Best metrics from ErgData to monitor for performance improvement?

[sailortodd]

BLUF: I am trying to improve power output and bump up my top level stroke rate. What metrics should I monitor on ErgData during my workouts to hone the power generated per stroke and to improve stroke rate?

I have recently moved from just hopping on my erg and doing whatever workout comes to mind in the moment to making a more deliberate effort to improve my performance. I've always been conscious of the most basic elements of good form, (leg -->back-->arms in the drive, reverse that for recovery, keep recovery controlled and slower than drive, etc etc etc), but in a nearly ten year on again off again relationship with my erg I had not spent nearly enough time refining the finer points of my technique, and so I always plateaued, only making minimal improvements in time that I'd attribute to general muscle and cardiovascular fitness.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when I decided to set a goal of a sub-7 2K by the end of the season (my 2K PR was 7:30.7 set back in 2012 attained with excessive effort due to sloppy technique, and my season best is 7:58.3 after just getting back on the erg May 1 after a near total hiatus of two years; there were no notable PRs set during the intervening periods when I got back on the erg). I realized there were several points I needed to refine to generate more power in my stroke while also improving my stroke rate (going all out I can only maintain a rate of about 28spm and still maintain control).

In the last two weeks I've fixed my form and technique to a great degree - I found I was ending up too far forward at the catch, almost hunched over trying to get the handle as far forward as possible, and too far back in the finish. I use ErgData to supplement my PM5, and had the right-hand boxes set to stroke length and something else, and having stroke length was contributing to poor form. I also found I was super slow in the drive after doing a couple of sessions with the force curve showing a much more gradual increase in force than I see in a lot of example displays (eyeballing it, it looked like a 30deg slope going into the drive when "normal" slopes are a steeper incline); that's fine for the slower steady states I was doing in the UT2 range, but does not work for pursuing faster pace on short distances.

So, what metrics from ErgData should I be monitoring to help me in my pursuit of more power generation (first priority) and improved stroke rate (my focus once I've done a month or so focused on maximizing explosive force of each stroke)? I have my PM5 set to pace and my ErgData primary display set to watts, and recently shifted my right-hand display boxes to peak force and drive speed. Are these the best metrics to be loosely monitoring to improve performance in the ways I describe above, or are there more apt metrics for this? And does it sound like my focus is in the right place at this point in my training?

Mostly as an aside, I'll mention that I am starting the Pete Plan in order to provide structure to my training program. I like the balance of steady state and interval work.

[max_ratcliffe]

The usual method is to look at SPI which is power per stroke rate. It's controversial for various reasons (largely because some people claim that once you've got the required work per stroke, achieving a target time is just a matter of turning up. Of course it's not).

Anyway, you can use it to tailor your required rate and power. If you are going to rate 30spm, then you need to have a stroke that has an SPI of 10 to average 300W, which is what you need for a 7' 2k.

Other values:

32spm SPI 9.5
34spm SPI 9
36spm SPI 8.5

I can rate 32 over a 2k but more than that is beyond me. So I need a stroke that has an SPI of 9.5. Not there yet.

[jamesg]

In a 7' 2k we can pull only about 200 strokes, so they have to be big.

We also need endurance, which takes time to develop; me about 50 5ks in a year, having no strength, to get to 7:10

However a lot of work is also done in 3-5 minute intervals , because rowing is ver hard work.

Useful parameters are work per stroke and Power per kg. Afloat, we like to see the boat go a long way each stroke, 10+ meters, at high rating too, so also on erg.

[sailortodd]

The usual method is to look at SPI which is power per stroke rate.

Tried to find a good way to monitor SPI. Is it watts divided by stroke rate? It's not one of the fields on ErgData as far as I can tell.

I'm keeping an eye on watts as my indicator of power output, but more importantly as I correct some bad form and technique habits I'm looking at my drive speed, as my drive speed was part of what has kept both my stroke rate and power generation down as far as I can tell. Corrections in my form have to be a priority for me to get the SPI where it needs to be.

In a 7' 2k we can pull only about 200 strokes, so they have to be big.

We also need endurance, which takes time to develop; me about 50 5ks in a year, having no strength, to get to 7:10

However a lot of work is also done in 3-5 minute intervals , because rowing is ver hard work.

Useful parameters are work per stroke and Power per kg. Afloat, we like to see the boat go a long way each stroke, 10+ meters, at high rating too, so also on erg.

I'm trying to strike a balance in my training plan between the long endurance work (10k+ slow steady states) ideally squarely in HR zone 2, hard endurance work (3-5k or 15-30 min steady states), and short intervals (8x500/3r, 4x1k/5r, pyramids, etc). I also want to incorporate drills like 20 for 20 to focus on the power per stroke element.

Thanks to both of you for the input.