Wolverine Plan Discussion

[old] arakawa · Post by **[old] arakawa** » November 18th, 2005, 12:25 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(seat5 @ Nov 18 2005, 08:34 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>PM2 only remembers 20 splits. So to get an accurate picture of what I'm doing, at the very least I have to do a 40' and a 20'. [...] I'm doing the same L4 tonight, but I won't have music on, which makes me want to go to that beat, and I'll try again without the metrenome. I think the best I can do is 40' + 20'; and if I dont take a few seconds to write down the results in between them I won't really know how I did. Or would 30' + 30' be better?[right] </td></tr></table> When I did my L4 / 60', I set the monitor for 5' splits. No, I don't get the really accurate stroke counts that I do with 2' splits. However, I get some accuracy without stopping my 60' workout. In his Wolverine Plan document, Mike Caviston had the following to say: <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Workouts are designed to be continuous, but 70’ can be a long time and sometimes a workout will be interrupted. [...] From a physiological standpoint, a brief interruption will not lessen the benefits of the workout. [...] On the ergometer, it is strongly urged you row each piece continuously unless absolutely unavoidable (nature does sometimes call at an inopportune moment). If your workout should need to be interrupted, simply record the meters for each of the sequences already completed, take care of business, and then reset your monitor for the time remaining. Again, this is for emergencies only. </td></tr></table> Mike also had <a href='http://concept2.ipbhost.com/index.php?s ... 692&st=203#' target='_blank'>some comments</a> about setting the monitor for subintervals.

[old] arakawa · Post by **[old] arakawa** » November 18th, 2005, 12:45 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(Mike Caviston @ Nov 11 2005, 11:38 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(arakawa @ Nov 11 2005, 11:27 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Day 4: Level 4 / 4x10' @ L4 -4 pace </td></tr></table> Am I understanding you correctly? Your workout was 4 x 10’, and each 10’ was the same flat rate for the entire duration, and the pace you chose was your 2K-based Ref Pace minus four?? What on earth does this have to do with Level 4 or the Wolverine Plan? I don’t see how I could have stated more clearly or directly that these modifications are exactly what NOT to do if you want to follow the Wolverine Plan. You can do whatever workouts you want; it’s none of my business. But PLEASE don’t refer to them as “Wolverine Plan” workouts![right] </td></tr></table> I've read about how people claim to be following the WP, but are not doing a workout that has anything to do with the WP, and thus diluting (or even polluting or perverting) its guidance. I understand your protectiveness about other people attaching WP to their workout descriptions. When someone says they're doing a WP workout, they're saying "Mike Caviston told me to do it this way". If they're not actually following the WP, then you need stand up and tell people that you never said that, which is exactly what you did here. Anyway, I did realize that what I claimed was a WP Level 4 workout was in fact not a WP workout at all. In the post you quoted above, I went on to say: <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(arakawa @ Nov 11 2005, 10:27 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I was trying to figure out my next 4x10' Level 4 workout, and came across <a href='http://concept2.ipbhost.com/index.php?s ... 2692&st=60#' target='_blank'>Mike Caviston's post on Creating Level 4 Workouts</a>. I seemed to have been confused from the start about how to set up 4x10' workouts in the first place. Mike says<ul> </li><li>when selecting the stroke rates for a 4x10', the rule of thumb is to add 2 SPM to my base continuous rate (e.g. from 18.6 SPM to 20.6 SPM), and select four 10' intervals that give me that higher stroke rate. </li><li>the recovery period is one-third (not one-fourth) the work period, so the recovery period for a 4x10' is 3:20 (not 2:30). </li></ul>I'll have to look through my notes to find out how I came to my erroneous conclusions about what a 4x10' and its corresponding recovery periods are supposed to be. In any case, my next 4x10' Level 4 workout will be a week from yesterday. I'll pick out four 10' pieces so that the average stroke rate is 19.8 (my 40' and 60' continuous are both 17.8 SPM this week).[right] </td></tr></table> So, I apologize if the beginning of my post suggested that what I was doing was endorsed by you and your plan, when it was not. However, I do believe I've cleared this misunderstanding by the end of the post and pointed to directly relevant posts from you about how you intended this workout to be. I mention all this not just to clarify between you and me what may or may not be stamped with the WP/Mike Caviston imprimatur but for the benefit of other WP newbies who may be looking at my first few workouts as an example of how people are starting out with the plan.

[old] Mike Caviston · Post by **[old] Mike Caviston** » November 20th, 2005, 8:02 pm

Warming Up As I have previously written, in my experience there are two things that come as close as anything to providing “free speed” when training or racing. These are proper pacing and warm-up . These have been confirmed for me by personal experience, by having worked with hundreds of athletes over the past 25 years, and having read an extensive amount of published scientific research on these topics. Yet amazingly many athletes are unwilling to consider alternate pacing or warm-up strategies as a means of enhancing performance. I have discussed pacing already on this thread. I have discussed warm-up many times in the past, but it is time to revisit the topic again. The purpose of warming up is to prepare the body for the physical (and mental) demands of the task at hand. Some of the physiological effects of properly warming up include dilating blood vessels supplying the active muscles; increasing sympathetic neural drive to the heart so HR will be able to reach max values; beginning the sweating response to keep the body cool; beginning the process of activating the appropriate energy pathways; mobilizing adequate fuel sources (i.e., breakdown and release of fatty acids for longer sessions); and allowing the muscles & joints to reach the full Range Of Motion required during the session. Many people behave as if all of this can be accomplished with a few minutes of low-moderate intensity preparation prior to their training session (or race!) In fact, a proper warm-up needs to be longer and more intense than many people apparently realize. Many people fear an intense/extended warm-up will leave them too exhausted to perform well during a workout or race. Ironically, failing to warm up long enough with sufficient intensity will limit performance! I find that during a Level 1 or Level 2 interval workout, the first interval is generally the hardest and slowest (even after what I consider a complete warm-up). The next interval feels significantly easier, and throughout the workout, even as fatigue progressively becomes more of a limiting factor, the later intervals are more relaxed. Clearly, the body requires time to become prepared and acclimated for hard work. I have heard or read many people recount experiences where they performed unexpectedly well after a tough initial work period (e.g., doing better on the second 2K at a venue race even though the first 2K was supposed to be “all-out”.) An anecdote I have related before illustrates the point. Several years ago while coaching at Michigan in the pre-erg era, a staple workout was to have the team run a dozen times up (and down) a dozen flights of stairs in the tallest building on campus. Cumulative time for all 12 trips up & down would typically be in the 30-35’ range. The standard warm-up I required was to jog to the top & back at least twice before beginning the actual workout on the clock. Some athletes, as a penalty for various infractions during the previous week (late to practice, etc.) would also have to do two fast “penalty flights” within a specific time limit (or do more penalties), and within a couple minutes start the actual workout. So that meant 2 jog + 2 penalty + 12 workout flights. It quickly became apparent that not only were the athletes given the penalty flights NOT too tired to perform well – they took huge chunks off their best overall times; they performed MUCH better relative to past performances than their non-penalized teammates. With that in mind, for the past several years I have repeated a little experiment with many different squads of rowers (similar to the “pacing” experiment I described in a previous post). Part of the season would go by and athletes would be given some general guidelines for warming up but would have quite a bit of flexibility in determining their own formats and intensities. Then at some point before a tough workout (e.g., 4 x 1K) I would require a more specific and demanding warm-up – something that when they saw it written on the white board would cause their jaws to drop a little and you could tell they were thinking something like, “I’m going to do THAT warm-up and THEN do 4 x 1K? I don’t THINK so!” [I think that’s the hallmark of a good warm-up: it should be intense enough that outsiders will mistake it for the actual workout.] So the athletes would be afraid they wouldn’t be able to complete the workout. But they always did, and in almost every case they did it significantly faster than previously and with less perceived effort. (Inexplicably, when the specifically intense guidelines for warm-up were removed, most athletes reverted back to an easier but less successful format. Someone could devote an entire thread to the topic of athletes’ psychology and why they tend to resist things that have proven to be effective.) So, warm-ups need to be longer & more intense than performed by many people. I don’t have a blanket formula (I doubt if there is one), but I can offer examples of warm-ups I use for my own training. Like all aspects of training, I prefer quite a bit of structure with my warm-ups. I follow specific formats for specific workouts. The formats aren’t quite as strict as for Levels 1-4, and a slight amount of variation may occur from one day to the next, but by-and-large I follow pretty scripted scenarios. I do so for a few reasons. In the first place, following a routine is a good way to encourage consistency. People who get inconsistent results for different types of workouts might benefit from re-examining their preparations before the workout. One of the guiding principles of the Wolverine Plan is to slowly, gradually, and systematically increase the overall training load week by week. What many fail to realize is that warm-up is part of the training load. I perform a set routine every week (i.e., 1 L1, 1 L2, 2 L3, and 6 L4 workouts every week). The intensity and duration of each workout is controlled to keep an overall balance and pace for the entire week’s training. The warm-ups are also part of the training load and I keep the duration and intensity of the warm-ups controlled as well. Essentially, warm-ups can be thought of as “Level 5” in the WP framework, and account for over 25K of my training meters every week. These are not “junk” meters, but quality meters with a specific training effect essential to the overall process. Here is a basic description of my warm-ups: I begin with about 15 firm strokes to check my drag factor; this is sort of a “pre-warm-up” warm-up. For the actual warm-up, I set the monitor for Just Row (for all workouts, I pre-set a time or distance and count down, so this is a chance for a little variety in how I look at the monitor). The warm-ups themselves have evolved after a period of trial-and-error and attempting many different things. The current formats have their logic but some aspects are there “just because” they have been working for me. So I’m not presenting these as fixed ideals , but as illustrations that demonstrate some of the key factors in warming up. My standard warm-up distance for Level 4 workouts is 2000m. 1st 200m (about 20 strokes) @ 26-27spm; pace 70% of 2K Watts (a solid Level 3 pace). From 200-850m, @14-16spm; minimal pace is the Recovery Pace defined for my 2K in the WP charts (37% of 2K Watts), but the actual Recovery Pace I use will often be faster by 2-4 sec/500m. At 850m, I firm up so that my rate is 28-30spm and pace is 90% of 2K Watts (a fast Level 2 pace) and hold this for 12-15 strokes until I reach 1000m. At 1000m, I drop back down to Recovery Pace and rate. At 1450m, I firm up to 26-27spm and a pace 80% of 2K Watts (a slow Level 2 pace) and hold it for 12-15 strokes. The final 400m or so is done at Recovery Pace and rate. From one warm-up to the next, the exact number of firm strokes or the exact pace for each one might vary slightly, but at the end the average pace for the 2000m ends up being remarkably consistent (within a couple tenths of a sec per 500m), at 45% of 2K Watts. When I finish the 2000m, I take a couple minutes to take care of such business as making sure my water bottle is full, my towel is handy, use the bathroom if necessary, maybe do a few brief stretches, etc. I partly do this to simulate the transition from the warm-up erg to race erg that occurs at venue races. To finish, I’ll take a few more strokes, some easy, some firm, for another 30-90 seconds (depending on how much I’ve cooled), then set the monitor and begin the actual workout. My standard warm-up for Level 3 workouts is 2500m. The first 2000m is identical to the Level 4 warm-up. The final 500m is done at Recovery Pace except for an additional 10 strokes at 80% of 2K Watts (slow Level 2). The average pace for the whole warm-up is 45% of 2K Watts. The standard warm-up for Level 2 is 4000m long. It begins with 100m (about 10 strokes) @ 26-27spm, 70% 2K Watts. From 100m-1000m, 14-16spm and Recovery Pace. From 1000m-2000m, 26-27spm and at least 80% of 2K Watts. NOTE: this is perceived as hard work, and takes a little mental toughness. For the desired physiological effect, it is important that the pace be maintained continuously (not in short bursts) for the entire distance. From 2000m-2500m, settle to 18spm @ L4 16 pace (i.e., the pace usually prescribed for rowing at 16spm according to the WP charts). At 2500m, shift down to 14-16spm @ Recovery Pace. At about 2800m, firm up to 28-30spm at 90% 2K Watts for 15-20 strokes, then drop back to Recovery Pace and rate at about 3000m. At about 3450m, firm up for 10-15 more strokes at 90% 2K Watts, then finish the remainder of the 4000m @ Recovery Pace. The warm-up for Level 1 workouts is identical to that for Level 2, except the 90% 2K Watts becomes 105% 2K Watts (@32-33spm). The average pace for the L1-2 warm-ups works out to 51-2% of 2K Watts. Warm-ups also serve a diagnostic purpose for me (i.e., Am I ready to perform?) Some days the first 20 strokes just seem a little harder than normal, and the desired pace doesn’t appear as quickly as it usually does. Or other portions might be more difficult than usual or it might take longer than usual to reach the half-way point. Things like this tell me that I’ll need to expend a little extra effort to get prepared, or take a little more time, or in a worst-case scenario, maybe adjust my goal for the workout a little. In my training journal I record the times and distances for all workouts, and the distances for each warm-up. (I don’t record the paces for the warm-ups but as I have said, they are very consistent and I know for all intents and purposes what they are.) The percent of total training volume distributed among warm-ups and the various training bands is pretty consistent. Warm-up is about 15-17% of total weekly volume; Level 1 is 2-3%; Level 2 is 4-6%; Level 3 is 20-25%; and level 4 is 50-55%. For warm-up, I only record the standard allotted distances, ignoring any additional or supplemental warm-up meters. I also neglect to record my active recovery meters for interval sessions and my cool-down meters after workouts are completed. This means several thousand meters per week go unrecorded, but I find I get a more accurate and meaningful portrait of my training that way. My standard race warm-up is 7500m. It begins with a 4000m block that is identical to the Level 1 warm-up. Then, after a 1-2 minute break, I set the monitor for 2000m. I break this 2K portion of the warm-up into 400m segments. The 1st 400m is 14-16spm/Recovery Pace; 2nd 400m is 18spm/L4 16 pace; middle 400m is 32-33spm/sub-2K pace; 4th 400m same as 2nd; 5th 400m same as 1st. Yes, the middle 400m is sub -2K pace, faster than I expect to go in the actual race. A mental component to this 2K portion is to review and visualize my race plan for the day (and to prove to myself that a monitor will indeed count down to zero from 2000m!) After another 1-2 minute break, I do a final 1500m at recovery Pace, with two 12-15 stroke bursts at near-2K pace. Ideally, I finish the warm-up 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start of the race, which leaves me enough time to leave the warm-up area, find a men’s room if necessary, report to the race area, and begin adjusting my race erg as soon as I’m allowed. Prior to the start of the race, I alternate light strokes with short bursts at firm pressure to maintain the proper muscle temperature. The analogy I use is to think of a kettle on the stove just getting ready to boil. I don’t want to start boiling before the race starts but I want the flame to be high enough so that when I see “ROW” on my monitor I begin boiling in the shortest time possible. Incidentally, it is important to know how long the entire warm-up routine will take. I go through the entire routine at least a couple times in the days leading up to the race, so I know exactly when to begin (relative to my race time) on race day. Once I begin the warm-up, I am also prepared to shorten or extend the process as necessary if I receive word the original schedule has changed. Often races fall behind schedule and you must handle a delay (e.g., Paris EIRC 2003), but I’ve also been at races where lost time is unexpectedly made up and a race begins sooner than originally anticipated (e.g., Amsterdam EIRC 2004). To sum up my major point, warm-up is a crucial aspect of the training/racing process and needs to be attended with as much planning and scientific validation as other aspects of training. Most people will benefit significantly from longer and more intense warm-ups. This will probably take some mental conditioning as well. That is, it may take you a while to get your head around the idea that working harder before a race will make you faster, not slower. I suggest gradually adjusting your warm-up procedures under controlled conditions during training to see what formats are most physically and mentally beneficial. One final matter related to warm-up for anyone who trains more than once per day. I have come across several published research articles describing the benefits of prior exercise on subsequent workouts. This refers to the lingering warm-up effects of a first session on a second session performed a few hours later. For example, vasodilators remain active, allowing a quicker more efficient distribution of blood flow to active muscles, and metabolic enzymes are in a more ready state. With proper nutrition between workouts, there is more efficient and effective glycogen synthesis and storage in the fibers utilized during the first session, leaving them favorably primed for the second session. I have long known from personal experience that when I add a second session to my daily routine I appear to become more rather than less energetic. It’s good to see my experiences validated under experimental circumstances. Speaking of second workouts, it is that time once again… Mike Caviston

[old] freestyle · Post by **[old] freestyle** » November 21st, 2005, 3:22 am

Mike I love your posts and have learned so much from you. I am glad you mentioned multiple workouts in your warm up post. Suppose that Crash B was set up as a tournament, with the top "sweet" 16 seeded rowers (same age and weight categories) set up in brackets. To make the final, you would race 3 times, 16-quaterfinal-semifinal-final. If the tournament was seeded properly, your races would become increasingly competitive. You might want to go "all out" on every race, indeed, you might have too if these were your fellow top 15 competitors. However, you might not have to get a pb to win your first 1 or 2 races. The races would be about 1 hour apart, sometimes longer, sometimes sooner. Your final race would be at night, a full 2 or 3 hours after your semifinal win. How would you warm up for these races? How involved would your warm up be if you had just raced a strenous 2k 1 hour before? I coach youth wrestling, and one of the reasons I love the erg for my boys and myself is a 2k race is around 7 minutes plus (for most of us!) and a wrestling match is 6 minutes in High School and 7 minutes in college. Both sports are grueling but rewarding! I started to give our kids a better warm up before tournaments last year---with some grumbling I might add---but in between matches they goof around, play video games etc. Before a match comes up, we have them do some pushups, situps, and stance, motion. But it is brief, and in no way do they get their heart rate up or begin sweating. What do you think? Can you conceive of the mental energy and toughness to do 4 competive 2k's in one day? How would you approach it? After 3 hard trials, could you get yourself up to do another lengthy warmup before your final race?

[old] tobybradshaw · Post by **[old] tobybradshaw** » November 21st, 2005, 12:46 pm

Background: Ergs were exotic equipment when I rowed as a high school lightweight in northern VA 1971-1975 -- the only one I ever saw was at a race we had at the Naval Academy. I missed out on the whole Concept 2 development and haven't done any serious aerobic exercise since some bike racing about 20 years ago. Luckily my daughter (age 14) started rowing for Lake Washington Rowing Club here in Seattle, so it didn't take me too long to buy a Model D for us to use at home. I am sorry that it took me so long! In looking around for a way to get started on the erg (without overdoing it -- I'm 48 and don't self-repair as fast as I used to!) I came across this WP discussion. I just want to thank Mike for providing such clear, detailed, and well-justified explanations of the principles and practice of the WP. Because of the WP's quantitative nature I have found it pretty easy to adapt the WP to my needs as a brand-new indoor rower. (Note: I'm a biologist by profession, so number crunching is something I enjoy.) I started erging two weeks ago, doing some short (1'-2') intervals to see what kind of pace/rate combination would feel like work but wouldn't kill or injure me as the volume went up. To estimate a reference pace (since I had never rowed a 2K on an erg), I looked at my pace for the very short interval work at 16-20spm and back-calculated from the L4 charts to get a 2:04r. Of course, I hated to start with a ref pace above 2:00, but prudence prevailed over pride (at least so far ...). Over the last two weeks I worked my way up to "half-WP" workouts -- e.g., 30' of L4, 6K L3. Looking forward to my first half-L1 (4x500) and half-L2 (2x2K) workouts this week. I another 3 weeks or so, when I expect to be able to do a "whole WP" series of workouts, I'll row a 2K test and perhaps re-adjust my ref pace. I must say that the ref pace is sort of "self-adjusting" anyhow, since the goal is to go a bit faster each time the same workout is repeated. I've been able to increase my volume while increasing my pace, too (luckily progress comes quickly and easily during the "addiction" phase). I can see where some college athletes might view the WP as inflexible because of the strict pacing guidelines, but to me it seems much more flexible, adaptable, and sensible than the many other training plans I've looked at. Mike has certainly made it as painless as possible to try the WP by providing all the pacing guidelines, tables, examples of workouts, and helpful tips. Thanks, Mike! Toby Bradshaw

[old] mpukita · Post by **[old] mpukita** » November 21st, 2005, 5:30 pm

Toby: You're about my age, and this sounds like a solid plan. I wish I had done this, your way, when I started in May. I "just rowed" from May until the beginning of November, when I started the WP. I very much like the structure ... although I would have been trying to not follow it as much as possible when I was in high school sports! Now, it makes life simple. Do what's in the plan and don't think about it too much. I spend my time structuring the workouts and the mini-sectors of the workout, to make them psychologically less demanding. I make enough decisions as it is to have to also make them in my training! As has been said before, "let the training dictate the training". Good luck! Regards -- Mark

[old] arakawa · Post by **[old] arakawa** » November 21st, 2005, 11:20 pm

Confessions of a Wolverine Plan Newbie First two weeks Week 1 Level 1 / 8x500<ul><li>target = 1:46.8</li><li>actual = 1:46.7, 1:46.8, 1:46.8, 1:46.8, 1:46.7, 1:46.7, 1:46.8; 1:45.5 --> ave = 1:46.6</li></ul>Level 4 / 40'<ul><li>target = 176/180/176/180 --> 9,186 m</li><li>actual = 174/180/180/182 (+4 strokes) --> 9,226 m (+40 m)</li></ul>Level 2 / 5x1500<ul><li>target = 1:56.8</li><li>actual = 1:56.7, 1:56.7, 1:56.7, 1:56.7, 1:53.4 --> ave = 1:56.0</li></ul>non-WP endurance<ul><li>actual = 9,401 m @ 17 SPM</li></ul>Level 3 / 12k<ul><li>target = 2:04.6</li><li>actual = 2:04.6</li></ul>Level 4 / 60'<ul><li>target = 176/180/176/180/176/180 --> 13,779 m</li><li>actual = 180/180/180/180/175/175 (+2 strokes) --> 13,869 m (+90 m)</li></ul> Week 2 Level 1 / 4x1k<ul><li>target = 1:50.8</li><li>actual = 1:50.8, 1:50.7, 1:50.6, 1:48.2 --> ave = 1:50.1</li></ul>Level 4 / 40'<ul><li>target = 176/180/184/176 --> 9,202 m</li><li>actual = 176/180/184/176 (+0 strokes) --> 9,290 m (+88 m)</li></ul>Level 2 / 4x2k<ul><li>target = 1:56.8</li><li>actual = 1:56.6, 1:56.4, 1:55.8, 1:53.8 --> ave = 1:55.7</li></ul>Level 4 / 4x10'<ul><li>target = 192/200/200^/204 --> 9,539 m</li><li>actual = 192/200/200/204 (+0 strokes) --> 9,632 m (+93 m)</li></ul>Level 3 / 15x3'<ul><li>target = 2:01.6</li><li>actual = 2:01.5, 2:01.5, 2:01.5, 2:01.3, 2:01.3, 2:01.1, 2:01.1, 2:01.0, 2:00.8, 2:00.6, 2:00.5, 2:00.3, 2:00.0, 1:58.7, 1:50.2 --> ave = 2:00.0</li></ul>Level 4 / 60'<ul><li>target = 176/180/184/188/176/172 --> 13,813 m</li><li>actual = 180/180/185/180/170/170 (-11 strokes) --> 13,963 m (+150 m)</li></ul>Observations:<ul><li>I'm still finding my pace for the level 1 through 3 stuff. I'm guessing it'll take a few more cycles through each workout, which will probably take me to the CRASH-B.</li><li>-11 strokes on my latest Level 4 / 60'! Although I could pat myself on the back for not overstroking, I understroked by nearly twice as much as I overstroked in the other 180' of Level 4 work combined over these last two weeks. I also went over by 150 m, so I'm in danger of getting ahead of myself on the Level 4 progression.</li></ul>

[old] dougsurf · Post by **[old] dougsurf** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:45 am

In Search of Wolverine I'm missing something pretty basic. I'm astonished at these seven long pages on this topic. A strong testamony in itself. Tons of advanced topics, in depth detail on specific topics, lots of examples by users, tons of praise. The only thing I can't find in all of this is ... the plan. I did a google search and found a 2001 paper that was a good introduction. But it's pretty general. Never gets to tying it all together and showing how the plan would/could run for say a month or so. It also stipulates 9 workouts per week, which doesn't sound consistent with some of what's here. Anyway, I've gone on longer than I need to. Is there a book to buy somewhere, or some other place that I could find a primer on "The Plan"? I'm actually a reasonably accomplished erger, but somewhat stalled and looking for something a bit different, which this sounds like. Thanks, Doug 49, 6:30

[old] holm188 · Post by **[old] holm188** » November 23rd, 2005, 3:08 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(dougsurf @ Nov 23 2005, 01:45 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>In Search of Wolverine Anyway, I've gone on longer than I need to. Is there a book to buy somewhere, or some other place that I could find a primer on "The Plan"? </td></tr></table> Try <a href='http://www.concept2.com/forums/wolverine_plan.htm' target='_blank'>Wolverine Plan</a> there has also been other discussions on the UK forum. I have also a collection of older (but still up to date) things written by Mike online. Hope that helps, Holm

[old] mpukita · Post by **[old] mpukita** » November 23rd, 2005, 11:04 am

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(kjgress @ Nov 14 2005, 05:10 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(mpukita @ Nov 14 2005, 04:07 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>CONFESSIONS continued ... the continuous pieces at constant pace are mental torture for me at this time. Suggestions? </td></tr></table> Look back through the literature (can't recall exactly where) Mike makes some comments and suggestions about breaking up long continuous sequences pace-wise to get some mental exercise in. </td></tr></table> Did an L3, 12K continuous today, doing just as Mike suggested (breaking it up), and nailed the distance and pace without a break. Concentrating on hitting the pace, even when doing a Level 3 where one gets some independence on rate, takes the psychological burden off of one's mind. Neat. Wish I could do the same with my running.

[old] tobybradshaw · Post by **[old] tobybradshaw** » November 23rd, 2005, 11:19 am

Doug wrote: "It also stipulates 9 workouts per week, which doesn't sound consistent with some of what's here." I should have noted in which post Mike gave schedules for various numbers of workouts per week, but instead I just saved the text for future reference (below). PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER By far the most common question I get regarding the WP is something like, "Okay, I think I understand all this Level 1-2-3-4 business. But how the heck do I put it together into a weekly program? The Plan says something about 9 workouts a week, and I ain't doing that! So what gives?" Hey, the 9 per week is an ideal we've never really achieved at Michigan. Our team generally does 8 per week in season (that means during the fall and spring outdoor seasons, and includes 2 erg sessions along with 6 H2O workouts) and 6 erg sessions per week in the winter. I myself usually do 11 workouts per week for about half the year, and 7-9 per week the other half. At the lower end of the spectrum, I could see people making gains on 4 workouts per week. The first thing you need to do is decide how many workouts a week you will realistically commit to. A general rule is to always include a Level 1 workout and usually a Level 2, and then to supplement them with as much Level 3 & 4 as is practical or you are willing to do. Do them in roughly a ratio of twice as much Level 4 as Level 3. This refers to total meters more so than number of workouts. Now, bearing in mind the format can be flexible and these aren't carved in stone, here are some examples of possible plans using 4-8 session per week: 4 Workouts/Week: Day 1: Level 1 OR Level 2 (alternate each week) Day 2: Level 4 (40') Day 3: Level 3 (12K) Day 4: Level 4 (60') • Alternate the Level 1 or 2 workouts until about 4 weeks before your big race. Then, while keeping Level 1, replace the Level 3 or one of the Level 4s with Level 2. • You might occasionally use an interval format rather than a continuous format for Level 3 or 4 (see the Wolverine Plan for details). 5 Workouts/Week: Day 1: Level 1 Day 2: Level 4 (40') Day 3: Level 2 Day 4: Level 4 (60') Day 5: Level 3 (12K) 6 Workouts/Week: Day 1: Level 1 Day 2: Level 4 (40') Day3: Level 2 Day 4: Level 4 (4 x 10') Day 5: Level 3 (15K) Day 6: Level 4 (60') 7 Workouts/Week: Day 1, AM: Level 4 (40') Day 1, PM: Level 3 (10 x 3') Day 2: Level 1 Day 3: Level 4 (2 x 40') Day 4: Level 2 Day 5: Level 4 (4 x 10') Day 6: Level 3 (12K) 8 Workouts/Week: Day 1, AM: Level 4 (40') Day 1, PM: Level 3 (12 x 3') Day 2: Level 1 Day 3, AM: Level 4 (40') Day 3, PM: Level 4 (60') Day 4: Level 2 Day 5: Level 4 (4 x 10') Day 6: Level 3 (15K) • If doing more than one Level 3 or more than 2 Level 4s per week, do one using the interval format on a regular basis. • The amounts listed for Level 3 & 4 may need to be built gradually over several weeks. So the general idea is to separate the high-intensity workouts with slower, more continuous workouts. It is possible to work hard on a daily basis within the framework of each type of workout by alternating workouts of different type. Level 1 doesn't have to be at the beginning of the week (I personally do mine in the middle of the week), but it's a good place if you need some extra recovery to be well rested and ready to perform at a high level. You may also periodically want to do time trials (such as a 95%-effort 2K or an all-out 6K) in place of the workout scheduled for the end of the week, and doing Level 1 early in the week allows you to recover without compromising your training. (Alternately, you may want to do a time trial at the beginning of the week, in place of the Level 1 workout, but I prefer not to go that route.) A REGULAR FORMAT OR SCHEDULE IS KEY It is very important to develop a schedule you are comfortable with and then stick to it as closely as possible over the duration of your training cycle. I don't think that the exact order of workouts is a crucial factor but keeping the workouts in the same order on a weekly basis is necessary to allow consistent and reproducible improvement. Occasionally something will come up and you will have to use your best judgement about what alterations to make, but do your best to keep your schedule as consistent as possible. I don't have a hard and fast rule about which workout(s) to toss if you know you can't complete an entire week, but a couple general rules would be: 1) drop Level 1 if you are far away from competition and drop Level 3 if you are close to competition; and 2) all other things being equal, the workout you struggle with most is the last one you should drop. One of our biggest challenges at Michigan (and I imagine for all college crews) is to maintain a consistent schedule despite multiple variables like competitions and the associated travel, seasonal changes, facility availability, exams, class schedules, holidays etc.

[old] dougsurf · Post by **[old] dougsurf** » November 23rd, 2005, 1:02 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(holm188 @ Nov 23 2005, 12:08 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(dougsurf @ Nov 23 2005, 01:45 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>In Search of Wolverine Is there a book to buy somewhere, or some other place that I could find a primer on "The Plan"? </td></tr></table> Try <a href='http://www.concept2.com/forums/wolverine_plan.htm' target='_blank'>Wolverine Plan</a> there has also been other discussions on the UK forum. I have also a collection of older (but still up to date) things written by Mike online. Hope that helps, Holm Thanks. That was the paper I referred to. If that and these threads are it, I guess I'll just have to study a bit longer. A couple quick questions: - Does everyone design their programs only using the 3 example pieces given for each level? Are you free to pick whichever of those three whenever? Or anything similar? - Mike specifies intensitiy level in percentage of current 2k. When he says "80-90%" for level 4, does he mean that percentage of Watts? If I were doing, or aiming for a 400W 2k, that would imply working at 360W, for up to 70 minutes straight, at a drastically reduced stroke rate, many times per week. I know it's supposed to be hard, but this sounds totally unreal. - Doug </td></tr></table>

[old] arakawa · Post by **[old] arakawa** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:13 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(dougsurf @ Nov 23 2005, 12:02 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>A couple quick questions: - Does everyone design their programs only using the 3 example pieces given for each level? Are you free to pick whichever of those three whenever? Or anything similar? - Mike specifies intensitiy level in percentage of current 2k. When he says "80-90%" for level 4, does he mean that percentage of Watts? If I were doing, or aiming for a 400W 2k, that would imply working at 360W, for up to 70 minutes straight, at a drastically reduced stroke rate, many times per week. I know it's supposed to be hard, but this sounds totally unreal.[right] </td></tr></table> Several of us (Bill Moore, Mark Pukita, and myself, among others) have started using the WP recently and have posted our training plans in this forum topic. I suggest you look at them, along with the comments about them, as examples of how to set yours up. There is a lot to read, but those of us really interested in executing the WP as Mike Caviston intended have read most, if not all, of it several times, along with all of the detailed comments he's made along the way. He likes the motto "If you don't have the discipline to READ it, you don't have the discipline to USE it."

[old] kjgress · Post by **[old] kjgress** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:34 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(dougsurf @ Nov 23 2005, 12:02 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Thanks. That was the paper I referred to. If that and these threads are it, I guess I'll just have to study a bit longer. - Doug </td></tr></table> Doug: If you go back to the beginning of this thread and cut and paste the posts that Mike has made into a continuous word document, omitting the comments and replies that others have made you will get a pretty comprehensive and in-order document. Read that and supplement with the original document. Then, as Mike posts new information (such as the recent post on warm-ups) add it to the back of your document and you will have the pamphlet you were looking for

[old] dougsurf · Post by **[old] dougsurf** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:41 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(kjgress @ Nov 23 2005, 11:34 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(dougsurf @ Nov 23 2005, 12:02 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Thanks. That was the paper I referred to. If that and these threads are it, I guess I'll just have to study a bit longer. - Doug </td></tr></table> Doug: If you go back to the beginning of this thread and cut and paste the posts that Mike has made into a continuous word document, omitting the comments and replies that others have made you will get a pretty comprehensive and in-order document. Read that and supplement with the original document. Then, as Mike posts new information (such as the recent post on warm-ups) add it to the back of your document and you will have the pamphlet you were looking for </td></tr></table> Thanks guys. Got it. Wish me a quick catch at the front end. - Doug

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