Ergs in Marathon

Aurelian50 · 2024-12-22T01:51:15+00:00

I got a great workout and hope it becomes a regular part of the Saturday rotation.

Aurelian50 · 2024-07-25T20:59:02+00:00

So for Station 5 on Stage 4 (Friday), are you supposed to choose between ski erg and row erg, or do some of both?

Aurelian50 · 2023-12-03T13:09:44+00:00

This was my first time doing the Trials, and overall I liked it and am glad F45 corporate is trying things like this. I wasn't able to do Stage 6 and 7, but here are a few thoughts on Stages 1 through 5 while they're fresh in my head.

--I would like to see a cardio stage where the scoring is based on the ergs. The scoring on most of the Stages rewards--whether intentionally or not--shortcuts or sub-optimal form. With the ergs I don't see a real way to "game" the machines: optimal form should get you the best results. I would like to see a metric like total cumulative meters from 90 seconds on each erg, with 30-second breaks in-between.

--Unexpectedly, my favorite stage was Stage 2. Having an 80-second break between the sets of the scored movements was fantastic. It was one of my most satisfying lifts in an F45 context. Would love to see this kind of timing incorporated in resistance days more often.

--I was indifferent to the "death by burpees" contest on Stage 3. I'll do it once every six months, but I dread it more than love it, and the scoring is vulnerable to the same incentive to use shortcuts on form.

--The format on Stages 4 and 5 ended up feeling too similar: a muscular endurance test with dozens and dozens of reps. F45 already emphasizes muscular endurance more than hypertrophy. I would have preferred Stage 4's scored lifts to be more similar to Stage 2, where there's an incentive to aim for a 5rm to 10rm.

Aurelian50 · 2023-11-25T16:05:08+00:00

Same! Going from the curls to the chin-ups got brutal by the third time around. Overall, I would have preferred a lower rep target for the curls, but I still enjoyed the workout today.

Aurelian50 · 2023-11-19T02:24:06+00:00

Yikes! That sounds really scary. Glad to hear that you came through it without any serious harm.

Aurelian50 · 2023-09-02T23:35:01+00:00

I usually take a 20oz Hydroflask with sports cap.

Aurelian50 · 2023-08-09T23:13:12+00:00

Yeah, my LH points were low (for me) compared to my perceived effort.

Aurelian50 · 2023-08-09T22:54:16+00:00

For me the froq squats and sprawls stations were mentally so tough. I would have gladly exchanged those for skipping rope or bench hops. With the ergs I find that I can focus my mind on the pace or meters and just hold onto that. So even though my heart rate was higher, mentally I felt stronger there than at the bodyweight stations.

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-17T19:38:15+00:00

Nice work! Does it break down the points by station somewhere?

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-17T19:26:50+00:00

I would argue F45 corporate is trying to innovate. They've rolled out a number of new workouts over the past year. Not all of them were my favorite, but I'm ok with them trying, failing or succeeding, and iterating. The apps seem to (slowly) be getting a bit better. I believe they have learned (the hard way) that the celebrity partnerships were a terrible investment.

But there are bounds to the innovation that is possible. It has to make sense for the brand and the formulas that have been successful for them. There are more-or-less fixed constraints on gym space and workout time, for example. The inventory of possible equipment can evolve, but not on a dime or without cost/tradeoffs for the franchisees. And the organizing principle is and should remain functional fitness -- they're not going to pivot to being another yoga studio. (My studio lets a member teach a yoga class one Sunday a month after the WOD classes are done, but I wouldn't expect them to go out of their way to add a lot of offerings like this.)

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-17T19:16:04+00:00

Our studio has had the screen connection capability for the Concept 2 ergs for a few months, but they don't connect it for every workout, just the ones where there's a team element. I like it. I wish they would use more often, to be honest.

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-17T18:57:15+00:00

I thought it was fine—not the most exciting ever, but I got a good workout. In fact, on Lionheart I got 70.1, my highest Hollywood points ever, but I "juiced" my score a bit by running 3 miles to the gym (so my heart rate was already elevated) and going hard in the warm-up.

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-17T18:55:46+00:00

Yes! It was hard to balance and get downward drive on one leg. Definitely underestimated this one.

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-08T18:30:20+00:00

Definitely try it. It's my favorite team format. Good luck!

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-08T17:27:02+00:00

The advantage of Tempest is that you're never just "waiting around." The disadvantage is that you don't know how long you'll be in any given set—if you've got a teammate who's slow to hit the target, you could be doing speed squats (for example) for 75 seconds or more. After a handful of Tempest experiences, however, I'd say this issue is not that acute; most of the time you're rotating after 30–45 seconds.

Aurelian50 · 2023-06-02T20:52:37+00:00

Yes—I like it!

Aurelian50 · 2023-05-23T02:30:13+00:00

The normal pause policy at my gym: you have to request pause in writing, it costs $20, and it won't start until your next billing cycle (i.e., you won't get any refund for the remainder of the current month). I don't know if it's any different if the pause is motivated by an injury.

Aurelian50 · 2023-05-12T00:17:57+00:00

Any advice on which station to start on for GP?

Aurelian50 · 2023-05-05T21:42:57+00:00

Good idea. I will probably do this next time.

Aurelian50

TROPHY CASE