Today was the the day before the deadline to do 10K on the SkiErg, for the Concept 2 February 2019 challenge. I wasn’t looking forward to it, because I’d not done any SkiErg distance over 5K and didn’t know what pace or drag factor would be best. So I decided to simply be satisfied to do the distance at any pace and then use resulting average pace as a target next time.
At the start of today’s 10K, the pace I had in mind was about 2:21. But after the first 1,000 meters I decided to just do the distance at an easy pace, with some variation in pace and a few intervals of 100 meters or more once in a while. It worked out well. I sweated a LOT, as evidenced by the large wet spot on the towel that covered the SkiErg platform. So I rated it at RPE Level 7 even though I was breathing easy most of the time. The RPE chart (it is in the Terms and Abbreviations area of this blog) is not an exact science gauge.
The main workout today was the shortest, a 2,000 meter session on the SkiErg. It might correctly be called a “time trial,” because though it was solo, I was trying to go as fast as possible for that distance. It felt like RPE level 9 but I’m new to the SkiErg, so there is lots of room for improvement.
A screen recording was made of the SkiErg 2k and it can be found at this link: SkiErg 2K 02162019
The longest workout session today was 8,000 meters on the rowing machine. It was done as a warmup for the SkiErg 2K and was done with a target heart rate zone of 133 to 158 and it felt like RPE Level 5. Heart rate was allowed to rise above 158 near the end because it felt good, I was barely perspiring and was breathing easy.
Today’s workouts consisted of first a 10 minute warmup on the rowing machine at RPE Level 1, followed by ten intervals on the SkiErg at RPE Levels 7 to 9. There was a 2 minute RPE Level 1 period of active rest after each interval.
The SkiErg intervals were arranged as 5 minutes at 40 SPM, 4 minutes at 42 SPM, 3 minutes at 44 SPM, 2 minutes at 46 SPM and 1 minute at 48 SPM. Each was followed immediately by the 2 minute active rest. The entire sequence was then repeated one more time.
It was VERY challenging, to achieve the target stroke ratings of 40, 42, 44, 46 and 48 SPM for each of the five intervals. I only managed to achieve the exact average for the target SPM for 3 of the 10 intervals.
For the first 5 minute interval I had the drag factor too high with the damper set at 7. For the next interval I reduced the drag factor by moving the damper to 6. After each subsequent interval, I moved the damper a bit lower until it was at 3 by the time the first 5 intervals were completed.
For the second 5 intervals, I left the damper at 3.
Today’s aerobic workouts consisted of first doing 5K on the rowing machine. The 5K was wrapped around three intervals of 500 meters each, like yesterday’s rowing 5K. It was RPE Level 4.
After the rowing, I did six intervals of 500 meters each, on the SkiErg. The target pace for each of the 500 meter intervals was going to be 2:10 to 2:11, but after the first interval at target pace, I faded during the second interval and went a lot slower during the final 5 of 6 intervals. The SkiErg session was RPE Level 10 for sweating but RPE Level 7 for breathing.
Today’s workout was a pair of 5k sessions, one on the SkiErg and one on the rowing machine.
For the SkiErg 5K, I reduced the drag factor to what I hoped would allow a rating of about 45 SPM. But the drag factor still seemed a bit high and most of the session was done at a rating of 37 to 42 SPM. That seems to be the “secret” to having a faster pace on the SkiErg – the SPM has to be a lot higher than it would ever be when rowing. Arms aren’t nearly as strong as legs, so the SkiErg stroke rate using mostly the arms has to be higher for any pace than stroke rate would be on the rowing machine which mostly uses leg power.
The SkiErg 5K was done at RPE Level 7 or at least it felt strenuous enough to be that level though I wasn’t breathing as hard as the RPE Level chart seems to indicate for Level 7. (You can see a copy of the RPE chart in the Terms and Abbreviations tab on the home page of this blog)
I sweated a lot during the SkiErg session but barely perspired during the rowing session, if that counts for anything regarding the Rates of Perceived Exertion.
After the SkiErg 5K, I did 5K at a more moderate effort on the rowing machine and included a 500 meter sprint at a moderate sprint pace, every 1000 meters for a total of three 500 meter sprint intervals. The 5K rowing session was done at RPE Level 4 for the slower rowing and RPE Level 8 for the 500 meter intervals.
Today’s main rowing session was 8995 meters with the goal of staying ahead of my most recent session of the same distance by about 10 meters and then going a faster pace a few hundred meters from the finish until calories burned added up to 545. Once reaching 545 calories, I eased up for the few remaining meters of warm down. It was done at RPE level 5. A screen recording was made for those who’d like to row along with it. The screen recording is on YouTube at this link: Indoor Rowing 547 Calories 01262019
There was another 2K done very slowly on the rowing machine at RPE Level 1 and a few kilometers on the SkiErg at an easy effort level of RPE Level 2. All totaled, the distance on rower and SkiErg today came to 16177 meters.
After today’s aerobic workouts I felt tingly, all over. It’s a good feeling.
Today’s rowing was a preset distance of 13,400 meters. That distance was chosen based on the distance rowed yesterday to reach 800 calories. That was the main workout and it was done at RPE Level 6. It was followed by another attempt at doing a 500 meter sprint on the SkiErg, which was done at RPE Level 10. Lastly there was a 2 minute warmdown at RPE Level 1.
Today’s main session was rowing until arriving at a total of 800 calories, done at RPE level 7. The main session is available as a screen recording for those who’d like to row-along. It’s link on YouTube is: Indoor Rowing 800 Calories 01212019
Today’s second of three sessions was another attempt on the SkiErg to do a one minute sprint. The sprint was done at RPE level 9 and it was a better result than yesterday’s because I didn’t start out too fast and was able to maintain the pace for the entire minute. The third and last session today was going to be another attempt at a 500 meter sprint on the SkiErg, but I started out too fast or didn’t have a suitable drag factor setting (or perhaps I was too tired??), so I let that “sprint” fade into a warm down and the resulting RPE for the 500 meters was Level 4.
Today’s main workout was an aerobic row of 19,384 meters. It was at RPE level 2. It was followed by a first time attempt at a one minute sprint on the SkiErg, at what started out at RPE level 10 and faded. That was followed by 500 meters on the SkiErg at RPE level 5, to serve as a warm down for a warm down. Lastly, there was a SkiErg final warm down of about two minutes at RPE level 1.
That’s right – yesterday I only worked out for 400 meters. It was, however, at RPE level 10. The 400 meters yesterday consisted of four 100 meter sprints on the Concept 2 SkiErg. Summary screenshot below:
As today’s title implies, there was no workout on rowing machine or SkiErg today. But… the daily EliteHRV readings and sleep log graphs were captured and those exciting screenshots are displayed below: