What Training Plan Do You Follow?

[old] Pete Marston · Post by **[old] Pete Marston** » October 19th, 2004, 11:29 am

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (GeorgeD @ Oct 18 2004, 11:59 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> I tend to be a mix of all ... so I guess I make my own. But like many of the plans above their sessions are not unique to themselves but a hybrid of knowledge gained from other plans. - George  </td></tr></table> George, You're completely right there. If people look into the details of the plans I mentioned, most are very similar just with slight variations one way or another, generally going towards the strengths (or possibly weaknesses) or the person who the plan was designed for. The big bird plan never started out as a plan for lots of people to follow. It just happened to be the training Nik Fleming did for the month before BIRC 2 or 3 years back. I think it was written by Jim Barry? People found out about the training Nik had been doing, and a number of people (including me) tried out the same plan. It worked great for me as the final month before a race, but it was oo intense to follow year round. The Pete Plan is similar, I just happened to post the training I had been doing on the UK forum, some people copied it and tried it for themselves, and referred to it as the Pete Plan so people would know what they were talking about. But then that is very similar to the Wolverine plan. A similar mixture of race paced (level 1), AT paced (level 2) and steady distance work (level 3) - just without the level 4 (low rate) rowing. Is there a website with a copy of this Aussie plan on it? I'd be interested to see it if there is. I've heard people talk about it lots before, but never been able to see what is involved. Cheers, Pete

[old] Jim Barry · Post by **[old] Jim Barry** » October 19th, 2004, 12:45 pm

Correction, I'm not behind the Big Bird Plan. That was basically Nik's advice to indoor rowers asking for a plan (after his silver at the 2000 BIRC). What Nik went though after he abandoned that madness was the opposite of the BB plan (which ground him to a halt in Feb 2001 and he has admitted to being "too hard"). When he tried to figure out what was going wrong, he asked for my advice and I thought we'd build in the concept of the "recovery row" which I felt from my experience to be a great way to cradle a lot of hard work. It was basically HARD 10k days alternating with easy (70% hrr) 45-60' rows. Near race season the hard 10k becomes a brutal 5x5min interval routine with very short rests. For Nik the payoff was just as we planned, he got his sub 6:00 (you saw it Pete at Newark), a paid trip to Boston for his BIRC result and then a Hammer in Boston where I got to stand behind him and shout my throat sore.

LindaM · Post by **LindaM** » October 19th, 2004, 12:52 pm

I do my own training plan. It's goal is fitness, not competition. And it is structured to keep me motivated and exercising above all. So it's quite varied and there are lots of longer pieces 60 - 90 minutes, made up of long intervals with paddling rest intervals between.

[old] Pete Marston · Post by **[old] Pete Marston** » October 19th, 2004, 1:53 pm

Thanks for the correction Jim, sorry I got it the wrong way around. Yes I still remember the day well that Nik first broke 6mins. I was in my first race ever, sat next to this guy that had already raced earlier in the day, thinking I'd beat him easily. I think he even did 6:03 in that second race!!!

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » October 19th, 2004, 4:13 pm

Gary Wise Australian Program <a href='http://www.concept2.com/forums/media/asrl.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.com/forums/media/asrl.htm</a> Pete Plan <a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5062' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... 062</a> Rod Freed <a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/news/newslett ... edition=20' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.co.uk/news/newslett ... tion=20</a>

[old] SteveV · Post by **[old] SteveV** » October 19th, 2004, 4:18 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (Pete Marston @ Oct 19 2004, 10:29 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> The big bird plan never started out as a plan for lots of people to follow. It just happened to be the training Nik Fleming did for the month before BIRC 2 or 3 years back.  </td></tr></table> I remember the pain of the BB plan, real pain, did it for a month a while ago, full details at www.onlinerowing.co.uk

[old] ranger · Post by **[old] ranger** » October 22nd, 2004, 5:36 pm

As far as I can tell, everyone prepares to race in about the same way (long intervals, short intervals, hard distance rows, etc.). Other than that, I think the best way to train is to work hard (and almost exclusively) on your weaknesses, whatever they may be. Lately (the last two years or so), I have been working on technique and stroking power. I also believe in long warm ups and extensive cross training. ranger