lindsayh wrote:Without being disrespectful to anyone either I must say that after reading the entire thread again I still don't really get it. I must train in a weird bubble where I don't think about these numbers at all! IMO it seems a bit like over analysis - time/life is too precious to be worrying too much about W'/stroke and the like - just get on the machine and have some fun in a sensible and logical way with some good goal setting and measures in place works for me.
Bob indicated he is a "numbers freak," in part, by profession. So am I. Someone who isn't a number cruncher probably can't relate to the fact that, for someone like me, mashing the numbers
is part of the "fun" of rowing.
Along those lines, I'm not sure what you do while you are rowing. You probably concentrate on how you "feel." As a numbers guy, I focus intently on what the monitor is telling me with each stroke. That is not to say I can't "feel" a series of good strokes when I make them. I can. But the feedback from the monitor confirms and reinforces those feelings, and I believe that feedback helps me (especially being new to the sport). I also enjoy targeting watts, strokes, etc., and working toward set goals for each session. It is more concrete to me and I have a heightened sense of accomplishment when I hit my targets. In fact, if I don't set those targets at the beginning of each row and, instead, I tell myself, "I'll just hammer away for as long as I can," I have a much harder time staying motivated during the session.
I have no doubt Jim G., hjs and others consider obsessing over the numbers "bizarre." I get the impression they feel doing so is not just bizarre, but "inferior" to their approach. I don't see it that way. You are either a numbers person or you aren't. I suppose it is only natural for each person to believe their way of training is "better." I can appreciate that and take it for what it is worth.
Each person has to do what works for them. For me, I'll continue to focus on the numbers, and I'll have fun doing it.