Concept2 Forum

Hi,
My name is Pascal and I'm from Germany.
My main focus is lead climbing( ~6a) and bouldering (6B+), In the past I always struggled with my endurance and somehow weight control. I try to go climbing 2 Times a week and have an garage gym with power rack, barbell, bench pullupbar...
I have rowed in the past from time to time and always liked it, last year I got my hands on a used Model D.

After some months of playing around with hiit, training proposal for climbers and some Workout of the day sessions. I figured out that my endurance hasn't improved as much as I was expecting. I did already some 2k tests and was able to improve from couldn't finish it( December 2019) to 7:35 last week I still struggle with rowing longer than 20-25 minutes so I can manage around 5-6k.
After some research I found the BPP which fits to my current 5k capability .
My plan is to follow it as long as possible, lets see if I can finish the full 24 Weeks my target is to increase SS to 10k.
After I have the first results I will jump into the PP Threat.

Current states
Male 33 Years 185cm 90Kg
2K 7:35.6-> 1:53.9/500m
5k 21:35.6 -> 2:09.5/500m

To gain endurance you must pull large quantities of long strokes at high force. There is a specific technique that lets us do this very easily, using the legs. You do not have to pull the strokes at a high number per minute, rating 20-22 will do, for 20-30 minutes per day.

If on your PM you see 250W at rating 20, you are working at a reasonable level and well within your capability.

All the secrets are here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0dzPz0tD5I

There are of course many equally capable oarsmen in Germany.

1:52 pace R20 everyday for 20-30min is no joke even with 90kg. Did you mean 150W jamesg?

With a Body-Mass index of 26, you should be at a disadvantage in climbing but not in rowing.
What wonders me is the big gap in your pace at 5K compared to 2K. If I compare the current (2020/2021) overall C2-rankings at the 50th percentile points, the 2K time is about 7:53.0 (pace 1:58.2) and the 5K time is 20:57.5 (pace 2:05.7). So an increase in pace of 7.5 seconds. In your case the increase is 15 seconds!

My feeling is that you focus too much on rowing fast and do not concentrate enough on rowing steady. At an age of 33, your maximum heart rate should be around 190 bpm. I suggest to row both 2K and 5K steadily at about 150 bpm and a stroke rate of about 20-22. Instead of a target, let the times be a result. I bet that the pace in your 2K and 5K times will differ by roughly 7 seconds, which is usual. From there you can work to get your 5K faster.

1:52 pace R20 everyday for 20-30min is no joke even with 90kg. Did you mean 150W jamesg?

No, but 20/200W might be a first easy 30 minute target, at 33y/1.85m. A climber at that age and height can afford to be ambitious when travelling horizontally only.

Reading 2K 7:35.6 and 5k 21:35.6, confirms his basic need now for technique and endurance. Lead climbing as a guide could involve hauling customers up rock faces all day long, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_climbing but in competition may be much shorter.

Nomath wrote: ↑

May 6th, 2020, 6:03 pm

(2020/overall C2-rankings at the 50th percentile points, the 2K time is about 7:53.0 (pace 1:58.2) and the 5K time is 20:57.5 (pace 2:05.7). So an increase in pace of 7.5 seconds. In your case the increase is 15 seconds!

My feeling is that you focus too much on rowing fast and do not concentrate enough on rowing steady.

Thank you for the reply. I think you are right I mainly focus on the time. But in comparison the 2k had a sprint finish for 5k I focused on steady rowing.