Your Mix of Sports?

[OregonERG]

I used to run every day. Sometimes I would go a whole year without doing a single other type of workout. That was good for marathoning (which I love) but not sustainable in the long run (no pun intended). Nowadays I mix it up, since I love my Concept2 and my body wouldn't hold up too well if all I did was run.

So here's my question --- in an average week, how do you divide up your training (by sport) and rest days? I know rest days are important, so I am curious about those as well.

For me, I run (6-16km) 4-5 times a week, and I row 2-3 times a week (3-15km); so I guess that is still more running, but it is a big jump in rowing for me. In the past, when I only rowed at the gym, it was more like 6-7 runs a week with only one row.

[winniewinser]

Only rowing, 3 days on 1 day off in general.

I have introduced a Skierg but that is supplementary and not detracting from the row coaching.

[Dutch]

I row every other day and the day in between is an abbreviated weights work out 3x6 all body parts with trap dead lift getting an extra 1x3 set after the 3x6. I may have 1 day off complete every 7 days or so.
Whole body is trained over an 8 day period, 2 body parts a session. The workout gains strength but keeps size growth to a min, just enough to put some minor size on but no slabs of muscle that I have to drag up and down the erg!

I have tried 2 days on for rowing 1 day off but it was too much combined with the weights. Plus I have not got the fitness yet to sustain more than 4 days a week rowing. I have tried the weights same day as rowing but its too much. I also cut down from high rep works outs to low reps and sets purely to be able to fit it all in at a rate where progression is still being made on rowing and I do not feel tired before I start.

Have ordered a concept 2 bike and that will be twice a week for 5 to 10 mile rides at a very steady rate, nothing more for 6 months or so.

Am doing a run once every 10 days as well. I will bring that in to once a week as well only 1.4 miles to begin and see where it goes. SS running at 10 minutes a mile which makes my calfs as stiff as anything at the moment as I have trained myself to run on my toes. This is purely for something different and body conditioning of the up and down movement that running gives. This is on a non rowing day.

[Gammmmo]

I go thru phases with sport...years ago it was all mountain biking (cross country and downhill), then it was bike time trialling with a smattering of running and swimming culminating in a half Iron, then life happened, then I found the erg (I don't post much now but I was posting alot 2016-2018 ish) and got near my potential at that but then I found weights as a natural progression from the supplemental bodyweight exericses I was doing.

I was erging maybe 5-6 times a week and doing about 50-65K/week. In the summer maybe rode a bike for 1-2hrs once a fortnight to supplement aerobically.

Now, I just erg maybe 3-4 times a week but do less than 20K/week and at a slow pace (nearly all >2:00/500m pace) just to keep some semblance of cardio. I do weights 5 times a week (splitting days into push, pull, squats/deads). Generally have 1 complete rest day a week. The powerlifting numbers are what interest me now just as the erg did with setting marks at 5K, 10K etc, even though my natural aptitude is for endurance not strength sports.

[Dangerscouse]

I currently row six days a week, albeit it's sometimes five, or even four, if I'm just too tired. I also do one Pilates class at the moment, which will be two in a few weeks time.

[mitchel674]

I row at least 5 days/week. Typically four of these are steady 30-60 minute rows. One session is usually some higher rating intervals.

I play tennis at least twice a week. Take a lesson one afternoon/week which is a grueling hour of drills with a pro. Once a week I play singles for about 2 hours.

I slalom waterski twice a month. Hopefully this will increase as the weather warms. I've been learning to ski the slalom course which has been quite fun and challenging.

[pagomichaelh]

Weekly (on average, of course)

5 days, 50 pushups before brekkie
4 days on the erg, currently ~50k on the Eddie Fletcher marathon plan
1 day OTW, about 2 hours total
1 day brisk walk, ~3.5 miles (I can't run anymore, hips are shot)
1 'rest' day (I'll work instead of working out).
5 days, in addition to my day job, teach high school robotics for 2.5 hours/day. This is the most exhausting!

[Franklin]

Before the pandemic, rowed 4 times a week, 4 times running, 3 times swimming and 3 times cycling.
In November 2019 I started a plan to row a marathon for the beginning of May 2020, then the pandemic startedand and I left the marathon plan, and since February 2020, I started to row every day, run and cycle 4 days a week and 3 times strength.
Recently I am waiting for my new skierg, to start a new routine.

[OregonERG]

Before the pandemic, rowed 4 times a week, 4 times running, 3 times swimming and 3 times cycling.

I love your old routine! I like the idea of doing a morning and an afternoon workout. My schedule right now would allow that, but I think I would just be too darn tired.

When people don't have the time to do 14 sessions a week, they grouse about the "time" but as someone who does have the time, I know that I just can't recover from one workout to the next if I do "daily doubles" (as we called them in high school).

Good luck with the Ski-Erg!

[ampire]

I used to do powerlifting, calisthenics, and some running, but now I just do rowing machine 4x week and dumbbells/kettlebells 3x a week and I walk about 2-3 miles at a brisk pace daily. My schedule is Monday weights, Tuesday row, Wednesday weights, Thursday row, Friday weights, Saturday row, Sunday row. I went as high as 100 KM/week a year ago but now I just do around 50 KM/week

[Franklin]

Hi OregonErg! The old training routine is actually quite simple, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, running in the morning, and before dinner, a rowing session, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, swimming in the morning and at the end of the day a cycling session on Zwift.
Of course, the intensity changes, basically 80% is low intensity and 20% HIT., Alternating weeks with short volume with long volume, varying between activities.
In 2019, after participating in a marathon (by the way, the last one) I read two interesting books about training every day, both by D.P. Ordway: a) Row daily, Breath deeper and Live better; b) A row a day for a year. (you find in the Google bookstore)
It was a confirmation that the routine I did in an empirical way had a reason and that there were other people with the same idea.

[KeithT]

I currently row 4 days a week and do weights/CrossFit 2 days a week, one rest day. Now I may tweak this to row more if getting ready for a comp or TT. Also, my CF workouts often have a little rowing too. I used to row 3 days a week and did more weights/CF and it worked well too but with my focus more on rowing in the last couple years the new plan works better. I also might fish (walking the rivers), golf or do other activities on the off day but nothing too strenuous.

[T_M]

In terms of focused training time, I'm about 50:50 with rowing and lifting. I do the power lifts and the power versions of Olympic lifts. I also make sure I get in at least 10,000 steps everyday.

[CeeGee]

I’m a kettlebell sport lover; I actually bought my C2 as a supplement to that on the advice of my instructor when I said I couldn’t run (have tried and tried again but really find it uncomfortable) but wanted to improve my cardio.

I used to lift kettlebells ‘hard style’ for reps but always wanted to try some kettlebell sport. Had been doing sport sessions for a few months and had my first competition lined up (Grassroots - for beginners!), but then covid happened and it got cancelled.

Now the English Kettlebell Association Pentathlon is coming up in October (and it’s being organised largely by my own club so is only a few miles away!) and I’m aiming for a go at that, covid restrictions permitting, of course. Not expecting to win, or place, will be surprised if I’m not at the bottom to be honest, but as the saying goes:

“Dead last is better than did not finish. Did not finish is better than did not start”.

Currently training six times a week, three pentathlon sessions, three rows, one of which can be dropped/eased up on if necessary.

My cardio really does need bringing up to speed; doing 5k twice a week, and the other day usually some sort of intervals. I prefer a slower stroke rate, hoping my 500m pace will improve over time. Would do more but time limited when I workout so I get done what I get done!

FYI, for anyone interested - the Kettlebell pentathlon involves five, six minute lifts with five minutes rest between each. There are repetition limits in each lift, anything over doesn’t add to your score, so weight for each lift must be chosen carefully to try to max out in each lift. It’s all quite brutal, but unlike traditional sport events, you can swap hands at will (though of course this eats into your time and you need to factor it into your counts!)

Am lucky to have a very good coach with a vast amount of experience. He does kb marathons which to me is insane - an hour with a kettlebell, and no setting it down! Reps go into four figures!

[Dutch]

I have just watched a video of a lady training showing the lifts, you would know it about it if you lift it wrong and one of them hits you on the head lol