Help me go sub-7:00 for the 2k

[Anth_F]

That study is an interesting read.

Especially this part!!! "Poor fitness turned out to be unhealthier even than high blood pressure or poor cholesterol profiles, the researchers found. Highly fit men with elevated blood pressure or relatively unhealthy cholesterol profiles tended to live longer than out-of-shape men with good blood pressure and cholesterol levels"

Question though: How out of shape can you really be with 'good blood pressure and cholesterol levels?'

Dunno... ask them researchers who done the study and find out! I'm not the one who conducted it.

[G-dub]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

[LarryRow]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

I'm sure you're right. This was just the first time I tried that.

How important is it to have a drag factor of 200?

The authors of that paper say you will get lower numbers with a lower drag factor.

I'll try the other erg at the gym or do it at the rowing studio. Trouble is that I don't want to do it before a class and I'll be too beat to do it after a class.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

Not sure why you think that. I believe I lack physical strength, I don't think improved technique will yield that many more watts, especially after having worked on my form with a coach for two months.

So, if I need to hold 302.5 watts then 550 is a good goal because 302.5 is 55% of 550. The article states that this is goal for holding a certain wattage.

Because you're 6'2, 185 lbs, and can pull a 2k under 8:00 minutes. A 1:59.9 split is 203.1 watts, about 144 watts under your current max wattage. Your max wattage should be substantially higher than just 144 watts above your best 2k performance. From experience that strikes me as a very small wattage difference.

Just from my own numbers, in college my 2k PR was 385 watts and my max wattage was 1024. The majority of my teammates had somewhat similar gaps between 2k watts and max wattage - certainly well above a 150 watt difference; closer to 500 watts.

This is why I think you're just not generating your power very efficiently, which may be due to technique.

[hjs]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

I'm sure you're right. This was just the first time I tried that.

How important is it to have a drag factor of 200?

The authors of that paper say you will get lower numbers with a lower drag factor.

I'll try the other erg at the gym or do it at the rowing studio. Trouble is that I don't want to do it before a class and I'll be too beat to do it after a class.

What rating do you have?

And whay other strenght numbers? Pushups, pullups?

[LarryRow]

Not sure why you think that. I believe I lack physical strength, I don't think improved technique will yield that many more watts, especially after having worked on my form with a coach for two months.

So, if I need to hold 302.5 watts then 550 is a good goal because 302.5 is 55% of 550. The article states that this is goal for holding a certain wattage.

Because you're 6'2, 185 lbs, and can pull a 2k under 8:00 minutes. A 1:59.9 split is 203.1 watts, about 144 watts under your current max wattage. Your max wattage should be substantially higher than just 144 watts above your best 2k performance. From experience that strikes me as a very small wattage difference.

Just from my own numbers, in college my 2k PR was 385 watts and my max wattage was 1024. The majority of my teammates had somewhat similar gaps between 2k watts and max wattage - certainly well above a 150 watt difference; closer to 500 watts.

This is why I think you're just not generating your power very efficiently, which may be due to technique.

Well, if we go by the paper, 55% of 347 is 190, which is not that far off of the 203.1 watts I did sustain, so I don't believe I could generate substantially more watts at this time but I will let you know next week.

[LarryRow]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

I'm sure you're right. This was just the first time I tried that.

How important is it to have a drag factor of 200?

The authors of that paper say you will get lower numbers with a lower drag factor.

I'll try the other erg at the gym or do it at the rowing studio. Trouble is that I don't want to do it before a class and I'll be too beat to do it after a class.

What rating do you have?

And whay other strenght numbers? Pushups, pullups?

I'm not sure what you mean by rating, I assume you mean strokes per minute. Well, the article says not to use a race start. I tried to push as hard as I could while maintaining full slide.

I don't have any other numbers for you. I'm a washed up ex-distance runner, so I have trouble lifting the groceries, never mind myself, LOL. I don't have a lot of arm strength, but arm strength does not matter that much in rowing, or so I have heard.

[nick rockliff]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

I'm sure you're right. This was just the first time I tried that.

How important is it to have a drag factor of 200?

The authors of that paper say you will get lower numbers with a lower drag factor.

I'll try the other erg at the gym or do it at the rowing studio. Trouble is that I don't want to do it before a class and I'll be too beat to do it after a class.

I remember you saying that you are doing about 50k per week on the erg? What type of sessions are you doing?

[hjs]

I'm not sure what you mean by rating, I assume you mean strokes per minute. Well, the article says not to use a race start. I tried to push as hard as I could while maintaining full slide.

I don't have any other numbers for you. I'm a washed up ex-distance runner, so I have trouble lifting the groceries, never mind myself, LOL. I don't have a lot of arm strength, but arm strength does not matter that much in rowing, or so I have heard.

Spm = rating yes.

I know enough, you zero base strenght. Arm strenght certainly plays a role.

You really need a different approach, old ladies can beat you up. Slow long distance running has killed you.

Other point, how strong where you at school, relative to other boys? I bet you never where strong, thats your weak link. Rowing like you do now at slow pace won,t help you much. You need to change big time to get anywhere close to 7 min.

[LarryRow]

Larry, my experience is that getting a higher peak power result takes a little practice.

I'm sure you're right. This was just the first time I tried that.

How important is it to have a drag factor of 200?

The authors of that paper say you will get lower numbers with a lower drag factor.

I'll try the other erg at the gym or do it at the rowing studio. Trouble is that I don't want to do it before a class and I'll be too beat to do it after a class.

I remember you saying that you are doing about 50k per week on the erg? What type of sessions are you doing?

So, I'm rowing with EngineRm 4-5 times a week. Most classes are 45 minutes but there is a one hour and fifteen minute endurance class on Weds, in which often row 12-14,000 meters. The 45 minute classes are 8-10,000 meters.

I can't describe all of the different workouts but we do longer steady state, intervals on time or distance, and form drills. We row together at rates from 19spm-30spm. I find it easier to get through longer seasons when I have someone talking me through it and a room full of people suffering the same pain.

On my off days, I usually row 500-1000 meter repeats. I try to come up with workouts based on how I'm feeling and am not following the Pete plan. The last time I combined hard team workouts with a plan from a book, I wound up with a stress fracture. That was running, of course.

[LarryRow]

I'm not sure what you mean by rating, I assume you mean strokes per minute. Well, the article says not to use a race start. I tried to push as hard as I could while maintaining full slide.

I don't have any other numbers for you. I'm a washed up ex-distance runner, so I have trouble lifting the groceries, never mind myself, LOL. I don't have a lot of arm strength, but arm strength does not matter that much in rowing, or so I have heard.

Spm = rating yes.

I know enough, you zero base strenght. Arm strenght certainly plays a role.

You really need a different approach, old ladies can beat you up. Slow long distance running has killed you.

Other point, how strong where you at school, relative to other boys? I bet you never where strong, thats your weak link. Rowing like you do now at slow pace won,t help you much. You need to change big time to get anywhere close to 7 min.

I row with older ladies, older ladies don't go under 8:00 for 2k, let's honest here.

You have to realize that this Concept 2 website contains a self-selected population of people. Everyday people who start rowing don't hit amazing scores right away, from what I have seen.

I am weak, though, I readily admit it. There is some truth to the notion that long, slow distance running has killed me.

What different approach do you have in mind?

[MarkEg]

I'm not sure what you mean by rating, I assume you mean strokes per minute. Well, the article says not to use a race start. I tried to push as hard as I could while maintaining full slide.

I don't have any other numbers for you. I'm a washed up ex-distance runner, so I have trouble lifting the groceries, never mind myself, LOL. I don't have a lot of arm strength, but arm strength does not matter that much in rowing, or so I have heard.

Spm = rating yes.

I know enough, you zero base strenght. Arm strenght certainly plays a role.

You really need a different approach, old ladies can beat you up. Slow long distance running has killed you.

Other point, how strong where you at school, relative to other boys? I bet you never where strong, thats your weak link. Rowing like you do now at slow pace won,t help you much. You need to change big time to get anywhere close to 7 min.

ouch!

[lindsayh]

What different approach do you have in mind?

There are some good threads here discussing weights and power training Larry
you may find this useful too
https://indoorsportservices.co.uk/train ... t_training

IMO some weights training/power work is necessary for all sorts of reasons but it just seems logical to me that if we are "playing" with a machine that is directly measuring power in Watts that we will do better at it with the ability to produce more of them.

[LarryRow]

What different approach do you have in mind?

There are some good threads here discussing weights and power training Larry
you may find this useful too
https://indoorsportservices.co.uk/train ... t_training

IMO some weights training/power work is necessary for all sorts of reasons but it just seems logical to me that if we are "playing" with a machine that is directly measuring power in Watts that we will do better at it with the ability to produce more of them.

Lindsay,

Your times are impressive! Do you have fifty years of rowing behind you? Do you credit weightlifting with getting you to where you are now?

I'm just wondering if I can get there without lifting weights. I tried lifting weights for a while, even took a class with a body builder, but I don't really fit into the scene. I'm not sure I can lift a lot and row 50-60,000m a week.

Do you have some specific weightlifting exercises in mind?

[lindsayh]

Your times are impressive! Do you have fifty years of rowing behind you? Do you credit weightlifting with getting you to where you are now?
I'm just wondering if I can get there without lifting weights. I tried lifting weights for a while, even took a class with a body builder, but I don't really fit into the scene. I'm not sure I can lift a lot and row 50-60,000m a week. Do you have some specific weightlifting exercises in mind?

Thanks Larry - started going to the gym 35 years ago to get fit and haven't stopped - average 4/5 per week ever since. Used to do a lot of cardio classes and a couple of general weight sessions a week. Never rowed OTW and discovered the "joy" of erging about 8 years ago and gradually it has taken over my training (and my life a little!) as I became more serious/successful and my knee OA limited other training. I thus started on the erg with a good bit of strength and a lot of fast twitch fibres to work with. A couple of years ago my low pull was down to 1:13 now about 1:17. My gym is a strong body builder one so lots of options.

I have always done a general weight program not specifically for rowing and in fact I think it is often worth targeting muscles not developed OTE. My big goal is actually to stay healthy and live a very long time and I like being strong.
Don't have to do a body building program and it is worthwhile doing both higher weight low reps and lighter weight with higher reps but no need to go mad with weight. I think the consensus is that exercises such as deads, lying leg press, squats, rows that involve a number of muscle groups are better than those which only exercise one group (such as bicep curl). There is a lot of discussion about doing weights sessions separate to erg but I have never been able to do that so just do a lighter row first (say 5km) and then the weights. There are also lots of talk about free weights vs pin weighted machines - I am pretty sure it is irrelevant in our circumstances. You need to make sure not to neglect the core either - it is the key to good technique IMO.
Have a look at the training guide too - I don't claim to be an expert at any of this.