What Was Your Work Out Today?

Pretty much recovery today. 30 minutes (really light Drag factor) on the rower and then 25 on the LateralX. All under 70% max HR.

Leg day. I took it easy, as I was shattered, squatting 80 kgs for 2 sets of 8; and deadlifting 100 kgs for 1 set of 10.

60 min's cardio

Trying to shred some weight, my BMI is 32.

Yesterday I did 3km cycling and 45min Beat Saber in VR.
Today I will need to do 8km cycling and add 30min of Beat Saber.
I always try to get about 500 to 600kcal of exercise in.

The only cardio sport I enjoy is swimming, but pools are still closed. So trying to use the bike for groceries shopping instead of the car (and despite the weather lol), plus having some fun in VR fitness games.

drmwc wrote: »

I had heart surgery this morning. I am not dead, which is good . The recommendation is two weeks off vigorous exercise. My logging here is likely to tail off over that period.

Man Matt, that's pretty serious stuff! I hope you're feeling better soon!

drmwc wrote: »

I had heart surgery this morning. I am not dead, which is good . The recommendation is two weeks off vigorous exercise. My logging here is likely to tail off over that period.

Wishing you a speedy and smooth recovery: Betting you'll be back here stronger than ever, once medically cleared for your usual challenging exercise schedule!

Hang in there, I know that recovery period can be tough, without the usual routine . . . but so important! 🙂

3 mile run, 4 one-minute forearm planks, 50 dumbbell arm curls 5 pounds

Today
40 minute walk
kinesis chest press
Seated rows
kinesis incline press
High pull
Lateral raises
Tricep pushdowns
Cable curls

Tomorrow
Morning walk - Probably somewhere between 30 min to an hour.
Deadlifts
Leg press
Leg curls
Calf raises
Abs

C2 rower, 8854m. Still focusing on posture and holding arms/back unmoving right after the catch, but just for fun decided to see if I could hold not only <70% HR reserve, but also a consistent 2:35 average split. Answer, amusingly: Not quite. First and 3rd pieces spot on 2:35, 2nd and 4th flipped on the last stroke to 2:34.9 - total time for the four 2k pieces differed by only one tenth of a second. 😆 (What is this split consistency good for? Nothing, AFAIK!)

MikePfirrman wrote: »

(snippety)

What I'm finding out is that lower drag factors force you to go quickly and have actually helped me to maintain better form (some of the same things Ann is working on). SR on this one was around 31 average, very fast for me.

That's interesting! I sometimes go to higher DF for specific drills, but pretty much never go to lower ones than my basic setting. (I'm sure that's partly because my basic setting is pretty low 😆, though that's reasonably common for on-water rowers of my age/weight class.) I should try low DF one of these times, and see what technical effect it has for me.

Thanks Mike and Ann!

I feel fine. The operation was to close a hole in my heart - it should make sure scuba dives less risky. It is keyhole surgery - they inserted the device into the groin, and manipulated it into place through a vein.

The main risk, which is the primary reason for avoiding exercise, seems to be bleeding from the entry point to the groin.

Yoga...

100 Fwd Jump Rope
500 Meter Row
15 KBell Swing
15 Pull-ups
40 Hanging Leg Raises
40 Hanging Knee Tucks

3 x 8
Shrugs
Mil Press
T Bar Row
Rear Delts
Lat Pulls
Front Raises
Iso Pulldowns
Lateral Raises
V Bar Pulldowns
Upright Row
Wide Grip Low Row
Rope to Face

Nifty 50 Abs
Situps/Flutter Kicks/Rower/Knee Tucks/Crunches/Supine Bike/Banded Crunches/Banded Wood Choppers/Mtn Climbers/Heel Taps

Another 8788m on the C2 rowerg. Today was my marathon once every 3-4 weeks Covid-era multi-stop grocery rounds, so I really wasn't feeling the workout when I got home and got everything put away. Therefore, I kept it simple: Stay under 70% HR reserve (went over for 7 seconds!), under 2:40 split, over 10m per stroke on average, again focus on unmoving upper body during first part of the drive.

MikePfirrman wrote: »

Did an hour fairly easy today. Nearly all of it 70% of HR max or under. 30 minutes on the rower @ 2:30 pace, then 30 on the Assault Bike.

@AnnPT77 - I suspect that me going faster (in terms of SR, not pace) improves my form because my form was suspect (compared to yours) to begin with. I tend to overslide, overreach and even curve the back. When I lower the drag, I shorten the strokes to a more appropriate length and don't extend back too far, relying on engaging my abs (not the pull of the chain) to stop the drive and start the recovery. Also, without the leg fatigue, I'm able to concentrate more on quick, crisp strokes. I'm ever so gradually increasing drag, but nothing like some guys my weight use.

Believe me, my form is not all that fab - coaches always do find something for me to work on! 😉 You're hearing a lot from me lately about technical points: It's easier to focus on basic technical elements of the stroke cycle during machine rowing season, without the distractions of bladework, balance, synchronizing with the other rower(s), and (in my case) steering.

As you know, there are things that are OK on the machine (in terms of stroke mechanics), possibly even advantageous, that just don't work well at all in a boat. For example, at least until one's erg tries to walk across the floor (wasting energy), there's no real penalty for rushing the slide, diving to get length at the catch, or overmuscling/jerking the finish. (Not saying those are necessarily productive habits on a machine, but they're not firmly counter-productive, let alone swim-inducing, as they might be in a boat, at extremes.) I try not to machine row in ways that would be unproductive in a boat, even if it would potentially give me a pace advantage on the erg.

Frankly, I feel like the use of high drag factors in machine rowing is overblown - too much of a brag point. I figure I don't need to use the drag factors the national team uses, and certainly not higher. And for sure, what you're doing now, as a back-sparing strategy, could be helpful. That back-curve thing can be really injury-producing. It's the thing I see at the gym often that makes me the most 😬. I feel like that "high cut bathing suit" analogy/cue I've been working with lately is a help with that, for me.

You're making me think, again. I'm not sure how I stop the drive . . . or, maybe I'd say, how I turn the drive around (thinking of it stopping tends to make me inject a micropause, not good!). I know *where* I turn the drive, or ought to: When the suspension ends. But how do I turn it, physically? Hmmm. Good question. I'll have to pay attention, see if I can tell.

3 rounds of circuit training.

My elbow was hurting so I laid off the pull-ups/chin-ups for a while until it felt better, started doing just one set of chin-ups the last 2 times out and... ouch. So I guess I can't do those anymore? Ugh...

Thanks Ann, appreciate the feedback. We're all students, some just are further along than others (I think you are much further ahead than me).

I did a nice 30 minutes today @ a little under 2:30 pace and felt good. Got up to around 75% of Max HR but wouldn't let it go further. Could've went further on the rower but did 25 minutes of LateralX after to drop the HR back down to around 65% of max. I have a harder row tomorrow and I didn't want to spend too much energy and it was my "easy" day.

I'm supposed to do a 2K TT this month sometime. I'm debating if I want to do it tomorrow. I also have to do an 813m row as well. I'm thinking about "cheating" and setting the row up as an 813 interval on the front end with zero rest and then 1187m after. Except I'd likely fly and die. But then I could kill two birds, metaphorically. Pacing is totally different for the two, so I'll just likely do the 2K tomorrow and get it out of the way. If I can do sub 8 minutes, I'd be shocked. That's terrible for me, but it's where I'm at right now.