when to begin interval training

[Paul]

Hi All,

I am a 46 year old who has started a rowing progrm a month ago. I have been doing lots of long rows 8-10,000 meters four to five times a week. My questions is, how do I know if I am ready to try interval training?

Paul

[Cayenne]

Hi Paul,

Best wishes for great success with erging.

I am one year your senior.

JMHO, assuming you are "medically cleared", why not start at once ? I subscribe to the "experiment of one" view of physicality. While others may offer helpful general rules, ranges, averages, parameters, etc., only you can discover by uncovering the "True Paul". Jump in and see what happens, how you tolerate it, what kind of work/recovery scheme best works for you, etc.

[Ned Hanlan]

Hi All,

I am a 46 year old who has started a rowing progrm a month ago. I have been doing lots of long rows 8-10,000 meters four to five times a week. My questions is, how do I know if I am ready to try interval training?

Paul

First of all, kudos for being able to sustain those sorts of long workouts as frequently as you do right out of the gate like that. Seems you certianly don't have an issue with your aerobic base of fitness. Well done !

That said, I agree with cayenne - I see no reason why you shoudn'y introduce intervals into your workout regimen. I would simply add that you want to make sure you move into interval training to start and not " High Intensity " Interval Traing ( HIIT ) - at least for the time being. There is as difference.

Interval training inolves a work interval and a rest interval where the work-to-rest ratio can be 1:4 or ( 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 ) more. For example, row for 1 minute at a higher stroke rate than normal , row at your normal stroke rate per minute for 4 minutes. It can also be done based on distance - ie. row at a higher stroke rate for 500 metres as work, row at a normal rate for 1,000 or 1,500 more 2,000 etc. etc. as rest/recovery. Depending on how you feel, you could do a work interval set of 6 X 500m , with whatever rest intervals you feel most comfortable with -i.e anywhere from 2,000m - 500m.

Thing is, for those starting interval training, intervals just requires that you have to get out of breath when you row for that for 1 minute or 500 meters ...you don't have to go blazing fast or go flat out during the work interval. The rest interval is still rowing at your normal rate but you are recovering and catching your breath while you continue row ...this is what builds your fitness level....your heart having to recover from the work interval while you're still rowing for 4 minutes. The key interval to focus on if you want to quickly improve your fitness is the rest interval and NOT the work interval. The rest interval is the key to improved fitness, as it trains your heart to continue exercising at a steady pace while under duress ( recovery mode from the work interval ).

By contrast, HIIT, usually means that during your work interval you're pushing your heart close to it's training maximum - you're going flat out - or you're trying to get some lactic acid response by going hard etc. etc. . With HIIT You may also not allow your rest interval to drop your heart rate to where you catch your breath 100% - or at least as much as you might during normal interval training. I did a lot of HIIT on an erg while getting in shape for hockey..where I tried to get the intervals to mimic the work and rest experience of on-ice and between hockey shifts. In that case, my rest interval ended once I hit a specified heart rate ( i.e 80% recovery ) and not when I caught all my breath back ( usually at a much lower heart rate - 100% recovery )

[jamesg]

I'd say you're ready to do intervals when you can do the 8-10k at 2-2.5 W/kg, at ratings 18-22 according to your height, and with HR well under control. Intervals are done at higher ratings and HRs, as the Interactive and other schedules prescribe, so we need some leeway.

[Mike Caviston]

Interval training is used by elite athletes to prepare for peak performance, but it is also used by untrained people wanting to begin a fitness program, and is used in clinical/rehabilitation settings for cardiac & pulmonary patients, the elderly or frail, etc. To begin with the intensity only has to be a little harder than what you can achieve for continuous workouts. Work-to-recovery ratios of 1:2, 1:3 etc. expect greater intensity as length of recovery increases, but it’s also possible to do workouts with ratios of 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, etc. Essentially doing extended rows with brief recovery periods and intensity marginally above what could be performed continuously. As fitness improves, more aggressive interval formats can be used. Good luck.

Mike Caviston