Coming back to rowing after a hiatus, but with much better fitness

[Tobias Stoehr]

Yes you are right. Need to sit on your seatbones, not the back of the glutes.

[Big J]

Update:

I'm easing my way back into it with 30r20s, but only one every 3 days at the moment as the weather is still really good for cycling, so I'm out on the bike.

I started at 2:00/500m pace, and I'm currently on 1:52 pace. It is still very easy, and my HR average for that is 135bpm, which is still 10bpm off getting into zone 3.

For reference, I was out on the gravel bike today, and pushed really hard for 65km on technical, punchy gravel roads. My HR average was 150bpm for 2hrs 15m with an average power of 342w.

I expect things will start to get more interesting once I get below about 1:46 pace. I think I'll keep going with the 30r20 up until that point, and then change it up.

Keeping in mind that it's still my build-up phase, I really enjoy negative splitting and often ride my bike like that (finish strong). Keeping with the 30 minute format for now, I'll progress the speed through the splits, increasing 2 seconds at a time. No rate restriction.

So the first would be 1:55, 1:53, 1:51, 1:49 and 1:47. Increase pace 1 second each session, to finish on 1:38-1:40. Then I'll look to work towards a 9000m 30 minute, but I'm not sure exactly how. I'm pretty sure I can do it but it'll be brutal.

[Dangerscouse]

I'm pretty sure I can do it but it'll be brutal.

It certainly will be and equally as impressive

[Big J]

Update: still struggling to find the time for rowing. The weather is still autumnal, rather than wintery, so I've been cycling mostly rather than rowing.

I've been getting on the machine 1-2 week, always for a 30 minute session. I did a 8568m 30m the other day without any plan and quite easily (it started off slow and carried on as such and I got up to that distance mostly in the final 6 minutes, averaging 1:41 pace for that interval).

Snow is on the 2 week forecast, so my cycling will reduce a little and the rowing will increase. The thing is that my cycling is stronger than ever, and it's hard (mentally) to deprioritise that.

For reference, I cycled 161.4km on gravel with 2339m elevation gain yesterday with 324w NP. 6800kcal in one ride

[tony28]

Congratulations on the 5k and best of luck with the record preparation. To your list of improvements I would add a mental element and plan as you will have a better idea of what to expect, confidence that you can deliver and a plan that works optimally for you. Most people find that no fueling or water is required for an HM, although hydrating and being adequately nourished before are of course important. Also, generating those powers I would recommend a serious fan!

I am sure that doing regular training will help, but am interested in whether you can continue the improvement on limited and deprioritised training as I would say that hard rowing training would have a significant impact. I remember comments from serious cyclists saying that the benefits of cycle training for erging are much less than erg training for cycling.

Great insights! Performance requires a mental plan, and confidence is undoubtedly important. You make an excellent point about fueling: it's important to eat healthily beforehand. In terms of training, it's interesting that even with less sessions, progress may be made; however, balancing rowing training could result in faster growth overall.

[Big J]

Update:

It's not gone well really. I signed up and then withdrew from the World Championships next month. I could have qualified quite easily, and my coach said I probably would have medalled in my age group, but it felt pretty fraululent to me with my lack of work.

We've had a mild and largely snow free winter until a week or so ago, so I've just been out on the bike. I love to cycle and I don't love rowing. Ultimately, I have to do what makes me happy, even if I'm physiologically better suited to something else.

I think this would be easier if I lived in a more conventional setting (ie, a city, or sprawling suburbia) rather than where I do. The reality is that I have outstanding gravel roads that start almost from my doorstep, and I'm into the forest, barely a car in sight, lakes, quaint little red-painted farms and all manner of wildlife.

Going backwards and forwards on a rowerg in my garage is a hard sell with that sort of cycling in my backyard.

I will continue to use the rower as a tool to help support my cycling, but it won't be a focus sadly.

[Dangerscouse]

Going backwards and forwards on a rowerg in my garage is a hard sell with that sort of cycling in my backyard.

I will continue to use the rower as a tool to help support my cycling, but it won't be a focus sadly.

Totally understandable and happiness has always got to be the main focus

[Big J]

Going backwards and forwards on a rowerg in my garage is a hard sell with that sort of cycling in my backyard.

I will continue to use the rower as a tool to help support my cycling, but it won't be a focus sadly.

Totally understandable and happiness has always got to be the main focus

Thanks mate.

It's really disappointing for me, but I've almost developed a loathing for the machine. I know it's beneficial training but I reckon I'd underestimated just how important it is for me to be outside when cardio training. I don't do any indoor cycling at all, and would rather tog-up and go out in minus 10c and the snow than go on the rower.

In some ways, I wish I wasn't so strong on the machine, because I put a lot of pressure on myself to get back into it. Natural ability and fitness is only half the battle though. You've got to want to do it.

Back to the bike

[Dangerscouse]

In some ways, I wish I wasn't so strong on the machine, because I put a lot of pressure on myself to get back into it. Natural ability and fitness is only half the battle though. You've got to want to do it.

Back to the bike

It doesn't surprise me as there's many professional athletes who could have been pro at another sport. Michael Jordan & baseball and IIRC Gareth Bale could have been a pro golfer, to name only two.

All I ask is that you be the best you can be on the bike, because we all know you could have been very good on the rower.

[Cyclingman1]

I'm a little late to this topic, but I have somewhat similar experiences.

I was a long time cyclist - 30 yrs, 35-65, before I tried the C2. Some told me that no way does cycling translate to rowing. How wrong they are. Obviously cycling requires tremendous legs and the upper body is used extensively in intense cycling. I did duathlon racing [run,bike,run] for years.

At age 66, it took me only 3 months to post, verified 2K times below the current WR. I was not particularly strong in terms of weightlifting. Good CV system. VO2Max of 67- lab TM test. Not much doubt in my mind that I could have broken all of the 65+ records, but lingering injuries finally became problematic. That's what aging does to you - or can.

Looking at the OP numbers, more good stuff is coming. I would have thought that the intense cycling would have fine tuned the CV system. Aerobic fitness is by far most important for rowing. For one, SPM can be faster. None of that 20 Row stuff. As far as choosing between cycling and rowing, I've never had a problem. Still do both. Has to be tradeoffs in intensity and duration.

Good luck with the rowing.