It’s You Versus You
Before we could run we had to learn to walk, and no one really said to me come on stand up and walk like this when I was 11 month old, I worked it out myself.
Just like in the learning to walk example, my training programs are not telling you to paddling like this or at this speed or that speed, it’s for you to find out what your speed is and my training will help you improve on that speed.
So, before there was a chicken there was an egg, just so, before you can work on paddling fast you have to find what speed your capable of paddling at consistently with out total exhaustion and stopping.
At the top of all my Training Programs I show my Training Intensity Scale that we use to determine Training intensity. Whether you use one or more of the modes is a personal choice, but I have found the best results by using RPE (rate of perceived exertion) along with FTP (functional threshold pace). You can also use Stroke rate (%MSPM) or Heart Rate, bu I believe they both have too many variables and I get much higher accuracies by using RPE and FTP.
In my Training Programs we use 5 different Training Zones (TZ). These 5 zones not only create variety to training reducing Emotional Fatigue, but Training at intensities above and below your FTP, stresses the central nervous toleranceand creates metabolic fatigue, and when done consistently these type of training create muscular fatigueand energy fatigue.
By setting the correct amount of Volume of the 5 different Intensities in each Interval set and throughout each training session, we manage to stress the body enough, and with the equal amount of RESTto get a Progressive Adaption to our paddling fitness for longevity.
Emotional Fatigue, central nervous tolerance, metabolic fatigue, muscular fatigue and energy fatigue are all indicators of Training adaption and need to be monitored everyday and when one doesn’t want to play you need to pay more attention to REST.
STRESS + REST = PROGRESS
So, I’m not going tell you how fast to train, but I will tell you how to find a very accurate way to measure your FTP for training. From my Training intensity scale at the top of your program you can do the maths on the % of FTP for the 5 TZ’s. You can start to not only train faster, but be capable of measuring those increases of speed in each session and each week leading into your Goal race of the season.
For best results not only with this test, but with each interval session it is best to find the most sheltered water from wind and current and to do half the session in one direction and the other half back over the same water. This gives you a best average of speed and helps with you RPE skills as we always find it easier one way than the other.
For the FTP Test, warm up 10 minutes or so and then do your 1000m and record the time and then train back easy to where you started, warm down for 5 to 10 minutes and then train the 500m test back over the same water as the 1000m test and record the time. Now you use these guidelines for the test.
FTP TEST
Critical speed = (Distance of longer test training– distance of shorter test training) divided by (Time of longer test training– time of shorter test training)
For example, suppose you trained your 500m test training in 3min16sec (3.26 minutes) and your 1000m test training in 6min25sec (6.41 minutes). Your critical velocity, then, is (1000m – 500m)÷ (6.41 min. – 3.26 min.) = 158.7 meters/min.
The results of your critical speed determination should yield a result that is very close to a 60-minute test or a laboratory-determined lactate threshold pace. Either of these results can then be used as the FTP for training. There are many ways to determine Training Intensity and with many different GPS devices, but for consistent results and not complicating things and over loading with stress before you start, I have found great results using FTP.