The Pete Plan etc

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Stan
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The Pete Plan etc

Post by Stan »

I have added links to useful pages for people intending to try the PP. Thomas.

The Original Pete Plan on the Concept2 forum

The Pete Plan 2007

The Official Pete Plan blog

This year my goal is to enter a few races and to that end I realised that I needed a more structured training plan ( as opposed to no structure at all !). I looked at several plans but decided on the Pete plan as I liked the mix of intervals and distance.
I also know that several other people have expressed an interest in this plan and how it goes and others are using the C2 plan. I would like to use this thread to report on training sessions and results and maybe compare notes with others on this plan. A similar thread by those on the C2 plan would be great as well in order to compare results.

I did my first session today which was 8x500. First mistake was not knowing how to pace it so I was too conservative at 2k pb +4. Alistair tells me it should have been 2k -3 :shock: Well I will just have to try that next time. Lesson of the day - do your research properly !
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Post by mark88man »

Stan - I did the PP for 3 months last year and really enjoyed it - although rather than a weekly 6 sessions, I just did the sessions in order when I got a chance and that worked quie well.

If you read the C2 forum PP you will find plenty of collateral about pacing - search the thread for "machars" as there is a website link with a full spreadsheet on a URL containing that

good luck - I will probably join you in June/July - this month is going to be restricted rate eg 6kr24 and 30'r20 to try and build my stroke power a little
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Post by Spamuel »

I too am a disciple of Pete. Really like it and having used the C2 plan previously I find I get on much better with Pete.

Been doing it for two months now and have made steady improvements. just starting my third lap and which is proving to be a real test but I am just managing it.
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Post by garyn »

I'm on the PP too and post quite regularly on the C2 thread. I find that the structure helps rather than turning up on the erg thinking what shall it be today.

With the intervals its also difficult when starting to determine what the ideal time is but you can always speed it up the next time, the thing is that you should finish with relatively consistent times and still be able to really push the last rep.
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Post by Stan »

Day 4 of the Pete plan today which was 5x1500 with 5 minute rests. This time I did my reading up properly and the aim was 5k pb -1 pace which meant 1:55.
Results:
5:46.3 (1:55.4) Max HR 153
5:46.5 (1:55.5) Max HR 156
5:46.1 (1:55.4) Max HR 158
5:45.9 (1:55.3) Max HR 160
5:44.2 (1:54.7) Max HR 165

Overall average pace 1:55.3 so thats my target for next time I do this session. This was a hard session - especially the last one. It felt like I was really pushing myself and I am sure it will yield benefits.
Steady 8-15k tomorrow followed by hard 10k on Sunday - then I get a day off :D
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Post by Paul Victory »

Hi Stan

I've also decided I'm going to give the Pete Plan a go. It may be another week or so before I start doing it properly (I'm still seeing a physio), but I need to do something other than my current random/ad hoc/whatever I feel like today approach.

I look forward to comparing notes (and lots of new PBs).

Paul
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Post by Derrylad »

Stan: Nice that a few others are doing this as well. I started this on Monday also.

Did the 8 x 500 - Which I hated, averaged about 1:34.2
The Tues and Wed sessions I have increased to 20k at a 1:58 split ( which I will continue as I prefer the longer sessions )
Did not get the Thursday or Friday sessions in ( bit cheesed off - but what can you do when your kids are sick. )
If I get to row tomorrow I will just do the hard 10k like yourself.
Sunday I will do a 15k at about 1:58.

Monday is 4x 1k with 5 min rest and you know all the others. I will also post my interval times as a comparison. Be interesting as sprints are my real downfall. ( so am dreading Thursday with 4 x 2k )

I took the liberty of setting all the intervals up on Rowpro so I can just select the custom session and go for it. Rowpro is really handy for this.

Look forward to hearing from others.

Rob
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Post by Stan »

Thanks for the input Paul and Rob - look forward to swapping notes/ sob stories etc on this :lol: :D
Steady 1 hour row today and did 14300 with an average heart rate of 130 - just pushed it a bit towards the end and reached 142. All out 10k tomorrow - should be fun :roll:
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Post by alistairkbs »

Just to establish some sort of ball park pace I did the 8x500 set this afternoon.

Result:

01:52.0 - 28spm
01:52.0 - 28 spm
01:50.0 - 29 spm
01:49.4 - 30 spm
01:48.8 - 30 spm
01:49.0 - 30 spm
01:49.6 - 30 spm
01:49.3 - 30 spm

Average: 1.49.9
Last time round I did this in January I managed 1.51.4.
Have not done any fast stuff since bar CTC 10 x 250 so quite pleased with that.

For the record the best I managed the sessions

8 x 500 1.51.2
4 x 1000 1.55.7 (dont know how never came close again)
250/500/750 etc 1.53.3
4 x 2K 2.00.9
5 x 1500 1.58.7
3/2.5/2 2.00.9

Current 2K 1.55.6

After a while it gets tough to continue to improve although some on the C2 site just keep on getting quicker.
Toughest ones for me are the 4 x 1000 and the 4 x 2K

Looking forward to getting back to this.

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Post by Stan »

Good rowing Alistair - definitely shows I was taking it too easy in my 8x500 session earlier this week.
Day 6 today and this was the hard 10k. Well I suppose it was 94% successful. Was going very well at an average 2:00.3 split with about 600 to go and poised to sprint for home and a new pb when a sudden feeling of nausea seemed to spread from thighs (!!) and through my stomach and I had to stop while retching. Lost about 20 seconds and finished in 40:19.7 - 2:01 average. Very disappointed but it was still a hard row and from that stand point a successful one. I will be trying again next week. In the meantime - a rest day tomorrow :D
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Post by alistairkbs »

Hard luck there Stan.

Hope its nothing serious.

I used the hard 10K session last time to rotate PB efforts between 5K and HM. This time round I want to focus on the 10K and get it down towards 40 mins.
Enjoy the day off and dont go too hard on the steady distance days. I do them at 10K +5-7 pace as per C2 thread. When I did them harder than that it all got very tiring.
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Post by Paul Victory »

I have some questions about the Pete Plan.

I know it's only a guideline and presumably anyone using it can vary it as they see fit, but I would like to try following it as closely as possible for a while, just to see what kind of results I get from it.

The total distance is between 44k and 67k a week, depending on how far you go on your steady distance rows and which intervals you do on the Thursday. There is nothing stated about warm up or cool down, but I presume these must be required in addition to the various sessions (although maybe not necessary on the days you are doing the steady rows).

My questions are as follows:

1. Does anyone have any strong views on whether it's OK/advisable for the warm up and cool down to be done on the erg, or should you be aiming to use something else (bike, treadmill, etc.)?

2. Are there any guidelines about pace and/or HR for the various sessions?

Thanks

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Post by alistairkbs »

Paul

The Pete Plan is pace based. HR does not come into it.

Pete Marston recommeneds warm up for the interval sessions (which i do on the erg) but not for the steady distance sessions where you can usually pull the split downn over the course of the row.

My understanding of the guide paces are as follwos (there is always slight variation from individual to individual)

8 x 500 2K -2/3
250/500/750 "less than 2K" neevr seen it defined
4 x 1K 2K +3 improving to 2K +1

4 x 2K 2K +5-7 (around 5K pace)
5 x 1500 2K +5-7 (around 5K pace)
3/2.5/2 2K +5-7 (around 5K pace)

steady distance = 10K pace + 5-7 seconds.


Once you have done the interval sessions once you have a traget pace for next time around and it soon settles down but the idea is to choose a pace initially that you know you can finish the set. It soon gets quite painful but it ceratinly improves you.

The thread on the main C2 site is now long but has a lot of information

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Post by Paul Victory »

Thanks Alistair

I presume the hard 10k should be done as a PB attempt or should it be a second or two slower?

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Post by alistairkbs »

Hard 10K is a PB attempt.

I used that session to rotate 5K,6K,30 mins,10K, 60 mins and HM thinking that as i improved Id have a genuine chance every 6 weeks of a PB. This time I want to bring the 10K doen to 40 mins or below.
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Post by Stan »

I agree with Alastairs assessment of pace. The only thing I would note is that the steady distances in the original Pete plan were about 3 seconds below pb pace whereas it has been modified in the PP07 to 5-7.
While Pete does not believe in heart rate sessions, I think that heart rate can be used to ensure you recover between the interval sessions. For example day 1 this week was 8x500 followed on day 2 by a steady row. However on day 2 I did a very hard 6k@24 which while it was not a pb by a minute, my heart rate went over 150 which is AT for me. For this reason my 10k on day 3 was at pb+7 rather than pb+3 - this kept my HR below the 135 70% maximum recommended in other plans. The thread on main C2 site emphasises that the pace for the steady rows should enable you to recover to do the interval sessions.
I like Alastairs idea of using the 10k pb days for pbs at other distances from 5k to HM - particularly as the following day is a rest day. I dont think I would go further than HM though as they need more than a day to recover from - unless your name is Max of course :lol: :wink:
Warmups should be done for the interval sessions which I do as 10 to 15 minute rows but there is no reason why it has to be. To me they are a way of squeezing some extra metres out to help us get back to Earth where I am sure I have left the bathroom light on :lol:
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Post by alistairkbs »

Stan wrote:I agree with Alastairs assessment of pace. The only thing I would note is that the steady distances in the original Pete plan were about 3 seconds below pb pace whereas it has been modified in the PP07 to 5-7.
I found doing the steady distance at PB + 3 to be pretty tiring and was close to a full on work out. The more "relaxed" PP07 regime is easier to achieve.

Interesting commenst on heart rate. i only get up to 148-150 max and the intervals sessions always end up in the 140's , the steady distance I try and keep in 130-135 - so I do use HR a bit :lol: :lol:
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the Pete Plan

Post by Tricia B »

I took some time this weekend to summarize the "Pete Plan" with help from Stan who helped me find it....so thought maybe others would like to give it a go.....I consolidate some of the tips Pete has given to other rowers and included the initial plan he offered in the C2 UK forum.

Here it is:

The Pete Plan, by Pete Marston

Apart from those at their physical peak, this plan is a good training tool for anyone who needs periodic training to achieve a higher level of proficiency. The plan is continuous and progressive. If followed properly you are always rowing faster today than you were yesterday. It requires an effort to push your limits incrementally each day and maintaining detailed records of your sessions so that you are able to track your pace targets.

Warm-ups are inversely proportional to the intensity of the session. For steady (not flat out) distance work, Pete does not warm up. For interval training up to 8 x 500m, Pete rows a 2-3k warm up.

The Plan:

Monday ~ Speed Intervals; 3 weekly rotations between:
• 8 x 500m, 3:30 rest
• 4 x 1k, 5:00 rest
• 250m, 1:30 rest
500m, 3:00 rest
750m, 4:30 rest
1k, 6:00 rest
750m, 4:30 rest
500m, 3:00 rest
250m, 1:30 rest

Tuesday ~ Steady distance 8-15k

Wednesday ~ Steady distance 8-15k

Thursday ~ Distance Intervals: 3 weekly rotations between:
• 5 x 1500m, 5:00 rest
• 4 x 2k, 5:00 rest
• 3k/2.5k/2k, 5:00 rest

Friday ~ Steady distance 8-15k

Saturday ~ Hard 10k

Sunday ~ rest


Tips:

1. Interval Sessions

First time on any interval session, pick a pace you are sure you can achieve. Then do all but the last rep at that pace. Do the last rep as fast as you can. Then average the pace over all the reps. Next time you do that session do all but the last rep at the average pace you did last time, and again the last rep as fast as possible. Repeat. The only exception to this is in the sprint pyramid (250/500/750/1000/750/500/250) where you keep to the target pace for the first four only and increase the pace through the last three reps. (Ed.)

If you are not used to intensity training, do not begin with a 100% effort, ease into the intensity and stick to alternating easy day/hard day and increase intensity as you feel able.

This way it takes a few weeks to reach a higher standard at which you can row. You should never fail to finish a session up to the last rep because you are only rowing at a pace you went at the last time this session was performed. Attaining this improved pace indicates improved fitness.

Rests on all the interval sessions should be total rest. Whether active or inactive or a combination is really a personal preference. For the longer intervals when the rest is 5 minutes, do a couple of minutes active, then stop for a drink dry off then maybe row a little more before the start of the next interval. On 500’s it depends how hard you are rowing, get up between reps or just row slowly, or just gasp for breath.

2. Intensity/Pacing

For the steady distance pieces, that does not mean easy. Judge the pace in regard to the distance; how you feel that day as to whether it needs to be hard or easy. Aim for those 3 sessions for an average distance of 10k or just over. For those use to longer distances, lengthier rows may be performed.

Another factor to use in determining intensity, a rule of thumb for distances between 8 and 12k, doing them 3-5 seconds slower than your 10k pb is a good pace to achieve, faster if you are feeling good on that day.

3. Pre-training for a 2k

When attempting a 2k pb or preparing for a race day, if you find it hard to get the spm rate up, do a few high rate, short distance reps in the days before the event. If you find it hard to put power into the stroke, do a low spm workout a few days before.


I'm starting the plan today.....

Tricia
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Post by alistairkbs »

Tricia

That is a brillaint summary of the plan.

Ill be starting a week on Wednesday - flying to Denver for a meeting tomorrow.

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Re: the Pete Plan

Post by Paul Victory »

Tricia B wrote: Rests on all the interval sessions should be total rest. Whether active or inactive or a combination is really a personal preference. For the longer intervals when the rest is 5 minutes, do a couple of minutes active, then stop for a drink dry off then maybe row a little more before the start of the next interval. On 500’s it depends how hard you are rowing, get up between reps or just row slowly, or just gasp for breath.
Hi Tricia

Many thanks for compiling the summary - that's really helpful and I think it pretty much answers all the questions I had.

The one query I have remaining is about the bit in quotes above. He suggests total rest and then says that it can be active or inactive. This appears a bit contradictory. Does he mean that it's OK to keep rowing during the rest intervals provided you do so at a really slow pace or am I missing the point altogether?

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Re: the Pete Plan

Post by Tricia B »

Paul Victory wrote:
Tricia B wrote: The one query I have remaining is about the bit in quotes above. He suggests total rest and then says that it can be active or inactive. This appears a bit contradictory. Does he mean that it's OK to keep rowing during the rest intervals provided you do so at a really slow pace or am I missing the point altogether?

Paul
Hi Paul and Alistair,

I am glad you and Alistair like the summary....I had to put it in a form that I could use and thought others could benefit also....so am happy you like it...

Paul...as for your question about the rest periods, I think Pete does mean it's ok to row slowly...for an active rest....I know from my experience, and from other sources that I have read, its important not to just complete stop when your heart rate is pressing the higher limits....so, the slow rowing is good and getting up and walking about is great too for an "active" rest.

I did the 8x500's today and found that the 3 1/2 minute rests between sets 1 and 7 were too long....my heart rate dropped down in about a minute...it wasn't til I added another 6 sets (with set 3 and 6 at 90% MHR) that I needed the 3 1/2 minutes.

When I do my long rows (10K-15K +) at 60-75% MHR, I find that my most effective rest periods are when I walk a bit then actually lie down (the totally inactive rest). Rowing at home, I have set up a hammock kind of cot...just a 3 minute rest totally relaxed, refreshs me the quickest. Then I'm set to go for another long round.... Yoga has helped me learn how to achieve a resting state pretty quickly.

I hope this helps.....

Tricia
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Re: the Pete Plan

Post by Paul Victory »

Tricia B wrote:I did the 8x500's today and found that the 3 1/2 minute rests between sets 1 and 7 were too long....my heart rate dropped down in about a minute...it wasn't til I added another 6 sets (with set 3 and 6 at 90% MHR) that I needed the 3 1/2 minutes.
Thanks Tricia

It seemed to me that 3 1/2 minutes was quite long, but a mixture of active and inactive rest during the intervals will probably make it work.

Putting that to one side; you did 14 intervals today? Wow! =D> ^O^

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Post by garyn »

I found the 3:30 rest on the first few reps to be on the long side but towards the end were ideal. Again a combo of inactive and active resting helped pass the time.

Saying that the last time I attempted 8 * 500 I dropped the rest down to 3:00
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Post by JanetS »

For those that like to see things graphically there's a 'calendar style' Pete Plan at : http://www.machars.net/peteplan.htm My understanding is that the 2k paces listed there are just a rough guide to where you might try starting, once on the plan the last session repeat dictates the target for the next.
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Post by johnglynn »

Nice graph Janet
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