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Message board > Members' Opinion Polls > Members' poll: Favourite outing type?

Favourite outing type?

UT2		19%

Fartlek		6%

2x19' pyramids		10%

Power water work		16%

3 courses		32%

6 x 3'		3%

6 x 500m		13%

Row to Ely		0%

Swapping blades over		0%

Total: 31 members' votes

by Ingers - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 12:43am

"3 courses 45%

(Total: 11 members' votes)"

I refuse to believe that these 5 people have ever done this properly!

Also where is "non-competitive side by side UT1"?

by Simon - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 6:04am

Why is there no mention of outings spent working on technique?

by Simon - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 7:24am

Simon said: Why is there no mention of outings spent working on technique?

Is that not UT2?

by 2.31am: my first baby! - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 7:42am

Also where is "non-competitive side by side UT1"?

Rule number one: its a race
Rule number two: rule number one always applies

by Dan - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 8:04am

Simon said: Why is there no mention of outings spent working on technique?

You should focus on technique every outing, otherwise you might as well be on an erg.

by novice - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 9:43am

Talk about rowing jargon... Could someone please explain what the first six options mean?

by sarah - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 12:15pm

please explain what the first six options mean?

as an outsider, I'm a bit vague on some of these, but having just finished my written ARA bronze award assesments I feel qualified to answer this...

1) UT2 Utilisation 2. Light aerobic, low intensity work. Sustainable and fat burning. % of Max Heart rate 55-70 (or 56-68% of Heart Rate reserve*) Target rate: 18-20 Good for: General CV fitness. You feel relaxed and able to carry on a conversation (mainly taken from the concept II site)

HRR is max HR - resting HR

2) Fartlek - swedish word meaning 'speed play' I've normally encountered this in running, rather than rowing but it boils down to 'alternating rowing at race pace and light pressure' but can involve trying to catch another boat while alternating slow / fast

3) 2 x 19' pyramids (19' is 19 minutes) a pyramid is where you alternate slow / fast or easy / hard work and build up the length of time gradually to a peak, then decrease the time to "come down the other side". eg 1 min light followed by 1 min firm, followed by 2 light / 2 firm - don't know how exactly you get to 19 mins tho... I've also more usually come across pyramids being the number of strokes rather than number of minutes.

4) Power water work - can just mean low rate firm pressure, but can involve adding resistance to boat (bungy cord wrapped around stern) or rowing in half boat combinations at firm pressure (ie fours in an eight, pairs in a four)

5) haven't a clue what 3 courses is, it obviously some FaT or Cam specific thing, but sounds like doing 3 race courses back to back. (ie race up, spin, race down, spin, race back up again, paddle home)

6) 6 x 3' again the 3' is three minutes - so six shortish pieces - normally with equal rest (3 min off) but sometimes done with double rest - similar to 6 x 500 but done on the water, and slightly longer pain period (if you're a girl) more like double pain if you're a boy.

by Dubya - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 12:32pm

Ok I admit to work avoidance, but I am about to go do something useful right now...

UT2 is one of a set of short names for levels of (an)aerobic work.

Roughly, these are (in order from lowest to highest intensity) UT2, UT1, AT, OT, LT. In the below list, an interval session refers to doing time-limited piece of work followed by some rest period. Usually these are specified as say N (reps) x M (time). So 6 x 5 minutes would be six pieces each of 5 minutes' duration, with some rest in between. Sometimes the rest is specified as well.

UT2 = cardiovascular "utilization level 2" which is meant to be roughly 60-70% of maximum heart rate, easy conversation possible.

UT1 = "utilisation level 1", 70-80% of maximum heart rate, breathing a little harder but should be below anaerobic threshold and thus power output level should be sustainable at constant heart rate (so long as you avoid dehydration).

AT = "anaerobic threshold", which is training aimed at increasing the anaerobic threshold, usually hard pieces of 20-30 minutes' length at the maximum sustainable (constant) level. Google this, you will find lots of useful info. Generally difficult to speak but still possible.

"OT" = oxygen transport, this is high intensity intervals of about 5-10 minutes' length. This is aimed at improving the efficiency of your body's getting oxygen from lungs to muscles.

"LT" = lactate tolerance, this is aiming at preparing your muscles for lots of pain, usually maximum intensity intervals of about 1-2 minutes' length, no more.

Fartlek = literally translates as "speed play", it's a term from cross country skiing. Usually this is a session with lots of short intervals, usually if you're running you'll be going along and someone will select a landmark in the future and everyone sprints to the landmark. Similar in a boat except then it's the cox that picks the landmark.

2x19' pyramids = A pyramid is where you do intervals of changing lengths. This is, say, do a 4 minute piece, then rest, then 3 minutes, then rest, then 2, 1, 2, 3, 4. If you add those up you get 19, hence 19 minute pyramid. If you do it twice, you have 2 x 19'. This is hard work on land, in a boat it is also hard work but can be fun too!

Power water work = in an eight, this is usually 4 guys sitting out and the other 4 rowing at low rate, each stroke as hard as they possibly can, ie maximum power. Because only 4 are rowing, the force applied each stroke can be higher (the boat is moving slower). In smaller boats usually you use a bungee or something to make the boat slow down more as it moves through the water.

3 courses = In this context, a course is a piece from little bridge (by the Motorway bridge) to at least Peter's Posts, sometimes to top finish. 3 courses is an extremely hard and trying session in which you do 3 of these. Done properly, all 3 are done in the same direction so you have to go all the way to the lock 3 times.

6 x 3' = As described above, this is a session usually aimed at OT (oxygen transport). It is 6 reps of a 3 minute interval.

6 x 500m = This is the often done on an ergo as lactate tolerance (LT) training, usually there is say 90 secs rest between each 500m piece, each to be done absolutely flat out every stroke. In a boat it is somewhat harder to do well as there is always faff ,and rowing technique usually suffers since everyone is pulling their guts out.

by jmg - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 12:33pm

novice said: Talk about rowing jargon... Could someone please explain what the first six options mean?

UT (utilisation) 2 is about rowing for a long time at a level that is pretty comfortable, building up your underlying fitness level. I'd be aiming for a heart rate in the 140s, though it depends on the individual. UT1 is harder work (doing an hour at UT1 is pretty tiring) - in my opinion you should only train at UT2 if you're doing so much that working at UT1 would likely cause you to get injured / ill.

Fartlek (which I think means 'speed play' in some language or other) would mean doing short bursts up at high rates, useful to get a crew that's done a lot of miles into more of a state to tackle higher intensity pieces with good control and confidence taking the rating up and down.

19' pyramids would be 4-3-2-1-2-3-4 minutes at climbing then descending rates. Maybe rating 26-28-30-32-30-28-26 or similar.

Three courses is a triple run (three times from chesterton to the lock and back), doing the head course at race pace each time (e.g. little bridge to peter's posts or similar) before padding back down to the lock. This isn't a fun outing.

6x3' - six three minute bursts. Fill your body with lactate, then try and recover for the next burst. Also great to practice the first part of the bumps course, through the corners, without having to worry about how much the reach is going to hurt.

by jmg - Mon 4th Apr 2005, 12:35pm

...and I forgot power water work, but John's covered that. Guess a few people have too much time of their hands

by pia - Tue 5th Apr 2005, 6:17pm

Where is 'Personal burn'?

by jpd - Wed 6th Apr 2005, 9:04am

pia said: Where is 'Personal burn'?

What is 'personal burn' - where one rower rows unsustainably hard whilst everybody else is doing UT2, making no difference to the boat speed and learning exactly how not not to work with anybody else?

I know lots of people who like this type of training.

by Ingers - Wed 6th Apr 2005, 12:13pm

pia said: Where is 'Personal burn'?

Is that not a mis-spelling of the act of eating until your weight is equal to a Byrne?

How many mince pies would that be?

by Dubya - Wed 6th Apr 2005, 12:50pm

jpd said: I know lots of people who like this type of training.

Me me me!

by dw229 - Wed 6th Apr 2005, 8:07pm

How about 'Personal quiche'?

by mjb - Wed 6th Apr 2005, 8:43pm

dw229 said: How about 'Personal quiche'?

Is that not similar to a "Personal Byrne"

by jpd - Thu 7th Apr 2005, 8:26am

mjb said: Is that not similar to a "Personal Byrne"

No. Ingers has already defined what a "Personal Byrne" is.

by pia - Sun 10th Apr 2005, 7:49am

jpd said: What is 'personal burn' - where one rower rows unsustainably hard whilst everybody else is doing UT2, making no difference to the boat speed and learning exactly how not not to work with anybody else?

I know lots of people who like this type of training.

Precisely! It can be done in various formats. I liked when Charlie thought Amelia had asked for too many personal burns and Amelia+ ended up doing a sustained personal burn in our power water work...

I think I speak for every girl when I say it is difficult to opress the calling for a personal byrne. I have found that to sustain a personal byrne at a rate never actually coming dangerously close to 1 byrne, rowing is great. That is not to say that this is the only reason why I row...!

by mjb - Sun 10th Apr 2005, 11:34am

jpd said: No. Ingers has already defined what a "Personal Byrne" is.

But the more quiching you do, the less calories you burn (thus more calories available for byrne-ing), resulting in less weight loss/more weight gain, depending on your perspective.

by mjb - Sun 10th Apr 2005, 11:39am

pia said: I think I speak for every girl when I say it is difficult to opress the calling for a personal byrne. I have found that to sustain a personal byrne at a rate never actually coming dangerously close to 1 byrne, rowing is great. That is not to say that this is the only reason why I row...!

Not to mention the fact that target of 1 byrne keeps shifting (assuming the kilogram is fixed, of course) ...

by Dubya - Sun 10th Apr 2005, 2:40pm

mjb said: But the more quiching you do, the less calories you burn (thus more calories available for byrne-ing), resulting in less weight loss/more weight gain, depending on your perspective.

That would be 'fewer'

by mjb - Sun 10th Apr 2005, 4:19pm

Dubya said: That would be 'fewer'

Well spotted.