500m rowing sprint training? how?

[edwardkim85]

Hi

I'm new to rowing. I started rowing in crossfit.

I am 6' 240lbs... decent shape. Have a lot of strength and now working on my endurance and cardio.

I am trying to get my name up on the board for the 500m row time.

I usually row at damper setting 5-6 on a concept 2 rower, but I can't pull below 1:30 with that.

I find it easier to get a lower strokes/min but to utilize my strength and to use a higher damper setting(10).

I tried to see how fast I can pull for 200m. I got down to 1:18/ 1:19 at my lowest using a damper setting of 10(I don't really understand drag factor yet... )

I was able to maintain this for 250m and received a 500m pace of 1:21 pace... I stopped at 250.

My HR was high but I wasn't 'dying'.

Can I keep this pace up for 500m? What's my expected finish time?

I hear of people almost 'dying' at the end of a proper 500m sprint, and I know I'll slow down considerably after 300-350m. I just hope the law of average works out so that I will end up getting a 1:26 pace... which is below our current gym record(1:26:40 I believe).

Would this work? Any suggestions?

Sorry, never done a 500m row/sprint before and first sat on a rowing machine 1 month ago so have no idea if this is the right way to ask or not

[hjs]

Drag mean airflow in the fan. On a clean erg without dust the drag can be 200 on 10. In a dirty erg 10 is sometime only 100.
So 1/10 says nothing you need to know drag.

Apart form that a high drag is fine, most people use a higher drag.

Fly and die will never give the best result, if you have to slow down above 5 seconds in the last meter above you average you went out to fast. 250 is far from 500, at that point you should feel fine still, from 300/350 meter in it starts and the last 50 meters should be on the edge.

rating wise keep it high, around 40 ish, maybe high 30 ish.

Training could be doing doing 100 meter repeats at 500 meter pace. 1 min rest
you could do 300 meter reps with longer rest.
Doing some longer reps also helps, again keep the rest longer.

A next time simply try some 300 meter reps on 3/4 min rest. pace them at 124/25 and see that turns out. Also look at youtube for some 500 meter clips. Phaller and Rob Smith are good one to watch.

[Cyclingman1]

I was able to maintain this for 250m and received a 500m pace of 1:21 pace... I stopped at 250.

Can I keep this pace up for 500m? What's my expected finish time?

You seem reluctant to do the 500m. Just do it and you will know your finish time. The last 150m can be hell if one over does it the first 250m. Instead of you asking, you tell us what 500m is like after 1:21 for 250m.

[jvincent]

I was able to maintain this for 250m and received a 500m pace of 1:21 pace... I stopped at 250.

Can I keep this pace up for 500m? What's my expected finish time?

You seem reluctant to do the 500m. Just do it and you will know your finish time. The last 150m can be hell if one over does it the first 250m. Instead of you asking, you tell us what 500m is like after 1:21 for 250m.

What Cyclingman1 says, just do it!

It's relatively easy to maintain a high rate for the first half of a 500m. Then bad things start to happen with your body.

If you've got a target in mind, make an attempt at hitting that. A good approach is to row at your target pace for ~400 meters and then give it everything you have until the end. If you aren't doubled over gasping for air at the end of the 500m, you've got more to give.

[jamesg]

To see clearly how to do a 500, try a 2000 first.

[Cyclingman1]

To see clearly how to do a 500, try a 2000 first.

Not sure I can agree with that. The OP is a strong guy not, at this point, well suited for a 2K. 500m is going to be tough enough. I also happen to think that the connection between 500m and 2K is not all that strong anyway. Being relatively good in one is not really a good indication of possibilities in the other.

[hjs]

To see clearly how to do a 500, try a 2000 first.

Not sure I can agree with that. The OP is a strong guy not, at this point, well suited for a 2K. 500m is going to be tough enough. I also happen to think that the connection between 500m and 2K is not all that strong anyway. Being relatively good in one is not really a good indication of possibilities in the other.

Indeed, 500 is mostly about power and anaerobic fitness. For 2k mostly aerobic. Plenty of crossfit guys pull strong 500 m, on 2k a lot less so.

[Gettingold]

Edward
I am currently in training for a 500m and 1000m racce coming up in April. If you wish to see the kind of work I have been doing you can simply follow it in the thread "What training have you done today" Go back a few weeks and read through. I have just recently pulled 1:22.6 and hopefully on my way down to 1:21 for the 500.
Cyclingman is right though....try a 500 so you can get an idea of where you're at and also gauge your progress.
Terry

[edwardkim85]

Thank you for the response.

I'll give it a shot on sunday.

I just wanted to find out what the right way to 'pace' it is... Do I go hard the first half, then just gun it 100% the last 250m?

Or do I go as hard as I can for the entire 500m?

I only want to try this multiple times in a day because everybody(people fitter than me) was saying how after the 500 m, they were all 'dead' and they never want to do it again lol.

I didn't go past 250m that day because it was at the end of a 1 - 1.5 hour crossfit session+ 2k row(8:30... just rowed slowly).. Didn't want to overdo it and try a 500 sprint then.

I'll def. give it a shot this sunday for the 500 and post up my time here... and discuss some strategies.

The current top time at my gym is 1:26:40... which I 'think' I can beat... or come close to.

As for endurance, only tried 5k rows about 2-3 times now at the end of each 1 hour crossfit workout as extra cardio... pulled a 21 min flat both tries. Not sure what i can get fresh, but wasn't really fatigued at the end, just light panting.

2k row... just once at a slow pace at end of workout - 8:30.

Excited about rowing - even indoor rowing is so much fun. I'm glad I found this forum/ and the concept2 rowing machine!

[edwardkim85]

Not 'only' want to try, but I ' DON'T ' want to try. Lol

[Carl Watts]

Your current gym record is not really that fast, I did that at age 45 !

There is a huge difference between a 250m, 350m and the 500m. At 250m your going well and at about 350m the pain really begins and your finished at 500m, I mean if you can get off the rower and still walk your not trying hard enough.

The secret it to get on to your target pace after several strokes and keep it the same until the finish. It's pure math in terms of power as it's a cubic law and things are getting ugly at this pace so you just don't want to have to go any faster than you can sustain for the whole 500m and it will result in your fastest time possible. The hardest part is finding or choosing that average pace from the outset and sticking with it.

[Bob S.]

In terms of just straight physics, keeping an even pace is by far the most efficient way to go. As Carl mentioned, the is a cubic relationship between power and speed, so any big variation from even pacing is a losing game on the indoor rower. By big, I mean anything more than a second or 2 variation in the pace. Beyond that, i.e. psychological factors come into play. Some folks prefer negative splitting. As an example, suppose you are shooting for a 1:25 500m time. Negative splitting would call for 1:26 on the first 135m, 1:25 for the next 2, then all out, trying to stay at 1:24 for the last 125m. Others let adrenaline take over (just a bit) on that first split and perhaps do a 1:25 or 1:24, hang on for 1:26 or 1:25 for the 2nd and 3rd, and then all out for the last one.

But, like several members said, the tough part is figuring out your best pace goal. It is a really big problem for me, since I live and train at 4,000 ft of elevation, but the competitions are all at sea level. For me, in the 2k, it has meant 15 -30 seconds difference - 2.5-7.5 seconds of split. Note that this is for split times of over 2:00; the equivalent split time difference for the 1:20-1:30 range would be a lot less.

Bob S.

[Toolman]

To the OP, I also am new to rowing. I got some C2's ordered for our latest Fire Academy (in which I am a Training Officer) a few months back, and the cadets have used them quite a bit. Most of us enjoy them.

I have found it very useful to use the split times that the machine allows you to keep track of.

For my 500m sprints, I use 100m splits. Analyzing the times and strokes per minute helps me to see what works best for my particular level.

Of course, pulling longer pieces has also helped, as it allowed me to find my form.

My first all out 500m sprint was 1:29 and change, and within a few weeks was down to 1:26. After a month off the rower, I went back two days ago to try and reclaim the Academy record ( as a Cadet had pulled a 1:25 flat). On damper 7, spm of 34, I managed a 1:24.7. Was able to keep all splits within .5 s (17.2 being the slowest, 16.7 the fastest).

By looking at my splits (17.2, 16.8, 16.7, 16.9, 17.1) I was able to see that I pushed a little too hard to soon. I think with some more 500m specific practice that I may be able to drop another 1.2-1.7 seconds off my time. Would love to get into the 1:22.s

Let us know how it goes! If you have the power to pull 1:22s for even 250-300m, with practice you will be the gym record holder!

[hjs]

To the OP, I also am new to rowing. I got some C2's ordered for our latest Fire Academy (in which I am a Training Officer) a few months back, and the cadets have used them quite a bit. Most of us enjoy them.

I have found it very useful to use the split times that the machine allows you to keep track of.

For my 500m sprints, I use 100m splits. Analyzing the times and strokes per minute helps me to see what works best for my particular level.

Of course, pulling longer pieces has also helped, as it allowed me to find my form.

My first all out 500m sprint was 1:29 and change, and within a few weeks was down to 1:26. After a month off the rower, I went back two days ago to try and reclaim the Academy record ( as a Cadet had pulled a 1:25 flat). On damper 7, spm of 34, I managed a 1:24.7. Was able to keep all splits within .5 s (17.2 being the slowest, 16.7 the fastest).

By looking at my splits (17.2, 16.8, 16.7, 16.9, 17.1) I was able to see that I pushed a little too hard to soon. I think with some more 500m specific practice that I may be able to drop another 1.2-1.7 seconds off my time. Would love to get into the 1:22.s

Let us know how it goes! If you have the power to pull 1:22s for even 250-300m, with practice you will be the gym record holder!

Rate 34 is never the most efficient, you should try to use a sprintstroke and get the spm up yo 40 ish.
Damper 7 says not all, thst will give not the same resistance per machine. Always look a drag. On a clean machine 7 is roughly 160/70, with dust in it a lot less

[Toolman]

Perhaps for me, 34spm is more efficient. I simply do not have the fitness level currently to pull 40spm for 90 seconds.

Perhaps once me aerobic conditioning gets better I can pull a faster stroke count, but for now I am happy with a sub 1:25 as an overweight 38yr old who hardly works out and is new to rowing.