I sat there and listened to the blonde talk. She was a piece of work, I'll give her that, the sort of broad who could make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window. Her story was as old as the mean streets that ran outside my window. She wanted answers and she wanted them fast. Listen toots. If it's questions you've got there's one man in this hard-boiled city who knows it all. They call him Tel. But he's hard to get hold of, real hard. You've got to drop him a line at [email protected] and maybe, just maybe, he'll shoot you a line. David Howells: I am in my first year of indoor rowing and I am training with a view to entering the 50-59 year old category at Reading in November. So far all is going well and I am in the pre-competition stage. However, I still get slightly confused with the interpretation of the tables in the Race Training Guide. In the table marked Work in Each Training Band the second column is headed Time in Band and says, for example, that an AT session should constitute 18-24 minutes. I find that, by rowing at a steady pace for 2 x 10 minutes with 5 min rest, it takes about 4 minutes to actually get into the band on the first set and 3 minutes on the second set. Does that mean that I have only done 13 minutes Time in Band and should complete a third set to achieve the recommended 18-24 minutes? This will be more crucial in the 12 week Competition Stage, particularly for the TR and AN sessions, as it takes some time to get to 85 - 90% MHR and the sets are pretty short! As Time in Band is different for 'fixed pace' rowing to 'fixed heart rate' rowing, I would also welcome your views on the merits of training at fixed pace versus training at fixed heart rate (i.e. getting to a desired HR in 4-5 minutes and keeping it there by slowing the pace as dehydration and fatigue take their toll) during longer sessions in the UT2 and UT1.Terry O'Neill: This is a good question but the answer is much simpler. When you exercise, lactic acid is produced as a by-product of exercise. This is then recycled; if you are interested in the physiology look up the Krebe Cycle to find out what happens next. If the lactic acid level appearing in the blood is around 4 milli mols then it cannot be metabolised in the normal way and starts to accumulate in the muscles and this impairs performance. The 4 milli mols level is known as the anaerobic threshold and all the training bands are measured from this point, i.e. they are either below, on, or above this point. Training below the Anaerobic Threshold (AT) has a greater effect on muscular efficiency, which means the muscles become more efficient in the utilisation of the oxygen delivered via the blood. Training at AT is the highest sustainable intensity level and has the greatest impact on the development of the heart muscle and the blood delivery system.Training above AT can only be sustained in short bursts and has the effect of developing the tolerance to high levels of lactate and also to improve the metabolic process of lactate acid. So in a laboratory we would be measuring the lactate levels to determine the training intensities but because most people do not have access to this facility we approximate it to heart rate.To answer your question as to whether you need to complete another set, in general the answer is no. But this is a Training Guide and as such cannot be right for everyone so if you think you can cope with another set then give it a try and see how it goes. Alternatively go at it with more commitment from the first stroke so that you get into the range earlier.