Ranger's training thread

[ranger]

The FM tests your technical accomplishment, how effective and efficient you are when rowing, how much work you get done easily on each stroke.

For lightweights, a common rate for a FM is 24 spm.

The 60s lwt FM WR is 2:48/2:00 pace.

At 24 spm, that's right around 8 SPI.

I am a 60s lwt.

I will do my FM trial at 2:30/1:46 pace.

That's right around 12 SPI.

Relative to the best 60s lwts in the history of the sport, I will get 50% more work done on each stroke at the same level of effort.

A FM is done at 75% HRR.

At 24 spm, 4 SPI is worth around 90 watts, at these low rates, 14 seconds per 500m.

2:00 pace is 200 watts.

1:46 pace is 290 watts.

Historically, in a 2K, this 90 watts has been right about the difference between the best young Open lightweights and the best 60s lightweights.

In a 2K, 6:42/1:40.5/345 watts vs. 6:12/1:33/435 watts

30 seconds, 7.5 seconds per 500m

ranger

[snowleopard]

1:46 pace is 290 watts.

Pretty much what you pulled for your last 2K

[ranger]

Of course it's possible to reverse temporarily age-associated decline in absolute strength. The simplest way is to add muscle mass as you get into middle age.

I never had to add muscle mass in middle age because I never lost any.

I have had pretty much the same muscle mass and therefore strength throughout my life.

No difference.

Loss of strength with age is just a matter of neglect.

If you don't use it, you lose it.

By and large, modern life is sedentary.

If you don't use certain skills, you also tend to lose them.

But this doesn't mean there is a "loss of skill with age."

ranger

[ben990]

In your case, you might actually be as strong in absolute terms at 60 as you were at, say, 30.

No, I am just as strong as I _ever_ was--at 20, etc., not just 30.

And for my weight, that has always been pretty darn strong.

I have had no decline in strength whatsoever.

ranger

Your decline has just been in rowing:

6:30 -> 7:03

Yikes. You no longer row well.

[NavigationHazard]

I have had pretty much the same muscle mass and therefore strength throughout my life.

While I'd like to agree that you've stayed a 165-lb baby for 60 years that's patently false.

[ranger]

Maximum attainable strength (based on your genetic potential) peaks in your late 20s-early 30s. Thereafter you can never make yourself as strong as you could have been had you reached that maximum in your prime. This is why you don't see 50-year-olds in the Olympic powerlifting competition.

The ability to put on piles of unnatural, superfluous, useless muscle mass has nothing to do with rowing.

ranger

[ranger]

While I'd like to agree that you've stayed a 165-lb baby for 60 years that's patently false.

I reached 165 lbs. at 19 years old or so, when I was a freshman in college and didn't put on any weight during my college years.

I was a marathon runner for 20 years from 25-45 years old and so stayed at right around 165 lbs.

I put on weight in my late 40s, because I had achilles tendon problems and couldn't run as much, but I suspect that my muscle mass stayed about the same.

When I couldn't run, I biked, paddled, swam, jumped rope, and did exercise routines of various sorts.

I have been rowing since I was 50, and so that I could row as a lightweight, I lost most of the weight I was carrying around in my late 40s.

I am now about 170 lbs.

If anything, I am _stronger_ than I was when I was 19.

I have never lifted weights regularly--at all.

I prefer more dynamic and natural activities.

Lifting weights just makes me feel bad.

ranger

[mikvan52]

Muppet. Of course it's possible to reverse temporarily age-associated decline in absolute strength. The simplest way is to add muscle mass as you get into middle age. When I got married at the age of 26 I weighed 177 lbs and had a 13.5" neck and had biceps the circumference of laundry markers. Present-day me has a 17.5" neck and arms thicker than my mini-me legs. Guess which version has a stronger upper body. It's also trivially possible to add absolute strength by starting out as a sedentary blob and taking up an exercise regimen. However there are limits to what can be done. Maximum attainable strength (based on your genetic potential) peaks in your late 20s-early 30s. Thereafter you can never make yourself as strong as you could have been had you reached that maximum in your prime. This is why you don't see 50-year-olds in the Olympic powerlifting competition.

In your case, you might actually be as strong in absolute terms at 60 as you were at, say, 30. Big boop de do. That doesn't make you immune from the general (and inevitable) trend of age-related decline. In fact, your ridiculous obsession with trying to row as a lightweight makes it all but impossible for you to gain absolute strength by adding muscle mass. The only thing you can do is to train your muscle fibers to contract harder, and there's only so hard they're ever going to go.

Rather more broadly, absolute strength in rowing means a lot less than strength-endurance. The last I looked, every OTW and every OTE competition that ever was or ever will be involves more than one stroke.

Great post, Nav'..

You know, I now believe that ranger only posts lies in order to avoid having to look things up himself... IOW: He doesn't believe any of the crap he puts up here... He's just fishing for info.

= Mike

Rich: In any case you're still a loser...

[mikvan52]

(buried in last weekend's post was a challenge from me)

ranger: Where's my answer... I threw the gauntlet down... Post and IND_V at any distance, any weight... I'll beat it.
I'm 17 months younger but 20 lbs lighter than you are... Sounds like a (more than) fair match to me.

[ben990]

Lifting weights just makes me feel bad.

ranger

Does it make you feel as bad as your recent 7:03 2k row? This performance should not make you feel bad - that is a decent ERG score for a little old man.

[ranger]

your absolute inability to pull a 5k @ 1:46 pace precludes you from 'reasonably' having 1:46 as a FM pace?

I know you like talking about yourself, but when you do, you can leave me out of it, thanks.

When are you planning your first attempt at completing a FM?

Sometime this month, probably.

ranger

[ranger]

This morning, 10K OTW over at Europe Lake, after 15K OTErg.

ranger

[ranger]

BTW, as far as I can tell, in terms of distance rowed, my new NK XL2 Speedcoach and my Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS match perfectly.

So, the 1.000 calibration on the XL2 is fine.

ranger

[macroth]

BTW, as far as I can tell, in terms of distance rowed, my new NK XL2 Speedcoach and my Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS match perfectly.

Either they do or they don't. Even a world-class moron like yourself can "tell" if two numbers are identical or not.

However, a world-class liar like yourself obviously can't do a leisurely 5K warm-up at their purported FM pace.

[NavigationHazard]

They'll give identical readings for zero meters factually rowed....