Power

Today was one of the toughest workout I've ever done.  It was a true test of will.  Something I didn't full intend in the beginning, or even when I wrote it over a month ago. 

Warm Up:
10 min AMRAP Sang-Bag Get-Ups @ 60#

This should have been an indicator of how today's workout was going to go.  At min. 3 of this, I was thinking about stopping having already reached a "warm" phase.  I gutted it out, ended up doing 63 reps.  I spent the next 5 min. with my head in my hands sitting on the bench.

Then:
30" Row @ 1:45/500, 90" rest
25x

This was a total mind job.  I did the first one on pace.  The second one, I pushed to see what I could average in 30 seconds, 1:20, tried to do it again on the third one, 1:21, let's see one more time; 1:24...I have nothing left to give at this point.  I'm totally spent.  I start talking to myself about how I don't really need to do this, I don't need to be here, just get up off the rower.  So I do, I have 1:30 to "recover" so I take a little walk around the gym...not good.  I started feeling dizzy and like I was going to vomit.  So I sat down on the erg, 10 sec left to rest.  I strapped in and started pulling, GO time.  I started telling myself that it was only 30 seconds, I could go all out for 30 seconds, all out is relative and I just needed to finish and and work hard.  I am only on round 5. 

Every single round I had to convince myself to stay on and finish the workout.  My pace slipped down to 1:35, 1:38...it was becoming harder and harder to do anything let alone push the pace.  After round 7, I turned the corner and committed to finishing the workout no matter what.  "Hell or high water, I am going to finish, so just get comfortable with that.  Let that sink in."  Once I committed to finishing no matter what I knew that I couldn't get off the seat or I would quit, so I stayed on the erg no matter what.  About this time Chris walks into the gym and takes one look at me then says, "good God, what are you doing, you look like you are in PAIN."  I couldn't respond even if I wanted to.  I do know however, that I am a bit of a contrarian and once Chris started joking that "if it's not fun, I should just stop," at least I think he was joking, I remembered that I like to do the opposite of what people tell me and I started using this to my advantage.  I actually started saying to myself, "you can leave anytime you want Steve, you don't have to be here.  How far are you going to take this?" 

My pace floated pretty wildly depending totally on how well I started the first 5 pulls.  I was on slides and my form got sloppy, I was sliding back and forth hitting the edges here and there, short stroking some times,  it was a disaster.  On those mishaps my time suffered, but I got to rest.  I wonder if I was sabotaging my performance on purpose, or at least at a sub-conscious level so I could get just that much more rest out of it.  Then the next one, I was determined to not let that happen so I would start getting ready sooner, strap in at 30-45 sec to go, start pulling with 3 sec. to go...I found that at this point, it took that long to do the first stroke anyway.  Maybe I was cheating by getting the flywheel going before it was time, not sure.  In the end I averaged 1:33/500 over the 25 sets.  It was seriously a terrible, terrible workout.

I was asked why 25 rounds and why 30 on 90 off.  The reason for that is simple.  My goal was to work on cardio-power.  The Creatine-Phosphate energy system.  To do so, the intervals need to be structured (or at least close to) 10-30 sec of work at 95-100% intensity; followed by 30-90 sec. rest (1:3 ratio of work:rest) for 25-30 rounds.  What I have a tendency to do, is think that I can do the this time element or energy system on any implement and what I'm finding is that some implements are much more excruciating than others.  30" of running compared to 30" of swimming, or Rowing are different animals, and more different still is 30" of KB swings, or thrusters.  But the thing is, I'm still convinced that I "should" be able to do them all IF I am a well rounded athlete.

I feel pretty good about this workout.  It was a pretty good test of will for me and I believed I passed.  I wonder though, if some of those efforts were 95-100% efforts.  Maybe I'm too hard on myself as some people tell me, but my hope is that next time I workout I don't have any doubt in my mind about how hard I worked.    

Power-Endurance

Warm Up:

Easy row 5 min. at 2:38/500 at 16 spm avg. 


Workout:
"Jackie"
1000m Row
50x Thrusters (Front Squat Push Press) 45#
30x Pull-up
for time

9:51

Not too bad.  That's about the median time for my height according to about 240 different people.  I'd like to see something closer to 7:00 on that and I think that there is time shave on the thrusters and pull ups, emphasis on the pull ups.  I went 3:26 on the row, that could use a shave too, then two sets of 25 thrusters with about - well it felt like 5 sec. but it was probably 10-15 sec.  Then the pull ups I fell apart.  First 15, then grip problems set in.  Sets of 5, down to singles for the last 10 reps or so.  Clearly the weakness is pull ups. 

Endurance

Warm up:

5 min easy row at 2:38/500m

Then:

Tabata Row 12 of 30 @ 1:34/500m

Looked like this:

Avg: 1:32.2

A little faster than need be.  Man, hitting 1:34 is tough.

This time it was a little easier, I still think it has to do with what I eat and drink before I row but I'm not sure.

WOD:

6 min row at 95% - 1:54/500m

3 min active rest

4 rounds

This is a pretty simple threshold endurance workout.  I have posted about endurance training before and I won't repost it here for some time, but the short version is 4 aspects are necessary for a solid aerobic performance, not to mention all the other physiological effects of the different aspects.  Threshold is pretty close to 100% (I use vO2 max pace as 100%) and 6 min of it is pretty darn close to a vO2max distance too.  The first 2 rounds seemed relatively easy, then 1/2 way through round 3, it started to hit me.  Breathing became a problem and getting a full breath while crouching into the initial pull was tough, I had to time my breathing to make it all work.  Round 4 was really tough.  I was reminded of something I read from the Michigan rowing S&C coach about effective pacing and it was as true as ever.  A proper pace will feel "easy" at first, then it will be nightmarish to finish in the end, a true test of will.  It's easy to go out too hard, blow up and say "at least I tried," but to really nail it and finish just right is a skill in itself.

Cooldown:

Easy row 3 min at 2:38/500m

On another note, the nutrition element has been off lately and I'm not sure when I will find enough motivation to get it back on track.  I feel like a huge hypocrite but I guess that's not enough to change behavior yet.  Maybe I'll try heaping on the positive side and see how that goes.  Thinking of all the good things that will come with eating how I know I need to eat.