Ranger's training thread

[Byron Drachman]

Here is your Ranger-physics lesson for the day:

The handle is not accelerated throughout the drive. That is, the handle is not moving faster at the finish with the arms than it is in the middle of the drive with the swing of the back, and with the handle is not moving faster in the middle of the drive with the swing of the back than it is initially during the leg drive.

[leadville]

Meanwhile, back in the real world of rowing, rowers are outside of training rooms in boats:

Oklahoma City: Masters Nationals 60's age group
Race 56: Mens Ltwt F 1x Final @ 10:41 AM
1st K. Juurakko

Ever heard of him Rich?
He won the HOCR too... a few years back in the 50's age-group..

..and, oh yes, he doesn't erg ... funny, that

Yea.

He's quite a bit better than you, no?

1:47 pace for 1K.

It's funny that he doesn't erg?

No, not at all.

If he gives it a try, it would be interesting to see what he can do.

At 15 seconds per 500m over erg times, 1:47 for 1K OTW is the equivalent of 1:32 for 1K OTErg.

That's still quite a bit off of Castellan's 60s hwt 1K WR OTErg of 1:30.

Pretty close though, and again, much better than you.

ranger

rangerboy - the course was shortened to just over 900m due to safety concerns - that was NOT a 1:47/500m split. If you were here in OKC, which, being a coward, you are not, you would have known this.

pretty hot here, not much competition in many of the races, lots of the same faces showing up at the starting line multiple times. OKC is trying very, very hard to make this a success - boathouses are great, people are very nice and accommodating, course is well marked, races are on time. cross wind is pretty significant, and higher number lanes are definitely more affected when wind is up.

we're missing Mike vB, Ed Ryan, Tunnicliffe, much of Riverside, most of Philly, Narragansett, Wilmington, and most of Boston. Some of the crews that are winning medals are only doing that because they're the only ones in their race. I've got a couple medals that never would have happened in a Camden or San Diego event. And more to come tomorrow.

Glad I was "fully prepared" - even though I just got on the water the end of May, and didn't do a FM HM 1/4M 1/8M etc etc etc ad nauseum. Amazing, isn't it rangerboy.

kudos once again to Buzz Congram - never could've done it without his patience, knowledge, and incredibly perceptive eye. Will be back with Buzz this fall, preparing for next summer.

[ranger]

Wow you are up to 308m already, Kudos!

I am doing 25K day.

I would like to make that 40K a day by the end of the summer and into the fall.

Great stuff.

ranger

[ranger]

rangerboy - the course was shortened to just over 900m due to safety concerns - that was NOT a 1:47/500m split.

Ah.

So more like 3:57.8 for 1K?

1:58.9 pace?

Hey.

Maybe they'll shorten the course to 200m next year.

If so, Mike VB will win every time.



He's a rocket out of the start.

He just can't rate up for the rest of the show.

ranger

[ranger]

we're missing Mike vB, Ed Ryan, Tunnicliffe, much of Riverside, most of Philly, Narragansett, Wilmington, and most of Boston

But everyone in the midwest should rack up their boat and drive 1000 miles to Philly in a moment, for the sheer joy and privilege of it, just to rub noses with the people and places that really count, with no thought of the trouble and expense?

Yep.

I am sure the Eastern establishment doesn't want to have anything to do with world class facilities in Oklahoma.

The snobbery in this sport is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

ranger

[ranger]

BTW, I suppose it is a relief to find out that some 60s geezer isn't ripping down the 1K course in a 1x at 1:47 pace.

But, hey.

Who knows?

I am not sure why it shouldn't be happening.

I wish it would!

That would be a nice wake up call for Mike VB.

No?

ranger

[whp4]

The slide is short.

The legs are slow and delayed.

the timing and sequencing of the other levers is compromised, if attended to at all.

You ought to do some more distance work, you've already blown up only 300 meters in!

[ranger]

BTW, this is the force contour of an elite young lightweight.



ranger

[ranger]

And this is the force contour of a broken down old man.



ranger

[Citroen]

BTW, this WAS the force contour of an elite young lightweight.

ranger

I've fixed the tense of the verb "to be" for you.

I'll ignore the fact that what you've written it total BS. Who had you kidnapped and forced to row that stroke or is that an example of you managing ONE SINGLE good stroke before putting the handle down.

[Citroen]

And this WAS the force contour of a broken down old man.

ranger

I've fixed the tense of the verb "to be" for you.

I'll ignore the fact that what you've written it total BS. Your stroke won't have improved, your head bobbing and limp wrist won't have gone away. Your stroke isn't fixed. But I won't let the truth get in the way of the bullshit.

[ranger]

Yep.

I now have a _very_ sharp axe.

I just need to chop down the trees.

When I am rowing well at 23 spm, dancing along to "Steamroller," pulling on the downbeats, I do 1:45/13 SPI with a FM HR, 75% HRR, 155 bpm.

Perfect.

My hams&glutes and arms&lats are now doing a _huge_ part of the labor, which wasn't the case at all when I rowed on my toes, never setting my heels, pulling mainly with my core&back, after a push with my quads, diving at the catch, short-sliding, and dumping my finishes with a big layback.

All four parts of my drive are now quick, strong, and effectively leveraged at the footplate, precisely sequenced and precisely timed.

From now on, for as long as it takes, I'll just keep rowing to "Steamroller" until I can do it, steady stae, for a FM.

ranger

[ranger]

BTW, what I have been doing, and am doing now, has nothing to do with fitness.

It is technical training.

Everyone the same size and age rows the same distances, exerting the same level of effort, at pretty much the same rate.

It isn't any burden at all for a 60s lwt to row a FM at 23 spm.

How fast you go at a certain rate, then, has nothing to do with fitness.

It has everything to do with how well you row, your natural stroking power.

At 23 spm, if you pull 9 SPI with your natural stroke, you'll do 1:59 pace for a FM.

At 23 spm, if you pull 13 SPI with your natural stroke, you'll do 1:45 pace for a FM.

The difference is 14 seconds per 500m.

If you are a lightweight male, this 14 seconds per 500m is the difference between a young, elite/international/Olympic rower, at the top of their physical and technical capacities, and an incompetent, unable, old man.

ranger

[ranger]

Your stroke won't have improved, your head bobbing and limp wrist won't have gone away. Your stroke isn't fixed.

This is pretty tiresome stuff, Dougie.

The issues you are addressing need to be clarified.

In this sport, performance depends on a combination of fitness, your general capacity for doing physical work, and technique, your capacity for doing physical work while rowing.

If either are bad/weak/etc., they can be improved, up to some limit, given proper training.

If both are excellent, neither can be improved.

If one is excellent and the other poor, one can be improved but the other can't.

Etc.

Back in 2003, my fitness was excellent, as it is now. It can't be improved.

Back in 2003, my technique was wretched. It could be improved _enormously_.

Since 2003, I have concentrated exclusively on technique, while working hard enough to maintain my fitness.

Back in 2003, I rowed poorly (10 SPI) at max drag (200+ df.).

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (120 df.).

So my technique is now _enormously_ better.

The timing, sequencing, length, quickness, rhythmicity, preparation, posture, etc., of my rowing now has no resemblance to my rowing back in 2003.

In saying these things, I am not saying anything specifically personal.

With proper training, everyone who has poor fitness can improve their overall capacity for doing physical work.

With proper training, everyone who rows badly can improve their technique, their capacity for doing physical work while rowing.

These things are general aspects of training for rowing, applicable and relevant to everyone who participates in the sport.

ranger

[ranger]

Training is an opportunity to get better, an opportunity to improve.

Improvement in anything is all about overcoming your weaknesses; it isn't at all about parading your strengths.

To improve your fitness, you just need to identify your physical weaknesses and follow a training plan than works on overcoming them.

To improve your technique, you just need to identify your technical weaknesses and follow a training plan that works on overcoming them.

In both cases, a major constraint on both execution and accomplishment is to resist training that avoids your technical/physical weaknesses and just parades your strengths.

If you use your training to parade your strengths, you'll never improve.

ranger