Ranger's training thread

[macroth]

...making things geometrically worse...

This is ranger at his best. Misusing words he doesn't understand, in a pathetic attempt to sound knowledgeable.

[ranger]

It would be fun to see someone like Nav develop the skill to pull a 2K at 95 df. and 14.5 SPI at 36 spm in a 2-to-1 ratio.

Then he would be rowing well!

That's 5:50.

As is, like all veteran rowers historically, he pumps up the drag, lowers the rate, lowers the stroking power, and cuts the ratio, and so only pulls 6:25, over a half minute off rowing well for someone his size.

ranger

[bellboy]

Dont think he hasnt thought of the possibility of getting EE in the back of a vehicle whilst parked up on a quiet country road.....

[lancs]

1:44

Base Pace

FM pace

This made me laugh. Comedy genius that you are. I'm trying to figure out what the link is between 1:44, your base pace and your FM pace: about 16secs/500m I'd think.

On a similar note, when you're formulating your reasons for not doing the FM until The Fall, can I ask that you please come up with a suitably lavish excuse rather than just not mentioning it for several weeks as I think you're currently heading towards? Something that can match some of your previous best excuses; cold feet, stroke not ready, snow and so on. You get the picture. But use your imagination this time, we your loyal fans deserve something better I think!

[peterhowd]

1:44

Base Pace

FM pace

This made me laugh. Comedy genius that you are. I'm trying to figure out what the link is between 1:44, your base pace and your FM pace: about 16secs/500m I'd think.

On a similar note, when you're formulating your reasons for not doing the FM until The Fall, can I ask that you please come up with a suitably lavish excuse rather than just not mentioning it for several weeks as I think you're currently heading towards? Something that can match some of your previous best excuses; cold feet, stroke not ready, snow and so on. You get the picture. But use your imagination this time, we your loyal fans deserve something better I think!

Skunk in the basement. That would be a good one.

[ranger]

stroke not ready

I have been rowing at 95 df. for several weeks now, after rowing at high drags for 10 years.

So is my stroke now ready?

Who knows?

Sure feels great, though.

As I have been explaining, if you are a little lightweight like me (and you), the amazing this about rowing with high stroking powers at low drag is the short drive time, which balloons the ratio and raises the rate.

Because you are resting most of the time, a high ratio creates the illusion that the rate is low.

I am now settling into 30-32 spm (a 3-to-1 ratio) as a natural rating for distance rowing.

That's astonishing.

32 spm is more like a race rate than a rate used to row for an hour or two in your daily training.

For my FM trial, I'll back off to 27 spm (a 4-to-1 ratio!).

At 95 df., that's _really_ taking it easy.

Have you tried rowing at low drag?

If not, why not?

Once I am warmed up, I am now doing all of my rowing between a 4-to-1 (27 spm) and a 3-to-1 (33 spm) ratio.

Sweet.

Given my stroking power now at 95 df. for distance rowing (11.5 SPI), these rates are just the ones I need to race all of the distance events at my target times, so there will be no transition from training to racing at all.

I am now racing my training!

27 spm FM
28 spm HM
29 spm 60min
30 spm 10K
31 spm 30min
32 spm 6K
33 spm 5K

I love the narrow range of rates.

It is _very_ easy to move up and down this rate ladder between 27 spm and 33 spm, given the high ratio throughout.

A 3-to-1 ratio is not a low ratio at all.

_Very_ relaxing, elegant business.

ranger

[Citroen]

Skunk in the basement. That would be a good one.

If you put that on your RANGR card and he uses it I think it has to count as an instant full house. That really would take the biscuit.

[ranger]

Yep.

My rating for distance rowing has now floated up to 32 spm.

Amazing.

1:40

Right at 11 SPI.

I really have all of the quick levers churning now.

Great length, quickness, and balance.

Great action at the footplate:

My weight is way up solidly on the balls of my feet at the catch as I drive with my quads.

Then I get a huge push with my heels in the center of the stroke as I drive with my hams and gluts.

Then I drive back down with my foot as I finish my legs with my calves and swing my back with my abs, pointing my toes.

The 3-to-1 ratio is beautifully rhythmic.

It's just a 4-beat meter, pull on the downbeats, push on the upbeats.

I'm gonna just keep doin' 32 spm, doin' 32 spm, doin' 32 spm, groovin' to the cadence, until it is so natural that I won't prefer anything else for my daily distance rowing.

32 spm as a minimal rate for training!

Imagine that.

If I can pull 60min at 32 spm, I can pull a 2K at 42 spm.

60min is done at 2K + 10.

It looks as though I might have to revise my expectations upward.

Am I going to pull 6:00 for 2K?

ranger

[Citroen]

Imagine that.

And there is the crux, all of this stuff is imaginary, you aren't rowing, you're spending all of your sad little life posting on an internet forum. Your rowing is no different now to how it ever was, you aren't doing the training. You'll pull a couple of hundred metres to "show off" your crap force curve. You won't show us that the FM, HM, hour, 10K, 6K, 5K, 2K, 1K or 500 is a reality and not just a figment of your very warped imagination.

Go and do a 10K now, come back in an hour and post the screen shot to prove you're not a complete fraud.

[ranger]

For a 60s lwt, 1:40 is below WR 2K pace (1:40.7).

ranger

[ranger]

You won't show us that the FM, HM, hour, 10K, 6K, 5K

Sure I will.

That's what the distance training at 32 spm is all about.

I am preparing for distance trials.

What is nice about doing all of my meters at 32 spm is that there is really no difference between training and racing.

I am now racing my training.

My work on weaknesses is complete.

I am parading my strengths.

ranger

[lancs]

I am parading my strengths.

You certainly are.

I haven't seen such a top class display of lying and bullshit in many a year.

[ranger]

Because of the influence of things like Caviston's Wolverine Plan, there must be an unbelievable amount of slogging along at 20 spm going on out there.

Yikes.

After you learn to row, low rate rowing is a monumental waste of time.

Just row at 32 spm and forget all of that slow motion stuff.

No one needs to row in a ratio that is much bigger than 3-to-1.

A 3-to-1 ratio is _very_ comfortable, if you are just stroking lightly.

Rowing in a ratio that is 6-to-1, or whatever, is ridiculous.

It's a lot easier to race--any and all of the distances, including 2K--if you are doing all of your training at 32 spm.

ranger

[ranger]

When I first took up rowing, back in 2000 or so, I never rowed at low rates in training.

In fact, I liked to do most of my meters at rates above 30 spm.

My standard session was 60min, negative splitting, starting easily and slowly building to max by the end.

In my first race, when I was 51, I pulled 6:27.5, four seconds under the 50s lwt WR.

ranger

[macroth]

swing my back with my abs

Just for that, your father should rise out of the grave and give you a good spanking.

Am I going to pull 6:00 for 2K?

Of course not, don't be silly young man.

Pro tip: start by rowing 6:00 without a break, if you can, at the constant pace of your choosing. As a first step, you could try doing a cleaner version of your BIRC race, 1:45/500m throughout without all the handle downs.