Wolverine Plan

[maritato1]

Does anyone have the Link to the Wolverine plan...I have misplaced it.
Thanks
Rich

[nharrigan]

http://www.concept2.com/forums/wolverine_plan.htm

[iain]

Please see Quote fromke: http://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... c&start=45 note i can't find a reply where he suggests any revisions. the rest of the thread has much useful info as well.

Hope this helps (as the previous thread is mainly principle and detail needs adding i think, although i may have missed something).

Regards

Iain

[Mike Caviston]

For anyone new to the Wolverine Plan (or anyone not so new who should have paid more attention the first time), understand the WP was not written for the general public. Don’t expect every aspect to be clearly explained. The best source of supplementary information can be found here:

http://c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4190&start=0

Ignore all the extraneous crap by spammers and trolls. There is plenty of detailed info about the WP, and to this day I still get questions that are clearly answered in these posts. If it seems like too much trouble to do all the reading, then don’t waste your time. You won’t have what it takes to actually follow the plan. But if you do decide to read it, it may change the way you think about training.

Mike Caviston

[polaco]

Hi Mike:

In the past I've been a follower of the Wolverine plan and despite it has been tough the results have been quite satisfacting. Thanks for your help.

i think that I understand quite well the principles of the plan

Now I'm facing a coastal race next October in Italy, it's a 12km race and I was wondering if there would be a way of adapting the principles of WP to this kind of race.

What do you think about doing only L4 and L3 sessions? L4 sessions have no options (pace and rate are fixed) but how would you design L3 to prepare this race?

Thanks a lot!!

Jaime

[Nosmo]

Hi Jamie,
I was planning on asking a similar question.

Here would be my suggestions--I won't dignify it by calling it advice--offered more to illicit comments then in the hope or expectation that they would be followed.

Keep the L2 workouts, You want to keep workouts that are more intense then your 12K pace. Perhaps extending the distance and/or decreasing the rest. You could do a cycle of 4x2000 r4', 3x12' r8'; 4K-3K-2K.

Another option would be to stick with the standard plan except replace the L1 with a day of long intervals of say 3x 12'-18'. Do the L3 and L4 just a bit slower then normal but increase the length.

[Nosmo]

Jamie,
Thought you might also like to know what I was doing. I'm not following the Wolverine Plan, although it is informed by it. Perhaps I should call it the Dachshund Plan.

The focus of my season are the five or six 5K head races in the fall and a marathon on Aug 30th. These races will probably all be in a double (last year I did one head race in a 4x). I did my only sprints regatta a couple of weeks ago--three 1000m races (1x,2x,4x). Doing more sprints then that requires more traveling then I'm will to do.

Monday: Off
Tuesday: L2--OTW in a double. 16-18K total.
Wed: Off
Thursday: Erg. 30-40 min. usually "L4".
Friday: "L3/L4 hybrid" OTW 2x, 20-35K
Sat: 2 hr bike ride. Sometimes OTW in a 1x instead, Occasionally a shortish L4 erg work out.
Sun: L1 OTW 1x or 2x. (group competitive row.) Typically ~12-15K total

The days I row I have 20 minute bike commute each way to the boat house. Additionally I have a 20 minute bike commute each day to work. I also sometimes do 1-3 hour long hilly walks with my dogs on off days or Saturday.

Tuesday's L2 is usually a bit easier then on the erg, because we tend to do the intervals at a lower rating, typically 24-27, with the rate increasing as we go. I don't always strictly follow Mikes L2 workouts, although I probably will after our marathon. On Tuesday we did 3x12' instead with about ~8 minutes rest. First was 12' @ 24, second was 6@24, 6'@26. Last was 4'@24, 4'@25, 2'@26, 2'@28.

For Thursdays erg workouts the "L4" is in quotes, since they are not what mike recommends. I do them shorter and at a higher rating. For example, last week I did a 4K WU, then changing rating every 2' for a half hour I did, 16,18,20,18,16,18,20,22,24,26,24,22,20, 18,16. Thursday's are the most variable. Today I did a 6K WU and a 1000m PB. Two weeks ago I did a 2K PB.

Friday's "L3/L4 hybrid", I change the stroke rating 2 spm every 1k varying between 20 and 26 spm. More 20 spm at the beginning and only a couple of 26 spm near the end. After our marathon, Friday's workouts will probably be converted to more traditional L3 workouts.

Sunday's L1's are competitive team workouts, that are run by someone else. They often have stroke ratings specified for at least some of the intervals. After Master's Nationals they will be focused on the head season and will likely be more like L2 workouts.

[Mike Caviston]

Jaime,

I would fit in all the L4 and L3 sessions you can, given the time you have available and your current level of fitness (never try to add too much volume too soon). Keep the general ratio of 2:1 for L4-to-L3 (twice as many Level 4 meters as Level 3 meters). Try to include a weekly L3 session that takes at least 60 minutes at L3 pace (roughly 2K+15 or faster); build up to 90’ or so if possible. Try to fit in at least one weekly L4 session of 60’ as well, but if you can’t, then fit the minutes into your schedule any way you can. For greater intensity, do a weekly Level 3 Interval session. (For anyone who doesn’t know the format for a L3 Interval session – look it up.)

A coastal race sounds like a lot of fun. If you are not racing by yourself, make sure your teammates train hard too so you don’t end up giving them a free ride for 12K! Best of luck.

Mike

[polaco]

Jaime,

I would fit in all the L4 and L3 sessions you can, given the time you have available and your current level of fitness (never try to add too much volume too soon). Keep the general ratio of 2:1 for L4-to-L3 (twice as many Level 4 meters as Level 3 meters). Try to include a weekly L3 session that takes at least 60 minutes at L3 pace (roughly 2K+15 or faster); build up to 90’ or so if possible. Try to fit in at least one weekly L4 session of 60’ as well, but if you can’t, then fit the minutes into your schedule any way you can. For greater intensity, do a weekly Level 3 Interval session. (For anyone who doesn’t know the format for a L3 Interval session – look it up.)

A coastal race sounds like a lot of fun. If you are not racing by yourself, make sure your teammates train hard too so you don’t end up giving them a free ride for 12K! Best of luck.

Mike

Thank you very much Mike!!

It's what I was thinking of doing, it will be a nice pre-season foundation because after this race the normal season (2k races on flat water) begins so I will only have to add L2 and L1 sessions.

The race will be the FISA World Rowing Championship for Clubs at San Remo Italy I will race in a single and I will be more than happy if I just can enter the finals. I'll keep you posted!!

[polaco]

Hi Jamie,
I was planning on asking a similar question.

Here would be my suggestions--I won't dignify it by calling it advice--offered more to illicit comments then in the hope or expectation that they would be followed.

Keep the L2 workouts, You want to keep workouts that are more intense then your 12K pace. Perhaps extending the distance and/or decreasing the rest. You could do a cycle of 4x2000 r4', 3x12' r8'; 4K-3K-2K.

Another option would be to stick with the standard plan except replace the L1 with a day of long intervals of say 3x 12'-18'. Do the L3 and L4 just a bit slower then normal but increase the length.

Thanks Nosmo!!

[Nosmo]

Mike,
Do I understand that the weekly L3 intervals are the only sessions that are more intense then the race pace? OR are you also assuming that some of the L3 would be shorter and more intense then the race pace? I'm not really sure how long a 12K coastal race would be, but I was assuming it would be under an hour.

As for my question, How would you adopt the wolverine plan to someone who primarily races 5K? You said in your plan that when you start in the fall you alternate L1 and L2 weekly for your crews. But I assume that the focus of your training is still on the spring 2K races.

For the L4 rows on the water, how much attention do you pay to the pace? WHen I've done them, I don't pay too much attention to the pace because conditions vary too much. I've got a ~4K lake with sharp turns per lap and a couple of slower ones, between the wind and the turns, the pace easily varies by 10 seconds for the same rating and effort.

I'm continuing to do weekly L1's because that is what the group works are and I like have a weekly competitive workout. The should stop soon. Also it presents some challenges rowing OTW at high ratings.


Thanks.

[ancho]

Jaime, it's hard to flip on a coastal single, but be careful!

Best wishes for your training and race, I hope you make the final!