Wolverine Workout Details

[david6b]

I have seen so many references to the Wolverine plan, I thought I should try it.

I can find the document http://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/tr ... nePlan.pdf that describes the plan but I can't find any week by week schedule of specific workouts.....I guess others just read the plan and then follow the principals to create their own schedule, but I was hoping to reuse a schedule that already exists!

Are there any resources which should a week by week schedule the would cover from Preparation training in Oct through to competition in Summer?

Tx


David

[gregsmith01748]

Hi,

Here is a link to an additional document with more notes on the WP from Mike Caviston:

https://quantifiedrowing.files.wordpres ... -notes.pdf

There is a section called "Putting it all together" that gives weekly plans.

[david6b]

Tx Greg, so I see in the notes document you linked to it says, for example, Day 4: Level 4 (60')

But when I look at the plan, I could do that workout as 6 x 10' pieces, or 10 x 6' pieces, and once I have chosen which of those it is (let's say 6 x 10') then I need to choose one of the 16 different 10' pieces, e.g.

168 2'/2'/2'/2'/2' @ 16/18/16/18/16
172 2'/2'/2'/2'/2' @ 18/16/18/16/18
176 2'/2'/2'/2'/2' @ 16/18/20/18/16

Maybe I am wanting too much to be spoon fed, but I was hoping to find a fairly prescriptive schedule.


David

[Moo]

Sounds you need the beginner pete plan, I've nearly completed the 6 month plan. It's based around the wolverine plan but a lot easier to follow. Just google beginner Pete plan

Cheers

Paul

[gregsmith01748]

So, you might want to read the first document again.

For L4 workouts, you want to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up. My first L4 was
168/172/168/172/168/172, which is basically 60' alternating between 2' @ 16 and 2' @ 18.

From there, you start yo increase the stroke counts, but do it gradually. I used HR as guide. When I managed to do the session staying entirely aerobic, I would start to add strokes. You can also add time. I ended up with 2 x 40' as my main L4 format. I repeat the same thing twice. I added strokes as follows

168/172/168/172 = 680
168/172/168/176 = 684
168/172/176/172 = 688
168/172/176/180 = 692 = (This is my all time favorite sequence, never a dull moment)
172/176/180/172 = 696

You get the idea. The thing about L4s, is to try to nail the stroke count and pace EXACTLY. If you are an overachiever, and push the pace, then you will slow down the rate at which you can get to higher stroke counts. The point of these workouts is to start with lots of low rate stuff, and as your fitness improves, you increase the rate and pace in a way that keeps the stroke pressure about the same.

[Mike Caviston]

Good luck using the Wolverine Plan. I hope it helps you reach your training and competition goals. For that to happen, you will have to invest the time and effort to understand it and the principles on which it is based. Sorry, no spoon feeding, no pre-written programs. Remember that the 2002 document is not "the" plan, but a training aid I put together for that team that year. The link above to some comments from early 2005 (I think) has some good information. The most complete source of information about the WP can be found in the Archived Posts on this forum, the Wolverine Plan Discussion thread. Unfortunately it is very difficult to read because of some sort of coding glitch, not to mention the constant interruption by trolls and thread hijackers (pretty much why I no longer get involved in any ongoing discussion, not to mention that every time I think I might want to say something I realize I already said it before).

[Balkan boy]

I promised myself to study the whole Wolverine document and make a workout plan from it.
It's been I while since I said that.

In the meantime, how is this for simple?
Pete Plan:
http://docdro.id/PQcobE4

[david6b]

Thanks for the responses, actually I have used the Pete Plan for the last couple of years, and was looking for a change, not for any reason other than wanting to mix things up a bit.

I like the idea of the Level 4 workouts at this time of year because aiming to maintain a specific rating (particularly a low one) at a specific pace does make you focus on getting the most out of every stroke.

David

[jackarabit]

Additional questions for Greg:

Do you or did you ever use the rates 17, 19, 21 and so on referenced in Caviston discussion subhead "New Wrinkles in L4"?

Are the pace/watts levels simple interpolations from the 2k-derived paces for the original 16, 18, 20 rate etc?

Do you know the rationale for bumping stroke rates by +1spm?

Would this be a desirable modification for ergers of modest height such as me?

Does total stroke increase for the odd numbered SR schema (ex. additional 10 strokes in a 168 sequence) have ramifications of which I am unaware?

I am currently using 55% of 2k Watts (in my case 181.8*.55) for SR18, incremented by +/-20W for adjacent L4 rates as per rec @ Quantified Rowing blog. Based on best 2k, in my case that's 80 and 100 watts for l4/168, so 90 and 110 watts for sR17, 19 by simple extrapolation. 90-110W brackets the minimum power per fit weight rec (104W) for my hgt.

Are these power/pace targets feasible or shall I grab my pointy hat and clamber on to my stool? Thanks. Jack

[jackarabit]

So a "168" @ 17 and 19spm would become a 178 by total stroke count. I don't see incredible difficulty from that quarter but 5-6" difference in pace is appreciable over 40'. Hmmm.

[hjs]

So a "168" @ 17 and 19spm would become a 178 by total stroke count. I don't see incredible difficulty from that quarter but 5-6" difference in pace is appreciable over 40'. Hmmm.

The rating itself should not matter, its about the basic priciples. L4 is aerobic work, it should be long enough. 40 min minimum. L4 should be the good chunk of the total volume. The rate changes during a session should vary enough. At least 4, better 6. During the season build volume and rate. Rate 20 av at the end of a year would be very good.

[gregsmith01748]

Additional questions for Greg:

Do you or did you ever use the rates 17, 19, 21 and so on referenced in Caviston discussion subhead "New Wrinkles in L4"?

I sure did. They are nice for a change and also to make baby steps to increase your stroke count as you start to plateau.

Are the pace/watts levels simple interpolations from the 2k-derived paces for the original 16, 18, 20 rate etc?

Basically yes. If you look at the pace sheet, at least for me with a 2K between 6:36 and 6:50 depending on where I am in the year, the paces increment about 4 seconds for each 2 spm increase. So for a 1 spm increase, the jump would be about 2 seconds. By the way, I spent some time trying to figure out the best power versus stroke rate combinations for me, since I am a significantly less perfect physical specimen than a typical collegiate female rower. If you are interested it's posted here: https://quantifiedrowing.wordpress.com/ ... rine-plan/

The conclusion that I came to was that it was close enough for me to row watts that line up exactly with my SPM. So, 160W at 16, 170 at 17, 180 at 18 and so on. This has allowed me to redirect blood that was previously going to my brain to my legs since I don't have to think much about the pace I am keeping.

Do you know the rationale for bumping stroke rates by +1spm?

I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's because the season gets long and the erg gets boring. It is nice to be able to take half steps when you're close to as good as you are gonna get in a season. I found that the pace reset after I set a new PB for a 2K was a killer and I needed ratchet things up very gradually.

Would this be a desirable modification for ergers of modest height such as me?

I think it's just a nice variation for anyone.

Does total stroke increase for the odd numbered SR schema (ex. additional 10 strokes in a 168 sequence) have ramifications of which I am unaware?

nope, it's just a straight translation

I am currently using 55% of 2k Watts (in my case 181.8*.55) for SR18, incremented by +/-20W for adjacent L4 rates as per rec @ Quantified Rowing blog. Based on best 2k, in my case that's 80 and 100 watts for l4/168, so 90 and 110 watts for sR17, 19 by simple extrapolation. 90-110W brackets the minimum power per fit weight rec (104W) for my hgt.

Are these power/pace targets feasible or shall I grab my pointy hat and clamber on to my stool? Thanks. Jack

[/quote]
Oh, I see you had found my post already! If you send me a PM with your email address, I'll send you the spreadsheet. The extrapolation you're doing sounds right.

I want to just emphasize that I did the table on my own to try to understand the plan better. I don't want anyone to think that I am trying to "improve" or change the WP. I don't have the qualifications or experience for that. I'm just a guy that used it and learned some lessons that I'm happy to share.

[jackarabit]

Thanks for the responses, Greg. I understand that Mr. Caviston has pride of place as creator of the Wolverine Plan. I apologize for piggybacking on a thread which clearly was intended by OP to elicit information solely about that particular plan. In future I will take pains to distinguish my interest which is the rate-specified workout generator with linear pace progression found on your blog. Jack

[Balkan boy]

I have seen so many references to the Wolverine plan, I thought I should try it.

I can find the document http://www.concept2.com/files/pdf/us/tr ... nePlan.pdf that describes the plan but I can't find any week by week schedule of specific workouts.....I guess others just read the plan and then follow the principals to create their own schedule, but I was hoping to reuse a schedule that already exists!

Are there any resources which should a week by week schedule the would cover from Preparation training in Oct through to competition in Summer?
David

David,
Have a look at this:
http://rowing.voltnova.com/2012/12/24/s ... ning-plan/

It should give you an example of the workout structure. You'll have to study the WP to make sense of it, though.