Workout Plan/Advice.

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cliffhales
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Workout Plan/Advice.

Post by cliffhales »

I'm trying to come up with a good workout/weight-loss plan. After two months of trying, I haven't been able to consistently row in the evenings like I had planned to. It seems something is always coming up, and I ended up only rowing once or twice a week. I work at home, so I've moved my rower into my office and I'm trying something different. Every 2 hours I take a break from work and row 2000 Meters at about a 2:05-2:10 pace. If nothing else it will at least up my ranking on the FS meter board. But I'm curious to know if anyone else has tried anything like this for weight loss, and if so, what kind of success they've had.

My other problem with trying to do any distance, is watching the PM3. The urge to row just a little bit faster is too much for me, and I end up bonking before I finish. When I don't watch the monitor, I end up being pretty erratic, rowing slow/fast/slow etc. Anyone have tips on rowing consistently at a sustainable pace?

I'm also trying to eat a breakfast, eat more frequent, healthier meals, and quit eating late at night. I'll keep you posted if it ever has any effect!


Cliff Hales
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Mike Channin
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Post by Mike Channin »

You need to be rowing for at least 20 minutes to properly engage your fat burning metabolism. One piece of 40 minutes is way better than 5 x 8 minutes (unless you're working significantly harder in the 5 x 8 intervals, so that you still burn more fat overall).

I'd suggest you shift to a single 50 min effort at lunch time - will start to shift the weight no problems.

Over to our weight loss experts for their secrets....
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Post by big dave k »

if the pace is difficult to keep to, try getting a heart rate monitor. you should be able to sustain excercise between 60-70% for a fairly long period of time, and this will definately use up calories. if you keep an eye on your monitor, you can ease off if your hr creeps up, and pick up the pace if it gets too easy. this is the only way to know how hard you are excercising at any one given time, as there are a number of factors which could slow you down/speed you up, but it will always take the same amount of exertion at a given heart rate. (unless you're ill, in which case take a lil break)
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It's all abpout the heart rate and the LSD

Post by ptruz »

Did I say That?

Well....I'm no expert but I have been rowing for 4 months and lost about 45 lbs. Now....I started at 333 lbs and I lost a lot fast. Since then it has been slower going.....I lost about 6-8 lbs the last months or so. I never row fast....can't frankly. I generally row about 12-16K per day in an hour to an hour and a half. That's a lot of time rowing....but it works.

The heart rate monitor has been a key as well. Being in the right "fat burning zone" is important.

Frankly....your 2K workout is probably not effective for weight loss. I mean it's better than noting....but.....

Heart Rate and LSD (long, slow distance).....that's the deal.....and Free Spirits! Keep up the good work!
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Post by alistairkbs »

Hi

I agree that longer steady state stuff is more likely to shift the weight but for any given length of workout do it at the maximum intensity for most gain. Very long slow stuff gets a bit boring after a while and some interval work improves speed both for short pieces and for longer ones where you burn the calories.

Good luck
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Post by BigWaveDave »

Cliff,

Would go along with everything that has been said so far.

A HR monitir would be a good help. I had a similar problem of not being able to row of an evening due to work/family etc so I decided to get up earlier and do it first thing. This may not be so easy to start with but it does help to ensure a session is done each day.

Definitly go for the longer, slower rows - have you tried/considered using the pace boat function? Set it at a comfortable pace for you and just keep with it for 20 minutes, don't try and beat it. After a while you will find this becomes easier and you can then either increase the rate or the length of time.

Joining FS was also a good move as I have found the support and advice extremely valuable.

Let us know how you get on
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Post by webberg »

Cliff, on the issue of pacing, have a look at the Uphill Challenge and Double Dip challenegs on ELM.

The idea here is that you can set the erg to do say 5x1k intervals with no rest but against a pace boat.

Like you I always struggle if I study the monitor too much. I'm always trying to reduce that 500m average to the next level or pick up the pace to hit a mid way target which leaves nothing in the tank for later. Doing a 5x1k against the pace boat allows a sensible attempt at beating it in each set but without blowing up.

Have a go. :P

On the weight loss, I'll let others more qualified answer.
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cliffhales
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Post by cliffhales »

Wow, thanks everyone for all the great advice. I'll have to start saving pennies for a Heart Rate monitor. I've only played with setting the Pace Boat fast to try improving my times, but setting the Pace Boat to a slow pace sounds like something that could work for me. Now to just convince myself I want to wake up at 5:45 every morning. :-)
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Post by Nick Shuker »

I found the best way to lose weight was to row lots, and I mean lots. of 5000m. I rowed my 5000m pieces as hard as I dare without blowing up 4 times a week, always trying to improve my time. This might not suit everyone but it worked for me. I listened to the same music album everytime, and I knew where I was in the row at the end of every track without looking at the monitor. After a while you can pace yourself with the monitor, and if you ever decide to enter a race, it is crucial to use the split 500 as your race guide. This will come in time. Make sure you try and keep your head clear while your rowing, and row for the moment, not think how you will feel at the end or later on, just concentrate on the row as it progresses. If you have trouble keeping a steady pace, use the pace calculator to work out your split 500 to achieve the desired time for the piece.
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Post by cliffhales »

When I'm doing say and hour row, what's a reasonable pace, if a quick paced 2K for me is 2:05? The other night I tried an hour row, started at about 2:10 pace and bonked about 5k into it. Also, I've heard 18-20 spm is good for a long row, but how about the resistance setting? I've been bumping around trying them out, but is there a recommended setting that's better for weight loss/long rows?
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Post by Stan »

Hello Cliff.
You need to pick a pace you can hold for an hour. If 2:10 was too quick then try 2:20. The main aim is to be able to complete what you set out to do. Once you know the pace you can definitely do you can work on improving it. You may find 2:15 is fine but try 2:20 for now.
As for resistance I think we have had several discussions regarding damper settings/ drag factor. Almost all of my rows are done at 140-150 drag factor or number 6 on the damper lever. The machines I use are very clean (at last!) - if yours is very dusty then your settings will need to be different. The only time I increase the drag factor is for 2k or less. I never use a lower df than 140. The point here is is thats what I am used to. Others would argue for different settings with equal validity - its very much a personal preference.
Stroke rate - I hate doing restricted stroke rates but I feel I should be doing more r20 work and will do more over the winter. John Glynn set a challenge for 10k at 16 spm - I was absolutely hopeless, averaging about 15seconds per 500m slower than normal. I am most comforatable at 26-28 spm, but then I am very short
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Post by webberg »

Cliff, this is one of those "How long is a piece of string" questions.

Pace and damper tend to be very personal.

My suggestion to you is to break the hour down into 5 minute segments. Use the PM3 monitor to set time intervals and a pace boat.

Unless you want to negative split then pick a sustainable target, say 2:15/500m. You then need to vary the pace boat speed in each segment. Perhaps something like:

Seg 1: - 2:16
seg 2: - 2:14
seg 3: - 2:13
Seg 4: - 2:15
Seg 5: - 2:16
Seg 6; - 2:15

This gives you a fairly even pace for the first 30 mins and an average of 2:15.

Either repeat for the next 30 or if you want to speed up, take 1 sec off each segment. Alternatively add 1 sec if you feel that it's starting to hurt.

The main barrier to 60 minute rows is mental. It is a long time and unfortunately increasing the SPM or reducing the split doesn't make the time go any quicker!

Moving into 12 x 5' segments makes this a bit more manageable because 60 continuous minutes is actually a lot more (mentally) than 12 separate sessions.

Once you've done something like the above, the PM3 will allow you to row against whatever you acheived.

Above all though - FINISH.

Even if this is limping along at what for you is a paddling speed.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.
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Post by johnglynn »

Hello Cliff

I would try shorter distances and work up, rather then basing a 60min on a 2K, which are worlds apart

2K -> 5K (2K pace -10)
5K -> 10K (5K pace -3)
10K -> 60min (10K pace -3)

then gradually speed up your time
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Post by alistairkbs »

Cliff

I made my first goal 30 mins continuous - managed it eventually at 2.15 pace. Then extended to 10K then to 1 hr etc.

The C2 training manual has a section on people returning to exercise after a long absence and I am not ashamed to say I used it and it took a while to get to the 30 mins.
Sounds like youll get there quicker.
Important thing is youv'e taken the first step.

Don't forget though the C2 cannot be the only solution to weight gain. You need to look at diet . alcohol and make some permananet changes

Good luck
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Post by cliffhales »

I just finished a morning 30 minute row. Average pace 2:20.5. I started at 2:30 and stayed at that for 5 minutes, then edged up a few seconds every 5 minutes. Breaking it up, and forcing myself to start out slow made it much easier. I feel MUCH better after this 30min row than the other two I've attempted. It's definitely a mental, but I think I can do an hour row this way. Time permitting, I'm going to try a 1hr slow tonight! (Time/wife/baby permitting.)

I'll just have to sideline my goal of getting a time on the C2 board better than the 25th percentile for a while, but I'm sure it'll come eventually!

I have finally been starting to change my diet some too. Way too many years of ramen and quesadillas in college. I've never drank alcohol, but I have a severe dependence on convenient food. (I can't cook!) So far starting the morning with breakfast (instead of waiting till 10 to eat), eating smaller portions and not eating after 7 have helped. Also the discovery that 2 packs of ramen was about 800 calories changed my appetite pretty quick. I think as I come up with more healthy, quick/easy food the diet half will be much easier, but at least I'm starting!

Thanks again for all the great suggestions.

Cliff Hales
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