The Sub-7 Experiment

Tag: workout

  • Reflection, Riding, and Reassessing What Matters

    It’s been a while since I’ve written anything.

    The “new” rower in the shed is not so new now. It has been there for six months, and the new routine of rowing, then heading straight back into the house to start work or whatever the day brings, has meant I haven’t been giving myself any time to reflect on the workout afterwards. No reflection has meant nothing to post.

    Rowing is still important to me, and so is the wider exercise regime as a whole. But I think I’ve been missing that reflection piece. I also wrote in a previous article that I’ve missed the gym visits too. So it feels like time to reassess what matters.

    Exercise matters. Having an exercise goal matters. Reflection matters too. And so does being around like-minded people. My gym membership has lapsed, and I think it is time to renew it.

    In other news, I’ve been cycling a bit more.

    This Sunday I’m riding the Tour de South Coast, a 100km sportive that covers some roads I’ve used before in training. I don’t know anyone else who is doing it, but there will be a couple of hundred cyclists out on the day, and I’m looking forward to it.

    I’ve also been back to see Bike Fit Barry, who has once again sprinkled a bit of magic over the setup on the Triban. On top of that, I’ve decided to make it even more comfortable. I’ve taken the mudguards off completely and fitted some big 35mm tyres, which means I can run lower pressures and take a lot of the buzz out of the road surface.

    A quick 15km test ride yesterday showed they are doing exactly what I hoped.

    I spent a lot of last year tweaking the Giant to try to get more comfort out of it, but the truth is that the early carbon technology makes it so stiff that it just takes too much out of me over longer distances. I’m keen to see how the newly fettled, balloon-tyre-equipped Triban gets on over the 100km on Sunday.

    In Coach ChatGPT news, I’m still consulting with it and still completing the workouts it gives me after I upload my daily WHOOP scores. I’m getting stronger and faster on the rower, and my technique is getting better too. I can really feel the progress.

    The aim is still to get to a sub-7-minute 2,000m row.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment. We continue.

  • Monday Progress and the Power of Consistency

    It’s Monday, and I woke up looking forward to going to the gym.

    I could still feel the weekend’s row and heavy sled session in my shoulders, but I had a feeling a good workout would loosen things up, and it did.

    I asked ChatGPT for a session, and it gave me the same one as last time. That threw me a little. I voiced concern about repeating the same structure too often, worrying that boredom might creep in, that I’d lose interest. But the response was simple and sound: consistency is key.

    I’ve read that before, and now I’m starting to understand it. Consistency builds form. Builds strength. It all stacks up. And it’s all moving me toward the real goal: breaking 7 minutes over 2000 meters on the rower.

    So, I did the session. Started with a 2000-meter warm-up row, moved into a full circuit on the weight machines, added sled work and core training.

    This time, I nudged a few weights up, nothing dramatic, a kilo here, five there, just enough for that subtle progressive overload. Enough for it to feel like I was working.

    I finished with two 250-meter sprints on the rower, both at speeds I used to dream about, which is very pleasing but what I also noticed as what used to be a stretch pace is now my warm-up and cooldown zone.

    The whole session felt strong, controlled, and satisfying.

    When I got home, I bought myself a couple of new t-shirts. The description said they’re cut to show off the arms and chest, but a bit kinder to the middle. A little vanity? Maybe. But also a reward. If I like them, I’ll wear them with pride. And if I don’t, no harm, they’ll sit quietly in the cupboard.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • I Used to Train to Get Fit—Now I Train to Feel Right

    Me:
    “Good morning, I’m in the gym. It’s been 3 days. I need to move. I have 50 mins, let’s go. Include a warm-up please.”

    ChatGPT:
    “Good morning—and welcome back to the temple of movement. Let’s turn that 3-day gap into fuel.”

    Session Plan – 50 Minutes (Rowing + Weights Combo)

    1. Warm-Up (10 mins)
    • 5 min Assault Bike or Rower – Easy pace, focus on breathing
    • Dynamic Mobility – Leg swings, arm circles, hip circles, air squats x10, push-ups x5–10

    2. Rowing Block – Controlled Power (20 mins)
    • 5 x 500m @ 1:55–2:00/500m pace
    • Stroke Rate: 24–26 SPM
    • 90s rest between intervals
    • Final set: Optional push to 1:50/500 if ready

    3. Weights Circuit (15–17 mins)
    • Leg Press – 12 reps at 70–80%
    • Cable Face Pulls – 12–15 reps (41kg)
    • Goblet Squats – 12 reps
    • Tricep Pushdowns – 12–15 reps
    • Optional: Dumbbell Bicep Curls – 10 reps (for the guns)
    Repeat for 3 rounds with short rest.

    4. Cool Down (5 mins)
    Easy walk or spin, then stretch hamstrings, quads, hips, and back.

    And what a great session it was.

    Not long ago, three days between workouts was normal. Now? It’s too long. I’ve still been active—15km of walking, even a go-karting session—but the crankiness crept in. I was annoying myself. How it must have been for my people, I can only imagine.

    Three days off now leaves me feeling off-balance. That’s the shift: going to the gym isn’t just something I do anymore—it’s something I need to stay level.

    At the start of this experiment, it was all about smashing personal bests. And yes, the goal of a sub-7-minute 2K row still stands. But now, it’s also about clarity. Mood. Resetting the system.

    Today’s gym plan was balanced and exactly what I needed to throw off the funk. It wasn’t guilt-driven—it was need-driven. And that’s a different kind of motivation. A better one.

    I used to train to get fit. Now I train to feel right.

    This is the Sub-7 Experiment.

  • Why I’m Chasing a Sub-7 2K

    I am inherently lazy but also reasonably competitive. Which makes no sense, but here we are.

    A couple of years ago, I completed the Wicklow 200, a cycling sportive that takes in 200km of some of the best scenery in Ireland in a single day. Their website calls it “Ireland’s premier cycling challenge.” And they’re not wrong.

    According to Strava, I covered 204.1km with 3,008 meters of climbing and a moving time of 9 hours, 57 minutes, and 52 seconds. A long, hard day in the saddle.

    Training for it was simple: a couple of one-hour rides during the week, longer ones at the weekend, gradually working up to 75% of the event distance before the big day.

    I’m not the fastest cyclist—I tend to diesel along. It’s enjoyable, but it takes ages.

    And this is where the laziness kicks in.

    I could get a really good workout on the ERG. A really, really good workout. The kind that felt like a couple of hours on the bike—without actually having to be on the bike.

    So I switched.

    The Slippery Slope of Excuses

    This worked great… while I was motivated.

    But I think I mentioned earlier—I’m inherently lazy. And before long, the excuses started creeping in.

    I’d be in bed the night before, full of good intentions. Then the morning would come, and my brain would instantly start talking me out of it.

    • I had a thing to do (I didn’t).
    • I didn’t have time (but still managed to sit in front of the TV).
    • It was too cold. I was too tired. My back hurt.

    Sound familiar?

    And then reality hit. My trousers started feeling tighter. I was puffing going up the stairs. I felt sluggish.

    Stepping on the scales told me the truth—I was 18 pounds heavier than I was 12 months earlier.

    We have a sun holiday booked later this year, and I want to feel better about myself before we go.

    Back to the Gym (and the Mind Games Begin)

    With that in mind, I dragged myself back to the gym a couple of times a week. To my surprise, I still had a reasonable level of fitness. I could still do 7,000 meters, but it took longer, hurt more, and wiped me out physically and mentally.

    And that’s when two thoughts hit me.

    First: This is good. Rowing = effort = calories burnt = a slimmer me = hopefully more self-esteem.
    Second: But what’s the actual point?

    There I was, grinding through 7,000 meters in the same old gym, staring out the same old window. For what?

    The Turning Point

    Then I read Not a Diet Book by James Smith.

    He’s a well-known fitness coach and entrepreneur who runs James Smith Academy, and his writing was refreshingly blunt and honest.

    He covered lifestyle, nutrition, training, and mindset, but two key takeaways stuck with me:

    1. Caloric deficit is king (energy expended must be greater than energy intake for fat loss).
    2. Progressive overload is the key to real progress.

    What is Progressive Overload?

    As I understand it, it means pushing a little harder each time to force your body to adapt.

    • Over time, your body gets used to the work it’s doing.
    • If you keep doing the same thing, it eventually stops making changes.
    • Unless you keep increasing the workload, progress slows down.

    That got me thinking.

    I love the buzz from a good, hard session. But I also get bored easily. And once I start seeing training as a chore, the excuses get louder.

    So, I needed to flip my thinking.

    • I need to choose to go to the gym.
    • I need to give my competitive self a target.
    • I need to train to beat 2,000 meters in less than seven minutes.

    And so, The Sub-7 Experiment began.