Pete Plan Thread

[OtwSL]

@OTW - thanks, but I guarantee you, I could not have gone faster on the last one. Next round, though, maybe.

Cycle 4/ Week 3/ Day 5
Steady State HM with 25 spm @ 2:06.

Felt pretty good. Legs are a bit bruised up from sprints this week, but overall happy with how today felt.
Not sure which piece to do on Sunday. Usually I do something long, but I think cutting it back is a good idea. Maybe 30 min ranked piece.

Have a nice day,

David

I meant your average! I'm sure you absolutely killed yourself on the last.

[RowerGal]

Long row for me today while watching a movie. Getting a good feel for pacing while not paying too much attention to the monitor, so will take that as progress. Thinking about upping the distance a bit for the longer rows in the next cycle. Longest row to date is 15K. Perhaps jump to 17K as a start.

TopLine.PNG

[RayOfSunshine]

Love the motivation from this thread!

Today was week 4/day 1 BegPP
1/6/18: 6500 @ 2:13.3 / 500, 22 SPM (no straps)

compare that to week 1/day 1
12/16/17: 5k @ 2:15.4 / 500, 22 SPM (strapped in)

Very excited. I thought it was going to be a tough day. I set 2 pace boats at 2:15.6 & 2:16.0. I did a lot of the row with my eyes closed focusing on form. Once I got halfway and noticed I was way better than the pace boats, it was hard not to keep looking. Not much left in the tank when I was done... but, it feels awesome to be back.

Event Best Pace Date
1,000m 3:22.1 1:41.0 07/30/04
2,000m 7:36.6 1:54.1 05/28/04
5,000m 19:25.3 1:56.5 07/27/04
6,000m 24:31.1 2:02.5 06/01/04
10,000m 40:35.7 2:01.7 08/20/04
30:00.0 7,536m 1:59.4 07/28/04

[cubaboymatt1316]

Hello all,

I'm only a week into rowing on my new erg and just started BPP. I thought I was in relatively good shape until I started reading these boards and looking at the numbers. Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

I'm hoping someone can take a quick glance at my latest 5k and see if something stands out, and perhaps give some advice for setting goals.

34 yrs old
178 lbs/80.7kg (16% BF)....very little cardio conditioning, mostly weightlifting experience
RHR 68

5000m
23:32.....19 SPM.....2:21:2 /avg500.....88% HRR/171 bpm

Obviously, it's slow. It seems I'm in terrible cardio shape. My heart felt like it was going to explode in the final 1000m where it hit 195 avg.

I'm really focusing on proper form/technique, which is why my SPM are a little low. I can get up to high 20s/low 30s SPM but my form starts to take a hit. Will that improve with time?

I shaved 2 minutes off of my first 5k (25:29:9), which was done at 22 SPM. That would indicate form improved quite a bit, correct?

On my 6x500 interval training this week, I was only able to hit 1:58 (25SPM) as my fastest split, which to me indicates form/technique issues instead of cardio strength. But again, it felt like my heart was going to explode (no HRM at that time).

Any advice for what my short term goals should look like? Wattage/Pace goals for intervals vs SS workouts? Is BPP a good starting workout if I'm this far behind the pack in terms of numbers?

Thanks for your time. You guys/gals are rocking it in here. I'm envious of many of you and hope to be as in shape soon.

[jbhop5857]

@cubaboy - Welcome to the fun. I love that you talk about your heart jumping out of your chest. The after burn of when that happens is awesome.
I'm not going to critique your times, we are in a different age group and I am significantly heavier than you. And honestly, at this point, times don't really matter. You will see a fast jump in some of those numbers over the next 3-6 weeks. Then the gains will get a bit harder, but your form will stay with you.
The long steady state rows are what will really help with your aerobic ability. Keep at it, post here often. There are a lot of people on this forum that really know their stuff and will give advise all the time.

Sorry I don't have anything concrete for you.

David

[cubaboymatt1316]

@cubaboy - Welcome to the fun. I love that you talk about your heart jumping out of your chest. The after burn of when that happens is awesome.
I'm not going to critique your times, we are in a different age group and I am significantly heavier than you. And honestly, at this point, times don't really matter. You will see a fast jump in some of those numbers over the next 3-6 weeks. Then the gains will get a bit harder, but your form will stay with you.
The long steady state rows are what will really help with your aerobic ability. Keep at it, post here often. There are a lot of people on this forum that really know their stuff and will give advise all the time.

Sorry I don't have anything concrete for you.

David

Thanks! You helped a lot just by engaging, and I appreciate it.

For the LSS work, I presume ignoring the pace would be a good idea? Just go by "feel"? I was going to try a piece today at 45 minutes and go for 60-70% HRR.

[OtwSL]

Hello all,

I'm only a week into rowing on my new erg and just started BPP. I thought I was in relatively good shape until I started reading these boards and looking at the numbers. Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

I'm hoping someone can take a quick glance at my latest 5k and see if something stands out, and perhaps give some advice for setting goals.

34 yrs old
178 lbs/80.7kg (16% BF)....very little cardio conditioning, mostly weightlifting experience
RHR 68

5000m
23:32.....19 SPM.....2:21:2 /avg500.....88% HRR/171 bpm

Obviously, it's slow. It seems I'm in terrible cardio shape. My heart felt like it was going to explode in the final 1000m where it hit 195 avg.

I'm really focusing on proper form/technique, which is why my SPM are a little low. I can get up to high 20s/low 30s SPM but my form starts to take a hit. Will that improve with time?

I shaved 2 minutes off of my first 5k (25:29:9), which was done at 22 SPM. That would indicate form improved quite a bit, correct?

On my 6x500 interval training this week, I was only able to hit 1:58 (25SPM) as my fastest split, which to me indicates form/technique issues instead of cardio strength. But again, it felt like my heart was going to explode (no HRM at that time).

Any advice for what my short term goals should look like? Wattage/Pace goals for intervals vs SS workouts? Is BPP a good starting workout if I'm this far behind the pack in terms of numbers?

Thanks for your time. You guys/gals are rocking it in here. I'm envious of many of you and hope to be as in shape soon.

If you up the stroke rate your times will improve, but I would suggest doing many long easy rows to work on form and developing your aerobic base beforehand. I'm sure with a lifting background your times should improve quite rapidly as your cardio improves, especially on the shorter stuff. Good luck!

[jbhop5857]

@cubaboy - Well, there are really two ways of doing SS stuff from what I gather. I use a combination of thesee two.

1. Keep stroke rate and /500 time the same
2. Keep stroke rate and HR the same.

To be honest, on days I am really tired and feel I need a bit more of a rest, I do it on HR and just keep it in the zone I want to be in. When I feel stronger, I do it on the /500 average.

I really like the HR way, I feel it keeps me in the zone I want but allows me to use max power (based on stroke rate) for that zone. So, if I want to stay under 140bpm, I use 21-23spm. That way I am working on muscle and aerobics. For HR to be higher on Steady State, I just rate up to 25. Obviously, this will always be different for different people, but it has worked for me on both /500 times and weight loss/strength building.

Hope that helps, keep asking questions.....

David

[jbhop5857]

Good Day,

Cycle 4/ Week 3/ Day 6
Ranking Piece with no restrictions on spm.

30min = 7937 or about 153.3

New PB for me on this, wasn't really aiming for one, just happened. I have more to give on this and apparently have to retest my 5k which was only .2 faster.

Not sure what to focus on after PP and Crash-B, but I think this record will continue to fall throughout the year.

Have a nice day,

David

[RWAGR]

David- with respect, enough of this nonsense! You are killing it! So go row a sub-7 already! Also get ergdata so you can show your (very very) impressive data to us!

[mitchel674]

Long row for me today while watching a movie. Getting a good feel for pacing while not paying too much attention to the monitor, so will take that as progress. Thinking about upping the distance a bit for the longer rows in the next cycle. Longest row to date is 15K. Perhaps jump to 17K as a start.

TopLine.PNG

Impressive! What movie were you watching? I can't seem to follow dialogue and plots real well when rowing. I've given up and just listen to music.

Today was the 10,500m SS row for week 17 BPP. I took it nice and easy at 22spm and 2:14. Felt pretty good even though I did the piece right after playing 2 hours of singles tennis.

David, you're really inspirational. Your hard work is paying off with PB times falling very frequently. Nicely done!

[mitchel674]

@Cubaboy, welcome to the fun! I'm only a few months ahead of you in the BPP starting week 17 today.

Do yourself a favor and focus on your technique at this point and ignore your rate and times. These will come as you build a foundation early in the BPP if your form is proper. Take some time and watch videos on proper technique. Try rowing strapless for your long rows and see how you do. Perhaps even post a video of you rowing for some of the more experienced folks here to critique.

Keep in mind that the BPP builds on itself. The SS rows get longer very quickly, and you use your previous times to gauge each piece. You are really working to better yourself at this point and should avoid comparing your times with most people here. The gains will come quickly if you use proper form and don't get discouraged.

Keep posting!

[mdpfirrman]

@ Cubaboy - Yes, all have said basically what I would say. Just let the stroke rate/times come to you. Even David, who's killing it, bases a lot of his rates/times off of feel. The PP is very, very specific (as is the BPP). I'm a strong believer in doing what you need to do to survive training too! Last year, for instance, I punished myself and was unrelenting, trying to do (like David) 5 or 6 rounds of PP before my race. At 52, I broke down. Got sick more than I had ever been sick in the Winter. Training suffered big time. Somehow, I managed last year to tie my PB (on sheer will power I think) at my race. This year, I'm only doing two full PP rounds and going by feel every time. The BPP (Beginner Pete Plan) is definitely the place to start. As far as Watts/Rate, that becomes clearer and clearer as you progress and define/redefine your goals. My first goals were just break 8 minute 2K. Then it was other things (20 minute 5K, 7:30 2K). I like rowing paying special attention to Watts. In general, most that can do a sub 7 (my ultimate goal) can keep around a 200 Watt average for 60 minutes. I've gone from 145 Watts on my longer rows to 160 Watts and now I'm pushing 170 on some longer rows (on SS work!). I haven't pushed a 10K in a while, but I'm pretty confident, I'm closing in on a sub 40:00 10K (or surpassed it, just don't want to go through the pain!). Your target should be moving but start slow. Rowing/Lifting are a lot a like. Slow progress over time and you only progress with consistency and avoiding injury. Follow the 10% rule too. Don't increase your distance ever by more than 10% a week (the BPP takes care of that for you!).

@ Ray - sometimes a few seconds improvement on a SS row means a lot. These SS rows are boring work, but when you see progress in how you're feeling and form, that's a great sign fitness is coming back. Lately, for me, it's been getting to feel OK and not dread SS work. I've gone through a few periodization phases of training this year. Every time I change phases, I feel it especially on my SS work. When I upped my meters, I felt it on my SS work. When I reintroduced the PP, I felt it bad on the SS work. The steady state days really give you a nice benchmark too of how you're progressing.

Today was the 8 X 500 for me. Last round was 1:49.1 or so, so I'm supposed to start it there and move down as I progress. I was "feeling" it though today and ended up crushing that goal. This is Week 1 / Day 1 of the full Pete Plan. Each rep has 3:30 rest after. This is Round 2 for me.

1:48.7 / 30
1:48.3 / 30
1:46.9 / 30
1:45.8 / 31
1:45.6 / 31
1:44.9 / 31
1:46.0 / 32
1:46.9 / 31

Avg 1:46.6 / 30 (2.5 second improvement over last round!).

Not my best ever on this set, but only 1 second off my PB. I somehow got a 1:45.6 average in Sept 2016. Right after that was when I got sick over and over again. That was my "peak" and I never reached that again. This is ahead of the times I was putting up right before last year's race, so I'm building (modestly) in confidence that I can PB in Indy in early Feb at my race. Was very pleased with this set today. This is my last full round of the PP before my race in February.

@ David - Congrats on the PB on the 30 minute row! Strong work!

[Pie Man]

Nice 8x500 with a strong stroke Mike. Looking good for your race next month.

[Erik A]

BPP week 4.1 6500m
26:33.7 2:02.5
Felt better this one but still a slog