You should aim for 71 kg ideal body weight, which will give you a water retention room for error of 1.5 kg. This will give you the edge. Have a look at the following
Journey to the Centre of the Four... (A Rower's Journal)
- Thread starter Dutes
- Start date
This calculator might help you as well.
A good way to do it is, to get yourself a HR monitor and use it when rowing, and then compare the results with the results on that calculator, just to see how accurate the HR monitor is, cause most of them are running HR monitors, they are using a different formula. I don't know if there are any HR watches for rowing.
Great links, thanks very much. The calorie calculator one is particularly interesting. Apparently I burned over a thousand calories during the morning's row, considering I'm training at least twice a day I suspect I probably need to be eating more.
My coach has my target as 70kg, as I plan on rowing in crew boats and you need to be someone pretty special for crews to accomodate extra weight as it means a big effort on the part of the rest of the crew. If I decide to go for the single scull as my main boat I'll probably target 71kg. At the moment I'm still in conditioning and can prob lose another 2-3% bf, so about 1.5kg leaving me with 3.2kg of room to play around with in pursuit of that 70kg mark.
My coach has my target as 70kg, as I plan on rowing in crew boats and you need to be someone pretty special for crews to accomodate extra weight as it means a big effort on the part of the rest of the crew. If I decide to go for the single scull as my main boat I'll probably target 71kg. At the moment I'm still in conditioning and can prob lose another 2-3% bf, so about 1.5kg leaving me with 3.2kg of room to play around with in pursuit of that 70kg mark.
Congrats, Dutes!!! That's fantastic news! I'm really, really happy for you
I'm very glad they recognized that you're serious about this (as if there was any doubt ...).
You have to be careful cause you have a very heavy schedule in front of you and a possible injury, or overtraining can take you way back. Take care of yourself, it's easy to calculate your energy expenditure and your energy intake. After you do that, then through trial and error you will get down to +/- 300 kcal, that's how accurate your nutrition plan can become.
Remember, your training should be as sport specific as possible. For example, HIIT sessions on the rowing machine can make a huge difference.
Remember, your training should be as sport specific as possible. For example, HIIT sessions on the rowing machine can make a huge difference.
Scroll down and take a look at the Rowing Nutrition document. I tried to attach it but it's too big as an attachment.
Take care young man, i will be following your progress with great interest.
Just saw your comment on my User CP. I think this is good enough
Satuday 6/09/08 - Day 6 (91 Days to Deadline)
4.15am start... oh wait no... that's right some ****head (ie. me) forget to set his alarm when he got home from work last night (admittedly at 11pm after a 13 hour shift...) so I missed training. :11doh:
Really angry with myself. I'm supposed to meet someone at uni at 9 as well so there's my morning gone. With all my stuff for a filthy research assignment on me I don't run in or out, I walk as briskly as I can without my hip breaking from having textbooks wacking it.
When I get home I go to the gym and do my ergo sets.
4x500m@sub1:43 split w/4mins recovery. I feel like absolute crap again. I hate ergos so much. This time I hold it for the first 3 500's but then in the 4th it does not happen at all and I feel like i'm going to die. Its an embarrassingly bad 4th 500 and for the second time today I'm disappointed with myself. Again I have a power spew after the ergos are done. I do some stretching and try and get myself together. I must end up falling asleep because when I open my eyes more than half an hour has passed.
I feel a bit better by then so I start my swiss ball stuff
5x30seconds Bridges on 'Sausage' 1xall arms and legs on the grouns, 2xeach leg with one leg off the ground
4x20 Reverse Crunch w/Swiss Ball lift (holding it with your legs and lifting it)
2x20 (each leg) Single Leg Lunch w/foot on bosu
4x20 V crunches with 10kg medicine ball and legs straight
4x20 Squats and Above Head Press w/10kg Medicine Ball
4x20second Swiss Ball straight leg kicks
2x1min Swiss Ball kneeling
4x20 Squats on Wobbling Disks
4x15 Swiss Ball shoulder raises
3x10 Swiss Ball Bench Press @ 40kg
3x10 Swiss Ball Butterflies @30kg
3x10 Lat Pull Downs @50kg
Then I head out to organise a dinner for fathers day tomorrow.
Run into one of my female friends from last semester who I haven't seen since the holidays and her first remark is 'wow Sam, you're looking really fit, you look great"
a really nice, and unexpected compliment since I haven't noticed much difference (then again I haven't got any earlier photos or anyhting to compare it with)
The Bad:
Using the basic BMR calculations I calculate my daily needs are at around 3200 calories to break even.
Food:
Breakfast: 5weetbix w/honey + low fat milk (412 cals total)
Lunch: Cheese, lettuce, tomato + ham sandwich on Wholemeal (419cals)
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry (Roughly 600cals total)
Total Cals=Roughly 1431...
Oh my...
Wow... thankyou fit4life for a disturbing wake up call...
Even the conservative estimates i made using that calculator you gave me for my expenditure still says i used 600 calories in the exercises i did today (i don't know, that sounds wrong... i think that calculator doesn't adequately take into account the intensity of the ergos...) not even including calories needed for living. If I had gone for a row this morning that would have been another 1050-odd calories burned... if i had eaten the same I would have expended more in planned exercise than i ate during the entire day.
Definately need to eat more, no wonder I've lost weight... I suppose given the amount of exercise I do and will be doing on a regular basis I should stop worrying about eating small portions and just eat. I suppose when I was training for nationals last year I was eating like a horse and still weighed less than i do now and was training less then as well (that was only for schoolboys)...
fit4life, thank you very much for a very disturbing wake up call.
Thought for the day:
"To increase your success rate, double your failure rate"
4.15am start... oh wait no... that's right some ****head (ie. me) forget to set his alarm when he got home from work last night (admittedly at 11pm after a 13 hour shift...) so I missed training. :11doh:
Really angry with myself. I'm supposed to meet someone at uni at 9 as well so there's my morning gone. With all my stuff for a filthy research assignment on me I don't run in or out, I walk as briskly as I can without my hip breaking from having textbooks wacking it.
When I get home I go to the gym and do my ergo sets.
4x500m@sub1:43 split w/4mins recovery. I feel like absolute crap again. I hate ergos so much. This time I hold it for the first 3 500's but then in the 4th it does not happen at all and I feel like i'm going to die. Its an embarrassingly bad 4th 500 and for the second time today I'm disappointed with myself. Again I have a power spew after the ergos are done. I do some stretching and try and get myself together. I must end up falling asleep because when I open my eyes more than half an hour has passed.
I feel a bit better by then so I start my swiss ball stuff
5x30seconds Bridges on 'Sausage' 1xall arms and legs on the grouns, 2xeach leg with one leg off the ground
4x20 Reverse Crunch w/Swiss Ball lift (holding it with your legs and lifting it)
2x20 (each leg) Single Leg Lunch w/foot on bosu
4x20 V crunches with 10kg medicine ball and legs straight
4x20 Squats and Above Head Press w/10kg Medicine Ball
4x20second Swiss Ball straight leg kicks
2x1min Swiss Ball kneeling
4x20 Squats on Wobbling Disks
4x15 Swiss Ball shoulder raises
3x10 Swiss Ball Bench Press @ 40kg
3x10 Swiss Ball Butterflies @30kg
3x10 Lat Pull Downs @50kg
Then I head out to organise a dinner for fathers day tomorrow.
Run into one of my female friends from last semester who I haven't seen since the holidays and her first remark is 'wow Sam, you're looking really fit, you look great"
a really nice, and unexpected compliment since I haven't noticed much difference (then again I haven't got any earlier photos or anyhting to compare it with)
The Bad:
Using the basic BMR calculations I calculate my daily needs are at around 3200 calories to break even.
Food:
Breakfast: 5weetbix w/honey + low fat milk (412 cals total)
Lunch: Cheese, lettuce, tomato + ham sandwich on Wholemeal (419cals)
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry (Roughly 600cals total)
Total Cals=Roughly 1431...
Oh my...
Wow... thankyou fit4life for a disturbing wake up call...
Even the conservative estimates i made using that calculator you gave me for my expenditure still says i used 600 calories in the exercises i did today (i don't know, that sounds wrong... i think that calculator doesn't adequately take into account the intensity of the ergos...) not even including calories needed for living. If I had gone for a row this morning that would have been another 1050-odd calories burned... if i had eaten the same I would have expended more in planned exercise than i ate during the entire day.
Definately need to eat more, no wonder I've lost weight... I suppose given the amount of exercise I do and will be doing on a regular basis I should stop worrying about eating small portions and just eat. I suppose when I was training for nationals last year I was eating like a horse and still weighed less than i do now and was training less then as well (that was only for schoolboys)...
fit4life, thank you very much for a very disturbing wake up call.
Thought for the day:
"To increase your success rate, double your failure rate"
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Be careful, overtraining is not what you want to happen right now. Increase your food intake to 3500 kcal and take it from there. Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replenish the weight lost with liquids. If you start gaining weight you will know that you eat more than enough, if you still lose weight increase your calorie intake by 300-500 kcal and so on.
Every 3rd week give yourself a 2-day off. You will recharge your batteries in full and you are going to feel less stressed. Never get disappointed with yourself, use the results you get from your sessions and think outside the box. "Didn't deliver today. Why? Possible reasons:" and go from there. You have done so well up to now, you have people that believe in your abilities, you got a sponsorship...feeling disappointed isn't going to cut it. Always think positive, always look at the signs, and always listen to your body. Sometimes less is more you know.
600 kcal sounds right to me. I suggest you invest in a polar watch to count calories burned, i can't train without mine. It's like training in the dark.
OK, i'll stop now
Sunday 7/09/08 - Day 7 (90 days to deadline)
Today is my day off and, as it's fathers day, I have made plans to take my dad and his dad out to dinner. During the day I have to work, or else i would have run the bridge-to-brisbane (10k fundraising run). Nonetheless its an epic day at work and we are jam packed from go-to-wo with fathers day lunches. Im run off my feet and am glad to get out of their at 5 o'clock. On a day like that, 7 hours is more than enough for me.
It's a great dinner and a very enjoyable evening. Back in training tomorrow and we kick it up. Week 1 down.
Wasn't able to calorie count today as at dinner I have no idea precisely how much I ate or the exact portions. It's my day off, I'll be more precise tomorrow.
Thought for the day
"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit... Then get back to work."
Today is my day off and, as it's fathers day, I have made plans to take my dad and his dad out to dinner. During the day I have to work, or else i would have run the bridge-to-brisbane (10k fundraising run). Nonetheless its an epic day at work and we are jam packed from go-to-wo with fathers day lunches. Im run off my feet and am glad to get out of their at 5 o'clock. On a day like that, 7 hours is more than enough for me.
It's a great dinner and a very enjoyable evening. Back in training tomorrow and we kick it up. Week 1 down.
Wasn't able to calorie count today as at dinner I have no idea precisely how much I ate or the exact portions. It's my day off, I'll be more precise tomorrow.
Thought for the day
"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit... Then get back to work."
Monday 8/09/08 - Day 8 (89 Days to deadline)
4.15am, struggle to get out of bed after a late-ish night but force myself up and after thirty seconds under the cold water I feel ready to row. Down to the shed and, as with the last two weeks, coach isn't there. Single scull it is.
20km row, in under 1hr50mins, quicker than last time and I feel a bit more tired, showing I'm exerting myself more.
Do about 10mins of stretching afterwards, although its more my gluts than my hammies that are tight.
Uni all day then 6km (4.25miles) run home.
At home I do core strength
5x15seconds each balance point (first all four points, then one leg off - each leg, then one arm off - each arm)
This was done without recovery between points and done before other exercises. I've heard that if you can do 30seconds at each balance point you have all the core strength that you'll ever need.
then my regular core strength workout
5x30 Squat jumps
5x25 Push ups
5x30 Crunches
5x15 Dips
5x30 Reverse Crunches
Food:
Eat quite a bit today, thats good.
Breakfast: 6 weetbix w/honey + low fat milk, 2 slices wholemeal toast with peanut butter - Total Cals (1062.4)
Mid Morning: Turkey + Ham roll on wholemeal bread with salads (total calories 550)
Lunch: Chicken Stir-Fry w/rice + soy sauce (980 cals)
Dinner: Whole-wheat Pasta (total calories 1057.1 w/sauce)
Total calorie intake 3649.5 thats about the number of calories I think I should be eating per day. I feel like I'm force-feeding myself a fair bit, this could also get expensive... lucky I get paid tomorrow, i need to go shopping again.
A good solid workout today, felt pretty tired at the end of it. Got a session with the boss (aka. the fitness coach) tomorrow and I'm fairly certain we're doing a 2k trial on the ergo... i'm completely terrified... :action6:
Thought for the Day:
"Think of aerobics plus weight lifting minus the music or camaraderie. Combine unalloyed endurance with straightforward strength and demand poise, timing, and practiced form as well. Think of pure pain: that's the ergometer."
4.15am, struggle to get out of bed after a late-ish night but force myself up and after thirty seconds under the cold water I feel ready to row. Down to the shed and, as with the last two weeks, coach isn't there. Single scull it is.
20km row, in under 1hr50mins, quicker than last time and I feel a bit more tired, showing I'm exerting myself more.
Do about 10mins of stretching afterwards, although its more my gluts than my hammies that are tight.
Uni all day then 6km (4.25miles) run home.
At home I do core strength
5x15seconds each balance point (first all four points, then one leg off - each leg, then one arm off - each arm)
This was done without recovery between points and done before other exercises. I've heard that if you can do 30seconds at each balance point you have all the core strength that you'll ever need.
then my regular core strength workout
5x30 Squat jumps
5x25 Push ups
5x30 Crunches
5x15 Dips
5x30 Reverse Crunches
Food:
Eat quite a bit today, thats good.
Breakfast: 6 weetbix w/honey + low fat milk, 2 slices wholemeal toast with peanut butter - Total Cals (1062.4)
Mid Morning: Turkey + Ham roll on wholemeal bread with salads (total calories 550)
Lunch: Chicken Stir-Fry w/rice + soy sauce (980 cals)
Dinner: Whole-wheat Pasta (total calories 1057.1 w/sauce)
Total calorie intake 3649.5 thats about the number of calories I think I should be eating per day. I feel like I'm force-feeding myself a fair bit, this could also get expensive... lucky I get paid tomorrow, i need to go shopping again.
A good solid workout today, felt pretty tired at the end of it. Got a session with the boss (aka. the fitness coach) tomorrow and I'm fairly certain we're doing a 2k trial on the ergo... i'm completely terrified... :action6:
Thought for the Day:
"Think of aerobics plus weight lifting minus the music or camaraderie. Combine unalloyed endurance with straightforward strength and demand poise, timing, and practiced form as well. Think of pure pain: that's the ergometer."
I'm assuming you're doing planks. Most people can't do a plank for 30 seconds keeping both toes and both elbows on the ground.
I think you're right on the mark with that, Dutes. That means you're holding a plank for 2 minutes and alternating each arm and leg, not to mention holding the plank on all four points for however long you did. Way to go!
Tuesday 9/09/08 - Day 9 (88 Days to Deadline)
No rowing this morning so I get a bit of a sleep in. It makes a wonderful change
10am session with the fitness coach and to my immense pleasure I learn we aren't, in fact, doing an ergo today. That is a huge relief. Instead we start on our weights program, this will be alternated with the swiss ball stuff, one week of each, for the next 8 weeks, after which our base should have been established, my BF% should be sufficiently low and we are goign to start on heavy weights. ATM the weights program is lighter weights, higher reps.
2x20 Bench Press @ 30kg (plus bar)
2x20 Lat Pull Downs @50kg
2x15 (each leg) D/B Lunges @ 20kg
2x20 Squats (no weight - more detail later)
2x20 Dorsal Raises
2x20 Seated Row @25kg
2x15 (each side) Cable Single Leg Squat and Pull
all with about 20 seconds rest between sets
We started the first set of squats, got through two and my coach pulled me up. He said at this stage my hammies are far, far to inflexible to squat heavy weights and until that gets sorted we are just doing technique squats. My bum should be just above the floor and atm its at about 90º.
The workout felt pretty good, all the sets started out really easy but by set 2 rep 18-20 it felt like it just was not goign to happen (it did though)
Work that night but it was pretty quiet and I just sort of cruised.
Food:
Breakfast: 6 weetbix w/honey and low fat milk, 2 slices Wholemeal bread w/peanut butter
Mid Morning: 2 Tuna & Cheese sandwiches on wholemeal bread
Lunch: Boost Juice energy lift w/protein
Afternoon: 175g of Whole-wheat pasta
Dinner: 1 piece grilled snapper.
Total calories for the day was just under 3700.
Tomorrow my coach gets back from World Uni Games (either tomorrow or friday) so I might actually do somethign other than a long endurance row tomorrow, we'll see.
Thought for the Day
"Think about the process, don't worry about the result until it's history... and once it's history there's no point in worrying about it."
No rowing this morning so I get a bit of a sleep in. It makes a wonderful change
10am session with the fitness coach and to my immense pleasure I learn we aren't, in fact, doing an ergo today. That is a huge relief. Instead we start on our weights program, this will be alternated with the swiss ball stuff, one week of each, for the next 8 weeks, after which our base should have been established, my BF% should be sufficiently low and we are goign to start on heavy weights. ATM the weights program is lighter weights, higher reps.
2x20 Bench Press @ 30kg (plus bar)
2x20 Lat Pull Downs @50kg
2x15 (each leg) D/B Lunges @ 20kg
2x20 Squats (no weight - more detail later)
2x20 Dorsal Raises
2x20 Seated Row @25kg
2x15 (each side) Cable Single Leg Squat and Pull
all with about 20 seconds rest between sets
We started the first set of squats, got through two and my coach pulled me up. He said at this stage my hammies are far, far to inflexible to squat heavy weights and until that gets sorted we are just doing technique squats. My bum should be just above the floor and atm its at about 90º.
The workout felt pretty good, all the sets started out really easy but by set 2 rep 18-20 it felt like it just was not goign to happen (it did though)
Work that night but it was pretty quiet and I just sort of cruised.
Food:
Breakfast: 6 weetbix w/honey and low fat milk, 2 slices Wholemeal bread w/peanut butter
Mid Morning: 2 Tuna & Cheese sandwiches on wholemeal bread
Lunch: Boost Juice energy lift w/protein
Afternoon: 175g of Whole-wheat pasta
Dinner: 1 piece grilled snapper.
Total calories for the day was just under 3700.
Tomorrow my coach gets back from World Uni Games (either tomorrow or friday) so I might actually do somethign other than a long endurance row tomorrow, we'll see.
Thought for the Day
"Think about the process, don't worry about the result until it's history... and once it's history there's no point in worrying about it."
Wednesday 10/09/08 - Day 10 (87 Days to Deadline)
4.15am rise, as always coach still isn't back, could be there Friday but definitely will be Saturday. Another 20k in the Single Scull, not as quick as Monday morning, takes me probably 5mins longer than I would have liked, just wasn't feeling the power this morning... maybe the gym session on Tuesday is affecting me more than I thought it would...
Do stretching afterwards.
After that, head to uni via train (still involves maybe 40mins of walking), because I have to crack on with this research assignment. Head home around 2.30 and am home by 3.30. Do some core strength exercises
5x15 second planks (first all four points, then one leg off - each leg, then one arm off - each arm)
This was done without recovery between points and done before other exercises
5x30 Squat jumps (last 10 as 'power jumps' going as high as possible)
4x25 + 1x35 (last set) Push Ups
4x30 Reverse Crunches
I want to find a bar around home I can do pull ups on as the push ups are starting to get a little boring, would love to try some alternate stuff. We'll see.
By the afternoon though, before I began my workout, I was really feeling the previous days gym session. My lats are absolutely killing me, my hamstring was tight all day as well.
Work from 5, not too busy but enough to keep me occupied and keep me moving.
Food: not so good today
Breakfast: 4 weetbix w/honey and low fat milk, 4-egg omelet w/cheese, tomato, garlic and coriander (just over 1000 calories)
Lunch: Footlong Subway Club on Wheat with cheddar, lettuce, tomato and cucumber (roughly 750 calories)
Dinner: 150g Whole Wheat Pasta w/cesar salad (from work)
(roughly 600 calories)
Rough Total: 2350 calories, well below the amount burned today. Even just the actual work burned nearly 1600 calories, not even taking into account my BMR.
Really need to try and sort out my diet, going to talk to my fitness coach about it as he's a qualified nutritionist. Hopefully we'll sort something out.
Thought for the day:
"No triumph ever came easily, no victory ever came without sacrifice. But it is the difficulty and the sacrifice that makes one great... without it there is no glory."
4.15am rise, as always
coach still isn't back, could be there Friday but definitely will be Saturday. Another 20k in the Single Scull, not as quick as Monday morning, takes me probably 5mins longer than I would have liked, just wasn't feeling the power this morning... maybe the gym session on Tuesday is affecting me more than I thought it would...Do stretching afterwards.
After that, head to uni via train (still involves maybe 40mins of walking), because I have to crack on with this research assignment. Head home around 2.30 and am home by 3.30. Do some core strength exercises
5x15 second planks (first all four points, then one leg off - each leg, then one arm off - each arm)
This was done without recovery between points and done before other exercises
5x30 Squat jumps (last 10 as 'power jumps' going as high as possible)
4x25 + 1x35 (last set) Push Ups
4x30 Reverse Crunches
I want to find a bar around home I can do pull ups on as the push ups are starting to get a little boring, would love to try some alternate stuff. We'll see.
By the afternoon though, before I began my workout, I was really feeling the previous days gym session. My lats are absolutely killing me, my hamstring was tight all day as well.
Work from 5, not too busy but enough to keep me occupied and keep me moving.
Food: not so good today
Breakfast: 4 weetbix w/honey and low fat milk, 4-egg omelet w/cheese, tomato, garlic and coriander (just over 1000 calories)
Lunch: Footlong Subway Club on Wheat with cheddar, lettuce, tomato and cucumber (roughly 750 calories)
Dinner: 150g Whole Wheat Pasta w/cesar salad (from work)
(roughly 600 calories)
Rough Total: 2350 calories, well below the amount burned today. Even just the actual work burned nearly 1600 calories, not even taking into account my BMR.
Really need to try and sort out my diet, going to talk to my fitness coach about it as he's a qualified nutritionist. Hopefully we'll sort something out.
Thought for the day:
"No triumph ever came easily, no victory ever came without sacrifice. But it is the difficulty and the sacrifice that makes one great... without it there is no glory."
How many rest days do you have?
Rowers don't rest :animal2
In all seriousness, when we were in training at school we only had 1 day off a week if we didn't have a race. race weeks it was 0 days off.
Dutes:
Christ, you're a machine. It's great to see you're shooting for something that you know you can do. I'd agree with Fit4life, that without proper nutrition and proper rest, you will see your performance suffering. I see you only havev 3 meals a day. Have you thought about having snacks in between these meals for increased energy throughout the day, and to recover your body?
Have any of my past suggestions been helping at all? How are you planning on progressing your routine the closer you get to your deadline?
Nice work though. Keep it up!!
Christ, you're a machine. It's great to see you're shooting for something that you know you can do. I'd agree with Fit4life, that without proper nutrition and proper rest, you will see your performance suffering. I see you only havev 3 meals a day. Have you thought about having snacks in between these meals for increased energy throughout the day, and to recover your body?
Have any of my past suggestions been helping at all? How are you planning on progressing your routine the closer you get to your deadline?
Nice work though. Keep it up!!