Training advice please -- 45 year old

[hjs]

Thanks -- best 2K to date is 7-35 and I couldn't categorically say that was 'all-out' . Will be using all this advice to improve that and other aspects.

A max 2k will get you falling off the machine. And you really will improve fast at first.

[MarkEg]

I'll give it a go at the appropriate moment. Again -- thank you.

[jamesg]

1.57 - 1.55 - 1.53 - 1.52 - 1.52 - 1.50 - R 2'
My average stroke rate was in the 25/26 region.
Can anyone comment and let me know if I'm on the right track? Strangely, I didn't fade -- in fact the reverse was true.

You are. Your average power was about 220W.

At height 5'10 you have an "ideal" weight around 75 kg, so at 45y need to produce at least 150W to keep fit (2 W/kg).

The longer the pieces the better, so 3k at training pace with 2' rests is a little on the short side. A 2k at race pace is a long way, so our endurance (= ability to get rid of waste products) is the fundamental factor. This ability depends on both mileage and power, but working harder, once we're above a minimum, does not of itself accelerate the acquisition of endurance, because it's a growth function.

Rating 25 means each stroke was worth 9 Watt minutes, so technique looks ok. For a 2k you would probably increase to 10 anyway, so rating 30 which is not too wasteful.

You didn't fade probably because you started cold: it's the effect of warm-up, which for sprints takes more than 20 minutes. Work like 6 or 8*500 is best done in the middle of a 40 minute UT1 or UT2 piece.

[MarkEg]

This is brilliant stuff -- thanks. I think I was confused by an earlier reply re: long, slow stroke rate. I understand that that's best for longer, endurance pieces but I mistakenly tried to keep my stroke rate down for the intervals too which, by the sound of it, I didn't need to. I could have easily let the stroke rate go to 30 + and from what I can understand, that's no bad thing for intervals. Am I right ?

[maestroak]

We're comparable size and age. For a 500m interval my stroke rate would be 29-30 and for 6x500 I'd be under 1:45. My PBs are in my signature. When I started on the erg I was in the range you are but after a few months I started rowing all my pieces under 2:00. My typical workouts are ~30 min week days and longer pieces on weekend 10k or more. Usually row that stuff in the 1:58 range. I toy around with some interval workouts I post on here just to mix it up. I suspect you'll have decent gains pretty quickly, sub7 should be in the cards but it took me awhile to get there. I rowed a 7:08 that killed me and took like a year to give it an all out effort. You also sound like you're starting from where I was maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I'm closing in on 9 million meters and have been surprised at how many additional plateaus and levels of fitness there were just from this simple machine.

-Steve

[MarkEg]

We're comparable size and age. For a 500m interval my stroke rate would be 29-30 and for 6x500 I'd be under 1:45. My PBs are in my signature. When I started on the erg I was in the range you are but after a few months I started rowing all my pieces under 2:00. My typical workouts are ~30 min week days and longer pieces on weekend 10k or more. Usually row that stuff in the 1:58 range. I toy around with some interval workouts I post on here just to mix it up. I suspect you'll have decent gains pretty quickly, sub7 should be in the cards but it took me awhile to get there. I rowed a 7:08 that killed me and took like a year to give it an all out effort. You also sound like you're starting from where I was maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I'm closing in on 9 million meters and have been surprised at how many additional plateaus and levels of fitness there were just from this simple machine.

-Steve

Thanks Steve -- really helpful. I think the drag on my machine is an issue that's affecting my rate. I posted elsewhere about that as I only have the PM1 but will now consider an upgrade. Re: the workouts, that sounds pretty viable given I work from home and have my machine at home also. Very many thanks

[MarkEg]

Managed a 20.08 5K today and I got my fractions all wrong. Got to 150 left with a lot more energy than I thought I would have. Now disappointed not to have gone below 20.00! Average wattage was 209.

[jamesg]

5k is short and fast enough to need a solid warm-up first, if you want to do a pb. This gets us into a nice hot aerobic groove, and then in the last 20-30% we can use anything else available.

One way of testing ourselves is to do just that, and better than blasting off the start = fly and die. Proof of the pudding.

[MarkEg]

I actually did a nice warmup. I think it was just a case of inexperience and poor pacing. After all, the equation is simple. 10 x 1.59 will get me under 20.

[bisqeet]

I actually did a nice warmup. I think it was just a case of inexperience and poor pacing. After all, the equation is simple. 10 x 1.59 will get me under 20.

never underestimate the power of neg. splitting.....


the psychological effect itself is worth doing the first few a little slower and finishing faster..
that said i pick a pace and (try) to increase my stroke rate the last 25% - maybe even sprint the last 500...

[Bob S.]

the psychological effect itself is worth doing the first few a little slower and finishing faster..
that said i pick a pace and (try) to increase my stroke rate the last 25% - maybe even sprint the last 500...

A true, full out sprint would mean using all your anaerobic reserve. That is good for only 30-40 seconds. If you do a build up to it, I suppose that it could stretch it out to 500m, but compare it to doing a 500m time trial (with a proper warmup). It just cannot be done as a full sprint. A 250m might be possible for the most powerful guys and a lot more could handle 200m, but 500m is beyond reach.

[MarkEg]

I actually did a nice warmup. I think it was just a case of inexperience and poor pacing. After all, the equation is simple. 10 x 1.59 will get me under 20.

never underestimate the power of neg. splitting.....


the psychological effect itself is worth doing the first few a little slower and finishing faster..
that said i pick a pace and (try) to increase my stroke rate the last 25% - maybe even sprint the last 500...

I don't think it was as conscious as that. I had a good while rowing at 1.49 type of pace and that felt fine. Until it didn't. Then I had spells where I was seeing 2.05 or 2.06 when, if I'd started out with solid 1.58/1.59's, I might have been fine. Does that make sense? A more even pace.

[MarkEg]

Btw did a steady 9K today. Took me 38.17. Tried to keep strokes long at rate 23/24.