Another newbie

[DuffyF56]

Time for an update. I crossed 100,000 meters rowed on my home machine today with a 25:00 workout and 5214 meters rowed. My first workout on my home machine was Oct. 16. I have been logging my workouts weekly on the Logbook. I am still following the Interactive Weight Loss plan. I have not exactly been following the recommended intensity level though. I would say all workouts have been at a UT1 or even AT level. I just feel like I am wasting my time if I am not sweating and huffing and puffing some. Most workout terminate with a HR over 150. I have lost 8 Lbs so far. On my harder days I am going to bed much earlier than before and sleeping well. I have dropped the bodyweight exercises in favor of more rowing. I do a timed or best effort row on those days at various distances and times depending on what I feel I am up for. I have improved each session when trying for a best effort row. I take Sundays off for a rest day.

Anyone willing to be an online Training Buddy?

[DuffyF56]

Another update. Today I surpassed 200K meters rowed on my home machine. Weight is constant at 240 Lbs but flab turning to muscle noticeably. Into the 7th week of my program. I am into the UTI workouts of my 3 sessions a week 23 week program supplementing with a variety of different workouts on the "off" Tuesday and Thursdays. Yesterday I did my second 60' row this time completing 11,655 meters rowed.

Still looking for a online "Training Buddy".

[DuffyF56]

PB for the 5000M today. 22:42.5 at a 2:16.2 pace. Not all that surprising on the PB given it is only the second time I rowed this distance. I did drop 8 seconds since 11/7/2013. Also might not sound like much to the more highly trained, but given when I started rowing in June I could barely do 1000m I am pleased with my progress.

[jamesg]

Very well done.
Are you still on the Atkin's diet? How does that type of diet combine with erging, as the miles grow?

[DuffyF56]

Yes...I am still on the Atkins Diet. Given I have been on it since before I started erging, I don't really know how to answer your question. I have nothing to compare it to ("before" vs. now). In the "Training" forum in a post called "Heart rate for UT2?" I detailed some trouble meeting the plan requirements for LSS rows which I attributed to not having enough CV fitness to support the pace I was attempting to hold. Also my attempts to "push it" on LSS may have been doing more damage than good for the reasons another poster detailed. I have yet to be able to hold a 2:30 pace for an entire 60 minute row.

[heroesfitness]

Well I must say you have done remarkably well, stick at all the hard work and it will pay off, some good info posted here to.

Keep posting your progress

Spencer

[DuffyF56]

Thank you Spencer for the encouragement. I'll keep posting so hopefully others can see progress is possible. One of the resources another poster contributed is a blog on www.EatingAcademy.com. The latest blog is here http://eatingacademy.com/weight-loss/got-grit It details that progress on weight loss is a slow process. I have seen that is is sure easier to pack on weight than to get it off. As a former wrestler I already knew this was true but given it is over 40 years since I was active in that sport and my metabolism was much higher then, this needed to be demonstrated to me again so I would "Get it".

I decided to try for 200K meters for the Holiday Challenge. Anyone else working on that one?

[DuffyF56]

Time for another update. I completed the Holiday Challenge exceeding my personal goal of 200K by 15K. Still on the Atkins Diet and still going through the Interactive 23 week program 3 sessions a week. A tad disappointed today. Decided since it was an "off" day for the program I would try to set a new PB in the 500M. I failed to do so and missed by .2 sec to match my previous PB which was rowed 10 days after I received my home machine. (26 Oct. 2013) A tad disappointed that even after rowing some 436K meters since I got my machine I could not best this PB. Had plenty of rest though I had not eaten all day before the workout at 3 PM. Drag setting of 130 and avg. spm of 31. At this point my goal of besting my daughter's 1:32 by July is in doubt.

[gregsmith01748]

Improving a 500m PB is not so tough, all you need to do is add a couple of short interval workouts per week to your routine. Something like 8x 250m with 2 or 3 minutes of rest or 10x100m with 1 to 2 minutes of rest.

Most of the improvement will come from improving your stroke efficiency at higher rates. A little practice goes a long way. The interactive plan will be building your endurance, but not do much for your short sprints.

One other note, if you do these more intense sessions, you might want to take on a bit more carbohydrates than the regular Atkins diet allows. You need some glycogen in your muscles for sprint intervals.

[Bob S.]

A 31 spm rate is quite low for a 500m piece. I think that it would help if you worked on short intervals, rowing at 35-40 spm.

Bob S.

[DuffyF56]

Greg Smith....Thanks for the suggestion. Next week the program I am doing switches from UT1 to AR workout intervals. Shorter intervals than I have been doing but still not as short as you suggest. I will work in some as you suggested on "off days" from the program.

Bob S.
I'll try to incorporate higher SPM rates....but at my size without shortening my stroke or lowering the drag factor it is REAL hard to row faster (more strokes per minute)than I am doing now.

[Bob S.]

Bob S.
I'll try to incorporate higher SPM rates....but at my size without shortening my stroke or lowering the drag factor it is REAL hard to row faster (more strokes per minute)than I am doing now.

Your weight could be a factor here, but you are not too tall to have a long, full stroke at rates in the mid 30's. I don't think that a lower drag factor is in order. With a higher rate, the recovery time is shorter, so there is less momentum loss, and a bit less resistance at the catch.

The shorter recovery time means that you tire faster, but the 500m time is short enough that you can last it out. In any case, I think that it would help to include some higher rate work in your interval training.

Bob S.

[DuffyF56]

Bob S.

Thanks again for your comments. I will do so. One thing I did notice during the attempt was to generate quick and powerful leg action I was trying to essentially "jump" at the catch as has been described in other posts. The problem for me then became that the stirrups were then being used for the recovery to reverse my momentum. From what I have read this is not proper technique. No problem in this area at lower SPM but when I am attempting a balls to the wall attempt it arises with a vengeance. Any suggestions?

[Bob S.]

Bob S.

Thanks again for your comments. I will do so. One thing I did notice during the attempt was to generate quick and powerful leg action I was trying to essentially "jump" at the catch as has been described in other posts. The problem for me then became that the stirrups were then being used for the recovery to reverse my momentum. From what I have read this is not proper technique. No problem in this area at lower SPM but when I am attempting a balls to the wall attempt it arises with a vengeance. Any suggestions?

Needing the stirrups for the recovery is generally a sequence problem. The legs initiate your momentum to the back, the back swing adds a little more to the upper body, but the pull of the arms cancels out the momentum of the body generated by the legs and back. Rowing with the foot straps untied does a great job of enforcing that proper legs/back-swing/arms sequence. It is relatively easy at low ratings, but gets tricky as you raise the rate. When I first started erging strapless, I was afraid to rate over 20 spm - for fear of going over backwards. Eventually I worked it up to higher ratings, but would use the strap for intervals and time trials. Then one day I forgot to strap in for an Eddie Fletcher warmup, which had some sections with rates in the high 30s. I got through that OK and decided that I no longer needed the straps for training pieces. I still continued to use them for time trials because I didn't want to screw up the trials. Later I switched to slides with a model D and now the dynamic. On those, I never bother with the straps. Experimenting on the dynamic, I find that I can go to 60 spm without any balance problem. Not for long, of course. At 60 spm, with any halfway decent work per stroke, I would be lucky to keep it up for 30'.

Bob S.

[DuffyF56]

Time for another update. Just finished the VTC with my highest monthly total yet since purchasing my machine. (284,176 meters) Still on the Atkins Diet. Still haven't cracked the 500M bugaboo though not all that worried about it. I have 8 ranked pieces varying from 500M to 1 hour rows and have improved PB on all of them (except the 500M). My weight is around 230 Lbs and more flab turning to muscle and I am overcoming gravity as pieces parts of me seem to be rising. Should make the Million Meter Club by the end of Feb. Sitting at ~756K. Have a training partner now located across the pond in the UK. Thanks Steve for the encouragement as well as challenging me to meet your times and distances.