The Sub-7 Experiment

Tag: Shed sessions

  • Missing the Gym, Just a Little

    I have just walked back in from the shed after a good session on the rower.

    I am really starting to like this new version of ChatGPT. It feels like it remembers more of the coaching conversation as we go, which makes the whole thing feel more joined up. Today it had me doing 5 minute intervals, and it was a proper session. Enough to feel it, not so much that it wiped me out.

    What has surprised me is what I am starting to miss.

    I thought that once I had the rower in the shed, that would be it. Training at home, no commute, no waiting for machines, no distractions. And a lot of that is true. But I have realised I miss the people at the gym more than I expected.

    I am not a big talker there. It is usually just a quick hello to the staff on the desk, a nod to the regulars, and then everyone gets on with their own programme. Headphones in, sets to do, not much conversation. But there is still a sense of other humans being around you, all doing their thing. I did not think I would miss that, and yet I do.

    It is a small thing, but the nods and the “alright?” moments matter more than I gave them credit for.

    Rowing will always be the main thread. The shed is perfect for that. But I think I will still go to the gym now and then for strength work and, if I am honest, for that tiny bit of human connection. A different kind of fuel.

    Today’s row kept the body ticking over, but it also taught me something: I need both the quiet of the shed and the presence of other people now and then.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment, and we are still learning.

  • No Excuses in the Shed

    WHOOP scores this morning showed recovery way down, sleep way down, and if there was a dial for enthusiasm, that would have been way down too. Previously I would have talked myself out of any exercise on a morning like this.

    But here’s the big change: I have a rower in the shed now. No excuses.

    So I put my gear on, stuck on some banging tunes and went out to the shed for a ChatGPT-approved workout: ten minutes at a reasonable pace, then 3 × 5 minute sets at around 2:05/500m.

    And it was great.

    It got rid of the funk and set me up to finally finish a work task that had been hanging over me all weekend.

    Brilliant.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • The First Home 10K

    I have just finished my first 10,000 metres on the home rowing machine and I feel great. Absolutely brilliant.

    There is something special about rowing on a brand new machine. This one feels smooth and buttery and just glorious compared to some of the tired commercial ergs I have used over the years.

    For the record, I did not listen to Coach GPT at all today.

    The sensible plan was a 30 minute fairly easy row. Instead, I set the monitor to 10,000 metres and got on with it. I kept things mostly steady but had a couple of big digs in there to get the blood properly flowing. It felt powerful and fun, not reckless.

    This whole setup still feels like a huge privilege to have a Concept2 in the shed, ready whenever I am.

    The best bit? When I am done, I do not have to drive home. I just step off the rower, open the door and walk across the garden.

    How cool is that?

    Another good session logged. This is The Sub-7 Experiment, and it continues.

  • The Shed Sessions Begin

    Today is a big day in The Sub-7 Experiment.

    Today was the first 30 minute row on my new Concept2 RowErg. In my shed.

    I am so excited to have this, and I recognise the privileged position I am in to be able to own my own machine. It is something I have dreamed about for a long time.

    No excuses not to row. No excuses not to move every day.

    Gym for strength work. Shed for rowing technique and pacing.

    I am delighted.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment, and we have just changed gear.