Beginners

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zootMutant
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

Paul -- You showed remarkable restraint in not going for a 100k your first day back. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Seriously, that row was a triumph of determination... and today's row was a good recovery workout. Well done. =D>

Strider, Millie, Greg -- you are all spot on! I think the element of 'routine' or 'habit' is often the most important (and undervalued) part of an exercise program. I spend a lot of time reading and comparing different plans (it's fun) -- The Wolverine Plan, The Pete Plan, The Interactive Plan -- but the fact is: the best plan around is the one you can stick with!

=======================

Greg -- don't know if this applies to you or not -- I spent some time on The Pete Plan. I was addicted to each week watching my times improve, but eventually the amount of effort required to beat or maintain my current pace/time became overwhelming. The knowledge of the pain involved in a 4x2k was finally enough to destroy my enthusiasm. I kept at it, though... until I was injured. Then I conveniently found excuses to take 'one more' recovery day... which eventually stretched to several months.

I like the PP a lot (and the WP), but in looking back over my times and my heart rate data I realize that my progress wasn't nearly as great as it seemed at the time. I was learning how to push myself to the absolute limit in terms of heart rate (and this decreased my times), but my steady-state pace wasn't getting faster.

In retrospect, what I needed was a lot of steady state to build up my base meters and my general fitness (I was a beginner, after all).

I recently read a study that claimed that many world-class athletes (cycling, rowing, running, x-country skiing) use a polarized training approach - with 80% of their training time spent at UT2 intensity and 20% well over AT. Amateur athletes on the other hand tend to push too hard on their 'easy' days and so can't push hard enough on their 'hard' days. They tend to spend much of their time in the 'black hole' zone where they get plenty tired, but their times don't improve much.

That describes me. When on the PP, my long rows were always too fast, so I didn't get enough recovery.

As I say, I don't know if this applies to you or not, but during this cycle I'm spending at least 80% of my time with a heart rate cap of 133 bpm. I'll let you know how it works for me.

Cheers,
zoot :fsbgrin:
Last edited by zootMutant on Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Beginners

Post by gregsmith01748 »

Zoot: I've read a lot of the same studies and I have to admit that I am massively confused by them. I tried a significantly polarized approach for about a year, with UT2 workouts alternating with hard "core" workouts, and my aerobic fitness declined significantly compared to when I was pushing my steady state workouts at more toward the UT1/AT boundary. The other thing that I have read is that HR is an imperfect indicator compared to something like lactate testing. I'm going to us the WP plan for the next few months and see where I get, then I might just spring for a lactate tester gizmo and give that a try. If nothing else, it will give help use my intellectual curiosity to keep me focused on working out (any trick that works, is a good trick!).
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Re: Beginners

Post by jolo »

Nice thread! Keep it going =D>

I feel like a newbie around here myself. So much has changed.
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

gregsmith01748 wrote:Zoot: I've read a lot of the same studies and I have to admit that I am massively confused by them. I tried a significantly polarized approach for about a year, with UT2 workouts alternating with hard "core" workouts, and my aerobic fitness declined significantly compared to when I was pushing my steady state workouts at more toward the UT1/AT boundary.
Very interesting. :-k

I'm just beginning this approach so I don't know how it's going to work out for me, but I'll keep you posted. There are many different training plans out there and I don't think there is a right or best plan for everybody.

And, yes, I am massively confused by them also -- many use the same words to mean different things. One study's 'Lactate Threshold' might be at the UT2/UT1 boundary and another's might be at the UT1/AT boundary. Sometimes they use 'Ventilatory Thresholds' instead. Very confusing.
gregsmith01748 wrote: The other thing that I have read is that HR is an imperfect indicator compared to something like lactate testing. I'm going to us the WP plan for the next few months and see where I get, then I might just spring for a lactate tester gizmo and give that a try. If nothing else, it will give help use my intellectual curiosity to keep me focused on working out (any trick that works, is a good trick!).
I am thinking of purchasing a lactate meter also (got one picked out, just haven't got around to it yet), as I'm massively curious. You might be interested in this thread on the Rowing Illustrated forum.

Definition of Steady State - (Rowing Illustrated 2011-2012)

It's long thread (13 pages) but very interesting. Of particular note are the comments by MChase (who is a high school rowing coach) and Mike Caviston (of the Wolverine Plan). MChase defines SS as a lactate of below 2 mmol. He has an extensive database of all his athlete's lactate tests and their improvement over time. Caviston, on the other hand, thinks lactate testing is not a good marker and individual testing and training histories are much better markers. :-k

My guess is that long, slow rows will be most beneficial to beginners (who lack the overall fitness and technique required for intensive intervals) and elite athletes (who are racking up massive meters and use the rows partly as recovery rows).

Could be wrong, though. :?
Last edited by zootMutant on Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Beginners

Post by gregsmith01748 »

I've spent a ton of time in that thread! I think that the guy who advocates for Lactate based training (MChase) seems like a very sensible guy with a seriously data driven approach. The only concern that I have is that his data is for young, strapping, growing high schoolers, not decrepit, old, fat master rowers like myself.

One insight that took me a while to process from my training buddies in Canada (Raoul, Mike, Larry, plus a few others), is the distinction between constant heart rate and constant wattage. In constant heart rate training, you start a bit fast to get into the training zone and then bleed off speed to keep your heart rate in the training zone. With constant wattage, you pick a pace that will result in hitting the top of your training zone by the last few minutes of the row and stick to a constant pace. I seem to do a lot better with the latter approach, better average splits, and more importantly a happier Greg. Slowing down as I row makes me feel like a total loser! I sure do wish I was more highly evolved so that didn't bug me, but it does.

What Lactate meter are you thinking of getting? The prices seem to be all over.
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

gregsmith01748 wrote:I've spent a ton of time in that thread! I think that the guy who advocates for Lactate based training (MChase) seems like a very sensible guy with a seriously data driven approach. The only concern that I have is that his data is for young, strapping, growing high schoolers, not decrepit, old, fat master rowers like myself.
Yep. I have the same concern. With kids that age, you might see improvement no matter what you do (physically, they change so much year over year). :-k
gregsmith01748 wrote: One insight that took me a while to process from my training buddies in Canada (Raoul, Mike, Larry, plus a few others), is the distinction between constant heart rate and constant wattage. In constant heart rate training, you start a bit fast to get into the training zone and then bleed off speed to keep your heart rate in the training zone. With constant wattage, you pick a pace that will result in hitting the top of your training zone by the last few minutes of the row and stick to a constant pace. I seem to do a lot better with the latter approach, better average splits, and more importantly a happier Greg. Slowing down as I row makes me feel like a total loser! I sure do wish I was more highly evolved so that didn't bug me, but it does.
I'm like you, I much prefer constant watt/pace training... with slight negative splits. 8)
gregsmith01748 wrote: What Lactate meter are you thinking of getting? The prices seem to be all over.
Thinking of the Lactate Plus with the single-use lancets (based on positive comments at the Rowing Illustrated website). :fsbgrin:
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Re: Beginners

Post by Thomas W-P »

I read Steve Redgrave's (5 rowing golds in 5 Olympics) autobiography. The one year he cheated on the long UT2 stuff in the winter he really struggled in the races that summer. So long UT2 stuff must mean something.

Also, I like your "just go out not to train" approach. I've picked up an allotment in the last year. And it is a nightmare. You leave it for a month, then go back and it is overwhelming. The new approach, inspired a book "the half hour allotment" is to go there every day for 30 minutes not to do much - just to potter around. Similar idea that I am hoping will pay dividends eventually. It is certainly less overwhelming when you know you will be there tomorrow and can finish off. Not sure that applies to rowing so much though :)
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Re: Beginners

Post by webberg »

I have to say that all training for middle distances (running, cycling, rowing) should be interval based if improvement is what you want.

After saying that I watched the younger Brownlee brother do the Madrid triathlon at the weekend. He ran the 10k in a shade over 30 minutes. :shock:

During the race the commentators said that he does ALL of his interval training at race pace. So he might do 10 x 1500 at around 6 minute miling.

Perhaps if I was 23, 9 stone wet through, been fell running since I was 10 and had an older brother who is passably good, I might do that as well!
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

gregsmith01748 wrote:Zoot: I tried a significantly polarized approach for about a year, with UT2 workouts alternating with hard "core" workouts, and my aerobic fitness declined significantly compared to when I was pushing my steady state workouts at more toward the UT1/AT boundary.
Thomas W-P wrote:I read Steve Redgrave's (5 rowing golds in 5 Olympics) autobiography. The one year he cheated on the long UT2 stuff in the winter he really struggled in the races that summer. So long UT2 stuff must mean something.
webberg wrote:I have to say that all training for middle distances (running, cycling, rowing) should be interval based if improvement is what you want.
A wide range of opinions. 8)

I think this underscores the point that different approaches work for different people. :!:

As a beginner, keep this in mind... if an approach doesn't seem to be working for you, don't be afraid to try something new. Also keep in mind that 'beginner' might refer to someone who has not exercised in the last 20 years... or it might refer to someone who has been competitively running marathons for years and is making a switch to rowing because of joint pain. Different beginning fitness; different knowledge of how hard they can train and how often. :fsbgrin:
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Re: Beginners

Post by gregsmith01748 »

I agree totally with Zoot!

There are lots of different training theories and plans. Almost all of the plans are similar at a basic level.
- Get on the machine 3 to 6 times per week and row.
- Keep track of your distances and times so you can track improvement
- Sometimes row fast, sometime row slow to keep it interesting and maintain progress

Beyond that, the key to success was trying out different training plans and ranking my progress on the concept2 website.

I think that the distinctions between different approaches matters a lot more once you have trained long enough to hit a plateau in progress and start t o look for ways to break through.
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Re: Beginners

Post by hewitt »

gregsmith01748 wrote: I think that the distinctions between different approaches matters a lot more once you have trained long enough to hit a plateau in progress and start t o look for ways to break through.
You will not need to wait to hit a plateau in your training because the very first time you get ill you will take 3 massive steps backwards, as the intensity of the sport needs you to be on top form all the time. But unfortunately we are all human and we get ill and injured from time to time.
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

hewitt wrote:
gregsmith01748 wrote: I think that the distinctions between different approaches matters a lot more once you have trained long enough to hit a plateau in progress and start t o look for ways to break through.
You will not need to wait to hit a plateau in your training because the very first time you get ill you will take 3 massive steps backwards, as the intensity of the sport needs you to be on top form all the time. But unfortunately we are all human and we get ill and injured from time to time.
So true. :evil:
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Re: Beginners

Post by millie »

greg / zoot - Interested in the lactate testing / meter discussion and I read the thread in rowingillustrated you linked to zoot - very interesting. As someone who does a lot more interval type training than most people, I haven't given a whole lot of thought (probably erronously!) to the intensity one should do SS at etc..

How in practice is lactate testing carried out? I got the impression from the thread that it is done whilst the rower is rowing, which allows the coach to tell the rower to ease up a bit or increase the pace a bit? How personal are lactate levels? Would there be e.g. a 2 mmol limit for all rowers for SS work or would it depend on the individual (like heart rate) e.g. some people it would be 1.8, others 2.2 because of their differential tolerance / physiology?

I can understand how this would be useful for the coach to tell more accurately than heart rate what intensity the SS should be done at - but how else would the testing be used? e.g. if doing intervals would the rower be tested after each interval and know that if levels got to e.g. 5 mmol (I'm making these units up as I don't know what typical ranges would be) that they should take the next interval easier as they won't finish the set otherwise? Or is it also used to see progress e.g. test lactate levels after an interval session and see the average pace / lactate level and then I guess over time the idea is that the rower can sustain the same pace but with a lower lactate level being reached??
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Re: Beginners

Post by plummy »

There's a risk that all the talk about "lactate testing" (which is definitely not "beginner" related) is going to pull this thread away from where I believe it is intended - it maybe worth starting or finding another thread for that area (sorry - wearing my my moderator hat this morning)
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Re: Beginners

Post by gregsmith01748 »

Great idea. I'll do that.
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

Good idea, thanks Dave.
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Re: Beginners

Post by Liefcat »

Very interesting thread, Zoot :!: :D I like the idea of every question being "permitted" - when you have been "here" for some time you can get some fixed ideas on certain subjects - so it can be very enlightening to try to see with the beginner´s mind :!: :idea:

Very good answers and posts you have come up with, sofar :!: =D> =D> Especially the post about goal setting I find very informative :!: :D

And as you more or less started out in your first post - it´s interesting to reflect on "what in the h... are we doing here :?: " :lol: :lol:
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Re: Beginners

Post by Rodger »

Thanks Zoot, for this great thread. =D>
And other contributors too, of course. I took the opportunity to post my beginner musings and doubts in this thread.

After months of inactivity I have started a new rowing routine this week. Well, I'll do my best to make it routine anyway. ](*,)

Some of the pointers here as well as some other stuff I've been reading, made me decide that rowing before going to work, before breakfast even, is my best shot at ingraining the rowing exercise in my system. From what I've read it should also be a good way to burn some fat, which feels a lot more urgent now that I'm recently diagnosed to be in a state of prediabetes. :roll:

I'm a 41 yo male, 88 kgs and 1.77m. My main goal is reducing waist circumference from my current 108 cm to less than 102 cm (40"), which is considered to be some line between moderate risk and higher risk groups. However I'm not sure what time frame I should be thinking of to get there, as most of the discourse is focussed on weight loss and not so much on waist reduction. Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this :?:
In the long run I should be aiming for a waist below 94 cm (37"), which is considered to be healthy for a male, but that's too far off to realistically set as a goal right now. There are plenty of vague side-goals of course: better general health and fitness, esp. stamina, feeling stronger, more confident etc.

Obviously, to reach these goals, I have to watch what I eat and drink, too. I'm not going on a diet but I try to chose healthier alternatives to fatty, sugary and salty foods. No crisps or candy. Snacking means eating carrots, melon parts or some nuts. I'm not ready to give up the one or two beers I drink at night, though. 8) :oops: 8)

I'm using a (so called) weight control training plan, consisting of 5 rowing sessions per week at UT2 and 18-20 spm, with a slow build-up and alternating easy, medium and hard weeks. Total erg time in minutes per week is:
3 weeks phase 1: 80 - 90 - 110 mins
3 weeks phase 2: 125 - 150 - 170 mins
3 weeks phase 3: 180 - 220 - 260 mins
3 weeks phase 4: 260 - 350 - 365 mins

According to the plan, phases 3 and 4 should be attempted only after consulting a doctor. That seems a bit unnecessary, although that last phase looks daunting to me. The last session of the last week is a 90 min row. I have never done any rowing as long as that. I sure don't want to eat breakfast first, as that would make my morning routine much longer, but I could eat a banana or something before doing the longer sessions. Any thoughts on this? :?:

Right now (in week 1) the sessions are short, but I wonder if it's really healthy to exercise on an empty stomach for longer sessions. I probably should mention that I suffer from Crohn's (inflammatory bowel) disease, which also means it's important for me not to leave the bowel system inactive for too long. (Must remember to ask my doctor about training before breakfast next time I see him.)

As I have only just started this plan this week, I'm pretty motivated right now. But I do fear a big motivation drop in the next weeks. I have done some reading on these subjects, but I'm not all that knowledgeable about all things concerning fitness and health, so if I'm making some beginner mistakes in my thinking here, please feel welcome to steer me in the right direction. :)
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Re: Beginners

Post by strider77 »

Rodger,

Firstly well done on taking the first steps to get in shape.

As you have Crohn's disease it might be an idea to check with your Doctor about when to erg relative to meals.

Personally I prefer to erg on an empty stomach as I tend to throw up if I erg within 3-4 hours of a meal :oops:

I think a gradual increase in UT2 work and then UT1 over a matter of months will help shift the weight with a nutritrious diet that meets your Crohn's parameters -the best diet is fruit, veg and organic meat, fish and poultry with no processed foods.

If its in a can or a box it's probably not too good for you.

One thing that worries me a little and please tell me to mind my own business :oops: is your consumption of beer with Crohn's, its a known irritant to the bowel.

I am 61 yo. was 17 stone, 42 in waist just over 6 years ago, my main problem was the ingestion of liquid calories-alcohol.

I stopped drinking completely for a year and with erging 5-6 days a week my weight went down to 13 and a half stone and my waist to 33 ins.

I have consolidated around 14 stone and 36 ins waist and drink a few beers or a few glasses of wine now, but I would say that is where you need to start-its tough love but it will work.

As I say its your choice and please feel free to ignore this :D

I wish you all the best with losing weight and getting in shape :D

There are plenty here with great experience and advice probably far greater than mine who I am sure will add their own pennyworth :D
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

Well met Rodger,

A couple of observations...

First, congratulations on your new health plan! You've taken a very important first step and I wish you the best of luck in sticking with it! =D> =D> =D>

1. The 'best' time to row, by far, is whenever you can build it into a routine. On days when I work from home (and weekends), I like to row in the mornings, about 1-1/2 hours after a light breakfast... but when I am in the field I have to leave the house by 4:30... so if I were to row in the morning I'd have to get up at 2:00. :shock: Not very likely.

2. The 'best' time to eat is whenever your body needs it. I don't know the specifics of Crohn's disease, but for most people it doesn't really matter if they eat before or after rowing. There is some medical evidence that eating before rowing slightly raises your metabolic rate above where it would have been if you'd eaten after rowing... but I think of this as 'advanced' nutrition, i.e., something to think about after the most important elements of a health plan have become routine.

The most important elements are:
a. exercising
b. eating a balanced diet
c. getting enough calories to avoid 'starvation' mode
d. getting enough carbohydrate to avoid glycogen depletion
e. getting enough protein to avoid muscle loss

3. Most exercise/nutrition plans focus on 'weight loss' rather than 'body fat loss' because it is easier to measure. But you are right, weight is not important. The composition of your body is (i.e., your %body fat). An easy indicator of %body fat is waist circumference.

In my case I have found that I can reduce my %body fat by about 0.5-1.0% per month. This translates into 1/8" to 1/2" waist reduction per month (and 1.0 pounds per week). My current goal is to reduce my body fat from 26% to 18%. I expect this to take 16 months.

For me to achieve that rate, however, I need to:
1. eat a balanced diet with the minimum RDA of vitamins and minerals
2. maintain caloric intake above my resting metabolic rate, and
3. use exercise to create a caloric deficit of around 600-700 calories per day
4. exercise 5-6 days per week
5. exercise 5-9 hours per week
6. keep my diet around 20% fat, 100-150 grams of protein, and the remainder carbohydrate

If I don't stick with those goals, I still make progress, but my rate of improvement slows down.
Rodger wrote:I'm using a (so called) weight control training plan, consisting of 5 rowing sessions per week at UT2 and 18-20 spm, with a slow build-up and alternating easy, medium and hard weeks. Total erg time in minutes per week is:
3 weeks phase 1: 80 - 90 - 110 mins
3 weeks phase 2: 125 - 150 - 170 mins
3 weeks phase 3: 180 - 220 - 260 mins
3 weeks phase 4: 260 - 3
I think your plan is a very good one with a nice, gradual increase in duration. I know 90 minutes seems a long time, but remember, by the time you attempt that row, you will have been rowing consistently for 12 weeks! That is a long time for a beginner! You will be much, much stronger by then. You will notice significant improvement by the 6th week and by the 12th week you'll feel 5-10 years younger. At least I did.
Rodger wrote:I sure don't want to eat breakfast first, as that would make my morning routine much longer, but I could eat a banana or something before doing the longer sessions. Any thoughts on this?
I find it hard to eat while rowing (unlike cycling where it never seemed a problem). How about a banana just before starting? Or maybe a sports drink while rowing? Once you have a few 60 min rows under your belt, you'll be better able to decide. You may find that 90 min before breakfast is no problem at all. :P

Hope this helps... and please let us know how you're getting on by posting in the What Training Have Free Spirits Been Doing Today

Cheers,
zoot

=================

EDIT - Also, keep in mind that initial progress may be slow. As you become fitter, you will be able to exercise harder and longer. Initially, no matter how slowly you exercise a large proportion of your burnt calories will be sugar. As you get in shape your body creates more fat-burning enzymes and it becomes better at utilizing fat as a fuel source. You become a Better Butter Burner. :fsbgrin:

How fast should you go? As you row, periodically sing (out loud)

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the steam,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream


If you can get all the way to 'dream' without taking a breath, you're not rowing hard enough. If you can't get past the 3rd 'row' you are rowing too hard (for a beginner). You should be able to get somewhere between 'boat' and 'stream'.
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Re: Beginners

Post by Rodger »

Thanks strider and zoot, for your kind and helpful replies!
strider77 wrote:I think a gradual increase in UT2 work and then UT1 over a matter of months will help shift the weight
To be honest, I don't use a heart metre, so I'm not sure if I'm rowing at UT1 or UT2. But I'm capping the spm to 18-20 and rowing in the morning without warming-up means I start really slow. Towards the end I am sweating a bit and breathing faster, so I assume I'm doing UT1 by that time.
strider77 wrote:One thing that worries me a little and please tell me to mind my own business is your consumption of beer with Crohn's, its a known irritant to the bowel.
I don't mind at all. I appreciate your straightforwardness. I wanted to be honest about my (modest) alcohol consumption myself, because I know that's one of the main factors for overweightness and unhealthy life in general.
As regarding to Crohn's, for me alcohol only seems to be an irritant to the bowel when I use lots of it, and that only occurs a couple of times per year these days. :roll:
strider77 wrote:I stopped drinking completely for a year and with erging 5-6 days a week my weight went down to 13 and a half stone and my waist to 33 ins.
That is really impressive.
My association of beer with the good life is still a bit too strong. However, today at the shops, I bought alcohol-free beer instead of the usual stuff. That's what you've done to me already :) But it's not part of the big plan just yet.
zootMutant wrote:In my case I have found that I can reduce my %body fat by about 0.5-1.0% per month. This translates into 1/8" to 1/2" waist reduction per month (and 1.0 pounds per week). My current goal is to reduce my body fat from 26% to 18%. I expect this to take 16 months.
Hmm, so perhaps so much as 1 cm waist reduction per month might be a realistic goal for me. I will have to read up on this subject to get a better understanding of this.
Best of success with your goal!
zootMutant wrote:How fast should you go? As you row, periodically sing (out loud)

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the steam,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream
I'm afraid I'm going to have to change the melody and/or lyrics of that song. Someone might hear me and call the asylum. :-s
zootMutant wrote:EDIT - Also, keep in mind that initial progress may be slow. As you become fitter, you will be able to exercise harder and longer. Initially, no matter how slowly you exercise a large proportion of your burnt calories will be sugar. As you get in shape your body creates more fat-burning enzymes and it becomes better at utilizing fat as a fuel source. You become a Better Butter Burner.
I didn't know this. I thought it was the other way around: your body gets used to the exercise and more efficient at rowing, resulting in the burning of less calories. Good to know.

Thanks again,
Rodger
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zootMutant
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Re: Beginners

Post by zootMutant »

Rodger wrote:
zootMutant wrote: EDIT - Also, keep in mind that initial progress may be slow. As you become fitter, you will be able to exercise harder and longer. Initially, no matter how slowly you exercise a large proportion of your burnt calories will be sugar. As you get in shape your body creates more fat-burning enzymes and it becomes better at utilizing fat as a fuel source. You become a Better Butter Burner.
I didn't know this. I thought it was the other way around: your body gets used to the exercise and more efficient at rowing, resulting in the burning of less calories. Good to know.
Er... that, too. :oops:

As you become more efficient with any exercise you will burn fewer calories at the same intensity. To keep improving, you need to keep increasing the intensity or duration or frequency of your workouts.

Biochemistry is very complex and it is hard to simplify... I may have lead you astray. There is much debate about whether (for fat loss) you should exercise short & hard or long & slow. I think such debates miss the mark. The important thing is to exercise and not worry about the nitty-gritty so much. The first 12-weeks should certainly be slow, gradually building in intensity and duration. But after that? Try different approaches and choose whatever will motivate you to continue exercising. You may find you enjoy racing. You may find you enjoy long, slowish rows on RowPro. Whatever. Just find something you enjoy and you'll be much more likely to stick with it.

But getting back to the nitty-gritty... my favorite metaphor describes the fat-burning enzymes in your body as being like union workers. If you push them too hard, they'll go on strike and you're left with sugar (glycogen) burning (anaerobic/low oxygen state). The trick is too push them just hard enough that they continue to work but are very unhappy about it. Then they'll call the union hall and demand more enzymes be sent out. Then you can ramp up the exercise load to where they're unhappy again.

The easiest way to measure the correct intensity (without a heart monitor or lactate testing) is by doing the talk test above. (Fell free to choose your own lyrics or melody :lol: )

Cheers,
zoot
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Re: Beginners

Post by strider77 »

Rodger,

Good luck with your new regime, I think if you get into a "healthy" habit of eating and exercise it will become second nature, almost automatic so you do not even have to think about it, that's when you will get the real benefit.

Don't get too hung up on weighing yourself every day, its all about moving averages, your weight will go down over time if you put less in your mouth and do more in terms of exercise, its a simple equation.

Oh and keep letting us know how its going, we will keep you honest :D :lol:
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Re: Beginners

Post by Rodger »

zootMutant wrote:but for most people it doesn't really matter if they eat before or after rowing. There is some medical evidence that eating before rowing slightly raises your metabolic rate above where it would have been if you'd eaten after rowing... but I think of this as 'advanced' nutrition, i.e., something to think about after the most important elements of a health plan have become routine.
I see statements going around the internet of people saying that exercising on an empty stomach makes you burn 20% more calories than if you'd eaten breakfast, which seems a lot to me. So, there is no actual evidence for that?
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Re: Beginners

Post by Daz »

Not read this thread yet, but the first post is quite possibly the best post I have read for the entire history of the interwebz.

I will look and see if I can subscribe to this thread, I sense it is going to be superb.

Thank you zoot for such a brilliant and welcoming post/thread, exactly what I have been looking for. =D> ^O^
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