Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[frenzen]

Week 4 Day 2


Week 4 Day 3



Day 3 was rough, my heart beat just went straight up after 4 minutes, I tried to stay clean and good form after 1st half but it just got sloppy and my s/m increased. I was in Zone 5 mostly, unlike Week 4 Day 1 where heart only went up after 1st half. I think I will have to slower my pace even more and no more trying to beat my previous records and aim truly for steady pace! Also the first 1-2k feel super easy and steady so I go a bit faster

[Rowan McSheen]

Week 8 was supposed to be completed today with 3 x 1000m. Instrux say to shoot for same pace as last week's 500m's. The session I dread the most and maybe it's psychological but this ended up as a d/h. I just managed it on the first rep and halfway through the second realised it wasn't going to happen. I shall have another go but I shall also step back and recalibrate the target pace, maybe at the mid point between what I'm currently doing at 500m (1:59) and 1500m (2:09), and from there work my way back up. I think it was Homer Simpson who said aim for the floor, that way you can't fail

[frenzen]

Week 5 Day 1



I need some advice about keeping my HR low. First 7 minutes, I kept it under 100 bpm, and it jumped to 160 and I took 30-50 seconds break to bring it down and but was ranging between 150-160 and when I went below 2:20 pace it kept going over 165. My goal is to stay in Zone 1 or 2 which means under 135 bpm. Does that mean my pace needs to even slower for steady pace? I have done a 6.5k last week where I was in Zone 1 for first 13 minutes but other half was in Zone 5.

[Tsnor]

Week 5 Day 1

I need some advice about keeping my HR low. ... I was in Zone 1 for first 13 minutes but other half was in Zone 5....

Does that mean my pace needs to even slower for steady pace?

Yes, much slower. So low that you could talk on a phone or sing while doing the workout.

Your max heart rate is at least 165. Have you seen higher? Use the highest number you have seen, then take 70% of it. That is your target for steady state.

If 165 were your maximum heart rate then your target heart rate for steady would be 115. Working at higher rates is not better for you (assuming what you need is a long/slow aerobic workout).

Suggest you do one workout where you start as normal, then each time you approach 115 heartbeats/min back off the pace so that you get back to 115. It will feel VERY SLOW. After a while you will be at a pace where your HR is not rising. Use that pace as your starting pace for your steady state. Cross check by seeing that you can recite a paragraph normally without puffing.

[Dangerscouse]

I need some advice about keeping my HR low. First 7 minutes, I kept it under 100 bpm, and it jumped to 160 and I took 30-50 seconds break to bring it down and but was ranging between 150-160 and when I went below 2:20 pace it kept going over 165. My goal is to stay in Zone 1 or 2 which means under 135 bpm. Does that mean my pace needs to even slower for steady pace? I have done a 6.5k last week where I was in Zone 1 for first 13 minutes but other half was in Zone 5.

Are you sure your HRM is working correctly? Jumping from 100 to 160 isn't normal unless you're really thrashing it, or I've misinterpreted your use of the word 'jumping': that implies, to me, it's taking less than circa 60 seconds to increase.

Did you notice your HR changing, and did it stay elevated after exercise? Was it steady for all of that first 1400m? My wife had supra ventricular tachycardia which had her HR jumping up significantly and very quickly, so it might be advisable for you to keep an eye on it and get medical advice.

Hopefully it will be something as simple as rowing slower.

[mitchel674]

Week 8 was supposed to be completed today with 3 x 1000m. Instrux say to shoot for same pace as last week's 500m's. The session I dread the most and maybe it's psychological but this ended up as a d/h. I just managed it on the first rep and halfway through the second realised it wasn't going to happen. I shall have another go but I shall also step back and recalibrate the target pace, maybe at the mid point between what I'm currently doing at 500m (1:59) and 1500m (2:09), and from there work my way back up. I think it was Homer Simpson who said aim for the floor, that way you can't fail

That's a pretty tall order to aim for you 500m pace on your 1000m interval. Shrug it off. This is why I encourage folks to not get overzealous early in the BPP. It can come back to bite you as you build on these early paces.

[mitchel674]

Week 5 Day 1



I need some advice about keeping my HR low. First 7 minutes, I kept it under 100 bpm, and it jumped to 160 and I took 30-50 seconds break to bring it down and but was ranging between 150-160 and when I went below 2:20 pace it kept going over 165. My goal is to stay in Zone 1 or 2 which means under 135 bpm. Does that mean my pace needs to even slower for steady pace? I have done a 6.5k last week where I was in Zone 1 for first 13 minutes but other half was in Zone 5.

Assuming you're a healthy 26 year old, I suspect your maximal heart rate is higher than you think it is. Perhaps you are setting your zones too low and imposing unrealistic targets. This is supposed to be exercise! Are you well hydrated? Is your heart rate monitor accurate? Those wide jumps may be some mistaken readings. Perhaps you should be using a combination of heart rate zones and RPE. If you're cruising along comfortably at 2:25 and your heart rate is 140-150, perhaps that may work fine for you in the end.

[frenzen]

My max heart rate is 194 and 60% or 70% of it should be between 116ish and 135ish.



I did keep the pace constant thought first 1400 and I was using my apple watch to measure my HR which did not budge but was stuck around 98 (assuming it was a glitching?) since it jumped very fast after my first 1400.



Here you can even see the jump. Either way even if there was a mistake/glitch, my overall HR is still very high for the steady pace. My heart rate went down after the exercise and usually has a resting rate between 49-60 bpm. My only problem is that at this rate I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy. If I have to row at that pace, I might have to restart from Week 1 to reach the low levels. What do you guys think?

[RayOfSunshine]

Week 3 complete. BPP 3.5 is a repeat of BPP 1.2 (6x500 2r). Loving the newbie gains.

Having a minor surgery tomorrow, so I'll pick back up in a couple weeks.

[Joebasscat]

My max heart rate is 194 and 60% or 70% of it should be between 116ish and 135ish.



I did keep the pace constant thought first 1400 and I was using my apple watch to measure my HR which did not budge but was stuck around 98 (assuming it was a glitching?) since it jumped very fast after my first 1400.



Here you can even see the jump. Either way even if there was a mistake/glitch, my overall HR is still very high for the steady pace. My heart rate went down after the exercise and usually has a resting rate between 49-60 bpm. My only problem is that at this rate I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy. If I have to row at that pace, I might have to restart from Week 1 to reach the low levels. What do you guys think?

If it’s a SS piece then let your HR guide you, not the pace. Not sure how that fits your plan, but there you go.

[Tsnor]

My max heart rate is 194 and 60% or 70% of it should be between 116ish and 135ish.

I did keep the pace constant thought first 1400 and I was using my apple watch to measure my HR which did not budge but was stuck around 98 (assuming it was a glitching?) since it jumped very fast after my first 1400.

Here you can even see the jump. Either way even if there was a mistake/glitch, my overall HR is still very high for the steady pace. My heart rate went down after the exercise and usually has a resting rate between 49-60 bpm. My only problem is that at this rate I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy. If I have to row at that pace, I might have to restart from Week 1 to reach the low levels. What do you guys think?

Looks like you are measuring correctly, doing the right analysis and coming to the right conclusion. With tons of supporting data.

Rowing at 80-90% max HR is really natural. It's where you'd end up if you couldn't see HR and someone aqsked you to row for 30 mins or an hour. Rowing at 70% is unnatural. It just happens to work better for most people who exercise 5 or more hours/week.

This is true --> I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy.

After a few weeks/months you'll see lower splits at same HR. Try to make your goal "increased time spent in this zone" rather than "faster split in this zone". The former goal helps you. The latter causes you to play tricks with pacing, breathing, etc., in an attempt to squeeze all the watts you can while you just edge under your max zone HR -- and that's not what you want. Distraction helps here.... music, video, podcast, audio books, etc. all work great.

(I would not restart, just change things going forward... both approaches would work.)

[Tsnor]

Aside: You can see your HR build over time (once you are past the glitch at say 10 mins). The RED line (HR) keeps going up while BLUE line (split time, output) stays flat. Needing a higher HR to sustain the same work is HR drift.

That HR drift is an indicator that your workout intensity is above zone 2. At or below zone 2 (of 5 zone model) you'll see a constant HR over time until you've been going long enough that your body reconfigures how it is doing the work. Looking at these graphs is a good cross check once you set your new zone 2 target. HR drift is a little easier to see if you download the per stroke data into a spreadsheet and then look at the ratio from watts to HR. Even without a spreadsheet, when you are holding a constant split, the C2 log HR graph works fine to see HR drift.

[nick rockliff]

Week 5 Day 1



I need some advice about keeping my HR low. First 7 minutes, I kept it under 100 bpm, and it jumped to 160 and I took 30-50 seconds break to bring it down and but was ranging between 150-160 and when I went below 2:20 pace it kept going over 165. My goal is to stay in Zone 1 or 2 which means under 135 bpm. Does that mean my pace needs to even slower for steady pace? I have done a 6.5k last week where I was in Zone 1 for first 13 minutes but other half was in Zone 5.

Assuming you're a healthy 26 year old, I suspect your maximal heart rate is higher than you think it is. Perhaps you are setting your zones too low and imposing unrealistic targets. This is supposed to be exercise! Are you well hydrated? Is your heart rate monitor accurate? Those wide jumps may be some mistaken readings. Perhaps you should be using a combination of heart rate zones and RPE. If you're cruising along comfortably at 2:25 and your heart rate is 140-150, perhaps that may work fine for you in the end.

Totally agree with this, try keeping your rate consistent too.

[Tony Cook]

My max heart rate is 194 and 60% or 70% of it should be between 116ish and 135ish.



I did keep the pace constant thought first 1400 and I was using my apple watch to measure my HR which did not budge but was stuck around 98 (assuming it was a glitching?) since it jumped very fast after my first 1400.



Here you can even see the jump. Either way even if there was a mistake/glitch, my overall HR is still very high for the steady pace. My heart rate went down after the exercise and usually has a resting rate between 49-60 bpm. My only problem is that at this rate I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy. If I have to row at that pace, I might have to restart from Week 1 to reach the low levels. What do you guys think?

You’re using too basic (and a discredited) method of working out your HR zone.
Is 194 your actual max (MHR) - have you seen that during intense exercise or have you used 220 minus your age?
Your resting rate (RHR) is what it is when you wake up, and usually fairly consistent. 49-60 is too big a range. Is that what it is when you’ve sat and rested during the day?
Your %ages should be worked out using the formula MHR minus RHR = heart rate reserve (HRR). Take the % of your HRR and add your RHR. So assuming 194 is your MHR and take 50 as your RHR your HRR is 144.
60% of 144 = 86.4 + 50 = 136.4
70% of 144 = 100.8 + 50 = 150.8.
So your steady state (UT2) training should be in the 136-150 range.
The ErgData data shows you pushed a bit too hard by going into zone 4 - don’t use those zones - they are set for average people and very few of us are average. Work out your personal zones.
Keep your SS workouts capped at 150 and you won’t go far wrong.
Listen to what Cameron has to say about it.
https://youtu.be/zokds0OUzzE
Good luck.

[nick rockliff]

My max heart rate is 194 and 60% or 70% of it should be between 116ish and 135ish.



I did keep the pace constant thought first 1400 and I was using my apple watch to measure my HR which did not budge but was stuck around 98 (assuming it was a glitching?) since it jumped very fast after my first 1400.



Here you can even see the jump. Either way even if there was a mistake/glitch, my overall HR is still very high for the steady pace. My heart rate went down after the exercise and usually has a resting rate between 49-60 bpm. My only problem is that at this rate I might have to row at 2:40 to reach my 60-70% of HR, and at 2:25 it was already easy. If I have to row at that pace, I might have to restart from Week 1 to reach the low levels. What do you guys think?

You’re using too basic (and a discredited) method of working out your HR zone.
Is 194 your actual max (MHR) - have you seen that during intense exercise or have you used 220 minus your age?
Your resting rate (RHR) is what it is when you wake up, and usually fairly consistent. 49-60 is too big a range. Is that what it is when you’ve sat and rested during the day?
Your %ages should be worked out using the formula MHR minus RHR = heart rate reserve (HRR). Take the % of your HRR and add your RHR. So assuming 194 is your MHR and take 50 as your RHR your HRR is 144.
60% of 144 = 86.4 + 50 = 136.4
70% of 144 = 100.8 + 50 = 150.8.
So your steady state (UT2) training should be in the 136-150 range.
The ErgData data shows you pushed a bit too hard by going into zone 4 - don’t use those zones - they are set for average people and very few of us are average. Work out your personal zones.
Keep your SS workouts capped at 150 and you won’t go far wrong.
Listen to what Cameron has to say about it.
https://youtu.be/zokds0OUzzE
Good luck.

I watched that video and whilst I agree with what he is saying, he did relate it to doing 100K per week UT2.