Pete Plan 2017

[rlboyles]

Mike - I agree with everyone on here in saying that you bring a positive, encouraging attitude to all that come on this forum. Thank you. I know it has motivated me!

Keep us posted on your new program. I like the look of it because it looks to focus on the areas that you want to improve.

[optimuswolf]

Hi all, and can I extend my thanks to Mike too. You are what makes forums like this and part of me wants to follow you to whatever plan you are doing now just for the company!

It has been about a month since I last posted, as I had a long holiday with no access to an erg followed by bad jet lag and then illness. Restarted my 2nd cycle of my modified PP this evening. Not caught up with all the posts but glad there are so many people on the thread.

C2 W1 S1 (8x500m/3:30) - Target brought forward from cycle 1 was 1:49.2 and I wanted negative splits as usual
14:26.2 4,000m 1:48.2 28
1:49.1 500m 1:49.1 27
1:49.0 500m 1:49.0 28
1:48.9 500m 1:48.9 28
1:48.7 500m 1:48.7 28
1:48.5 500m 1:48.5 28
1:48.5 500m 1:48.5 28
1:47.0 500m 1:47.0 29
1:46.5 500m 1:46.5 29

Felt v tough but not surprising after such a break and not feeling 100%. Tomorrow I hit the weights on my beginners weight training programme.

[mdpfirrman]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I really appreciate it. Jack - you, Glenn, Dean, Henry and many others helped me tremendously when I was getting started. I honestly enjoy doing the thread and with my job (which is heavily computer focused research and tedious at times), it's a welcome break. What I didn't realize when I started the thread was how it would catch on so much for two reasons -- I think the UK forum shutting down left a void that needed to be addressed. Also, the BPP is a great place for new rowers to start and the PP is a great way for people to see what they can do and test their limits, plus it's simple to understand.

@ Scott - appreciate the concern. I've been doing 6 days a week for a long time now, so that's no different. Also, I'm not going to do nearly as many intervals, so that will help me not to be overtrained. I quite enjoyed Sunday's 15K row. Nice and easy (around 2:11). Did 12K yesterday at a 2:08 (again pretty easy).

What I noticed in looking back at my log history (when I was doing the best by far on the PP) was that my last Aug and Sept numbers were fantastic (projecting around a 7:10 to a 7:13 2K). Two things stood out in the log - my July and August meters were the highest I'd ever done (around 55K to 60K a week consistently). One other thing I did back then was do more "power 10s" one or two days a week (mixing up a SS row with 10 power strokes toward the end of a row, when I was tired - usually did this on my 6th day of the week, right before my day off). I'd strap in with around 20 minutes to go on my SS Fridays and then do a power 10 every minute until I was done with the row. I think that really helped me with two things - SPM and having a bit of juice left while tired. Another thing I was doing back then (similar to rlboyles) was row immediately after lifting a couple days a week. While that's very hard, I think it does help you to learn to row while your HR is elevated. I won't do that this phase but might add that back in later as I prep for my Winter races. My goal this year is to crack a 7:10, which I think is realistic. I'd also like to get closer to 19' on the 5K and 40' on the 10K. I haven't been doing enough long, hard rows. I'm adverse to pain on long rows! I think getting more comfortable with higher SPM will help that greatly. Doing long SS with low SPM and higher power is grueling (I was doing too much of that without realizing it).

I'll check in from time to time. Keep up the hard work. Great work all!

[Gaucho1]

@Mike - considering that the PP is nothing to do the whole year I´d really love to see your long rows in this thread Your advice was very valuable to improve technique and keeping motivated. Very good atmosphere here with all the contributors.
Back from vacation I started an interval today:
Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
14:17.4 4,000m 1:47.1 284 1277 27
1:47.7 500m 1:47.7 280 1263 27
1:47.4 500m 1:47.4 283 1271 26
1:47.1 500m 1:47.1 285 1279 27
1:46.8 500m 1:46.8 287 1287 27
1:47.4 500m 1:47.4 283 1271 27
1:47.2 500m 1:47.2 284 1276 27
1:47.2 500m 1:47.2 284 1276 27
1:46.7 500m 1:46.7 288 1290 28

@optimus looks similar to your row - standard performance after vacation
Best regards,
Dietmar in very rainy Nuremberg-Germany

[mudgeg]

Mike - just wanted to echo the thoughts of Jack. I've valued your advice enormously on this thread and as Jack said you have acted as motivator, coach, conflict resolver, and friend as well as many other things. Best of luck in whatever training programme you move on to.

I realised over the last couple of weeks, that with my current workload (I'm a consultant engineer and have a major project being delivered by the end of August) that I just can't devote six days/week to the PP right now. I have now started on a weights plus rowing programme, mixing up my rows by doing the the speed/speed endurance and SS work I learned on the BPP.

Right now it seems to be working for me. Tonight I did some lifting and then a 5k, not expecting much out of the row with tired legs. Well what do you know, out of nowhere I turned in my second best ever 5k a mere four tenths outside my PB and that without even really trying to much. Hopefully, I've turned a corner.

Best wishes and keep in touch

Gordon

[Bor]

Also, if you can warmup and cool down occasionally unstrapped, that also helps you learn form better.

Missed this advice before, sorry. Does that mean rowing without your feet strapped in? Thanks!

Did the last workout from C2 website today; next one will be the 2k benchmark. Exciting!
Minor back 'tiredness' after the workout. I plan to make a video during the 2k to review my technique.

Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
20:00.0 3,861m 2:35.4 93 621 23
4:00.0 778m 2:34.2 95 628 23
8:00.0 763m 52:7.2.9 -3 289 23
12:00.0 790m 2:31.9 100 643 24
16:00.0 758m 2:38.3 88 603 23
20:00.0 771m 2:35.6 93 619 24

[sdr2017]

@Bor, welcome to the group! Spend the time to learn good form, and the 20 min rowing is a good way to begin. Watch your back--that seems to be one of the more common injuries among rowers. More knowledgeable people may be able to offer you advice on that point.

@Stu, I agree that 5K is a nice alternative to the longer rows and intervals of the BPP. Mix it up to keep it entertaining!

@Optimus and Dietmar, it is nice to see you both crushing 8 X 500 M intervals.

@Mike, Your training plans sounds well considered, which comes as no surprise. Lots of meters is probably great conditioning. The "power 10" strokes once per minute sound tough but in a good way. Perhaps I will try them when my normal SS does not exhaust me too much. I was getting comfortable with 8 K, and the move to 10 K in the BPP plan tests my limited endurance.

BPP 12.2: intervals
4x1500m/3:00r
25:21.1 6000 22 02:06.7 891 172
06:25.4 1500 21 02:08.4
06:22.7 1500 22 02:07.5
06:20.4 1500 22 02:06.8
06:12.6 1500 23 02:04.2

I felt good about this one. The pace did not start out too fast, and I kept the splits negative at moderate spm. It is enough faster than my normal SS pace that I am working.

[Gaucho1]

Also, if you can warmup and cool down occasionally unstrapped, that also helps you learn form better.

Missed this advice before, sorry. Does that mean rowing without your feet strapped in? Thanks!

@bor - Yes, that,s exactly what it means - helps to improve your technique

[barrec]

Also, if you can warmup and cool down occasionally unstrapped, that also helps you learn form better.

Missed this advice before, sorry. Does that mean rowing without your feet strapped in? Thanks!

I concur. This is my second time doing a lot of rowing and I am rowing strapless each day for the first time. I did a little research in other threads and saw it's a common practice, especially for those who row on the water as well (where balance is crucial for not capsizing!).

The general wisdom i found is that it's helpful but not 'necessary' for indoor rowing. It helped me build my core and lower back and rethink how I start the catch. I used to dig in my heels and engage my legs to get me back to the drive; thanks to strapless practice I now start with the core (though my legs help out when I am tired!). Rowing strapless also help you absorb the stroke with your arms so that the straps aren't what is keeping you from flying backwards off of the erg.

I row 4' strapless before stretching and I cool down strapless (distances vary, but no more than 1k). I row very slow splits and rates and simply practice the form. That alone has helped my fitness immensely.

[JMac]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, I purchased a Model D a week ago and have been on it every day apart from one since then.

Decided to take up rowing as my primary form of cardio after giving up high level basketball a couple of months ago

I started the Pete Plan a couple of days ago with the aim of pulling a sub-7 2k and a sub 1:30 500m at the end of the first complete cycle, improving my overall fitness levels and losing some weight would also be an added bonus!

Anyway, last night I tried the first endurance row (week 1 day 2), with the aim of completing 10k in around 40mins. After being a bit too optimistic with my pace (2min/500m), I ran out of steam after completing 7.5k in around 30min.

Looking forward the next workout (5 x 1500m), will try and aim for approx 1:52/500m pace.

Thanks to everyone on here for sharing their training experiences, all extremely helpful to someone who has never really rowed anything more than a 5 min warmup before gym!

[mdpfirrman]

@ JMac - Holy crap you're strong. With some fitness you'll be a beast on the rower. Welcome.

@ Rob (barrec) - Yes, Everett is right. Strapless is the way to go with warmups and cooldowns (initially). You ideally would want to get to the point where most of your SS work is strapless. All of mine is. When I started, I couldn't understand why people would want to row strapless. It's because of sequencing and efficiency (or wanting to reduce wasted momentum). When you're strapped in (as Everett mentioned), as a newer rower, you tend to rely too much on the straps to hold you down. When the straps are pulling against your feet, you are wasting momentum. How is this fixed? By quickly getting your hands back and using your core to immediately swing back (even if it's a slower recovery) so that you're not spending too much time leaning back. When I started doing strapless, I nearly fell off the seat (meaning I was doing something really wrong). Now, I can't imagine rowing strapped in all the time. I hate being strapped in but I strap in for sprints and harder work all the time. The thing you will notice, though, is that after you learn better sequencing with the arms and body, when you are strapped in, the straps won't get loose (because your feet aren't pulling on them nearly as much any longer). It helps you from pulling too hard also into your chest (another momentum waster). I used to thump my chest hard (felt macho but wrong as hell). Your speed comes from the drive/momentum, not from beating yourself up with the handle! You want to feather that handle in with speed but softly toward the end, after all, you need to quickly again move your arms out not to fall off the back. It's a way to self correct bad form essentially. Once you get that down, you start to work on other smaller issues like body lean at the correct time, really using your glutes and hips. Ease into strapless. Start out with just warmups and cool downs. Then perhaps 5 to 10 minutes of your SS sessions. After two or three weeks, you get the hang of it really well. Most that have tried it don't go back to strapped in on their SS work. Plus, like others have mentioned, when your form is better, you tend not to tweak your back (though you'll be sorer in your core, hips and glutes from proper form).

[optimuswolf]

Welcome @JMac you've come to the right place - there are lots of people here also starting out and some who are pretty expert. With your athletic gifts you should be rocketing along in no time but make sure you do at least a couple of session a week where you ignore the splits and focus on a smooth, consistent stroke. Watch the videos and maybe video yourself. I also find the power curve on the PM5 monitor useful during long rows to see when my form starts dropping off (if you're getting the same smooth shape every stroke for 8-10k you're doing well).

C2 W1 S2 - 8k Steady State at max 21 SPM
34:04.7 8,000m 2:07.7 21

After a lifting day yesterday (I'd love some advice on my plan if anyone here knows their stuff) I felt good but after the break I'm still not quite at the same fitness as I was a month ago. I've noticed that at my age cardio fitness drops off real quick.

[Gaucho1]

Welcome JMac - I like indoor rowing. The possibility to compare your performance all over the world is great. Also the assistance in this forum keeps me motivated
Did 10k yesterday with several high speed sequences (10 strokes, pac 1:38) in between. Makes fun. Thank´s Mike!
Time Meters /500m Watts
42:25.0 10,000m 2:07.2 170 884 19
8:37.5 2,000m 2:09.3 162 855 20
8:33.2 4,000m 2:08.3 166 870 19
8:34.1 6,000m 2:08.5 165 867 19
8:33.7 8,000m 2:08.4 165 868 20
8:06.5 10,000m 2:01.6 195 969 21
Best regards,
Dietmar

[Bor]

@sdr: thanks!

@Gaucho1, @barrec, @Mike:
Thanks for the advice on strapless rowing. I tried it today during warm-up and cool-down. Warming-up strapless was relatively easy, as long as I kept focusing on technique over speed. Cooling-down was a lot harder, which shows the decrease of technique when you are tired.
Will keep doing this from now on, feels good for technique focus.

Finished the C2 website beginner workouts today with a 30m benchmark.
Sunday I'll start the BPP, looking forward to it!

Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
30:00.0 6,002m 2:29.9 104 657 25
6:00.0 1,215m 2:28.1 108 670 24
12:00.0 1,156m 2:35.7 93 619 23
18:00.0 1,208m 2:29.0 106 664 25
24:00.0 1,173m 2:33.4 97 633 25
30:00.0 1,250m 2:24.0 117 703 28

[sdr2017]

@Jmac, I agree with others: you are a beast! Have fun with the rowing.

@Dietmar, it sounds like you enjoy the "10 power strokes" that Mike suggested in your 10 K. Did that kick up the average pace in the last 2000 M?

@Bor, keep track of those early times because they are fun to beat later. Welcome to the BPP plan--I have found it very useful.

BPP Week 12.3
3x10:00/2:00r
30:00.0 6835 20 02:11.6
10:00.0 2259 20 02:12.8
10:00.0 2259 20 02:12.8
10:00.0 2317 21 02:09.4

It was a good row for me. The pacing is a bit faster than my SS rows and I was able to pick it up in the last interval.