Training sessions without RowPro

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  Working with rowing plans >

Training sessions without RowPro

Previous pageReturn to chapter overviewNext page

The training sessions in RowPro training plans are unusual in that many of them are Interval Rows that have a longer Rest period at the end than they do between Active periods. This pattern is simple for RowPro to set up on the PM and for you to row. See the Training sessions with RowPro Help Topic for details about rowing a RowPro training session using RowPro.

At times you may need to row training sessions without RowPro, and you can do this, although without RowPro the training sessions are somewhat more complex for you to set up on the PM and row. There are two ways you can do this:

Using printed Session Specs

For details see below.

Using the PM3 LogCard

For details see the Training via the PM3 LogCardHelp Topic.

Preparation

If you plan to row a training session without RowPro, here's what you need to do in RowPro to prepare:

Print your Training Plan

At a minimum, to row training sessions without RowPro you need to know what you are scheduled to row. The easiest way to find out is to print your training plan, which has been specifically designed to be a one-page-tells-all reference you can take with you showing everything you need to know to row any of the sessions in the training plan without RowPro.

To print your training plan, open the Control Center / Training Plan page, select the active training plan (the one with the arrowhead to the left), right-click the mouse and choose Print, and when the print preview appears, click Print. See the Understanding your training plans Help Topic for more information.
It's important to print the training plan in color if you can, as the sessions are color coded for readability, although you can still read it OK if you can only print it in black-and-white.

Print your Session Specs

RowPro also provides one-page-per-session Session Spec printouts that make it even easier for you to row training plan sessions without RowPro. If you only plan to row one or a few sessions without RowPro, it's a good idea to print these out as well. If you'll be rowing more than that without RowPro, then you probably won't want to print out so many separate one-pagers.

To print one or more Session Specs, open the Control Center / Training Plan page, select the active training plan (the one with the arrowhead to the left), right-click the mouse and choose Details. A table will appear on-screen that looks the same as the main session table on your training plan printout. If you now click on any session, a Session Spec for that session appears on-screen. You can print it by clicking Print, and when the print preview appears, click Print. See the Understanding Session Specs Help Topic for more information.

Note: When you preview or print out a Session Spec, you'll notice there's also a table of large-font numbers on the lower half of the page. This table is designed to be readable while you row if you put it on the floor beside you, and makes rowing Interval Rows without RowPro much easier. Its use is described below under Interval Rows.

Note the HR Codes

If you have no HRM, open your User Profile in the Control Center and note down the HR code for each of your HR ranges.

Selecting a training session to row

Look at your training plan printout and choose the row you are scheduled to do. Points to note are:

A Rest Day means that you don't row that day. Rest Days are an important part of your training plan, because your body develops while you rest, not while you're rowing!
All the training sessions in any columns marked Optional are optional - you can do them if you want extra workouts, or you can skip them.
It's a good idea to make a mark on sessions when you've rowed them so you don't accidentally row the same ones again in the future.  Sessions marked TT are Time Trials. When you select those sessions, decide which set piece you want to row as your Time Trial, and row that set piece. Ideally, this will be the same set piece distance or time that you plan to race when you've completed the training plan.

Note: In choosing which training session to row, ideally you will select the session that is due today. However you can't always row a planned session on the exact day it is scheduled, and of course with all the sessions laid out on the training plan printout you can in principle choose to row any of the sessions at any time and in any order. However, please note and follow these guidelines:
 
-Limit your choice to sessions that are within 3 days of today, because going beyond that time-frame will compromise your training.
 
-Take care not to row the sessions in the same order as they are scheduled in the training plan, because swapping the order around will compromise your training.

Rowing training sessions without RowPro

WARNING: As with any physical exercise, warm-ups are important to prevent injury, and warm-downs are important to flush toxins from your muscles. It is essential that you row all warm-up and warm-downs required for training plan sessions.

You can identify the time or distance required for the warm-up and warm-down for any session by looking up the relevant Code for the session in the table at the bottom of the training plan printout. The listed SPM and heartrate targets do not apply to the warm-ups and warm-downs.

Every training session you row will be either a Steady State Row or an Interval Row.

Targets for SPM and heartrate apply to all training plan sessions. You can identify the targets that apply to any session by looking up the relevant Code for the session in the table at the bottom of the training plan printout.
Keep the SPM on the PM within the SR Band shown in the table at the bottom of your training plan printout.
If you have an HRM, keep your heartrate within the HR Band shown in the table at the bottom of your training plan printout.
If you have no HRM, follow these physiological cues while you row:

AT

Borderline control, breathing heavy panting, could sustain this pace for 20-60 min.

UT

Feeling strong & in control, breathing medium panting, could sustain this pace for 2-3 hrs.

LS

Easy conversation pace.

AR

Breathing light panting.

 

When you get back to RowPro, enter your results into your Digital Rowing Log using the Manual Entry button.

Rowing a Steady State training session without RowPro

Here's the step-by-step procedure:

Do a warm-up Just Row by picking up the handle and starting rowing. Start gently and row for the required warm-up time or distance. After the warm-up, reset the PM3 or PM2.
Set up the training session on the PM3 or PM2:

PM2

Set up a PRESET TIME or PRESET DISTANCE session on the PM2 for the total time or distance of the training session you plan to row.

PM3

Set up a New Workout / Single Time or New Workout / Single Distance session on the PM3 for the total time or distance of the training session you plan to row.

Row the training session, keeping your HR and SR within the relevant bands as you row.
As you row, on the PM3 or PM2 the time (in time rows) or distance (in distance rows) counts down to zero.
Once it reaches zero, stop and record your performance – date, time, distance, Av Pace, HR at end. You can also record Watts, Cals, etc if you wish. After recording your performance, reset the PM3 or PM2 again.
Do a warm-down Just Row by picking up the handle and starting rowing again. Row for the required warm-down time. Aim for a "walking pace" which is around 3:00 /500m pace for most people.

Rowing an Intervals training session without RowPro

When rowing Interval training sessions without RowPro, there are some key points to note:

Active / Rest

All the Interval Rows in your training plan are made up of Active periods followed by Rest periods. If the session is for example a SLT (Slow Tone) session, then only the Active periods are rowed as Slow Tone, while the Rest periods are rowed as Easy. Therefore you need to change your rowing each time you move from Active to Rest, or Rest to Active, by working to the targets for Slow Tone during the Active periods and working to the targets for Easy during the Rest periods.

Intervals

Although the PM3 and PM2 can be set up to do Interval rows, this mode is not used for the Interval rows in RowPro training plans because the final Rest period needs to be longer than the other Rest periods, and the PM2 requires that all Active periods are the same duration and all Rest periods are the same duration. Therefore you'll set up Interval training sessions as though they were Steady State Rows, and then change your rowing at the times listed in the large-font table on the lower half of the relevant Session Spec printout. That way, even though you don't get to record results for every interval, you do get to do the intervals correctly as per your training plan.

Note: If you are using a PM3 and you're a confident PM3 user, you can set up a New Workout / Intervals: Variable session on the PM3 that matches your training session. See your PM3 User Manual for details.

Here's the step-by-step procedure:

If you have a Session Spec printout for the Interval training session you're about to row, put it on the floor beside you where you can read it as you row.
If you don't have a Session Spec printout, calculate the times or distances at which you will change from Active to Rest and from Rest to Active. Write these down and put them where you can see them as you row.
Do a warm-up Just Row by picking up the handle and starting rowing. Start gently and row for the required warm-up time or distance. After the warm-up, reset the PM3 or PM2.
Set up the training session on the PM3 or PM2. Although you will row an Interval session, set it up as follows:

PM2

Set up a PRESET TIME or PRESET DISTANCE session on the PM2 for the total time or distance of the Interval training session you plan to row.

PM3

Set up a New Workout / Single Distance or New Workout Single Time session on the PM3 for the total time or distance of the Interval training session you plan to row.

Row the first Active part, keeping your HR and SR within the relevant parameters. The time (in time rows) or distance (in distance rows) counts down as you row.
When the time (in time rows) or distance (in distance rows) on the PM3 or PM2 has counted down to the first change point listed in the Session Spec or that you calculated, change to rowing Easy for the Rest part, keeping your HR and SR within the relevant parameters for Easy.
Repeat this when it's time to change to Active again, and continue moving through the Active/Rest pattern until you've done all the relevant Reps.
For the last Rest period, continue to row Easy until the PM3 or PM2 countdown reaches zero.
Once it reaches zero, stop and record your total performance – date, time, distance, Av Pace, HR at end. You can also record Watts, Cals, etc if you wish. After recording your total performance, reset the PM3 or PM2 again.
Do a warm-down Just Row by picking up the handle and starting rowing again. Row for the required warm-down time. Aim for a "walking pace" which is around 3:00 /500m pace for most people.

Entering your results into RowPro

When you get back to RowPro:

Enter your results into your Digital Rowing Log using the Manual Entry button. See the Rowing Log Help Topic for more information.