Great video as always Cam and very informative. I'm 64 and have returned to erging after a 16 year gap due to injury and most of my workouts are UT2 and I get great satisfaction of putting the metres in so I'm really pleased to hear how important training at this level is and building the base. It's so good to have you as a virtual coach as I erg at home not in a club or gym but being in the yamsquad is really motivating. Thank you and keep up the great work. Have a good weekend.
Have you heard of Arthur Lydiard? A lot of what you are saying he developed in the 60’s. I ran the London Marathon 20 years ago in a not so great time of 5:20, and after being given AL’s book took my marathon time at the age 58 to 3:12. Love the channel.
Cam...I just came across your videos and must say that this one is great....they are alI great but this one really spoke to me. I totally agree with your comments about consistency in training. Consistency is key and building the base. Great message 👍
A well explained piece on one of the more debatable areas of training. Usually after a days work I neck an expresso (or two - poor hydration I know), then motivate myself to get my ass on the ergo. I mix it up from session to session from zone 2 steady state then next day a HIIT session but as you pointed out, Mr Ego invariably steps in and says you’re slacking doing another steady state, you’re not improving if you’re not busting your ass but now I feel building that base (filling the proverbial energy bowl), is my aim but will chuck in the odd HIIT session rather than the other way round - cheers Cam 😎
Cam, fantastic vlog, I think recently I have been the biggest advocate of heart rate training specifically UT2 training. I always say to people, can’t imagine to have a solid house on a weak foundation. I’m not a full time athlete and work full time but I do 6-7 sessions a week, when I’m not racing, it is strictly 2 UT2 x 60mins and 4 UT1 sessions for almost 6 weeks. Then I can easily do 3 weeks of AT/TR & AN before race, it has helped me drastically and I hope people can understand the underlying message you are giving here, it is a game changer. #yamsquad
Thanks to your videos about ut2, mine have now gone down by 3-4 splits and i'm feeling way better in long distances ! Keep up the great work Cam, i'm really looking forward to see you in Tokyo 2021 !
People may want to take a look at: Does Polarized Training Improve Performance in Recreational Runners? Munoz et al. , 2014. International J. Of Sports Physiology and Performance. 9:265-272. Yes it does. You need the aerobic base.
I'm definitely going to change things up. With the way I've trained, I'm burnt out after the annual Crash B's 2K race and turn away from the erg for six months. Then I start all over again the next fall. I'm no world class athlete, but your videos make sense to me. With easier, longer workouts, I could see myself training year round. I keep track of everything I do, so I am going to be my own little lab rat. I'll report back on how Zone 2 training goes. Thanks for all you do to inform us about proper training.
@@CameronBuchan I did 2 x 5K today. Not slow enough!! Today I averaged 75% and 73% of max. I'm 64 with max heart rate of 171. This is going to take some adjustment on my part. My stroke rate was 18. It was lovely pulling at a 500m split of 2:29. Head scrambling going on here!
Cheers Cam. So to summarise. A good base fitness enables you to train harder/longer at higher intensities with the hope to get better performances at high intensity pieces.
Very good point, I found that managing my motivation was the key to sustained progress. Obviously I’m not training for the Olympics, but doing some steady state while watching Netflix is one of the best things I’ve started doing for my training. Here are my two cents: - Even a 20 min steady state workout on the erg has benefits. It’s not 90 minutes but it will improve your fitness, and we can all find 20 min somewhere. You might find that after you’ve done your 20 min you have motivation for a bit more. - If you can’t put a laptop next to you for various reasons, you can buy a phone holder that fits on the erg’s screen on the concept2 website - that way you can watch Netflix while your train. - Put subtitles on if you’re watching Netflix. Highly recommend something slow and not too attention consuming. Lastly, what’s your favourite steady state show? Mine is Tale from the Loop (Amazon Prime), quite slow going so perfect for steady state. PS: I’d be very interested in learning more about how you manage motivation and getting on the erg. Candidly, it can tough sometimes to get myself to go do a hard session. I wonder how you manage that.
Oh, one last point. I’m not training for the Olympics but for club races. There’s a very active club scene for amateurs like me. We’ll never be at Olympic level, but we still compete and hope to get better.
I've only been doing a couple of UT2 workouts a week (60 or 120min) and I've seen a few seconds faster in split for same HR. I am sure it enabled me to recently beat my 10k PB which I set back in 2016. I've only been doing UT2 for around 4 weeks. UT2 has been a revelation for me!
I am an example of someone who trained three days a week(with a day or two off between) on the ERG to improve my fitness and health with my heart rate usually in UT2 and UT1. It is now easier to do a 10K , my splits during high intensity work outs are lowering, and my health has improved so it does work.
There is a lot of evidence that supports the benefit of training in the ut 2 and ut1 zones. More time in these zones will shift up your ability to perform in AT. I saw the same thing when i was running- my fastest 10kn came off the back of marathon training
Good talking points CB. It requires extreme discipline to do lots of UT2 sessions, and the deferral of fitness gratification to see results. From a personal point of view, I like every session to matter, to have a purpose. Sometimes make sessions hard, but fun. This enables one to be consistent over the long term, and experience gains. Ultimately, varieties of training plans are probably different roads to the same destination. As a corollary, I'd sooner do the 15x500 hard than the 90min v slow.
Very good points David. It can be difficult but once those gains are seen it can be a great motivator! 15 500s are much more satisfying than the 90 mins but getting yourself worked up for one or the other I'd still say the 90!
It's difficult isn't it! It's a readjustment how training zones should feel. So many people say they are doing "steady state" or "zone 2" when in fact they are way above. Nothing wrong with the other zones, just knowing which one to be in is a huge factor for training!
@@CameronBuchan zone 2 on the erg is boring, boring, boring... I prefer the stationary bike - easier to watch netflix too :-) Any reason why I should stick to the erg? cheers.
@@DentalExpertise Great question! I look forward to Cam's answer. Personally I tried to alternate stationary bike for the long slow workouts and my erg fitness declined over a month. There seems to be no comparison to the erg.
Ozone 245 If you can keep your HR consistently low during the session, then don't rest. The idea of UT2 is to learn to burn fat as much as possible to save carbs. This baseline fat burning is then also increased during high efforts giving you the extra power you want to see. The idea of rests is to refill depleted carbs in the muscle to get more power for the next interval which doesn't apply to UT2. As boring as it is just keep your HR where it should be.
Agree with Raman broadly, with the exception that if you're doing 20km on the erg and its hot then scheduling short stops to keep hydrated might be a good idea. 2 minutes is too long though. Less than 60 seconds would be better. At UT2 effort level you shouldn't need the recovery anyway. If you really need that long a recovery you're either going to far too soon or you're not really working at UT2 so slow down.
If you want to go hard on your hard days, you need to go easy on your easy days. The every other day approach is wonderful for working class athletes. And UT2 is optimally productive for developing aerobic capacity. Literally going too hard on your easy days stunts your aerobic development.
Any thoughts on the minimum time that a ut2 piece needs to be to be beneficial? 60-70 mins seems to be mentioned a lot, but not sure where that comes from.
mike scott 45-90 mins has been proven to be beneficial, could also be done as intervals but with UT2 the rest time should be 10-20% of the working time, for example, 30mins x 2 with a rest of 3 mins or 6 mins between intervals, or 30mins x 3 with same rest periods. I usually keep it at low end for UT2 i.e. 10% the idea being your heart rate comes down to almost double your resting. Hope this helps
Oleg Kurilenko British rowing have a spreadsheet on their website, plus if you search concept2 heart rate training you might find stuff. I’d also recommend reading various researches on PubMed. Also search “rathburn concept2 indoor rowing guide” on google.
I have never trained with a heart rate monitor. I have always used the approximation of 18-22 seconds over 2K PB pace for SS work. Is that a good enough estimate or do I really need to use a monitor?
Could you do a talk about periodization? Been rowing consistently for almost 2 months now and it's time to make or find some sort of system. Kinda confusing.
Great video as always Cam and very informative. I'm 64 and have returned to erging after a 16 year gap due to injury and most of my workouts are UT2 and I get great satisfaction of putting the metres in so I'm really pleased to hear how important training at this level is and building the base. It's so good to have you as a virtual coach as I erg at home not in a club or gym but being in the yamsquad is really motivating. Thank you and keep up the great work. Have a good weekend.
Have you heard of Arthur Lydiard? A lot of what you are saying he developed in the 60’s. I ran the London Marathon 20 years ago in a not so great time of 5:20, and after being given AL’s book took my marathon time at the age 58 to 3:12. Love the channel.
Cam...I just came across your videos and must say that this one is great....they are alI great but this one really spoke to me. I totally agree with your comments about consistency in training. Consistency is key and building the base. Great message 👍
A well explained piece on one of the more debatable areas of training. Usually after a days work I neck an expresso (or two - poor hydration I know), then motivate myself to get my ass on the ergo. I mix it up from session to session from zone 2 steady state then next day a HIIT session but as you pointed out, Mr Ego invariably steps in and says you’re slacking doing another steady state, you’re not improving if you’re not busting your ass but now I feel building that base (filling the proverbial energy bowl), is my aim but will chuck in the odd HIIT session rather than the other way round - cheers Cam 😎
Best video I have seen on you tube, this is gold
Cam, fantastic vlog, I think recently I have been the biggest advocate of heart rate training specifically UT2 training. I always say to people, can’t imagine to have a solid house on a weak foundation. I’m not a full time athlete and work full time but I do 6-7 sessions a week, when I’m not racing, it is strictly 2 UT2 x 60mins and 4 UT1 sessions for almost 6 weeks.
Then I can easily do 3 weeks of AT/TR & AN before race, it has helped me drastically and I hope people can understand the underlying message you are giving here, it is a game changer.
#yamsquad
Thanks to your videos about ut2, mine have now gone down by 3-4 splits and i'm feeling way better in long distances ! Keep up the great work Cam, i'm really looking forward to see you in Tokyo 2021 !
This is great stuff. I really hope this works for you and I can follow you through to Tokyo 2021
People may want to take a look at: Does Polarized Training Improve Performance in Recreational Runners?
Munoz et al. , 2014. International J. Of Sports Physiology and Performance. 9:265-272.
Yes it does. You need the aerobic base.
I'm definitely going to change things up. With the way I've trained, I'm burnt out after the annual Crash B's 2K race and turn away from the erg for six months. Then I start all over again the next fall. I'm no world class athlete, but your videos make sense to me. With easier, longer workouts, I could see myself training year round. I keep track of everything I do, so I am going to be my own little lab rat. I'll report back on how Zone 2 training goes. Thanks for all you do to inform us about proper training.
I hope it helps you. Consistency over time often beats out harder training for shorter busts
@@CameronBuchan I did 2 x 5K today. Not slow enough!! Today I averaged 75% and 73% of max. I'm 64 with max heart rate of 171. This is going to take some adjustment on my part. My stroke rate was 18. It was lovely pulling at a 500m split of 2:29. Head scrambling going on here!
Cheers Cam. So to summarise. A good base fitness enables you to train harder/longer at higher intensities with the hope to get better performances at high intensity pieces.
Really liked this! Thanks!
You're welcome! I think it answers the questions you emailed about!
I saw a cool rowing EXR. Maybe it is a cool idea for a video :)
Great video. It’s clarified some thoughts I had after my recent Z2 sessions and poor results during a time trial. Thanks for keeping it real :)
Very good point, I found that managing my motivation was the key to sustained progress. Obviously I’m not training for the Olympics, but doing some steady state while watching Netflix is one of the best things I’ve started doing for my training.
Here are my two cents:
- Even a 20 min steady state workout on the erg has benefits. It’s not 90 minutes but it will improve your fitness, and we can all find 20 min somewhere. You might find that after you’ve done your 20 min you have motivation for a bit more.
- If you can’t put a laptop next to you for various reasons, you can buy a phone holder that fits on the erg’s screen on the concept2 website - that way you can watch Netflix while your train.
- Put subtitles on if you’re watching Netflix. Highly recommend something slow and not too attention consuming.
Lastly, what’s your favourite steady state show? Mine is Tale from the Loop (Amazon Prime), quite slow going so perfect for steady state.
PS: I’d be very interested in learning more about how you manage motivation and getting on the erg. Candidly, it can tough sometimes to get myself to go do a hard session. I wonder how you manage that.
Oh, one last point. I’m not training for the Olympics but for club races. There’s a very active club scene for amateurs like me. We’ll never be at Olympic level, but we still compete and hope to get better.
I've only been doing a couple of UT2 workouts a week (60 or 120min) and I've seen a few seconds faster in split for same HR. I am sure it enabled me to recently beat my 10k PB which I set back in 2016. I've only been doing UT2 for around 4 weeks. UT2 has been a revelation for me!
I am an example of someone who trained three days a week(with a day or two off between) on the ERG to improve my fitness and health with my heart rate usually in UT2 and UT1. It is now easier to do a 10K , my splits during high intensity work outs are lowering, and my health has improved so it does work.
There is a lot of evidence that supports the benefit of training in the ut 2 and ut1 zones. More time in these zones will shift up your ability to perform in AT. I saw the same thing when i was running- my fastest 10kn came off the back of marathon training
Forgot to mention, started rowing to take the pressure off my knees, and have fallen in love with rowing on the erg!
Good talking points CB. It requires extreme discipline to do lots of UT2 sessions, and the deferral of fitness gratification to see results.
From a personal point of view, I like every session to matter, to have a purpose. Sometimes make sessions hard, but fun. This enables one to be consistent over the long term, and experience gains. Ultimately, varieties of training plans are probably different roads to the same destination. As a corollary, I'd sooner do the 15x500 hard than the 90min v slow.
Very good points David. It can be difficult but once those gains are seen it can be a great motivator! 15 500s are much more satisfying than the 90 mins but getting yourself worked up for one or the other I'd still say the 90!
Good stuff
It's soooooooo hard to stay in zone 2! I feels like you're doing nothing. I keep on creeping into zone 3.
It's difficult isn't it! It's a readjustment how training zones should feel. So many people say they are doing "steady state" or "zone 2" when in fact they are way above. Nothing wrong with the other zones, just knowing which one to be in is a huge factor for training!
@@CameronBuchan zone 2 on the erg is boring, boring, boring... I prefer the stationary bike - easier to watch netflix too :-) Any reason why I should stick to the erg? cheers.
@@DentalExpertise Great question! I look forward to Cam's answer. Personally I tried to alternate stationary bike for the long slow workouts and my erg fitness declined over a month. There seems to be no comparison to the erg.
Are you on strava
Is it better to do 20km UT2 or 4x5km w/ 2 mins rest UT2 ? Is there a drastic difference to the benefits
Ozone 245 If you can keep your HR consistently low during the session, then don't rest. The idea of UT2 is to learn to burn fat as much as possible to save carbs. This baseline fat burning is then also increased during high efforts giving you the extra power you want to see. The idea of rests is to refill depleted carbs in the muscle to get more power for the next interval which doesn't apply to UT2. As boring as it is just keep your HR where it should be.
Agree with Raman broadly, with the exception that if you're doing 20km on the erg and its hot then scheduling short stops to keep hydrated might be a good idea. 2 minutes is too long though. Less than 60 seconds would be better. At UT2 effort level you shouldn't need the recovery anyway. If you really need that long a recovery you're either going to far too soon or you're not really working at UT2 so slow down.
Any benefit to double erg days? Say 45 mins in the morning, 45 mins after work?
doooo it!!
If you want to go hard on your hard days, you need to go easy on your easy days.
The every other day approach is wonderful for working class athletes. And UT2 is optimally productive for developing aerobic capacity. Literally going too hard on your easy days stunts your aerobic development.
Any thoughts on the minimum time that a ut2 piece needs to be to be beneficial? 60-70 mins seems to be mentioned a lot, but not sure where that comes from.
mike scott 45-90 mins has been proven to be beneficial, could also be done as intervals but with UT2 the rest time should be 10-20% of the working time, for example, 30mins x 2 with a rest of 3 mins or 6 mins between intervals, or 30mins x 3 with same rest periods. I usually keep it at low end for UT2 i.e. 10% the idea being your heart rate comes down to almost double your resting. Hope this helps
Oleg Kurilenko British rowing have a spreadsheet on their website, plus if you search concept2 heart rate training you might find stuff. I’d also recommend reading various researches on PubMed. Also search “rathburn concept2 indoor rowing guide” on google.
I have never trained with a heart rate monitor. I have always used the approximation of 18-22 seconds over 2K PB pace for SS work. Is that a good enough estimate or do I really need to use a monitor?
what's your max HR?
Around 200
Could you do a talk about periodization? Been rowing consistently for almost 2 months now and it's time to make or find some sort of system. Kinda confusing.