Yeah, I think if you don't race the UT1 sessions and are disciplined, it shouldn't be too hard on the body. The key is to get in that HR zone/pace that you never hit. For me that is 165-178 HR and 2:10-2:03 pace. This is a snippet from Mike Caviston talking about UT1/L3 -

We go pretty balls out in the L1 and L2 sessions, so you don't want to make L3 one of those.

Yeah I think 2:05 for the UT1, considering the distance is about 12k across each of them, seems like a reasonable starting point for me.

SSfDT - D3

7 Giant Sets:
Pistol Squats: 2 x (3,4,7), 3
Strict HSPU: 2 x (3,4,7), 3
Weighted Pull ups (16kg): 2 x (1,2,3), 1

Solid session. I figured out something with pistols and should always be doing them with good form now. I hold my non working foot with the corresponding hand and that puts me in balance. I'm moving the RM of pistols back to 13 from 11. Everything else was good. 2nd set of 7 HSPUs were not too hard.

PP - W12D6

15x3:00/1:00r
45:00.0 10,779m 2:05.2 178 913 23 169

3:00.0 703m 2:08.0 167 874 22 154
3:00.0 708m 2:07.1 170 886 22 159
3:00.0 714m 2:06.0 175 901 23 163
3:00.0 722m 2:04.6 181 921 23 166
3:00.0 722m 2:04.6 181 921 23 168
3:00.0 723m 2:04.4 181 924 23 170
3:00.0 720m 2:05.0 179 916 23 171
3:00.0 721m 2:04.8 180 919 23 171
3:00.0 721m 2:04.8 180 919 23 172
3:00.0 722m 2:04.6 181 921 23 172
3:00.0 721m 2:04.8 180 919 23 175
3:00.0 720m 2:05.0 179 916 23 174
3:00.0 721m 2:04.8 180 919 23 174
3:00.0 721m 2:04.8 180 919 23 174
3:00.0 720m 2:05.0 179 916 23 175

First L3 workout. I think it was a big success. I spent a lot of time in my grey zone of HR 165-175. My band was 2:10 to 2:03. I started out at 2:08 and that was too easy. I gradually increased it to 2:05 and settled around there. I think I'm going to rotate between this workout, 2x5k/7min rest, and 10k continuous. Paces of 2:05, 2:07 and 2:09 respectively, at my current fitness level, seems like a decent starting point.

Not that anyone cares, but this was meant to be W12D5. I renamed W11D6c to W12D1 and here we are. Rest day tomorrow and then I start the modified Pete's Plan. This seems like a good place to end the original one - 4 complete cycles done.

I was thinking more about where to place the hard distance pieces, and they seem closer to an L2 workout than L3. HR goes to the L1/L2 range (>95%) and pace is in the L1/L2 band. I suppose 2k and under would be L1, 5k-10k would be L2, and 60min+ would be L2/L3.

WP - W1D1

5x3200m/1:00r
1:14:12.4 16,000m 2:19.1 130 747 20 158

14:55.7 3,200m 2:19.9 128 739 20 155
14:55.9 3,200m 2:19.9 128 739 20 157
14:53.8 3,200m 2:19.6 128 742 20 159
14:45.1 3,200m 2:18.2 132 755 20 160
14:41.8 3,200m 2:17.7 134 760 21 159

Another solid row. It's pretty amazing how I feel pretty good after a 16km row. My body seems pretty used to this length of time rowing now. It did feel a big sluggish through 3 intervals and then in the middle of the 4th, I found my rhythm and sped up a little. HR still won't really stay above 160. Sweet.

I changed my bottom display to the force curve and it was great. I got instant feedback on my stroke and it made me push with my legs so the curve wouldn't get wonky. Monte, if you've never done this, I highly recommend it. I'm going to use it everytime during steady state, since I don't really need to see my projected times.

I've also decided on a plan, it's going be in the middle of what I said earlier (4 L4 a cycle) and Gardner's base building plan (8 L4 a cycle). I'm going to do 6. So a cycle would be 6 L4, 2 L3, 1 L2, and 1 L1. The week would look like - 4,1,4,4,3,4,2,4,4,3. I'll basically do 2 L4's after the harder L1 and L2 sessions. I like the look of this for now.

I do use the force curve, though not regularly; I agree that it does help.

Re: extra steady state, I was thinking about that too, but a 12 day cycle seems kind of long. With that said, it does tip the scales even more towards steady state, which is probably a good idea.

S&S - D9

2 Handed Swings: 24x10x10
Turkish Getup: 16x2, 24x2, 16x6

Mostly fine. The first rep of TGU with my right side, I butchered the start. I still got up, but reset to try and do it better. I then failed it 3 or 4 times and then finished it. I'm not sure whether to do that situp/roll aggressively or controlled. I tried controlled and it was fine for the lighter weight, but I could not get up with the heavier.

WP - W1D2

8x500m/3:30r
14:20.4 4,000m 1:47.5 281 1268 31 178

1:48.1 500m 1:48.1 277 1253 31 167
1:47.7 500m 1:47.7 280 1264 31 173
1:47.5 500m 1:47.5 282 1269 31 177
1:47.3 500m 1:47.3 283 1275 32 179
1:47.8 500m 1:47.8 279 1261 31 181
1:47.7 500m 1:47.7 280 1264 31 183
1:47.7 500m 1:47.7 280 1264 32 183
1:46.6 500m 1:46.6 289 1294 32 184



Really good and tough session. The plan was to go out at 1:48.5 and negative split if I could, but I got carried away as usual. I reigned it in a touch after the 4th interval, because my form was all over the place. I still had enough for a quicker last interval.

The suffering today reassures me that my new plan with more steady state is the way to go. Slight modification to the plan:

6 easy, 4 hard, 1 optional ranking piece.

I do all the interval sessions from a standing start. Monte, do you do that or do you have a rolling start? I'm not sure what you're supposed to do but it probably doesn't matter.

I generally stop my recovery rowing with enough five seconds left to go in the rest timer and do a dead start, although early on in the piece I may time things such that I'm rolling right into the first stroke. I don't think it really matters too much at our level.

Re: the AP, I'm trying to figure out where the 30r20 would fit into the equation - in place of an L2/AT row, maybe? It's one of the classic rowing pieces that I haven't done yet, and I feel like I probably should add it in every now and again.

Re: the interval session, nice pulling. Feels like 1:45 is there within the next two or three times you do this one, which felt like a big milestone to me. I don't remember what your typical max HR is on sprints, but 184 on the last interval, even while speeding up, feels like there's some room to get faster.

I have no clue. It seems like it is a completely different stimulus and can't be classified in any of the sessions. I'm being outed as a fraud coach here. It's a good shout to do it though, it's always been in the back of my head, but I've never done one. Perhaps just add it to a week and do an extra steady state session? 5 steady state and 5 hard sessions instead of 4/4 for that week seems sensible.

Thanks! My max heart rate is 191. I don't think you can really judge effort based on HR for the shorter sessions due to heart rate being a lagging indicator. This was pretty close to my limit, I might have been able to squeeze out a 1:46.x average if I absolutely had to. 1:45 would be pretty sweet next time round. 'Miring your 1:42. Are you taking the holiday completely off?

Re: 30r20 insertion, I inquired about it over on the C2 forum, so we'll see what they say.

Agree re: heart rate, although I never really paid attention to it when I had it apart from steady state; I'm not really convinced I'm missing anything by not having the data, though I could certainly be wrong.

Re: 1:42, I was proud of that one; I'll give 1:41.5 a go next time and see how I manage; hopefully all the extra steady state meters will have built an aerobic base capable of improving a few more iterations of this workout.

I'm leaving the erg at home this time, so it'll be a complete vacation - just swimming and throwing the kids around. My dip/pull-up station did come, so once I put that together, I can add those into the mix.

Just got an answer - full effort would be like a rating piece, but that would obviously be very fatiguing; the suggestion was to perform it as a UT2 or UT1 session. Feels like mixing it until the UT1 mix and starting out at the high end of whatever my target is for that kind of work (maybe 2:03 to 2:05 for this one, since I've heard it kind of sucks) is the way to go.

SSfDT - D4

8 Giant Sets:
Pistol Squats: 2 x (4,5,9), 4,5
Strict HSPU: 2 x (3,4,7), 3,4
Weighted Pull ups (16kg): 2 x (1,2,3), 1,2

I've figured out pistols now. If I hold my opposite foot on the way down, it's all dandy. These reps seem fine, I'll gradually ramp up the volume, then drop it back down and increase reps.

Monte, regarding heart rate, it gave me confirmation that my steady state was in the right zone. The more data, the better for me, so I like training with it.

I found your post on C2 and his reply seems suspicious. What even is a 30R20 UT2 session? Wouldn't that be a regular UT2 session since they are always below 20spm anyway? I thought the whole point of a 30R20 was to develop power by rowing as hard as you can <=20spm.

Obviously I'm aware of the applicable of HR data, but outside of obsessing when it crept over 150 and engaging peak white coat syndrome, I didn't really get a ton out of it myself. Short of going full cardiobunny and measuring lactate levels, I doubt there's much I truly need to worry about with respect to using that additional data to help finetune things as my level. Might be more relevant if I get down to a 6:30 and want to keep going - who knows. I know about what I should be doing my steady state at in terms of the percentage of my Watts at 2k pace, so I'll stick to the faster end when feeling good and slower end when feeling fatigued.

Re: doing 30r20 at UT2, I don't really see the utility in that as it doesn't seem like the intensity would be high enough (though I may revise my opinion after tomorrow), but doing it at UT1 pace at first seems pretty reasonable to me. I'll shoot for 2:05 or so and act as the canary in the coal mine for you.

WP - W1D3

5x3000m/1:00r
1:09:10.2 15,000m 2:18.3 132 754 20 161

13:53.6 3,000m 2:18.9 131 749 20 154
13:50.0 3,000m 2:18.3 132 755 20 160
13:49.2 3,000m 2:18.2 133 756 20 163
13:48.6 3,000m 2:18.1 133 757 20 163
13:48.9 3,000m 2:18.1 133 756 20 165

Today's session flows nicely from our heart rate discussion. My pace was slower than the same row 5 days ago and my HR was higher. 5 days ago, my HR wouldn't really go above 161, today it hit 161 during the 2nd interval and pretty much stayed above it. I can think of 2 reasons for this and it's probably a combination of both - 1) it was really muggy today and 2) cumulative fatigue. I've rowed 109000 meters in the last 11 days along with some pseudo-weight sessions, which is a lot for me. I suppose you could tell all this from RPE, but I like having the data. I don't want to reduce the meters going forward, so I might do a few slower steady state sessions.

Rest day tomorrow, and then a 5k on Saturday when I finally go sub 20!

Arjun,

Part of my problem is that I'd just ignore my heart rate and just do what I wanted, lol.

WP - W1D4

5000m
19:53.4 5,000m 1:59.3 206 1008 26 184

3:59.3 1,000m 1:59.6 204 1003 26 175
3:59.6 2,000m 1:59.8 204 1000 26 181
3:58.2 3,000m 1:59.1 207 1013 26 187
3:57.4 4,000m 1:58.7 209 1020 27 190
3:58.9 5,000m 1:59.4 205 1006 27 190



I've been itching to tick the sub 20 5k off the list, so happy to get it done. It wasn't a good day however. This was meant to be a 95% effort, but it was probably the hardest row I've ever done. My max heart rate when rowing has been 191 and I hit 190 with over 4 minutes to go. It was not fun. Based on my 2k time (where I had a bad day as well), my equivalent 5k is 19:34, so it's quite a way off.

The last 3 time trials I've done (2k, 2k, and 5k), I've had a bad day. I've always had no problem giving a little extra on race day (running, crossfit, 1 rep maxes), but 3 times doesn't seem like a coincidence for rowing. I suspect it's something to do with my form. Maybe I just don't relax and start yanking with my arms or something. My HR after 1k today was 175 and after the first interval of my 4x1k last week was 175, but that was at 1:52 pace! I have similar comparisons for all 3 of the time trials where I have underachieved.

The takeaway for next time is to just let my stroke flow naturally and get into a rhythm.

A bit of a correction - this was meant to be a 95% effort and not a time trial, but it turned into one. I've done quite a few 95% efforts and most have been fine. Today must have just been a bad day. I am 2/2 in bad days during time trials though, and not 3/3. One more and I shall investigate.

Re: the 2k vs 5k time disparity, I've got that too; the consensus on the C2 board is that it's just an aerobic fitness issue, and all that's going to fix it is more steady state. Regardless, I think you're being a bit hard on yourself; while I'm sure this felt like ass, that you were able to push through and knock almost a minute off of your personal best is pretty sweet.

Re: tension, performance anxiety, or whatever you want to call it, it seems like it's not unusual; beyond just doing it more and improving at doing a trial (i.e. learning to relax a bit during), I'm not sure there's much to actually "do".

Very nice on the sub 20!

Thanks bros.

Monte, you're right about 2k vs 5k. That calculator is probably meant for the elite with crazy aerobic capacity. Still, I think I have more in me, my heart rate was just too high early on. A bad 19.xx 5k was a pipe dream 3 months ago, so I'll take it. Have fun on the holiday!

S&S - D10

1 Handed Swings: 16x10x2, 24x10x2, 16x10x6
Turkish Getup: 16x2, 24x2, 16x6

I was meant to do SSfDT, but felt a bit beat up from the row this morning and wasn't feeling like doing 108 pistols. No pain, so I did 1 handed swings. I'm going to move up and add an extra set at 24s next time. Pretty uneventful.

Gyms open on the 25th here, cannot wait. I currently have 3 options:

1 - 3 day a week strength training at gym nearby
2 - 3 days a week of crossfit/strength at my crossfit gym. It will include a 3 mile bike ride to and from
3 - 3 days a week at another crossfit gym. Big advantage is that it is outdoors and a pretty sweet setup. 4 miles bike ride to and from.

Option 1 would be the smartest and would get me back to old strength levels the quickest. But it just sounds boring and I feel like doing crossfit. I should make gains anyway lifting whatever the programming is there. Option 3 sounds smartest and has the least risk of catching the virus, but it's not my gym and I won't know anyone.

WP - W1D5

5x3200m/1:00r
1:14:05.8 16,000m 2:18.9 131 749 19 159

14:52.3 3,200m 2:19.4 129 744 19 157
14:51.5 3,200m 2:19.2 129 745 20 160
14:47.4 3,200m 2:18.6 131 751 19 158
14:47.4 3,200m 2:18.6 131 751 19 161
14:47.3 3,200m 2:18.6 131 752 19 160

A bit of learning today. DF was 106 for the first interval and everything felt off at 19spm. Arms hurt a little, rowing at that pace felt hard, HR was high. I lowered it to 103 for the next, and the same stroke felt great! I always thought rowing at 19spm did not come naturally to me, but it turns out that I just had the DF too high for 19spm. I could feel the flywheel slowing down at 106 and it took a lot of effort for me to maintain the same pace. That might have been a reason for my back pain as well. Good session, lots of learning! It's also a bit crazy how a DF change of 3 makes such a big difference.

These rows are getting fairly comfortable. I might start to increase the distance again. Perhaps alternate between 18k and 15k. What has my life come to?

I've been rowing steady state at around 98 and it feels great, for whatever that's worth.

Yeah, I might go lower and see how it feels. It definitely makes you hone in on a powerful stroke because if you're lazy at a low drag factor, your pace will be really slow. So powerful stroke + easier on the body seems like a good combination. It seems to fit in with this great video I saw a while ago by the founder of concept2 -