Tag: fitness center

Tues: 60′ fitness center, Thurs: 3×20, Fri: 3×20

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Monday morning:  My flight was cancelled, and I rebooked on a later flight to San Diego, arriving there right around dinner time.  No training.

Tuesday:  hit the tiny gym in the Courtyard Marriott.  30 minutes on the elliptical, and then 30 minutes on the treadmill set to max incline and a fast walk.

 

Wednesday:  I was originally going to fly straight from California to Germany, but I changed plans and took the red eye home, then a full day on the phone in meetings.  No Training

Thursday: Working from home and shuffling my wife to a doctor’s appt.  I finally found some time for a workout in the evening.

I was lacking in creativity, so I just stole Sander’s session from earlier in the week, an L4 with alternating r18 and r20 segments.

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Easy.

Friday:  Back to routine.  Up at 5:15, into the gym at 7.  Still getting used to rowing on slides.  Started with a alternating 18/20, then let that slide up to 19/21.  This was pushing my HR a bit too much, so I backed off in  the second 20 minutes to 180W at r20.  Even this was a bit to much for me.  So I backed off to r18 and about 170W for the last 30 minutes.  I guess you could say that this session was just “shoveling it”.

One interesting thing (at least to me) is to look at the drive length.  In my session last night on a static erg, my drive length was around 1.46m.  Today on slides, it settle in around 1.42m.  As far as I can tell, I am getting just about the same amount of compression at the catch, but I row with less layback on slides than I do on a static erg.  Not sure what to make of that, it’s just an interesting data point. Another interesting data point, peak force was higher on slides, even though the average was about the same.  Some of this might be due to the difference in drag factor (126 yesterday, 117  today).    I really like painsled.  Having this data to mull over is great.

Tomorrow:  On the water in the morning, and flying off to Germany in the evening.

Thursday: Cebu – Treadmill Intervals!

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I was press for time and craving something with a bit more bite on Thursday morning.

So, I warmed up with 8 minutes of incline walking (15%, 5.5km/h).  Then I did alternating 2 minutes at 12km/h and 1 minute at 6kmph with the incline at 3%.  Sad to say that 12km/h on 3% grade is a pretty intense pace for a lumbering water buffalo like me.

My HR monitor began to misbehave in the middle of the session, but by all appearances, I was getting the right effect!

I did repeats until I had 5 minutes left and then I cooled down.  As near as I can figure it, that’s makes this a 9 x 2′ / 1′ rest session.

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This is my first time visiting the island of Cebu in the Philippines.  I stayed at beautiful resort very near our facility here.

Now I am on my way back to Boston, on a 5 hour layover in Narita.  I think I will go for a nice walk in a little while to pass the time.

Saturday morning will be a traditional post-travel L4 session on my erg at home.

Tuesday: 60′ Stationary Bike and Incline Treadmill

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Still in Singapore.  I had a bit less time, so a 60 minute session.  Still trying to keep the intensity low.

30 minutes on the stationary bike.  This was too easy.

30 minutes on the treadmill with the incline set to max (15% grade).  Then I played around with the speed to keep me right in the middle of the UT1 HR zone.  It worked out to a fast walk around 3.5 mph.

Today the water was flavored with fresh strawberry slices.  Very classy.  I felt bad about the giant sweat puddles I left under the bike and treadmill.

Now, I have moved on to Bangkok.  This hotel has an admirably equipped gym, but still no rowing machine.  I think I might do 60 minutes of aerobic work and a short strength session, just to spice things up a bit.

Friday: Last day of sweltering in the world’s warmest fitness center

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Shorter workout today.

30 minutes on the treadmill.  3 more 1′ sprints

  • 5′ 10% and 3mph
  • 5′ 15% and 3mph
  • 10′ 15% and 3.5 mph
  • 1′ 15% and 2mph
  • 1′ 15%, 6mph
  • 3′ 15%, 2mph
  • 1′ 15%, 6mph
  • 3′ 15%, 2mph
  • 1′ 15%, 6mph
  • 5′ cool down

Then off to the airport for the world’s longest trip back from Munich.  Delayed about 3 hours on the ground due to weather in Philadelphia for my connection.

A few sprints on a treadmill

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Still in Munich. Fitness center is still hot as hell. 

Today, I had two objectives. Another hour or so of endurance training, plus a few 1′ intervals. I am not really tapering for the race this weekend, but I felt like doing a few intense sprints would be beneficial to keep some intensity. 

I started at a fast walk and a 10% grade for 5′, then I went to a jog for another 5 minutes, and continued to add speed at 15′. At 20′, I slowed down to a walk for a minute, and then cranked to incline to max (15%) and sped up to 6 mph for a “hill sprint”. I did a minute, which was enough to push my HR above 170. Then I did 4 minutes of active rest at 2mph and 15% incline. Then another minute at 6mph. Then 4 more minutes of rest, then a final minute. I felt like puking after that, so I guess I was doing them right. I finished on the treadmill with a 5′ cool down. 

Then I hopped on the recumbent stationary bike and did an easy 30′ with a HR cap of 150 (75% HRR). 

Tomorrow: basically the same thing, but only two sprints. Then I fly home, arriving at 7pm. Then I race Saturday afternoon.

Wednesday: 60 minutes in a hot fitness center

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At the Residence Inn in Munich.  Fitness Center contains 2 treadmills, 1 crosstrainer, 1 recumbent stationary bike, a rack of dumbells and a universal cable weight machine.

Very hot in the room, maybe 26 or 27C.

I elected to do.

  1. 30′ incline walk on treadmill.  Max incline (15%), Started at 3.0mph for 5min, then increased to 3.5.  Objective was to slowly bring HR to 65% to 70% of HRR and stay there.
  2. 30′ stationary bike.  Lazy man’s intervals.  Target was average HR in the same 65% to 70% range.  Ended up a little bit lower than that because the level adjustment on the machine was not cooperating.

HR sensor linked fine to the equipment via ANT+, but the BT function seems to not be working.  The battery cover on it is also pretty much shot, so I bought a Wahoo Tickr on Amazon yesterday.  Hopefully it will be waiting for me at home.

My HR during the incline walk rose slowly and finally hit 65% HRR about 15 minutes into it.  With about 5 minutes left, it was right up at 70% HRR (144) and briefly went above that for the last couple of minutes.

On the bike, my HR was up in the right range when I was in the intervals and coasted down into the mid 120s during the easy parts.  It was still sweaty work in the hot gym, but I wish I could have adjusted the level.

Tomorrow:  Probably the same thing.

Thursday: Fitness Center Biathlon

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In the fitness center at the Fairmont Newport Beach.

30 minutes, incline treadmill.  15% incline, Started at 3.5mph, slowed down slightly to keep HR under 145 (UT2) about halg]fway through.

30 minutes, stationary bike.  Set effort level to keep me in UT2.

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Nothing fancy, nothing taxing.  Just trying to maintain aerobic fitness.

Now I am on a plane heading back to Boston.  I’m arriving around 3:30.

Saturday: Hard 5K on Lake Quinsigamond

More of the same: 3 x 30′ fitness center Tri-athlon

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A little cooler in the fitness center, but still very moist.  I started out thinking I would do another 2 hours, but I got bored and stopped after 90 minutes.

Plan:

  1. 30′ Incline Treadmill (15% grade was the max setting, and around 5.5km/h fast walking pace)
  2. 30′ Elliptical (two hill profile)
  3. 30′ recumbent stationary bike (easy interval profile)

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Today is my last day in Taiwan.  I take a cab to the airport at 7:30.  I think I will try to do another 90 minutes before I check out.  This week won’t have helped my rowing at all, but I hope it will help a bit with my endurance.

The trip home will take about 24 hours or so, arriving Friday night.  I hope to do a long row on the HOCR course on Saturday.