Rowing Power Profile: importing on-water rowing data into workouts significantly corrupts your data

I suggest that users unpair on-water rowing data that imports into their scheduled workouts. The average human will never generate as many Watts on water as one can on the erg–hence the paradigm: “Ergs don’t float.”

Also, your HR will be much higher (probably from constant core engagement to balance the boat while sculling) on water than on the erg for any prescribed power zone. For example, one might be training aerobic development at SR18-22 on the water but have HR in the 150s for 80 minutes. Athletica appears to interpret this scenario as a lack of fitness and will drop your power zones to align with what Athletica believes should achieve a HR in the prescribed respective HR zone. When I was less fit and began this training 6 months ago, my max HR was 182 (age 51 (the oft quoted 220-age formula was incorrect)). Now I perform VO2max exercises on the erg and can’t get my HR above 172. Athletica says I should be able to achieve HR 180-191 at row power Zone 5 (2K pace). On the water, I can only routinely get my HR to 176 during high exertional training.

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Master rower here (43M), I use an RP3 and have the concept 2 empower power meter and echo your point that power generated on an erg is always higher than the output from the water - speaking to NK and other users the % that your on the water watts are lower than the erg tends to vary person to person, perhaps taking into account individual skills / ability

If there is a long term “plan” for supporting rowing then a good feature might be to allowing a rower to identify on the water workouts and on the erg, and to calculate them differently (perhaps have a critical power for on the water and one for the erg) - it may also be a useful feature to be able to compare the two over time as perhaps as the two curves get more aligned it may suggest you’re improving your efficiency on the water

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@cullenarcher … just noting your HR comment here. The fall in max HR is common with high fitness. In your context knowing this, we should reduce your critical rowing heart rate to probably something like 165 to be more in line with your new fitness levels and so that your prescriptions are appropriate.

@Stelph82 we had indoor/outdoor cycling separated in the past but found they weren’t different enough and went back to the combined method which is working well for cycling. We could consider separation of those in the future if the case is strong enough.