A few observations on my quest to be average

[DUThomas]

Hi!

It's easier to be average in the US!

My rowing goal for the moment is to be able to do a normal, "easy" row at roughly the 50th percentile level in the rankings (within my weight and age group). Leaving aside the wisdom of the goal (even I think it's silly), I noticed that the 50th percentile level (and average time) is significantly higher (i.e., slower) in the US than in, say, the UK or overall. For example, for male heavyweights in the 40-49 age category, the 50th percentile times for a 5K row are 20:43.7 in the US, 19:43.3 in the UK, and 19:57.5 overall. Compared to my US peers, I've achieved my goal! Unfortunately, I haven't quite achieved it compared to the rest of the world.

Any theories? Are we Americans more likely to record our times? more honest about our times? Or, perish the thought, are we falling behind, just as we're getting shorter as compared to the rest of the world?

Cheers!
David


Since this is my first post (after lurking for months), I'll include an introduction: 6'1", ~190 lbs, >40. I've been rowing since December 2006 and am a few months away from a million meters.

At the beginning, I was eager to achieve PBs in the 2K and of course could since I had just started. I more or less stopped seeking PBs (at least for a while!) because I found that it was taking the fun out of working out (and I didn't need any further disincentive since I hadn't seriously worked out in years!) and it was detracting from focusing on technique and stroke rate.

[chgoss]

Hi!

It's easier to be average in the US!

My rowing goal for the moment is to be able to do a normal, "easy" row at roughly the 50th percentile level in the rankings (within my weight and age group). Leaving aside the wisdom of the goal (even I think it's silly), I noticed that the 50th percentile level (and average time) is significantly higher (i.e., slower) in the US than in, say, the UK or overall. For example, for male heavyweights in the 40-49 age category, the 50th percentile times for a 5K row are 20:43.7 in the US, 19:43.3 in the UK, and 19:57.5 overall. Compared to my US peers, I've achieved my goal! Unfortunately, I haven't quite achieved it compared to the rest of the world.

Any theories? Are we Americans more likely to record our times? more honest about our times? Or, perish the thought, are we falling behind, just as we're getting shorter as compared to the rest of the world?

Cheers!
David

Rowing is much more popular in UK than US, in UK its a real sport, in US it's a fitness activity (for the most part). Suspect that is the real answer.

cheers, and good luck on climbing the ladder! Nothing silly about having a goal, where would we be without them

[igoeja]

Slightly different from a UK /US comparison, but the overall time is less than the US time because the better people supply their times, so internationally, you generally get a fitter population submitting times than submit their times from the US.

Also consider that while even a my mediocre 7:12 2000M, which ranks from between the 75th and 65th percentile throughout the year internationally, is comparable to a stress test treadmill performance above the 90th in the normal population.

[DUThomas]

Thanks for the responses. I can certainly believe from the sheer activity on the UK forum that rowing is much more popular there!

Quick question for igoeja: Your statement that your 2K time is comparable to a 90th percentile stress test performance sounds believable to me. Where did you find that comparison? Thanks!

David

[igoeja]

My reference is personal, in that I have taken a stress test - I am relatively healthy type I diabetic, which means care is more aggressive - and scored at the 90th percentile, if only because the attending physican stopped the test.

I am making a somewhat simplisitic relationship between the score on the stress test, my subsequent focus on improving my 2K erg, and later erg performances.

Although it seems plausible, I have no facts to back it up.

[George Dunning]

snip ...

For example, for male heavyweights in the 40-49 age category, the 50th percentile times for a 5K row are 20:43.7 in the US, 19:43.3 in the UK, and 19:57.5 overall.

...snip

If your from New Zealand the 50th percentile time is 19:26.9

george

[DUThomas]

snip...

Although it seems plausible, I have no facts to back it up.

It certainly seems plausible to me (and the VO2max estimator on Concept2's website also seems to corroborate it). Given the number of articles on rowing that you've provided links to in the past, I was hoping for a formal comparison of 2K times and stress test performance (but I appreciate your sharing your personal experience!)

Cheers!
David

[almostflipped]

It certainly seems plausible to me (and the VO2max estimator on Concept2's website also seems to corroborate it).

Igoeja's numbers make sense and seem like a fair comparison. That calculator however is pure garbage. If one were to believe it then one would think breaking 7' for a college athlete is a remarkable achievement rather than a basic test for a pulse.

Edit: I believe some evidence for my statement can be found just by looking at the C2 rankings. For lightweights pulling a 7 flat doesn't even put you in the 50th percentile, yet is considered to have a low elite level VO2max by that calculator. Think about that for a second and tell me if it makes any sense.

[DUThomas]

It certainly seems plausible to me (and the VO2max estimator on Concept2's website also seems to corroborate it).

snip....

That calculator however is pure garbage.

...snip

Bummer! I liked the results!

Does anyone else have a personal basis for comparing 2K scores to a VO2max derived from a stress test?

[tbartman]

For me the VO2 max estimator came out very close to what I was actually tested on an erg at Craftsbury.

I think the issue that DUThomas raises is that the terms on the calculator (good, excellent, etc.) are for the population at large (including the 33% of Americans who are obese and another 33% who are overweight). At Craftsbury, Declan Connoley had two charts - one for the general population (which looks like the one on the C2 website) and another for people who actually exercise.

Actual elite athletes (national team rowers) will have VO2 maxes above 70 or even 80. So although my estimated (and measured) VO2 max of 52 is well into the excellent range as shown on the C2 site, I know I shouldn't be expecting to row in China next summer.

[TomR]

For me, the VO2 max calculator is accurate. I had a VO2 max test done by a sports physiologist, and the C2 calculator was w/in a % of the actual test.

I can't be bothered to go look at the categories, but what is characterizedd as "elite" may be in reference to the general population, not a narrower sample of the athletic population.

[Gerhard]

"You are number 1370 of 2741"

I am average on 5K. The 50 percentile mark for the entire population (including woman and children, but hey average is average) is MY score!! Too bad my 20.28.4 will soon be history