What Training Have You Done Today?

[Dangerscouse]

I don't know that developing an all out 100m, 1:00, or even 500m sprint is going to be the best transference to a 2k as the stroke rate and mechanics become a bit different, but I do need to do those hard intervals and even an all out 1k at the very least.

Don't think of it quite so literally. The shorter sharper sessions, especially when they're the ones that you instinctively avoid, will all be good for you generally and specifically a 2k or under, but you're probably going to tell yourself that they're not.

Part of the problem could well be that you're going from a strong position of mastery, to a position more akin to a beginner and not reflective of what your ego will want to accept. I definitely suffer from that, but doing the Pete Plan, for instance, is really helpful as you see progress week on week, so you just need to address the initial inertia of getting started.

[Sakly]

60min steady meters on a bit "relaxing" pace. Last days were a bit taxing for my body, I wasn't sure if I would row at all. But I felt good after work for a try and settled in for what felt easy. To my surprise it wasn't so much slower than usual. I could resist to go faster for the complete piece, but for that last split I thought it was ok to build a little more speed.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	❤️
1:00:00	14,788m	2:01.7	194	967	20	134
7:30.0	1,840m	2:02.2	191	958	20	132
15:00.0	1,843m	2:02.0	192	961	20	133
22:30.0	1,844m	2:02.0	193	963	20	132
30:00.0	1,845m	2:01.9	193	964	20	134
37:30.0	1,845m	2:01.9	193	964	20	135
45:00.0	1,846m	2:01.8	193	965	20	135
52:30.0	1,850m	2:01.6	195	969	20	136
1:00:00	1,875m	2:00.0	203	997	20	142

Dragon boat yesterday was really a nice comp. Weather was absolutely perfect and we could perform well from the start. There were 27 teams and 4 races of 250m (it's a fun class, so short in distance). Qualification based on time, 2 races in 3 different groups based on qualifications and the final races based on summed times from 2nd and 3rd race.
First race we could place 3rd, so got into the 1st group with the 9 fastest boats. 2nd and 3rd run we placed 1st, so we got into the A-Final race with the 2 other fastest boats of the day. It was so close at the finish line! I put a picture in my insta, I would say ca. 30-40cm at max
Unfortunately we were in the boat that was missing the 40cm
Anyway, placed 2nd of 27 is really good. The two other boats are known as sport teams, so they train throughout the year, the winner team several times a week. I talked to one of them after the race and he asked how often we train, as it was so close. When I told him "four times" he asked "per week?" and I said "no, 4 times this year in 3 weeks before this cup" - he started laughing

[Dutch]

Currently sitting right at 79kg (174 - 175lbs) and pretty lean. I've intentionally tried to hold here for a little to set it as a new baseline before seeing if I can get any lower without compromising strength, power, recovery ability, etc.

Like you i have dropped weight down to about 79/80kg and not lost strength, I think 78 would be the lowest i could get with a strict diet but I do feel recovery suffer.
There is no way my current build would let me go lower. I would have to drop heavy workouts.
I think the 500m is good to spring board to 1000 and then the mile but for me i have to do a long slow twice a week on rower or bike to keep fitness up. If I try to just hold pace going up distances I hit a wall about 1300m and time drops off as the aerobic is just not there.

[deadlifting265]

26/8/24(Mon)

3km(5)/2km(4)/1.5km(3)/1km

7500m-26.19.5-1.45.8-R23-300w

3km-10.35-1.45.8-R23-295w

2km-7.02.5-1.45.6-R23-297w

1.5km-5.14.2-1.44.7-R23-305w

1km-3.27.8-1.43.9-R24-312w

Into the garage on my own for a 5km specific session.

Always lacklustre on a day I don't go to work, legs were heavy and felt weak in the arms.

A touch down on what I was aiming for, but still the min of sub 1.46 overall.

[jcross485]

Like you i have dropped weight down to about 79/80kg and not lost strength, I think 78 would be the lowest i could get with a strict diet but I do feel recovery suffer.
There is no way my current build would let me go lower. I would have to drop heavy workouts.
I think the 500m is good to spring board to 1000 and then the mile but for me i have to do a long slow twice a week on rower or bike to keep fitness up. If I try to just hold pace going up distances I hit a wall about 1300m and time drops off as the aerobic is just not there.

You're just a tad bit taller than me so that certainly adds to the "minimum effective weight" you can maintain without sacrificing performance. I think I can get a little lower than I am now but I also don't want to rush it; want to get very comfortable here before making another little push. I think about 77kg is that tipping point for me which would put be about 2.25kg or 5lbs away from the lightweight cut off. I think that is something that can be quickly dropped off through a bit of carb, water, sodium manipulation and a hot bath / sauna if needed, if there is some kind of contest with a weigh in requirement.

500m seems like a point where technique / form or stroke length starts to change a bit compared to the 1k and 2k but, like Dangerscouse notes, developing that speed might not be a bad thing either. I'll be incorporating some sharper stuff more consistently (1x a week or so) along with one of my favorite types of session, 1k intervals at ~60:00 max effort type pace on short rest, with the remainder being steady state.

[jcross485]

8/26 - Strength work.

Felt pretty good this morning; stayed true to the plan with deadlifts but pushed the accessory work volume to a full 20 rounds. Deadlifts felt relatively light and easy which is a good sign; this is the "light" week of a three week "light, medium, heavy" wave and the "medium" day within a "medium, light, heavy" three day wave within the week, if that makes sense. Towards the end of the accessory work, I could feel the fatigue setting in as the reps were not quite as crisp, especially with push-ups, but was pleased to get all of this work done in the time I did.

Empty Barbell Warmup: 3 rounds, 10 reps each - Standing Press, Barbell Row, SLDL/RDL

Deadlift: 135 x 5 x 3 sets, 205 x 5, 255 x 5, 305 x 5 x 3 sets

Pull-Ups (5 reps), Feet-Elevated Push-Ups (10 reps), Walking Lunges (10 reps): 20 rounds, 10kg weight vest

[Sakly]

Like you i have dropped weight down to about 79/80kg and not lost strength, I think 78 would be the lowest i could get with a strict diet but I do feel recovery suffer.

You're just a tad bit taller than me so that certainly adds to the "minimum effective weight" you can maintain without sacrificing performance.

We are all in the same ballpark. I recently added some weight, currently sitting around 82-83kg with 177cm height. It seems I'm the shortest, but heaviest at the moment
Don't know how fast you are on the short stuff right now, Jonathan, as I think you haven't attacked short stuff yet.
I can say I felt getting a huge boost from strength training (as I focused a bit more on the strength part, than conditioning), as well as a bit more focus on the shorter stuff on the rower, aka intervals at our below 500. I could get down my 500 to 1:26.4 (unofficially, based on stroke data from the 624m CTC) coming from 1:29.3 at the end of 2022, not even training for it specifically.

[dabatey]

Wolverine Plan Week 2
L4- 40min- 728 strokes
Strokes taken 738

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
40:06.6 8,492m 2:21.6 123 723 17 126

Today was meant to be a cycling day, but that didn't happen so threw in a 40 minute L4. I experimented with a slightly higher drag factor today (125 instead of 110). The slight over-stroking of 10 plus a feeling that things were ever so slightly more difficult (not just the heavier pull) means that I am going to go back to the lower drag.

[Big J]

Picked up my erg with PM4 yesterday and my 10-year-old wanted to demonstration. Very fatigued from a fast 155km on the bike yesterday as well as some more cycling today with a tourist group, but did a reasonably steady 3:13 1000m to keep my daughter happy.

[jcross485]

We are all in the same ballpark. I recently added some weight, currently sitting around 82-83kg with 177cm height. It seems I'm the shortest, but heaviest at the moment
Don't know how fast you are on the short stuff right now, Jonathan, as I think you haven't attacked short stuff yet.
I can say I felt getting a huge boost from strength training (as I focused a bit more on the strength part, than conditioning), as well as a bit more focus on the shorter stuff on the rower, aka intervals at our below 500. I could get down my 500 to 1:26.4 (unofficially, based on stroke data from the 624m CTC) coming from 1:29.3 at the end of 2022, not even training for it specifically.

And that's the conundrum!

Deep down, I know that getting bigger would absolutely add strength and muscle to my frame, but I've pushed that envelope before when heavily pursuing strength training and after going over a certain amount, it didn't seem to add anything, if anything it detracted a bit. It certainly impacted the day to day life as well. And I wasn't event that heavy.

I'm pushing the deadlift training consistently now but also am taking a bit of a longer term approach so that the progress is slow, steady, and hopefully continues for a while. Hopefully that keeps paying off over time.

I've definitely neglected the shorter and sharper stuff on the erg. That is something I just need to do. This week started a new three week mini-block of strength work so the short, sharp stuff (or sharper than I have been doing) is coming back in.

[contdrift86]

Just getting back into the swing of things, 45 minutes at 155-160ish depending where I fall. Rowing fitness is lacking at the moment, plus a change in some medication means an elevated HR.

26/08 - HR high, RPE a bit more than I wanted it to be for the session I had planned. Did it at about 2pm and I hadn't eaten for the day yet, plus had my full dosage of pills which meant massive HR.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
45:00.0	10,299m	2:11.0	155	834	18	169
9:00.0	2,059m	2:11.1	155	834	18	162
18:00.0	2,060m	2:11.0	155	834	18	167
27:00.0	2,060m	2:11.0	155	834	19	169
36:00.0	2,061m	2:11.0	156	835	19	172
45:00.0	2,059m	2:11.1	155	834	19	175

27/08 - today's session, did it earlier in the day (10am) so wasn't too bad in terms of being fasted for too long. HR was slightly lower, whether this was because it was cooler or because I didn't have a shirt on today vs yesterday who knows. RPE was a lot better today as well and I actually had to hold back a bit from going too fast.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
45:00.0	10,318m	2:10.8	156	837	18	161
9:00.0	2,059m	2:11.1	155	834	18	154
18:00.0	2,063m	2:10.8	156	837	18	160
27:00.0	2,068m	2:10.5	157	841	18	162
36:00.0	2,063m	2:10.8	156	837	18	165
45:00.0	2,066m	2:10.6	157	839	18	166

Also been trying to learn a new skill for something to do easily when I travel, and been doing 10 minutes of skipping a day so this week. It's frustrating as I seemingly can't string together rounds of 100 but that's to be expected.
Day 1 - 509 reps - max streak 60 - "sets" 30
Day 2 - 490 reps - max streak 93 - "sets" 25

Less reps today but also less breaks as my watch works out when I stop and calls that a set.

[Sakly]

We are all in the same ballpark. I recently added some weight, currently sitting around 82-83kg with 177cm height. It seems I'm the shortest, but heaviest at the moment
Don't know how fast you are on the short stuff right now, Jonathan, as I think you haven't attacked short stuff yet.
I can say I felt getting a huge boost from strength training (as I focused a bit more on the strength part, than conditioning), as well as a bit more focus on the shorter stuff on the rower, aka intervals at our below 500. I could get down my 500 to 1:26.4 (unofficially, based on stroke data from the 624m CTC) coming from 1:29.3 at the end of 2022, not even training for it specifically.

And that's the conundrum!

Deep down, I know that getting bigger would absolutely add strength and muscle to my frame, but I've pushed that envelope before when heavily pursuing strength training and after going over a certain amount, it didn't seem to add anything, if anything it detracted a bit. It certainly impacted the day to day life as well. And I wasn't event that heavy.

I'm pushing the deadlift training consistently now but also am taking a bit of a longer term approach so that the progress is slow, steady, and hopefully continues for a while. Hopefully that keeps paying off over time.

I've definitely neglected the shorter and sharper stuff on the erg. That is something I just need to do. This week started a new three week mini-block of strength work so the short, sharp stuff (or sharper than I have been doing) is coming back in.

The funny thing here is, you are both way stronger than me in the lifts, but that doesn't seem to translate to the erg so much. Probably the intervals gave more benefit than the strength part, I don't know.

In what way did your weight impact your daily life? Would be interesting to know.
I'm far away from a state, that would impact anything in my life, 82-83kg at 177cm isn't big/huge/much weight at all. But I feel the difference to 78kg I had November last year, when I started to shift the focus a bit.

[Sakly]

Also been trying to learn a new skill for something to do easily when I travel, and been doing 10 minutes of skipping a day so this week. It's frustrating as I seemingly can't string together rounds of 100 but that's to be expected.
Day 1 - 509 reps - max streak 60 - "sets" 30
Day 2 - 490 reps - max streak 93 - "sets" 25

Less reps today but also less breaks as my watch works out when I stop and calls that a set.

I used a (speed) rope frequently for a long time, now only rarely since I changed to warmup on the skierg
It's a nice tool and trains coordination and general fitness very well.
When I started, I used different jumping styles and did intervals with changing style, e. g. 5x 30s starting with both legs single unders, then boxer skipping, single leg, etc. In the beginning with some rest between intervals, later stringed together with no rest and several rounds.
It gives a good warmup

[iain]

Interested to know how faster rowers find adding in the short stuff helps. Anecdotally threshold improvements and generally thought to be improved better by going well beyond threshold. Personally I find that the biggest impact is on perception as on longer intervals / mid-distances it gets hard steadily and the endorphins build at the same time so no need to push through early barriers. Also need to artificially transit to 2 breaths per stroke for anything over a minute as the "natural" transition happens too late. But I would expect the latter is automatic to most on these boards and the former would be dealt with through weights sessions. The other benefit is getting comfortable to full strokes at higher ratings that are required for 1k or 2k.

[Dangerscouse]

Interested to know how faster rowers find adding in the short stuff helps. Anecdotally threshold improvements and generally thought to be improved better by going well beyond threshold. Personally I find that the biggest impact is on perception as on longer intervals / mid-distances it gets hard steadily and the endorphins build at the same time so no need to push through early barriers. Also need to artificially transit to 2 breaths per stroke for anything over a minute as the "natural" transition happens too late. But I would expect the latter is automatic to most on these boards and the former would be dealt with through weights sessions. The other benefit is getting comfortable to full strokes at higher ratings that are required for 1k or 2k.

I'm not sure that I follow your comment, Iain. Are you saying that as the shorter stuff smacks you in the face, you don't get the same endorphin comfort, so getting used to this is the biggest benefit?

If you are, I'd agree with that as it's clearly a totally different feeling to cope with and longer / mid distances are more akin to the boiling a frog analogy.