Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[iain]

I've gone ahead and recorded myself during a 5min warmup i did this morning before i tackled Day 2 on PBB.
https://youtu.be/S-1crbE9hU4 (note in the very end i show the results from the PM)

I already see a bunch of things i'm clearly doing wrong. I'm doing this weird hand thing on my recovery where i'm moving them down then back up? (i didn't even know i was doing that! why am i doing it??).
Also it seems like my shins aren't 90 deg at the catch, they at times seem to be moving too far towards my toes if that makes sense. How do i fix that? Are my feet to high or low?
Now about my lean in the back and catch, how are those?

Well done for posting the video. If you don't get more than a couple of responses I would set it up as a new thread as manny people might not read this, assuming it is just a record of BPP results. I am far fropm an expert. you are correct that your arms would be more efficient staying straight. It is quite common for them to drop down rather thatn hold them out all the time. This is only a big issue if they are not back up before the drive starts (which can happen as you tire or when upping the rating).

The biggest point I would note is that you are never pivoting forwardto the 1 O'Clock position, this should be as soon as your arms are back out and from the hips. You then compound this by using your back a bit much at the catch. This should largely be a tightening and not mean you go significantly back. This means that you do go further than recommended at the finish as you are already at the 11 O'Clock position during the leg drive. The extra length decreases efficiency as you need to do a bit of a sit up every stroke, but this should only be addressed once you have managed t hold a more forward body position through the majority of the drive. Personally I would lower your feet a bit as this will make coming forward a bit easier, but I leave that to people who know much more than me.

That said, that is a significant increase in pace, well done. I would say that for a relaxed row you are rushing the slide. You go up and come back at similar speeds. You should aim to drive harder with your legs in the stroke then really crawl up the slide on the recovery. That way you should be able to maintain a similar pace at a lower rating. Building that strong stroke will then allow you to deploy it at faster ratings to hit faster paces when increasing intensity.

Great start with the whole BPP to practice it!

- IAin

[Elizabeth]

I've gone ahead and recorded myself during a 5min warmup i did this morning before i tackled Day 2 on PBB.
https://youtu.be/S-1crbE9hU4 (note in the very end i show the results from the PM)

I already see a bunch of things i'm clearly doing wrong. I'm doing this weird hand thing on my recovery where i'm moving them down then back up? (i didn't even know i was doing that! why am i doing it??).
Also it seems like my shins aren't 90 deg at the catch, they at times seem to be moving too far towards my toes if that makes sense. How do i fix that? Are my feet to high or low?
Now about my lean in the back and catch, how are those?

Also here are my results from day 2 of PBB:
https://imgur.com/a/dwCeXPY

I agree on posting in a separate thread; you likely won't get the visibility here. I assumed that it was people doing the BPP together, and just clicked over to see what the recent activity was.

You may benefit from looking up pick drills and reverse pick drills, and working on sequencing. You seem to largely be leaving the "back" part out of the stroke.

The weird hand thing is actually pretty normal for beginners. You're raising the handle so that you don't whack your knees and then lowering it, which is very common, and ties into sequencing. First step is on the recovery, don't bend your legs until the handle has already cleared them. I've had a coach tell me to imagine that I'm running the handle across a table, keeping it level the whole time. I also see ergs in boathouses with painters tape on the chain guide (the thing that the PM5 attaches to, and that the chain feeds through), I think in order to help provide a visual of where the chain should stay if you're keeping it level.

Speaking of painters tape, I had someone recommend that I put electric tape over the slide, positioned so that I would hit it if my shins went beyond vertical. I could feel it when I ran into the tape, and it was a really good way to feel what was too far and learn not to get to that point.

Your feet are probably fine. The usual recommendation is "widest part of the foot" for the strap. It's hard to see from the angle but it looks about right.

As you work on all of this, it will likely feel like a step back, but it will really help as you go forward.

[imaginarySoul]

I've gone ahead and recorded myself during a 5min warmup i did this morning before i tackled Day 2 on PBB.
https://youtu.be/S-1crbE9hU4 (note in the very end i show the results from the PM)

I already see a bunch of things i'm clearly doing wrong. I'm doing this weird hand thing on my recovery where i'm moving them down then back up? (i didn't even know i was doing that! why am i doing it??).
Also it seems like my shins aren't 90 deg at the catch, they at times seem to be moving too far towards my toes if that makes sense. How do i fix that? Are my feet to high or low?
Now about my lean in the back and catch, how are those?

Well done for posting the video. If you don't get more than a couple of responses I would set it up as a new thread as manny people might not read this, assuming it is just a record of BPP results. I am far fropm an expert. you are correct that your arms would be more efficient staying straight. It is quite common for them to drop down rather thatn hold them out all the time. This is only a big issue if they are not back up before the drive starts (which can happen as you tire or when upping the rating).

The biggest point I would note is that you are never pivoting forwardto the 1 O'Clock position, this should be as soon as your arms are back out and from the hips. You then compound this by using your back a bit much at the catch. This should largely be a tightening and not mean you go significantly back. This means that you do go further than recommended at the finish as you are already at the 11 O'Clock position during the leg drive. The extra length decreases efficiency as you need to do a bit of a sit up every stroke, but this should only be addressed once you have managed t hold a more forward body position through the majority of the drive. Personally I would lower your feet a bit as this will make coming forward a bit easier, but I leave that to people who know much more than me.

That said, that is a significant increase in pace, well done. I would say that for a relaxed row you are rushing the slide. You go up and come back at similar speeds. You should aim to drive harder with your legs in the stroke then really crawl up the slide on the recovery. That way you should be able to maintain a similar pace at a lower rating. Building that strong stroke will then allow you to deploy it at faster ratings to hit faster paces when increasing intensity.

Great start with the whole BPP to practice it!

- IAin

Thank you both for the feedback! I will absolutely do some slow pick drills today sometime to see if i can shore up the form. Once i get a little bit further i'll post another form video on its on thread to hope to keep honing it all in!

Honestly i'm really loving the whole community aspect of Erging so far (i joined a discord with some people also starting Pete's) and its keeping me super engaged. Hoping to continue to get feedback and consume content from everyone on here.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 23.2
8 x 500m / 2min rest – Look back in your training diary for your last completed go at this session, and find the target pace as you have before.

"Target" pace for 1st 7 was 1:58.9 and the average spm = 48 [ranging from 46-55].

Much more controlled with more power on the crunch (what I'm calling the drive on the skierg). I only glanced at the monitor a couple times during the last interval. Very pleased as my 500m PB is 1:51.4 @ 59spm from 2/14/23 (part of the Tour De Ski)

[Dangerscouse]

Thank you all for the guidance so far!
I've gone ahead and recorded myself during a 5min warmup i did this morning before i tackled Day 2 on PBB.
https://youtu.be/S-1crbE9hU4 (note in the very end i show the results from the PM)

I already see a bunch of things i'm clearly doing wrong. I'm doing this weird hand thing on my recovery where i'm moving them down then back up? (i didn't even know i was doing that! why am i doing it??).
Also it seems like my shins aren't 90 deg at the catch, they at times seem to be moving too far towards my toes if that makes sense. How do i fix that? Are my feet to high or low?
Now about my lean in the back and catch, how are those?

Also here are my results from day 2 of PBB:
https://imgur.com/a/dwCeXPY

It's great that you have videoed yourself. There's a good basis of technique, and I agree with Iain and Elizabeth's comments. What I always found useful to remember is imagine your jumping horizontally and use the leg drive accordingly. That way you start to transfer power from the legs through the body rather utilising the upper body too early.

The up and down movement is very common, and tbh I have seen some very fast rowers with far worse habits than yours. It's not something I'd advocate, but I do like to use the stroke as a very fluid motion so I'm not unnecessarily leaking power. It will improve with practice and some concentration.

[Tony Cook]

Thank you all for the guidance so far!
I've gone ahead and recorded myself during a 5min warmup i did this morning before i tackled Day 2 on PBB.
https://youtu.be/S-1crbE9hU4 (note in the very end i show the results from the PM)

I already see a bunch of things i'm clearly doing wrong. I'm doing this weird hand thing on my recovery where i'm moving them down then back up? (i didn't even know i was doing that! why am i doing it??).
Also it seems like my shins aren't 90 deg at the catch, they at times seem to be moving too far towards my toes if that makes sense. How do i fix that? Are my feet to high or low?
Now about my lean in the back and catch, how are those?

Also here are my results from day 2 of PBB:
https://imgur.com/a/dwCeXPY

You will get lots of feedback but you need to work on one thing at a time. Your recovery needs sorting. Have a look at pick drill and reverse pick drill and incorporate them into your warmup every time. The sequence is: legs - back - arms —- arms away - back - legs. You are pulling back with your legs before you’ve finished your stroke. Your knees are bent before your hands are passing them.
Take your feet out of the straps for your warmup at least, so you can’t pull back too quickly.
And slow your rate down, looks like you’re at about 24 spm, warmup at 18-20 so you’re not rushing back up the slide.
Don’t worry about the hand drop thing, you’d have to do that OTW.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 23.3 on Skierg
2 x 15min / 2min rest – Do you feel good? If so, row the first 15min slightly slower than your best ever 30min row, then try to beat yourself on the second 15min!

Wasn't sure how I'd do as I did a 10k row this morning (hitting 93% of mhr), but I also know I didn't go all out on prior 30' intervals. The fastest one was 7 days ago [BPP 22.4] with a rate restriction. I adjusted the DF between intervals and definitely want it above 80 for SPM > 40.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 23.4*
[10000m] – Take it easy, especially if you plan on doing the 5th session this week. Restrict the rate to 22 or less, with a corresponding pace target.

*I modified the workout to try the pre-set "ergathon" workout https://www.concept2.com/news/introducing-ergathlon keeping the SPMs restricted to 35 & 22.

This was a lot more enjoyable than a straight 10k r22.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 23.5 on the ski
[4 x 2000m / 4min rest] – You only did this session last week, can you match it, or better still, beat it by doing the final rep faster?

Absolutely was dreading this one. 1500m intervals are the worst, but 2000m aren't far behind. Physically, I wasn't feeling great either. Happy it's over. On to the final week!



Tomorrow, my BikeErg arrives. Pretty stoked.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 24.1
12000m – Keeping the rate at 24 or less, always work on technique during these longer pieces. Don’t work too hard to make sure you recover well for the interval sessions.

Pretty uneventful, so I tried to go OCD and hit 56:00.0.

[mitchel674]

BPP 24.1
12000m – Keeping the rate at 24 or less, always work on technique during these longer pieces. Don’t work too hard to make sure you recover well for the interval sessions.

Pretty uneventful, so I tried to go OCD and hit 56:00.0.

Great work with your OCD firing on all cylinders!

[RayOfSunshine]

Great work with your OCD firing on all cylinders!

I was trying! I tried again as prescribed on this one

BPP 24.2
5 x 1500m / 3min rest – Look back to week 20. You’re into the final week of the training plan now, so you want to finish on a high with a pb on one of the key sessions in your training plan. Finish the first 4 reps with the minimum effort possible to hit your target, and then prove how tough you are by beating the target on the final rep.



I was never in doubt whether I'd beat week 20 since it was a month ago. However, I wanted sub 2' pace on the final rep. Instead of looking away, I focused on the monitor this time to make sure I didn't go out too fast. Around 1k to go, I moved my target to sub 1:58. I was right on it with 500m to go and tried to hang on. Overall, I'm totally stoked about this one.

[Dom82]

Hi everybody.
A quick presentation: I'm 41, 194cm (6' 4") tall for 91kgs (200lbs). After being sedentary for most (all? ) of my life, last January I bought a Concept2 rowerg.
Given that, as you can imagine, I'm completely unfit, I had a couple of lower back pain issues in the first few weeks. Now things seem to get better, maybe because of better technique or because of the stretching focused on lower back I do before and after workouts. I also avoind going faster than 20 SPM because, being quite tall and unfit, higher rates mean worse technique for me.

In the last couple of weeks I trained 3-4 times a week, following beginner workouts on youtube. In particular, in the last few days I'm following a 10minutes workout by trainingtall (mostly focused on drills and technique) and a 10 minutes one by DarkHorse (10 minutes at 20 SPM, intervaling 10 strokes at max power and 10 normal ones). So, excluding pauses, that's roughly 18 mins per day.
To give you an idea of how unfit I currently am, this is the chart of the 2nd workout (the one with 10 hard strokes and 10 normal), after which I am completely exausted:


I would like to get a more structured workout plan and I'm tempted to try the Beginner Pete Plan. Do you think it's too early to try that? If not, how should I approach the first 5k session? Should I target a constant pace time (for 5k, anything faster than 2:30 / 2:40 would be impossible for me at the moment) or a specific heart rate band (70% of MHR)?
Thanks

[mitchel674]

Great work with your OCD firing on all cylinders!

I was trying! I tried again as prescribed on this one

BPP 24.2
5 x 1500m / 3min rest – Look back to week 20. You’re into the final week of the training plan now, so you want to finish on a high with a pb on one of the key sessions in your training plan. Finish the first 4 reps with the minimum effort possible to hit your target, and then prove how tough you are by beating the target on the final rep.



I was never in doubt whether I'd beat week 20 since it was a month ago. However, I wanted sub 2' pace on the final rep. Instead of looking away, I focused on the monitor this time to make sure I didn't go out too fast. Around 1k to go, I moved my target to sub 1:58. I was right on it with 500m to go and tried to hang on. Overall, I'm totally stoked about this one.

Impressive rating and pace on that last interval, Ray!! Nicely done.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 24.2



I was never in doubt whether I'd beat week 20 since it was a month ago. However, I wanted sub 2' pace on the final rep. Instead of looking away, I focused on the monitor this time to make sure I didn't go out too fast. Around 1k to go, I moved my target to sub 1:58. I was right on it with 500m to go and tried to hang on. Overall, I'm totally stoked about this one.

Impressive rating and pace on that last interval, Ray!! Nicely done.

Thanks, Mitchel... fit was painful, but I kept thinking about a sub8 2k on the SkiErg.

Hi everybody.


I would like to get a more structured workout plan and I'm tempted to try the Beginner Pete Plan. Do you think it's too early to try that? If not, how should I approach the first 5k session? Should I target a constant pace time (for 5k, anything faster than 2:30 / 2:40 would be impossible for me at the moment) or a specific heart rate band (70% of MHR)?
Thanks

It does sound a little early, but if you look right after week 1, they have the following note:

Note: If even this volume of sessions looks too much, simply halve each session for your first time through the plan and begin with a 2500m row on Day 1, 3 x 500m on Day 2 and so on.

Do you know what your true MHR is? If not, I think I'd go by feel rather than some percentage of a formula MHR.