45min UT2 is the longest since you 'came back'?

good luck with the lifting (and the DOMS). so hard to sustain weight training (particularly lower body) with all the erg time as well but I really think/hope it's the answer

3/15
UT3 - 45'
10010m/2:14.8/14.8 spm/152 HR/166 MHR/df 75

Decent enough.

Yeah, the last two sessions were 55' total, so I'm planning on 60' total tomorrow and 20' UT1 on Friday.

Thanks; leaving the weights off until I get back to something approaching respectable, but I did get through this today:

3/15: W1D1
Squat: 3x5
Incline Bench: 3x5
RFESS: 3x8
DB Bench: 3x8
Pullups: Armstrong D2
Dips: 3x8
EZ Curl: 3x10
Facepulls: 4x12

The biggest surprise was the chest stretch from back squatting; it's been a while, it seems. I was definitely out of practice, but I'm not going to be lifting all that heavy per TG (no more than RPE 6, so RPEV 8.5-9), so hopefully I'm not too crippled tomorrow.

We want the weights

3/16
LD61 (UT2) - 50'
11773m/2:07.4/16.5 spm/163 HR/174 MHR
r2292m (10' warmup)

Not a ton of DOMS, but still a bit more fatigued than usual so I slowed up slightly. Ok enough.

14k...pretty good. not sure the pace matters much if at all - great to get an hour of seat time

3/20
LD62 (UT1) - 20' (df 100)
5060m/1:58.6/24.0 spm/182 HR/188 MHR
5:00 - 1263m/1:58.7/24 spm/176 HR
10:00 - 1264m/1:58.6/24 spm/182 HR
15:00 - 1263m/1:58.7/24 spm/182 HR
20:00 - 1268m/1:58.2/24 spm/186 HR
r6928m (15' warmup + 15' cooldown)

I was called out of town unexpectedly Thursday around noon, so my schedule got messed up and I had to skip a few days. HR is probably a bit spiked due to boozing when I got back home, but hopefully I can keep a bit better of a routine when I'm on the road next week. This row was ok enough; probably "too hard", but happy to have gotten through it.

you ok?

he’s been rowing pretty consistently for the past 6 weeks or so.

Guess I should provide a bit of an update:

Fell off the wagon and got a little sloppy over the winter; after a weeklong Napa trip with friends in late April, I started training with two buddies, both of whom are total novices. Beyond being fat and weak, the impetus was that one of said buddies was supposed to come on the trip (with his wife), but it was derailed by marital issues. I figured lifting and getting into better shape could help him, and I think it has; he's down ~35 lbs to the low 190s (at maybe 5'10"-5'11") since we started around May 1st, so that's pretty awesome. He used to CrossFit way back in the day so he's normie-strong.

My other buddy is a former avid cyclist and current caver that I think jumped in because he felt left out and has gone from a never upper body guy to texting me about the program's "lack of delt work", so he seems into it too. May start doing a 1x/wk 60-90 minute bike ride with him, since I feel like I sort of have to agree to do his thing since he's doing mine. Hopefully I don't get hit by a car.

I've been kind of puttering around with integrating lifting and rowing, and here's what things look like now:
-Old man lifting 4x/wk
-UT2 rowing 3x/wk, at a very easy pace and relatively short duration
-UT3 rowing as a cooldown 2x/wk, on upper body only days, at least for now.
-Frequency pushups on the one lower body only and the three non-lifting days
-Daily lower back prehab (very light)

The lifting numbers are embarrassing, but much less embarrassing than they were when I started. I'm progressing about half the speed that I "could", and things are pretty smooth, with some minor lower back and hip soreness that, shockingly, being more mindful of form and actually doing direct ab work and prehab has helped. No DLs because neither of the guys is in love with the movement, but maybe a bit later on this year. Generally up at 5:00 to lift at 6:00, with more sleep on rowing days. It's been going decently well.

W11D1: 7/25
A
Squat: wu, 205x7x2, 205x6
Pullups: bw x7x3; bw x6x5

B
RFESS: 25s x10x3
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3

C
Single Leg Press: 150x11x3
Cable High Row: 110x12x3

D
HLRs: bw x7x3
Pallofs: 3x10

E
Push-ups: bw x15x10

Squats were fine-ish; trying to take things a rep or so shy of technical failure as opposed to true failure given I'm even older now; pullups are still easy enough, just slowly adding a few total reps each week.

BW is 194 as of this morning, which is slightly fluffy but nowhere near where I was; plan is to kind of half ass a slight deficit until I get into the 188 range then hang out and see what maintenance is like and get the lifting numbers up a bit more.

Welcome back! Did you ever end up getting a new dog or cat?

welcome back and...9 training sessions per week is really quite impressive

He's alive.

Welcome back, Monte!

I could sense locobro circling like a vulture waiting to RIP this log. We were probably weeks away at most.

Thanks, bros. We did! Two tuxedo cats from the same litter; they're about 5 months old now. Very energetic and active, and the boys have bonded with them, so very nice to see. Worthy successors to realMonte. Well I kind of just decided on this frequency this weekend, so let's hold off on the handjobs until I do it for a month or two. And it's more like 7 sessions than 9; I don't consider 15' of UT3 after an upper body day to be an extra session. Maybe once my fitness improves and it's longer I'll move it to later on in the day, but probably not. We all slow down in our old age.

7/26: W11D2
A
Bench: wu, 185x8, 185x7x2
Facepulls: 15x6
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3

B
Incline DB Bench: wu, 65s x8x3
DB Pullovers: 60x12x3
HLRs: bw x8x3

C
Dips: bw x14, bw x11, bw x10
EZ Curl: 65x10x3
Pallof Press: 10x3

D
Cable Lateral Raise: 10x3
Lu Raise: 10x3

E
C2 Row (UT3): 15'

For most of the compound lifts, I'm doing a (very slowly) evolving rep range between 6 and 8 with the idea of jumping up in weight every 3-4 weeks; 185x8x3 was there today on bench, but it would have been a grind. Kept things pretty brisk (50' for the gym stuff, did the row feet out at home).

7/27: W11D3
C2 Row
40:00 (UT2): 9399 m/2:07.6/16.1 spm

Pushups: bw x15x10

Stretched out the UT2 a bit today; did the first 30' at the same pace as my most recent UT2s, then continued to negative split on the way in. Felt good.

are you wearing a HRM these days and using your HR to stay in your UT2 zone?

There's been a ton of interesting, but often contradictory insight and discussion from very experienced and well credentialed rowers on the C2 board about it

I haven't worn one for months mainly because the battery ran out but also because it was giving me a headache and I was happy just rowing. I stopped using and thinking about the UT terms and just did long slow, harder distance and intervals. (actually also because 1. a super high rate was distracting/dispiriting on my intense rows and 2. I didn't have the discipline to slow down on my steady state when my HR got out of zone)

but I'm going to start again as I get a bit more serious about constructing the right kind of long term schedule with an aim towards peaking for early next year's competition season.

7/28: W11D4
A
Front Squat: wu, 155x7x2, 155x6
Pull-ups: bw x7x3, x6x5

B
RDLs: 155x8x4
Facepulls: 4x15

C
Incline Bench: wu, 155x7, 155x6x2
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3
Back Extension: bw x8x3

D
Seated DB Press: 50s x8x3
Chest Supported DB Row: 55s x11x3

E
Overhead Cable Tri: 3x10
Pallofs: 3x10

F
DB Hammer Curl: 30s x9x3
HLRs: 3x8

Longest day of the week, but everything was k enough. Last squat set was around RPE 7 (maybe 8-9 for technical failure), but I'm trying to be disciplined and continue ramping slowly.

I forgot to mention all barbell pressing is done with a pause of about half a beat; not sure how long I'll keep it up, but it feels good for now.

I may; I just got out of the habit for the same reasons you did. Given I'm only rowing with any level of exertion 3x/wk, and for relatively short durations, I'm fine just playing it by ear at this pace and just hoping it gets gradually easier (though yesterday wasn't "hard" in relation to any of the tough workouts we've both done in the past). I also am not really concerned (right now) with dialing it back if my HR ticks up to 165 or wherever; if/when I add in interval work, then probably. I'm looking at this as more general fitness and base-building.

7/29: W11D5
C2 Row
40:00 (UT2) - 9402 m/2:07.6/16.1 spm
5:00 - 1163 m/2:08.9/16 spm
10:00 - 1166 m/2:08.6/16 spm
15:00 - 1169 m/2:08.3/16 spm
20:00 - 1173 m/2:07.8/16 spm
25:00 - 1176 m/2:07.5/16 spm
30:00 - 1178 m/2:07.3/16 spm
35:00 - 1182 m/2:06.9/16 spm
40:00 - 1195 m/2:05.5/16 spm

Pushups: bw x15x10

This is the only time of the week a UT2 row directly follows lower body lifting, but other than a little heaviness at the start, this went pretty smoothly - kept a nice negative split. After Tuesday's 9399 m, I wanted 9400+ to sooth the bergs, so I went a bit faster on the way in.

Leaving for my in-laws' today and arriving tomorrow; I should be able to lift at the gym I normally go to, but unless things have changed they don't have a rower. I'll probably just walk/bike daily and get back to this in a week.

Solid choice sticking with cats and not going dog. Latter are too high maintenance, imo. But maybe it's just me. I'm pretty lazy. I even think cats are too much. I'm only a cat bro by marriage. I like the ones we've got, but I'd have no desire to get new ones when their time comes. However, wife will have that covered.

So what are we going with for these two? RealMinis?

7/31: W11D7
A
OHP (paused): wu, 115x8, 115x7x2
Facepulls: 6x15

B
DB Bench: 80s x10x3
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3

C
Skullcrushers: 80x10x3
HLRs: bw x8x3

D
DB Incline Curl: 30s x10x3
Pallofs: 3x10

E
Lu Raises: 3x10
Cable Lateral Raise: 3x10

Made it to HH yesterday; probably going to try to do some beach walks and a run or two with the wife for mild conditioning. Definitely had 3x8 on OHP, but trying to keep things measured.

Haven't thought up a good portMONTEau yet, so feel free to make suggestions. They're good little guys, though, and pal around with the minis a lot. Good addition to the family for sure.

W12D1: 8/1
A
Squat: wu, 205x8, 205x7x2
Pullups: bw x7x4; bw x6x4

B
RFESS: 30s x8x3
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3

C
Single Leg Press: 150x12x3
Cable High Row: 120x10x3

D
HLRs: bw x8x3
Pallofs: 3x10

E
Push-ups: bw x15x10

Few extra reps and/or increased weight on everything significant; feeling pretty good.

thick, tight, and/or solid

8/2: W12D2
A
Bench: wu, 185x8x3
Facepulls: 15x6
Decline Crunch: bw x8x3

B
Incline DB Bench: wu, 65s x8x3
DB Pullovers: 65x12x3
HLRs: bw x8x3

C
Dips: bw x15, bw x13, bw x11
EZ Curl: 70x10x3
Pallof Press: 10x3

D
Cable Lateral Raise: 10x3
Lu Raise: 10x3

K enough.