT: I have discovered the magic of foam roller for tamping down post-workout soreness. Those things are AMAZING.

Try to plan the sprintsessions when you are the most fresh in the week. When it feels like its risky at some point simply abort a session. Staying in one piece is number one.