Latest training progress.

Training has been a bit inconsistent lately due to Charlie's various commitments.
At the weekend, he was over at Oulton Park racing a 630bhp Mitsubishi Evo in an event series known as time attack. This isn't head to head racing but a time trial event. From what I heard from Charlie, a lot of fun was had and he had a pleasing result.
On his return, he had to drive over to Germany to do a sales pitch. This took place on Tuesday but he managed to get back by Tuesday evening So, as you can see, very busy.
Anyway, on to the training. Charlie came to my house today for a rowing session due to the fact that the immediate vicinity of his garden had become invaded by builders!!
I set the rower up on the decking in my garden and set the following programme:
4 minute warm up followed by 8 X 250 metre sprints with one minute, thirty seconds rest in between and then concluded with a 2 minute cool down.
One of my failings so far (hopefully there aren't many more) is a lack of data recording from our sessions. Charlie, being a racing driver, loves data. He likes to gauge progress by comparing one week's workout to the next. So, with this in mind, I am now recording each work interval and various other details.
Charlie's workout today was extremely good and shows massive improvement from where we started. He rowed, with gusto, the following:

------------TIME---500 METRE PACE---END HEART RATE

Interval 1----51.2------------1.42.0 ----------------------172
Interval 2----50.7------------1.41.4-----------------------176
Interval 3----49.6----------- 1.39.2-----------------------181
Interval 4----50.4----------- 1.40.8-----------------------185
Interval 5----50.7----------- 1.41.4-----------------------185
Interval 6----52.2----------- 1.44.4-----------------------185
Interval 7----52.0----------- 1.44.0-----------------------185
Interval 8----52.3----------- 1.45.0-----------------------185

Anyone who knows rowing will know that this is extremely good for an individual who only started to row about 5 weeks ago. Well done Charlie. We had the rower set at a drag factor of 130, which on my rower is level 5.

A word about drag factor.
I would like to explain a little bit about 'drag factor' and what it means.
Drag factor is the amount of resistance at the flywheel. A higher number means a heavier resistance, a smaller number equals a lighter resistance, so far, so good.
Everybody has a rowing intensity that suits them best. Big, strong individuals can tolerate a higher resistance whilst smaller, lighter individuals will row more efficiently on a lighter setting.
It's all down to personal taste.
Now, how do you know what the drag factor is of each machine? Unless you row on the same machine every time, you will inadvertently being rowing with a different drag factor as you swap between rowers. This is because dust accumulates within the flywheel housing effectively blocking the flow of air in and out of the flywheel. Therefore the less well maintained machines will have less resistance at any given intensity level. For example, on my well maintained machine at home, the drag factor at level 10 is 190. On the not so well maintained machines at my local gym, the drag factor on level 10 is 90!! Therefore you can't just select 5 on one machine one day and assume that level 5 on a neighbouring machine the next day will be the same intensity.
To display drag factor on a model D machine simply press 'utilities' and then 'display drag factor'.
Then row a few strokes and the drag factor will be displayed. Make a note of the number that feels right and then when you row on a neighboring machine simply repeat the procedure and set the intensity with the sliding adjuster to match that number. You are now rowing at a consistent drag factor and should see improvements in your performance as a result.
The trouble is, with a particularly badly maintained machine (which appear in most gyms) you may find that even on level 10 you can't get a sufficiently high enough drag factor. This particular problem affects me at my local gym where the level 10 drag factor is only a pitiful 90. My preferential drag factor is 130.When this happens it's time for a gentle word in the ear of the gym manager to organise a service.

5 mile run

This blog is primarily aimed at Charlie's fitness progress but I feel it's totally relevant to include a brief summary of any races that Charlie has partaken in.
Therefore, a brief word about Charlie's success over the weekend.
A long day for Charlie on Friday. Up at the track first thing for qualifying for Saturdays race. Charlie secured a sixth place start for Saturday.
In the race itself he made a cracking start and made up two places on the opening lap.
This is where he stayed for the duration coming home in forth place.
On Sunday, the cars line up according to their best lap time on the Saturday, so a second row position for Charlie. Charlie ran in forth for most of the race but gained a third place spot after the car running in third had transmission problems.
So, overall, a great weekend. In fact one that sees Charlie sitting in second position in the championship. Well done Charlie. Charlie invited me to his local afterwards for a celebratory drink with his girlfriend and some friends which was nice. Oh, nearly forgot to mention, I managed to thrash him at skittles, Having never played it before, I'm not too sure if he's just rubbish or I'm really good!! or maybe a combination of both.
OK, On to the training. We arranged to meet today at the Palmersport track. There was a trackday in progress and as a result the place was infested with Impreza's, GTR'S,Caterham's etc. Not a problem, we just chose to run along the access road instead. Five miles was the target as a steady state run. I decided to run as well hoping my calves would take the strain after my injury. We set off at a brisk 9 minute mile pace. 3 miles in, my calves were killing!! Don't quite know whats wrong here but a gait assessment and new running shoes are imminent. Grabbing my bike after three and a half miles, I caught up with Charlie and we continued for the remainder. There was some talk from Charlie about doing 4 miles but I wasn't listening. OK, all done, this is what we logged:
Miles: 5.09 Elapsed time: 49.09 Average pace: 9.39 minute mile. No heart rate monitoring was done. A good result with Charlie working hard.
I had a couple of kettlebells in the car and showed Charlie a couple of exercises that we will be trying shortly. I hope he's up for this as I am a strong believer in there effectiveness.
Please see my other blog, Kettlebell Nation for more information.

Have rower, will travel.

A busy schedule this week for Charlie. A racers life can be very hectic. Effectively holding down two jobs is not an easy process. Charlie is self employed (although I'm not entirely sure in what capacity) So, between his job, the work he does at Palmersport, his racing and all the various promotional work he does, it can be a stretch to fit in the training.
Fortunately, Charlie appreciates that his fitness is a vital part of the process and does give me his full commitment. He needs it as much for a psychological boost as well as the more obvious fitness benefits.
It's because of these time restraints that I'm prepared to do what is necessary to accommodate his needs.
So, as a result of this, my Concept 2 rower was duly loaded up into my boot and carted off to his house.
Once offloaded, we set up in his garden and I programmed the rower for the same session as before. This was the first time Charlie had rowed fresh and not following a weights session. We wanted to ascertain how much 'quality' we were losing by doing the weights first. Charlie's 'average' on the last session was 200 metres work intervals at a 500 metre pace between 1.43 and 1.50. Today he managed a pace between 1.40 and 1.45 for the 200 metre sessions, quite an improvement.
This raises the question, what should you do first, weights or cardio. Personally, I try whenever possible to separate the two. This is all very well when you can train 6 days a week as I do but simply not practical for the average trainer who doesn't have the time (Charlie) or the motivation to do so.
I believe that if you have no choice, then weights should come first followed by cardio. A high intensity cardio session will leave very little in the tank to enable a good quality weights session. I believe you can still have a quality cardio session following weights as long as you allow for some recovery time between the two.
But, as I've already stated there will be compromises whichever combination you choose. Rowing after a heavy leg or back session with weights will be particularly difficult and is probably best avoided if you plan to do a heavy interval session.

So, back to the training, interval session complete, I pack my rower back into the car and congratulate Charlie on a quality session, and, yes, he looks exhausted.
The rest of the week will just be swimming as before as we have a race coming up at Silverstone this weekend.

First race, Destination,Oulton Park

As promised , I am now producing a weekly blog on the progress of Charlie.
Charlie had his first two races over Easter weekend. As a result of this we decided it would be best if he just used the pool for his pre-race training.
On to the race itself. The first race in a series of fourteen, two at each venue with the first at Oulton park and culminating at Spa in Belgium.
Charlie qualified in fifth place. This was a good result as testing has been minimal up to this point and he had only tested in the wet. Out of fifteen starters, Charlie finished in a fantastic second place. Up on the podium for the first race is a great result and we were justifiably proud.
This meant starting second on the grid for Mondays race. This was another close fought battle with Charlie having to settle for a just off the podium forth place finish.
So, overall, a great start to the season especially when you consider the last time Charlie raced was five years ago.
OK, on the the training. Wednesday was the day we chose to meet at Bedford Autodome for a run around the track. Due to an error on Charlie's part, he still had an hour of work to do when I arrived. He apologised but it was actually to my benefit.
Charlie works at the circuit frequently during the week helping out at the various corporate days organised by Palmer sport. This can be anything from driving and instructing the participants to logging various forms of data. Within 10 minutes of arriving, I found myself sat in a Palmer Jaguar JP1 (see forth picture) next to a very lively fellow named Mark. Three laps later I arrived back in the pits exhilarated.
The cars run close to 300 BHP with a fantastic power to weight ratio. 0-60 in a tad over 3 seconds is certainly something worth experiencing but it was the cornering speed which made me appreciate just how tiring and intense the full race experience could be.
Fun over, fare paying customers now off the circuit, it was time for the run.
4.3 miles was the planned route taking in a combination of the various circuits.
I chose to use my bike as I am still rehabilitating from a calf injury.
Charlie completed the run in 39 minutes and forty six seconds which was an average of9.19 minute miles. This is a considerable improvement on his first run whereby Charlie completed a 4 mile run in 44 minutes averaging an 11 minute mile. Well done Charlie.
Next session, we were back at the Pembo centre in Rushden. Charlie chose to train very early (9am)and seemed to suffer as a consequence. We trained very hard on the weights and initially it was all going well. Improvements were made on the press ups with 3 sets done (supersetted with lunges)totalling 25,20 and finally 15 reps.
As we then progressed through the session it became obvious that Charlie was suffering and the nausea finally got the better of him resulting in a quick visit to the toilet to revisit his breakfast.
Session terminated midway, we've agreed to an extra rowing session either at my house or his Saturday evening (gym is shut)We are both determined that no sessions will be missed and will make amendments whenever we need to.
Early morning sessions may now become mid-morning sessions to see if that alleviates the problem.

Third session.

Charlie completed a mid-week run on his own at the PalmerSport circuit at Bedford Autodrome, the location of our running from now on. No more traffic, pot holes curbs pedestrians etc. I was suffering from a pulled calf muscle so had to wimp out.
On Friday we met at the gym for another session. Because I hadn't trained all week, I decided to join Charlie for some of the weight training.
Charlie is already exhibiting some strength gains, most evident in his press ups where he managed 20, 16 and then, somehow 17 reps.
Weights done it was onto the rower. This is where I can really push Charlie and it's also where he likes to be pushed.
I pre-programmed the rower for a warm up and then 8 intervals of 200 metres effort followed by 1 minute 20 seconds rest. a slight progression from last session. The intervals were polished off at 500 metre pace times between 1.39 and a 1.50.
This was a tough session with Charlie's heart rate peaking at 190 BPM and rarely dropping below 160. Charlie worked hard throughout unfortunately suffering from a stitch by the fifth interval.
Session done, we parted company and headed home.
Now that training has become quite well established I will produce weekly blogs from now on featuring significant progressions and highlights from the previous weeks training.
As there is a race fast approaching, Charlie has decided he just wants to swim for a couple of sessions. Its a bit easier on the body and will help in Charlie's preparation.
Once the race is done, I will probably throw some kettlebell training into the mix just to add interest and another dimension into his training.

Charlie's second gym session

Charlie arrived at the gym clearly up for it today, quite a contrast to the last session. Illness gone, energy levels back up, mentally readied for a tough workout.
Straight on to the rower for a 5 minute warm up. Heart rate up to 140, a one minute tail off and straight in to the weights room.
Lunges are up first. Using body weight only Charlie performs 30 reps total. With no rest, straight into a set of press ups, 20 reps, not too bad. a minutes rest and we're in again this time with some dumbbells. More press ups, quick rest and then a final set. The sweat is on, breathing hard, so far the session is going well.
Next up, a superset combination of bicep cable curls, with a rope to emphasise the forearms and triceps pressdowns. Moving swiftly between the two exercises leaves Charlie's arms very tired. High reps are once again the order of the day to emphasize endurance over muscle growth.
Arms thoroughly worked, we move on to dumbbell shrugs. Here we once again do 3 sets of 20-25 repetitions.
That's the brunt of the weight training done. This will evolve over the coming weeks and months as Charlie's conditioning improves.
From here it's in to the studio for some abdominal and core work before we hit the rower. We do some rotations on a stability ball whilst holding a 5 kg plate in the approximate position of a steering wheel. The idea here is to work up to multiple sets of 100 reps. Once a certain level of conditioning is achieved, a medicine ball will be introduced under Charlie's feet to further de-stabilise him and increase the recruitment of the core muscles. A few sets of planks later and we're back in to the cardio suite for an interval session on the rower.
I programme the rower for 10 intervals of work to rest ratio of 1 to 2. 30 seconds of work followed by 1 minute's rest.
First set in Charlie averages 1.47 per 500. Second set he hits 1.45, which is none too shabby. Subsequent sets fall between 1.46 and 1.47 per 500 metre. Heart rate peaks at 180, sweating heavily, breathing heavily, job done.
10 minutes stretching back in the studio in the middle of a very noisy spin session and we're finished. All in all a great session. Charlie seems very pleased with his efforts and thanks me for pushing him hard.
Next up a 5 mile steady state run on Wednesday.

A nauseating second session

Today was our first gym session. I've arranged a deal with my local gym which enables me to bring clients in to use the facilities which is great.(thank you Shane from the Pemberton Centre, Rushden)
So, Charlie's back from his trip to Scotland and we meet at the gym at 8.40am.
On my arrival, Charlie give me some worrying news that he has had some sort of bug and as a result has had frequent trips to the toilet and not been eating properly.
Despite this, he wants to press on.
First up, the rower for a 5 minute general warm up.
Charlie sets off at 2.10 per 500 metre pace. He is wearing his heart rate monitor but as it's a warm up, I don't bother to really check it. This was a mistake. Charlie doesn't appear to be overly exerting himself but once the warm up is over, we check the HR. It's a way too high 170BPM. Twice resting heart rate is a better target for a warm up. The higher than expected HR is definitely due to his illness.
Feeling nauseous, Charlie wants to carry on so we head to the weights room. One set of lunges and press ups later and Charlie simply can't carry on.
He apologises but I tell him there is absolutely no need to.
Charlie is basically running on empty. Quite simply you can't train so soon after an illness, especially a stomach bug. It's counter-productive. Charlie needs to recover fully so as to replenish his glycogen stores and get his strength levels back up.
So, not a great start and I didn't get to unleash my workout on him.
On exiting, Charlie informs me that he will be in touch once he is fully recovered.
Next week, if all goes well, we should be training 3 days. A long endurance run and twice in the gym.