Turning Crankiness into Power

A controlled session, a clear head

Me: “Ok, it’s Monday. I’m at the gym. Feeling a bit cranky. Whoop has me at 97% recovery. What’s the plan?”
ChatGPT:
“Perfect timing—you’re in a great position to turn that crankiness into pure fuel today.
Here’s the plan:

Warm-up (10 minutes total): • 5 minutes easy Assault Bike or Rower (low effort, just moving) • 5 minutes easy Rowing (~2:15–2:20/500m, ~20 spm)

Main Rowing Session: • 5 × 500m intervals • Pace: 1:50–1:55/500m • Stroke Rate: 24–26 spm • Rest: 2 minutes light movement between intervals

Optional Finisher: • 1 × 250m hard push (~1:45–1:48/500m)

Cooldown: • 5 minutes easy rowing or bike, focus on deep breathing.

Focus Today:

• Channel the cranky energy, but stay smooth and powerful.
• Strength through rhythm—not thrashing.

If it feels like too much, back off the pace slightly. It’s about consistency, not self-destruction.”

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What a well-judged session that was.

Old me would have used the crankiness as a self-destruct button, hammering myself into injury or exhaustion. Not today.

Saturday, I visited a different gym. Same chain, different part of town.
Let’s just say… there were some serious heavyweights in there.
Only one rowing machine in sight, so ChatGPT adjusted the plan: two 15-minute sets, offering an easy exit if someone was waiting.

In the end, no one needed it. I got the full session:

• 2 × 15 minutes at 2:05/500m
• 2 × 500m sprints at 1:49/500m
• Bike spin
• Then another 2 × 500m sprints back on the erg.

Quietly delighted with myself.

Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT what a 1:49/500m pace would mean over 2,000 meters.
The answer? 7 minutes 16 seconds.
That got my attention.

ChatGPT then asked if I wanted to work towards 7:16 as an interim goal. I said yes.
So today’s session was part of that plan—and it worked beautifully.

Interestingly, I didn’t even notice the “optional” 250m finisher in the original plan.
If I had, I might have paced the earlier rows differently—holding something back for a final flourish.

Instead, I finished the set, then added two bonus 250m sprints:

• Held a pace of 1:36/500m.
• Controlled. Focused. No wild flailing.

Before, I’d only ever glimpsed numbers like that when I was out of control and hanging on for dear life.
Today, it was deliberate—and it felt powerful.

The crankiness?
Gone.

And the progress?
Undeniable.

This is the Sub-7 Experiment.