wolverine plan, anyone?

[kcavorsi]

L4

2500m warmup

60’ 1,146 strokes 19.1 spm Ref pace 1:42
188/190/192/194/192/190
Goal meters: 14,911
Meters rowed: 14,963

2500m cooldown

[jackarabit]

04/24/18

L3 10,500m
Target pace 2:25.5. Actual: 2:21.5

23 spm [1139/49.55 = 22.98]
5.3 W/s [123/23 = 5.3]
9.2mps [10,500/1139 = 9.21]

2k wu: 1500 cd



Splits cont.

[kcavorsi]

L1

4K warmup

4 x 1K Goal pace 1:44.3

1:44.5
1:44.2
1:44.2
1:44.0

4K cooldown

[kcavorsi]

L4

2500m warmup

60' 1,152 strokes 19.2 spm Ref pace 1:42
190/192/194/190/192/194
Goal meters: 14,938
Meters rowed: 15,000

2500m cooldown

[jackarabit]

04/26/18

L4 36’ [104-110-104-110-104-110]
Ref. pace 2:08
Target meters: 6969. Actual: 7009
Target strokes: 642. Actual: 643

17.9 spm [643/36 = 17.86]
5.4 W/s [96/17.9 = 5.36]
10.9 m/s [7009/643 = 10.90]

3k wu; 2.5k cd

[kcavorsi]

L2

4K warmup

3K/2.5K/2K Goal pace 1:48.9(1:49.3 for 3K, 1:48.9 for 2.5K, 1:48.3 for 2K)

3K: 1:49.2
2.5K: 1:48.8
2K: 1:48.2

4K cooldown

[jackarabit]

WP [week 3]
04/28/18

L1 4x1k/R5’
Ref. Pace 2:08
Pace target: 2:10 [2k+2”]
Average: 2:09

3k wu, 2k cd

[kcavorsi]

L4

2500m warmup

60' 1,152 strokes 19.2 spm Ref pace 1:42
190/192/194/190/192/194
Goal meters: 14,938
Meters rowed: 15,015

2500m cooldown

[kcavorsi]

L3

2500m warmup

Continuous 17.5k
Avg Pace 1:57.3
Time 1:08:28

2500m cooldown

[Brian Lancaster]

In my view, the Wolverine Plan is the best there is. I looked at the PP a year or so ago and in the introduction Pete said that he devised his plan because of an aversion to Level 4 routines. No disrespect to Pete but in that one statement he rejects the fundamental building block of the WP.

I tried whatever plan was around in 2002 when I first started erging and found that I tended to plateau out at a particular level with real gains being very hard to produce.

I retired at 53 (in 1990) with a 'heart condition'. In 2002 I found a book in the library, 'Reversing coronary heart disease' by Dean Ornish. The book is a pretty hefty volume but can be summed up in a very few words. It said (a) Lose weight because external fat is mirrored by internal arterial fat (cholesterol) and reducing the former will reduce the latter. (b) Exercise regularly and sufficiently to make your heart work beyond threshold levels for periods in excess of twenty minutes. (c) maintain a 'proper' diet. The book gave recipes considered suitable. (d) avoid alcohol altogether if possible. (e) Avoid stress. ( not that easy in modern life). There were other suggestions but those given here were the prime ones.

I joined a local gym and attended at least six days per week. I discovered the model B erg there and worked on it to my absolute limit. I was having to lie down after getting off the rower because I felt nauseous. This led to the gym owner telling me that he would take no responsibility if I came to harm. (I eventually found that dehydration was the cause of my symptoms and use of a water bottle stopped the nausea).

I made good progress on the rower but fairly slowly. I then discovered BIRC and entered at age 64 in the 60-64 age group. I finished outside the medals in about 7:20.

Somewhere shortly after this I discovered the WP and was spotted in the rankings by Chris Hetherington for my 500m time of 1:31-1:32. He said that I should be capable of breaking 7 minutes based on that and offered to coach me via the net. He, very generously, gave me his time and knowledge. (I am not sure whether he introduced me to the WP or whether I found it myselffrom using the forum but I was using it around this time).

I entered BIRC in the 65-69 category the next year. My birthday is on the 7th of November and BIRC took place a few days after that so I was the 'baby' of the category. I won in a time of 7:05.? which broke the then championship record. So Dean Ornish was vindicated 'In spades' I went back to the heart specialist and carried out treadmill tests and he pronounced me 'Free from heart disease'. I took the book and suggested that instead of prescribing beta blockers, (which he had done with me), he should advocate Dean's book. He was dismissive and said 'We all have to die of something'.

If you are still awake, I will return to the topic of the thread, the WP. I found that two sections of the plan were especially beneficial to me, the core Level 4 and the Level 1 8x500m intervals. I found these especially satisfying and did them to the limit of my ability as specified by the plan. These, I feel, more than any other aspect of my training, led to real progress in my 2k where other plans failed to deliver. Looking back, I feel that perhaps I should have followed the the rest of the plan with more rigour than I did but, I tended to cherry pick the parts that gave me the best return and the most satisfaction.

I realised that I was not doing even those parts as they were specified when I went to EIRC as a spectator when it was held in Paris. I happened upon Mike Caviston, the author of the WP, doing a Level 4 training session. He had been going for some time when I first saw him. On either side of his machine there were sweat puddles that had dripped off his elbows. These puddles were six inches wide and close to a yard long. That highlighted for me how the WP, used properly, could lead one to World Records. I knew then that a greater commitment was necessary if I were to say that I was 'using' the WP.

So, I move now to my current situation. I won BIRC gain the following year but only in 7:16 ish. I let my training become sporadic and although I have always had my own rowers B,C and currently D, I was not doing anything of significance on them. In 2013 my wife died. She had had a stroke earlier and lost the power of speech and lot of muscle control. She initially made good recovery progress but was never able to speak again although she could understand all that was said to her. She learned to walk again and the general prognosis was quite optimistic. Then there was a sudden relapse. I thought she had had another stroke but it turned out to be a chest infection. In any case, all her gains were lost and she suffered a steady deterioration until she became unable to swallow and her eventual death was a release from terrible suffering. I was left alone and in limbo to a large extent.

Eventually I decided that I needed to do something about my life since I had a daughter and grandson (born just months before my wife died). So, decided to surf the net in the hope of something better than my current existence. I lied about my age (knocking off ten years) because I was otherwise excluded by criteria set up by ladies whom I thought might be of interest. To cut an already 'way too long' story short, I found a very pleasant lady living quite close and we have become partners. She gave me the heave ho initially when I confessed my true age. I pointed out that, had I not lied, her profile age limits would have prevented us from ever meeting. We kept in touch by phone and eventually I managed to persuade her that I was worth reconsidering.

This started me thinking that I needed to live up to my boast of being ten years younger than my chronological age. So we both joined the gym on the first of August 2017 and I set about becoming properly fit once again. Back to serious training, weights and the WP. I became eighty last November and celebrated by breaking two World Records on the rower in the 80-89 category. These are for 100m and one minute. (I still have my sprinting capability but much diminished of course). Beyond a minute I was seriously lacking in aerobic ability. So, from the 12th of March, I started to address my excess weight and have since lost just over a stone. Once more Dean Ornish has proved the wisdom of his words and my arteries are starting to declog again. The aerobic gains are undeniable and with the aid of the WP , weights and a proper diet, I was able to break the British Record for 500m with a 1:41.2 on the 18th of this April. (Only 0.6s off the World Record). A new season starts tomorrow and I intend to go for the longer events to the best of my abilities during the 2018-19 season. Let's hope nothing falls off.

So, what price the Wolverines Program? I say ' go for it' . In my opinion there is nothing better out there. (With all due respect to Pete Marsden. You HAVE to consider Level 4).

[bob01]

What a lovely story mate.... I wish you well
May I ask ... with the 10years knocked off how old are you??.. lol

I have the same initials as you... tho 'Only' 66... real age.... I have returned to rowing again after about 15 years... altho I have always continued being active.

My only small issue with you... is.... there is more to life than wolverine.... but the m.o. of L4 is a great way of getting thro those longer rows.

I wish you well... ATB bob

[jackarabit]

What a lovely story mate.... I wish you well
May I ask ... with the 10years knocked off how old are you??.. lol

Says he was 80 in December last so I’d expect him to be about 80 and 5/12 now (80.4 - 10 = 70.4.)

[jackarabit]

04/30/18

L4 38’ strapless [104-176-106-180-110]
Ref. pace: 2:08
Target strokes: 676. Actual: 674
Target meters: 7351. Actual: 7688

17.6 spm [674/38.33=17.58]
6 W/s [105/17.6=5.96]
11.4 m/s [7688/674=11.40]

2k wu 2k cd

(Slip up entering 6’ time for the 106 sequence as well as understroked and, as usual, overpaced. Needs a do over next Friday.)

[kcavorsi]

L4

2500m warmup

60' 1,152 strokes 19.2 spm Ref pace 1:42
190/192/194/190/192/194
Goal meters: 14,938
Meters rowed: 15,022

2500m cooldown

This closes out week 15. Felt very good this week, especially L3 and L4

[kcavorsi]

L1

4K warmup

4K pyramid

250: 1:30.4
500: 1:41.4
750: 1:42.4
1000: 1:42.9
750: 1:42.2
500: 1:41.3
250: 1:30.6

4K cooldown