VO2 max

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? I'm looking at
intervals in the rowing machine at the gym. On the bike training will be commuting and maybe twice
weekly technical mountain

biking.

Quoted message said:

I'll be doing some strength training in the gym, but I feel that my

aerobic

Quoted message said:

capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me from staying with the
front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to burn more fat as fuel
during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking, no more carbs, and running
out of oxygen.

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo. They all seem to develop in a small clubrace every time. I enjoy that
too but I never get a chance

to

Quoted message said:

build my areobic base and I figured maybe I could use this winter to catch up. I ride about 8000
km in a year. 2000 is probably commuting and offroad the rest is on my roadbike.

Any ideas and tips will be welcome.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

There is a great interval workout that used to be on George Hincapie's website that looked something
like this:

(Indoor on a trainer) 20 min warmup, heartrate 65% 4 mins, 75% 4 mins, 85% 4 mins, 75% 4 mins,
65% 4 mins

Then the actual intervals, 4 minutes all out, over 100 RPM, heart rate at 90% max at LEAST,

recover 4 mins, repeat.

When you can do 5 of these, lengthen the hard interval to 5 minutes.

Don't quote me on it, I am sure the exact workout is posted somewhere on the web, but it'll
definately help your VO2.

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? (snipped) ...I feel
that my aerobic capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me from
staying with the front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to burn more
fat as fuel during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking, no more carbs,
and running out of oxygen.

This sounds like you lack power at your lactate threshold more than a problem with power at VO2max.
Power at VO2max would be more closely tied to how well you do during the last few km's of a race or
during an attack on the penultimate climb.

Quoted message said:

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo.

That type of ride could be one way to develop your power at lactate threshold.

-WG

warren said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? (snipped) ...I
feel that my aerobic capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me
from staying with the front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to
burn more fat as fuel during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking, no
more carbs, and running out of oxygen.

This sounds like you lack power at your lactate threshold more than a problem with power at
VO2max. Power at VO2max would be more closely tied to how well you do during the last few km's of
a race or during an attack on the penultimate climb.

Well I think it's because I've been at my lactate threshold for too long. If my VO2 max was higher I
wouldn't constantly be at or above my lactate threshold which is the case today. Or...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo.

That type of ride could be one way to develop your power at lactate threshold.

Exactly, but what can I do during the winter inside the gym instead? Come spring I will be back on
the roadbike.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Tech439{Kuhn} said:

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? I'm looking at
intervals in the rowing machine at the gym. On the bike training will be commuting and maybe
twice weekly technical mountain biking. I'll be doing some strength training in the gym, but I
feel that my aerobic capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me
from staying with the front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to
burn more fat as fuel during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking, no
more carbs, and running out of oxygen.

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo. They all seem to develop in a small clubrace every time. I enjoy that
too but I never get a chance to build my areobic base and I figured maybe I could use this winter
to catch up. I ride about 8000 km in a year. 2000 is probably commuting and offroad the rest is
on my roadbike.

Any ideas and tips will be welcome.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

There is a great interval workout that used to be on George Hincapie's website that looked
something like this:

(Indoor on a trainer) 20 min warmup, heartrate 65% 4 mins, 75% 4 mins, 85% 4 mins, 75% 4 mins,
65% 4 mins

Then the actual intervals, 4 minutes all out, over 100 RPM, heart rate at 90% max at LEAST,

recover 4 mins, repeat.

When you can do 5 of these, lengthen the hard interval to 5 minutes.

Don't quote me on it, I am sure the exact workout is posted somewhere on the web, but it'll
definately help your VO2.

Thankyou. I have noted it down for my trainer. Now back to the gym. Is there anything there I can
use to my advantage except for the jacuzzi 😉

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<

Quoted message said:

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo. They all seem to develop in a small clubrace every time. I enjoy that
too but I never get a chance to build my areobic base and I figured maybe I could use this winter
to catch up. I ride about 8000 km in a year. 2000 is probably commuting and offroad the rest is on
my roadbike.

Any ideas and tips will be welcome.

ANY ideas?

Show up at the club ride with a batch of pot brownies. That should keep things aerobic.

Seriously, I like doing a few mellow rides/runs/rows of up to 2.5 hours on an empty stomach first
thing in the morning (actually, third thing in the morning, first is coffee with no sugar while
watching the weather, second is a huge dump). Commuting lends itself well to this strategy.

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

warren said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? (snipped) ...I
feel that my aerobic capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me
from staying with the front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to
burn more fat as fuel during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking,
no more carbs, and running out of oxygen.

This sounds like you lack power at your lactate threshold more than a problem with power at
VO2max. Power at VO2max would be more closely tied to how well you do during the last few km's
of a race or during an attack on the penultimate climb.

Well I think it's because I've been at my lactate threshold for too long. If my VO2 max was higher
I wouldn't constantly be at or above my lactate threshold which is the case today.

Um, I don't think so. Your power at LT is not restricted (to any great extent) by your power
(ability) at VO2max. If you think you have been at your LT too long then you need to improve your
power output at your LT and just below your LT. By improving your power around your LT you can spend
less time at your LT.

Quoted message said:

...what can I do during the winter inside the gym instead?

Try to do some 10-20 minute intervals at an intensity that is just below (5-15bpm) your race pace
HR/effort. Some longer intervals at 10-20 bpm below race pace would be good too. Strength training
for your core and upper body would probably be helpful. Pilates is good. XC skiing if possible.

-WG

I'm missing something (again). I thought VO2 max was your oxygen uptake at your anaerobic threshold,
which is the hardest effort you can sustain. This thread seems to imply that there's more O2 uptake
(implying more power output) at an effort level different from the anaerobic threshold.

--
--
Lynn Wallace xmission.com~lawallOpen ↗
"We should not march into Baghdad. ... Assigning young soldiers to
a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning
them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war, it
could only plunge that part of the world into ever greater
instability." George Bush Sr. in his 1998 book "A World Transformed"

jim gravity said:

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<

Quoted message said:

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo. They all seem to develop in a small clubrace every time. I enjoy that
too but I never get a chance to build my areobic base and I figured maybe I could use this winter
to catch up. I ride about 8000 km in a year. 2000 is probably commuting and offroad the rest is
on my roadbike.

Any ideas and tips will be welcome.

ANY ideas?

Show up at the club ride with a batch of pot brownies. That should keep things aerobic.

Well almost any 😉

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I like doing a few mellow rides/runs/rows of up to 2.5 hours on an empty stomach first
thing in the morning (actually, third thing in the morning, first is coffee with no sugar while
watching the weather, second is a huge dump). Commuting lends itself well to this strategy.

That sounds mellow enough. I usually get about 2*45 minutes on my commute. In the summer I stretch
it out quite often but now in the winter I don't even think your pot brownies would help. It is sooo
nice and cozy to crawl in from the dark and slide down in the jacuzzi instead 😉

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

warren said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

warren said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter <[email hidden]>
wrote:

> What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? (snipped) ...I
> feel that my aerobic capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me
> from staying with the front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to
> burn more fat as fuel during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking,
> no more carbs, and running out of oxygen.

This sounds like you lack power at your lactate threshold more than a problem with power at
VO2max. Power at VO2max would be more closely tied to how well you do during the last few km's
of a race or during an attack on the penultimate climb.

Well I think it's because I've been at my lactate threshold for too long. If my VO2 max was
higher I wouldn't constantly be at or above my lactate threshold which is the case today.

Um, I don't think so. Your power at LT is not restricted (to any great extent) by your power
(ability) at VO2max. If you think you have been at your LT too long then you need to improve your
power output at your LT and just below your LT. By improving your power around your LT you can
spend less time at your LT.

I'm getting confused now. Really glad to see I'm not alone. I have the same understanding as Raptor
in his reply to this same post. I thought if I raised my VO2 max I would not have to get close to my
LT for the same effort. But you seem to be saying something else. In real life what happens to me,
as far as I have understood this, is that my muscles don't get enough oxygen and I start producing
more lactate acid than I can rid myself of. So if I could improve the oxygen transport through my
blood to my muscles I'd be a stronger rider.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

...what can I do during the winter inside the gym instead?

Try to do some 10-20 minute intervals at an intensity that is just below (5-15bpm) your race pace
HR/effort. Some longer intervals at 10-20 bpm below race pace would be good too. Strength training
for your core and upper body would probably be helpful. Pilates is good. XC skiing if possible.

In the gym today after I was done with the Smith machines etc I finished off with two 1000 m
intervals in the rowing machine at a high pace. About 2 min / 500 m. This gets me pretty close to HR
max. Straight away after that I did a 30 min hill interval on the Polar ergometer bikes they have.
It's not real hard even on the highest level but it does put me above LT a couple of times during
the 30 minutes and at a pretty good racepace for the remainder. Would yuu consider this to be
worthwile training or am I just wasting my time. This I do about twice a week and then I ride
offroad about twice a week. Maybe 6- 8 hours.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

In article said:

I'm missing something (again). I thought VO2 max was your oxygen uptake at your anaerobic
threshold, which is the hardest effort you can sustain. This thread seems to imply that there's
more O2 uptake (implying more power output) at an effort level different from the anaerobic
threshold.

AT and LT are similar and they are both at a lower intensity than VO2max.

-WG

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

warren wrote:

Quoted message said:

I'm getting confused now. Really glad to see I'm not alone. I have the same understanding as
Raptor in his reply to this same post. I thought if I raised my VO2 max I would not have to get
close to my LT for the same effort. But you seem to be saying something else. In real life what
happens to me, as far as I have understood this, is that my muscles don't get enough oxygen and I
start producing more lactate acid than I can rid myself of.

LT is the point at, or near the point where you begin to accumulate more lactic acid than you can
metabolize quickly. Sometimes referred to as onset of blood lactate (accumulation) a.k.a., OBLA. The
average for bike racers is a blood lactate level near 4m/Mol.

Quoted message said:

So if I could improve the oxygen transport through my blood to my muscles I'd be a stronger rider.

This is true, but this improvment can come from training at many different intensities.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

...what can I do during the winter inside the gym instead?

Try to do some 10-20 minute intervals at an intensity that is just below (5-15bpm) your race
pace HR/effort. Some longer intervals at 10-20 bpm below race pace would be good too. Strength
training for your core and upper body would probably be helpful. Pilates is good. XC skiing if
possible.

In the gym today after I was done with the Smith machines etc I finished off with two 1000 m
intervals in the rowing machine at a high pace. About 2 min / 500 m. This gets me pretty close
to HR max.

That is essentially, training intended to increase your power output at your VO2max. Since many
rowing events are 2000m VO2max power is important, as is the power between LT and VO2max.

Quoted message said:

Straight away after that I did a 30 min hill interval on the Polar ergometer bikes they have. It's
not real hard even on the highest level

This is training that will have an effect on how much power you can produce near your LT.

Generally, VO2max intensity would be an intensity that you could handle for a few minutes. LT
intensity is something you could handle for more like 40-70 minutes total. The goal is to improve
your ability at LT and just below it so during races you won't have to go over your LT until it
really counts.

Quoted message said:

Would yuu consider this to be worthwile training or am I just wasting my time. This I do about
twice a week and then I ride offroad about twice a week. Maybe 6- 8 hours.

For the problems you mentioned in your original post I'd suggest more intervals like the one you did
for 30 minutes but change that to something like 3 x 10-15 minutes at that same intensity. Your off-
road rides will train a variety of intensities and you can use the periods where you're going hard
(short hills) as your training intended to improve your VO2max power. If you're on a hill that takes
something like 3-10 minutes you can try to maintain the intensity near your LT.

-WG

warren said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

warren wrote:

Quoted message said:

I'm getting confused now. Really glad to see I'm not alone. I have the same understanding as
Raptor in his reply to this same post. I thought if I raised my VO2 max I would not have to get
close to my LT for the same effort. But you seem to be saying something else. In real life what
happens to me, as far as I have understood this, is that my muscles don't get enough oxygen and I
start producing more lactate acid than I can rid myself of.

LT is the point at, or near the point where you begin to accumulate more lactic acid than you can
metabolize quickly. Sometimes referred to as onset of blood lactate (accumulation) a.k.a., OBLA.
The average for bike racers is a blood lactate level near 4m/Mol.

Quoted message said:

So if I could improve the oxygen transport through my blood to my muscles I'd be a
stronger rider.

This is true, but this improvment can come from training at many different intensities.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> ...what can I do during the winter inside the gym instead?

Try to do some 10-20 minute intervals at an intensity that is just below (5-15bpm) your race
pace HR/effort. Some longer intervals at 10-20 bpm below race pace would be good too. Strength
training for your core and upper body would probably be helpful. Pilates is good. XC skiing if
possible.

In the gym today after I was done with the Smith machines etc I finished off with two 1000 m
intervals in the rowing machine at a high pace. About 2 min / 500 m. This gets me pretty close to
HR max.

That is essentially, training intended to increase your power output at your VO2max. Since many
rowing events are 2000m VO2max power is important, as is the power between LT and VO2max.

Quoted message said:

Straight away after that I did a 30 min hill interval on the Polar ergometer bikes they have.
It's not real hard even on the highest level

This is training that will have an effect on how much power you can produce near your LT.

Generally, VO2max intensity would be an intensity that you could handle for a few minutes. LT
intensity is something you could handle for more like 40-70 minutes total. The goal is to improve
your ability at LT and just below it so during races you won't have to go over your LT until it
really counts.

Quoted message said:

Would yuu consider this to be worthwile training or am I just wasting my time. This I do about
twice a week and then I ride offroad about twice a week. Maybe 6- 8 hours.

For the problems you mentioned in your original post I'd suggest more intervals like the one you
did for 30 minutes but change that to something like 3 x 10-15 minutes at that same intensity.
Your off-road rides will train a variety of intensities and you can use the periods where you're
going hard (short hills) as your training intended to improve your VO2max power. If you're on a
hill that takes something like 3-10 minutes you can try to maintain the intensity near your LT.

-WG

Hmmm. I need to think a bit about what you have said. Very interesting and I am very grateful for
the time you've put into this.

One question though just to make sure we are talking about the same thing. You mention "training
intended to improve your VO2max power" and "training at VO2max intensity. I thought that VO2max was
a measurement for how much oxygen you can get into your bloodstream. "Maximal O2 Uptake [
ml/kg/min]" I was under the impression that this was the so called VO2max and this number would
improve from doing aerobic training.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Per Elmsäter said:

I thought that VO2max was a measurement for how much oxygen you can get into your bloodstream.

Yes, it is.

Quoted message said:

"Maximal O2 Uptake [ ml/kg/min]" I was under the impression that this was the so called VO2max and
this number would improve from doing aerobic training.

Yes, it can. But, a higher VO2max "number" does not necessarily correlate with an increase in
"performance". VO2max says nothing about efficiency, for example. It doesn't say anything about
"ventilation threshold" either. And, once you get to a certain point, increases in VO2max due to
training effects cannot be sustained.

In article <[email hidden]>, Per Elmsäter

Quoted message said:

warren wrote:

Quoted message said:

Hmmm. I need to think a bit about what you have said. Very interesting and I am very grateful for
the time you've put into this.

Thanks for that.

Quoted message said:

One question though just to make sure we are talking about the same thing. You mention "training
intended to improve your VO2max power" and "training at VO2max intensity.

In some way, nearly all training will improve your VO2max power and LT power, but some training is
more specific to improve your ability for the racing efforts that require you to be near your
VO2max. This could be considered "VO2max training".

Quoted message said:

I thought that VO2max was a measurement for how much oxygen you can get into your bloodstream.
"Maximal O2 Uptake [ ml/kg/min]"

Remember that is is *Maximal*. In other words, at what power output do you maximize the
amount/percentage/ratio of oxygen going into your bloodstream? Or perhaps, what intensity requires
the most amount of oxygen that you can possibly supply?

Quoted message said:

I was under the impression that this was the so called VO2max and this number would improve from
doing aerobic training.

It can improve with "aerobic" training but VO2max is an intensity that is above your LT, and many
people would say that efforts above your LT are "anaerobic" efforts, or above your aerobic
threshold. In reality, "anaerobic" means without oxygen and during sustained efforts even at your
max HR you're still using oxygen. Anaerobic efforts would really be short sprints when oxygen isn't
used to provide the fuel to perform the effort.

Any training that improves your body's ability to deliver oxygen to your muscles would help your
VO2max. Even low and medium intensity training can increase the density of capillaries around your
muscles and this would help deliver more oxygen.

Here is a website that explains some exercise physiology.

home.hia.noexphys.htmOpen ↗

Another thing, VO2max training is very stressful on the body and should be used carefully. You'll
incrase your power rapidly but it's common to reach a plateau after about 6-8 weeks of this
training. People who train indoors at a gym, especially in "spin" classes, often end up doing more
of this than they should. They think it's good training because they're going hard and they see
rapid improvement, but for a bike racer who wants to be fast for maybe 4, 5, 6 months, methods that
lead to rapid improvements can end up being detrimental over the long run.

Don't get too hung up on improving your VO2max. High power at VO2max will help you at the end of the
race but you have to get there first.

-WG

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What is the most effective way to increase your VO2max during winter training? I'm looking at
intervals in the rowing machine at the gym.

Unless you've already got a big upper body, you might want to be aware that this will probably give
you extra muscle mass you don't need to cart up hills. You also need to know how to use it properly
(and gym staff generally don't) if you're doing hard work, or it'll cause back problems. Otherwise,
it's good for interval work.

Quoted message said:

On the bike training will be commuting and maybe twice weekly technical mountain

biking.

Quoted message said:

I'll be doing some strength training in the gym, but I feel that my

aerobic

Quoted message said:

capacity is where I need to concentrate since that is what's stopping me from staying with the
front pack all the way in. Actually aerobic capacity and the ability to burn more fat as fuel
during hard recreational racing. I've gotten dropped both from bonking, no more carbs, and running
out of oxygen.

Learn to anticipate running out of carbs, and eat something? Or just eat something every time the
pace isn't too hard.

Quoted message said:

When I look back at my season I can see that what has been lacking are the long distance training
rides at a moderate tempo. They all seem to develop in a small clubrace every time. I enjoy that
too but I never get a chance

to

Quoted message said:

build my areobic base and I figured maybe I could use this winter to catch up. I ride about 8000
km in a year. 2000 is probably commuting and offroad the rest is on my roadbike.

Racing over a distance is better training than moderate tempo over the same distance, as long as
you're not overtraining or having to miss rides to avoid overtraining. If you can choose the
route, then you can put in a small number of longer climbs rather than have loads of sprints to
the top, as well.

Peter

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In the gym today after I was done with the Smith machines etc I finished

off

Quoted message said:

with two 1000 m intervals in the rowing machine at a high pace. About 2

min

Quoted message said:

/ 500 m. This gets me pretty close to HR max.

You're almost certainly misusing the machine if that's 'high pace'. Look at www.concept.co.uk for a
technique guide. In particular, you're probably doing one or several of:

Bumshoving, i.e. pushing with your legs without bracing your back, so your bum moves back but the
handle doesn't at the front. This will wreck your back.

Not finishing the stroke before coming back up the slide: you're supposed to finish with legs fully
extended, leaning slightly back (like 5 to 10 degrees), handle just touching the bottom of the
ribcage. If you're still pulling the handle in as your knees come up again, you're wasting work.

Setting a silly resistance level, like 7 or more, which puts much more stress on your back. Most
rowers use 4 or 5.

Taking the catch/drive with the arms: so either your arms are bent when you start pushing with the
legs, or they become bent well before you finish. You'll know you're doing this if your elbows hurt
and your biceps become tired very quickly but your lats don't. Mainly a waste of work, but can
cause teno.

A typical vaguely fit man ought to be able to pull 1:50 splits for 1000m; if you think you're
properly fit then more like 1:40 splits. A reasonable split for a serious (lightweight, so circa
70kg, which is probably closer to your weight) rower would be around 1:33.

Peter

Peter Allen said:

"Per Elmsäter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In the gym today after I was done with the Smith machines etc I finished off with two 1000 m
intervals in the rowing machine at a high pace. About 2 min / 500 m. This gets me pretty close to
HR max.

You're almost certainly misusing the machine if that's 'high pace'. Look at www.concept.co.uk for
a technique guide. In particular, you're probably doing one or several of:

Are you sure about that link? It took me someplace that didn't seem to have much in common with
training at any level 😉

Quoted message said:

Bumshoving, i.e. pushing with your legs without bracing your back, so your bum moves back but the
handle doesn't at the front. This will wreck your back.

Yes I.m kinda leaving the handle out front as long as I can so I can snap it in with my arms at the
end of the stroke.

Quoted message said:

Not finishing the stroke before coming back up the slide: you're supposed to finish with legs
fully extended, leaning slightly back (like 5 to 10 degrees), handle just touching the bottom
of the ribcage. If you're still pulling the handle in as your knees come up again, you're
wasting work.

I think I got this one.

Quoted message said:

Setting a silly resistance level, like 7 or more, which puts much more stress on your back. Most
rowers use 4 or 5.

Silly? I thought I was a real man setting it at 10. If I set it at 4 or 5 should I do more intervals
instead then?

Quoted message said:

Taking the catch/drive with the arms: so either your arms are bent when you start pushing with the
legs, or they become bent well before you finish. You'll know you're doing this if your elbows
hurt and your biceps become tired very quickly but your lats don't. Mainly a waste of work, but
can cause teno.

I don't think they're bent in the beginning, but I certainly bend them at the end in order to pull
the handle into my ribcabe.

Quoted message said:

A typical vaguely fit man ought to be able to pull 1:50 splits for 1000m; if you think you're
properly fit then more like 1:40 splits. A reasonable split for a serious (lightweight, so circa
70kg, which is probably closer to your weight) rower would be around 1:33.

I'm 80 kg and usually doing splits between 1:52 and 2:00 for 1000-1500 meters, but that's at
level 10 so I'm sure I'll improve lots by just lowering the resistance. My tempo is approximately
30 strokes.

What do you suggest a good programme would be for doing intervals on the rower?

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Per Elmsäter said:

Quoted message said:

Look at www.concept.co.uk for a technique guide.

Are you sure about that link?

Should be concept2.co.uktechnique.phpOpen ↗ Also try
triton.studver.uu.nltriton.studver.uu.nlOpen ↗

2:00/500m for a 2km row is not particularly fast for someone who is considering bicycle racing.
That's only about 220 watts. You should be capable of 300-350 watts for this distance.

Rowing will tax a number of muscles that you won't need or use for bicycling, but it is an excellent
exercise for overall conditioning.

If you want to minimize the muscle buildup, then put the damper setting to the lowest possible
position ("1"😉. This won't lessen the amount of power, but it will require a higher stroke rate --
the equiv. of "spinning". Even better would be to find a concept2 machine on "slides", or a
"rowperfect", on which you keep your body more-or-less in the same place, but the machine moves back
& forth. Once again, higher stroke, less stress on the back muscles.

Per Elmsäter said:

Quoted message said:

A typical vaguely fit man ought to be able to pull 1:50 splits for 1000m; if you think you're
properly fit then more like 1:40 splits. A reasonable split for a serious (lightweight, so circa
70kg, which is probably closer to your weight) rower would be around 1:33.

I'm 80 kg and usually doing splits between 1:52 and 2:00 for 1000-1500 meters, but that's at
level 10 so I'm sure I'll improve lots by just lowering the resistance. My tempo is approximately
30 strokes.

What do you suggest a good programme would be for doing intervals on the rower?