Here is an outline of the training I used to start from scratch in January 1995 at age 56 and win gold at the UK 2000m indoor rowing championships in November 1995. Not having exercised seriously for 35 years, I found the exercise knowledge of the nineties fascinating; the use of heart-rate monitors, VO2max, lactate testing, diet, physiology and psychology in sport, make it a complicated business. Having bought and read some of the best books available, I produced a training programme which I called 1 OX. It consisted of a mix of aerobic and strength training, as my chosen sport of indoor rowing requires the use of some 200 kilo-calories of energy in six minutes.


Movement
60 minutes a day, five days a week, using a rowing machine, stationary bike and treadmill, on a weekly split of: 70 per cent aerobic (the maximum speed I could go and talk comfortably), 25 per cent anaerobic threshold (hurt a lot but I could sustain for 10 minutes), and 5 per cent anaerobic (not possible to sustain for more than a minute), with at least half of the total on a rowing machine.


Strength
60 minutes a day, four days a week on machine or free weights, 50 repetitions total on eight stations. One-half on the basis of pyramid weights and other on one weight less than pyramid weight start, flat out in circuit form. Upper body Monday, legs and arms Tuesday, repeat Thursday, Friday.


Monitoring
The use of an accurate heart-rate monitor and recording of all results enabled me to 'fly' my body rather than 'drive' it. Improvements are just as important as failures - there is always a reason for both. The heart-rate monitor told me when I was lazy, ill, tired, hungry, thirsty and over-trained as well as on top form. At a given work load my heart rate reduced over the months. I do not believe in 'rate of perceived exertion' as a guide, as it is subjective and is too much influenced by psychology.

Regular,though infrequent, VO2max and lactate testing were a good measure of improvement. As I followed the programme, these results confirmed progress and enabled me to 'sail' my body closer to the wind that would have been otherwise possible. One feature was that they gave me the heart rate at which my body could deal with the maximum amount of lactate and still keep going for an hour. The graph produced by these tests allowed me to fix the maximum work load I could sustain for 30 and 60 minutes, helping me to improve on the 55-59 (male heavy) 1995 world-ranking 30 and 60 min distances - 8151m to 8238m and 15522m and 16008m respectively - in the autumn of 1995.


Diet
A change from a 50/50 carbo/fat diet to a 70/30 mix made me feel a lot better. However, I am an alcoholic in lay terms, consuming some four times the recommended amount. I use a creatine monohydrate supplement, designed to improve muscular function and performance - because it helps my eyesight - and a 360 kilo carbohydrate drink during exercise.


Psychology
After discussions with the best people available, I decided to use progressive muscle relaxation. This helps me to focus without fear and to deal with the pain necessary for progress.


Physiology
After some early and repeated blunders, I accepted that a long warm-up and stretching sessions are vital. Not doing this right would put me out for a few days. It would then take me a week to get back to where I had been two weeks before. I also found it critical that I did not do extra work on the days that I felt good, since I would feel rough for three days afterwards.


The secrets
As well as the above, I had two 10-minute saunas a week for relaxation after weight training. The aerobic training was done in the morning and the weights six-to-eight hours later. The net effect was bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 5.30 a.m., have breakfast, then train at 7.30.


Conclusion
Having achieved its aim in 1995, the programme has been replaced by 2 OX for 'Frost 96 - 200m world record'! (currently 6 mins 19.4 secs). This has helped me improve on my 1995 UK Championship time of 6 mins 43.0 secs to, on July 20 this year a time of 6 mins 34.1 secs. It also enabled me to win the 500m championship in June this year in a time of 1 min 27.0 secs. The 30-minute and 60-minute distances have increased to 8533m and 16545m respectively.