RowPro Training Plan Codes

[jackarabit]

Encountered terminology in wgt. training article which is suggestive that Ackland may speak platehead as well as OTW:

http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesM ... ining.aspx

[john_n]

Encountered terminology in wgt. training article which is suggestive that Ackland may speak platehead as well as OTW:

http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesM ... ining.aspx

From the context, I figured out what "platehead" means but when I looked it up, discovered that you might deserve full credit for that original word. Could find ZERO use of that term on the internet.

Jon Ackland's book (The Complete Guide To Endurance Training, 3rd Edition) has no reference to tempo training that I've found yet. Did find this brief pdf which he wrote which mentions "tempo racing" in the context of cycling http://www.thelegend.co.nz/legend_pdfs/ ... ecrets.pdf but that doesn't seem to relate in a helpful way to what the RowPro codes TL "tempo load 3/4 pressure at UT HR" or SP "slow 80-85% pressure" are supposed to mean.

The code description for the particular one, TL which is described as "3/4 pressure at UT HR" seems a bit self-contradictory because from everything I've read in his book so far, "3/4 pressure" must refer to the Karvonen formula usage he stresses in relation to all % efforts as meaning in the context of the Karvonen formula. So unless he is using pressure in the sense of blood pressure, he could either drop the word pressure or drop the term "UT HR" from that description.

Since the RowPro training plan templates are "free" with RowPro, I guess its another case of "you get what you pay for" in comparison to what a person would get if he could afford to hire and spend time conversing with Jon Ackland himself.

So... the most logical conclusion I come to as to what the two codes TL and SP mean in the RowPro training plans is what you would arrive at if you used the Karvonen formula and knew your actual maximum HR (call it HRmax) and your actual resting HR (call it HRrest). He says that if you don't know your HRmax, to use the formula 220-age for its value and he gives a special definition to HRrest as being the 7 day average of your lowest HR on each of those 7 days.

So, if Joe Schmoe's actual known HRmax were 190 and his HRrest was 50, then "75% pressure" would be not a particular power/watt level, but a particular heart rate arrived at by doing the following three calculations:
1. HRmax - HRrest = 190-50 = 140 This number, 140, is only for use in the next step.
2. 140 multiplied by 75% = 105 This number, 105, is only for use in the third and final step.
3. 105 + HRrest = 105 + 50 = 155

So 155 BPM would be Joe Schmoe's target heart rate for "75% pressure." And 169 BPM would be Joe's "85% pressure" target HR.


When target HR zones are specified and painted on the screen in RowPro training sessions, they always seem to be too low. And now I think I understand why: RowPro does not in its current (or earlier) versions ask for a person's HRmax or HRrest. So it must be making the assumption for HRmax of calculating it using the 220-age formula. It also does not ask for my resting HR, so it must have a value or an age and rowing-history correlated table of resting HRs that it is choosing from, for that. And it is using those two assumed values in the Karvonen formula.

If it uses a lower HRmax than I actually have (my HRmax is quite a bit higher than 220-age) and if it also uses a higher resting HR than actual, then the HR zones it calculates for its upper and lower % boundaries would both be a lot lower than they should be. And that seems to be the case when the training plans paint HR zones.

It would be good if RowPro gave the option of letting a person input the actual values, if known, for HRmax and HRrest. But since it doesn't (yet), the only way I can think of to tweak the results closer to what they should be for the HR training zones is to experiment with "lying" to RowPro and giving it a later birthday than my actual birthday.... until the age it uses for me results in target HR zones that are closer to where they should be.

In the meantime - When I'm feeling lazy, I take it real easy and aim for the painted HR zones. When I'm feeling un-lazy, I keep actual HR hovering somewhere above the painted targets. Not very scientific.

[jackarabit]

Interesting that Dan Burpee's Exel templates for RP rowfiles added personal max and resting HR as a contributor to zone determination. Your zone individualization workaround is ingenious, John, and must create a welcome congruity of perceived effort and HR.

[john_n]

Interesting that Dan Burpee's Exel templates for RP rowfiles added personal max and resting HR as a contributor to zone determination. Your zone individualization workaround is ingenious, John, and must create a welcome congruity of perceived effort and HR.

Such congruity or disparity (as the case may be depending on personal inclination) could be called one of the spices of life.

Do you have a URL or something comparable where I could read more about Dan Burpee's templates? They might be useful or at least interesting.

[jackarabit]

The published link to the RP extractor @ Free Spirits Rowing went up in e-smoke with the C2 UK site and now links to Concept 2, the home team, in VT. The program isn't immediately in evidence. I have a copy which I will share if you wish. You will need a copy of Xcel 7, 10, or 13.

[bisqeet]

The published link to the RP extractor @ Free Spirits Rowing went up in e-smoke with the C2 UK site and now links to Concept 2, the home team, in VT. The program isn't immediately in evidence. I have a copy which I will share if you wish. You will need a copy of Xcel 7, 10, or 13.

i think greg smith still had a link on his blog, also an adapted version...

edit:

here:

https://quantifiedrowing.wordpress.com/ ... are-tools/
https://quantifiedrowing.files.wordpres ... 08-03.xlsx

original excel:
http://www.sub7irc.com/RP_Split_Template.zip

[john_n]

The published link to the RP extractor @ Free Spirits Rowing went up in e-smoke with the C2 UK site and now links to Concept 2, the home team, in VT. The program isn't immediately in evidence. I have a copy which I will share if you wish. You will need a copy of Xcel 7, 10, or 13.

i think greg smith still had a link on his blog, also an adapted version...

edit:

here:

https://quantifiedrowing.wordpress.com/ ... are-tools/
https://quantifiedrowing.files.wordpres ... 08-03.xlsx

original excel:
http://www.sub7irc.com/RP_Split_Template.zip

Thanks Jack and Dean.

At the very least, it should be a bit of a mental exercise to examine it. I sent you a private message, Jack, with my email address if you would like to share the version you have.

Dean - I downloaded all three of the files at the link you provided, and will look at them also.

I'm not actually very picky about the training I do. Perhaps I should put quotes around it and call it the "training" I do, because I've been mainly using training programs for the sake of ready-made "structure" and "balance" since seriously trying and sticking with the first training program, the Pete Plan, for a few months. In the training sessions that are supposed to be hard, time trials, etc, I only row hard if I really feel like it and otherwise I just do the distance while taking it easy.

Regarding the RowPro training programs, I'd buy a book about them, if Jon Ackland or someone who thoroughly understands their design, formulas & algorithm would write a comprehensive book that explained it all.

The main problem I have with the RowPro training programs is probably trivial, for someone like me who is only training for fun and not for competition - that problem is that I can't specify my maximum HR or resting HR, to get the most accurate boundaries for the RowPro-calculated target heart zones.

Along with RowPro and the online community of people who row with each other socially and competitively via the internet, one of the most motivating, helpful & encouraging things I've found for indoor rowing is this forum and people like you, Dean and Jack.

[jackarabit]

Forgot the link on Greg's blog. So you have everything you need. You will need to change the .xlsx file extension to .xlsm to enable macros in Excel. I don't believe it will work on your Mac. Know nothing about Home Office. I have a page of instructions for use if you should need them. I liked the charts and graphs output and posted some as results reports on this forum. And Greg Smith used the graphic presentations for several yrs. of daily training in his blog. I believe Greg may now be using the grphx tools at rowsandall.com--which he helped develop--as his method of choice for row report enhancement but he would likely answer questions about the Burpee graphic extractor. Dean is also a good source of help if you have difficulties. Enjoy!

[john_n]

Forgot the link on Greg's blog. So you have everything you need. You will need to change the .xlsx file extension to .xlsm to enable macros in Excel. I don't believe it will work on your Mac. Know nothing about Home Office. I have a page of instructions for use if you should need them. I liked the charts and graphs output and posted some as results reports on this forum. And Greg Smith used the graphic presentations for several yrs. of daily training in his blog. I believe Greg may now be using the grphx tools at rowsandall.com--which he helped develop--as his method of choice for row report enhancement but he would likely answer questions about the Burpee graphic extractor. Dean is also a good source of help if you have difficulties. Enjoy!

Thanks Jack! You are right, that it will not work with Numbers (the Mac spreadsheet) or with OpenOffice spreadsheet.

But... that's perfectly okay because I'm not trying to improve my times or be a CRASH-B contender, etc. Just trying to stay healthy through sweating

I'm mainly aiming to have fun, so RowPro and its much less detailed software and graphs (compared to what's available on rowsandall.com or probably with those .xlsx / .xlslm Excel files) is sufficient. I do enjoy opportunistic, usually spontaneous racing once in a while in some of the online sessions. RowPro is the ONLY way to do those!

I've had a few online races with some of the younger rowers who gave me a generous head start, for a very close finish. That's a lot of fun, when its close at the finish of an online race.

But my rowing goal isn't for the purpose of becoming more competitive so I'll continue to use just RowPro. Might experiment a little with it, as I mentioned once before, by altering the birth date in my RowPro training profile (the direct input to the RowPro training algorithm) so as to have it generate appropriately higher HR target zones.