Concept2 Forum

Currently i am at 7:51 for my 2k i am very disappointed about this score, but i hope to get better. I am 134 pounds and i am 5 11 last year i was 121 and i ended the season with a 8:04. where do i stack up and how bad is my score and how do i improve.

Practice!

A joke....

Time on the erg is the most important, along with other training, wieghts, running, etc. Are you getting coaching? Aerobic training is important but the spints are primarily an anaerobic exercise and you need to work on that, as well. As you get older, you will gain muscle and strength and your times will improve.

Diet is important as well.......stay away from what is offered at school and eat high quality foods. Stay away from soft drinks ( kinda stinks, doesn't it?), and empty calories but eat all you want of well balanced meals.

Good luck!

juniorrows wrote:Currently i am at 7:51 for my 2k i am very disappointed about this score, but i hope to get better. I am 134 pounds and i am 5 11 last year i was 121 and i ended the season with a 8:04. where do i stack up and how bad is my score and how do i improve.

You've not given us all the data we need to tell whether that's good or not: age? gender? how long have you been training?

Sorry about that I just turned 15, i am a guy. I've been training for 3 months and now we are on the water. I think i would be better but i wasn't given a chance to take alot of 2ks or erg because i was forced to cox. I do have coaching but they aren't focused just on me.

You don't need attention from your coaches to get better. You need time.

1. Build a strong aerobic base. That means 45 to 75 minutes rows (on the water if you can manage it, on the erg if you can't) at least 3 sessions a week. These should not be killer hard paces, but should feel like you're working. You should be able to converse in short phrases while rowing these pieces.

2. Get better at rowing. This has to happen on the water with an oar in your hand. Which could be tough if you're coxing. For this you might need to try to make special arrangements with your coach. Something like coxing during regular practice, but he let's you take out a single for 30 minutes before or after regular practice to work on proper form in a boat.

3. 3 or so sessions a week where you push very hard. One is a hard distance session, like 30' at your best possible pace for that distance. Another is long intervals, like 4x2k, done at about the pace you could do a 6k. The last is short intervals, like 8x500, done faster than you last 2k pb. Keep track of how fast you can do these sessions and try to improve each time.

The problem you will have is getting faster takes time, time that you will have to invest outside of regular pracice time, if youre coxing. But if you show your coaches that you have that kind of commitment, as you grow and get a lot faster (which you will), I bet they will do everything they can to get an oar in your hands.

gregsmith01748 wrote:You don't need attention from your coaches to get better. You need time.

1. Build a strong aerobic base. That means 45 to 75 minutes rows (on the water if you can manage it, on the erg if you can't) at least 3 sessions a week. These should not be killer hard paces, but should feel like you're working. You should be able to converse in short phrases while rowing these pieces.

2. Get better at rowing. This has to happen on the water with an oar in your hand. Which could be tough if you're coxing. For this you might need to try to make special arrangements with your coach. Something like coxing during regular practice, but he let's you take out a single for 30 minutes before or after regular practice to work on proper form in a boat.

3. 3 or so sessions a week where you push very hard. One is a hard distance session, like 30' at your best possible pace for that distance. Another is long intervals, like 4x2k, done at about the pace you could do a 6k. The last is short intervals, like 8x500, done faster than you last 2k pb. Keep track of how fast you can do these sessions and try to improve each time.

The problem you will have is getting faster takes time, time that you will have to invest outside of regular pracice time, if youre coxing. But if you show your coaches that you have that kind of commitment, as you grow and get a lot faster (which you will), I bet they will do everything they can to get an oar in your hands.

Great post and great advice, Greg!