Rowing schedule?

[danzbassman]

Hi,

I'm new to rowing. I just started taking a class 3x a week. Really like the class. I'm now thinking of getting a rower for home use too.

I want to keep going to the classes because they help me stay motivated, work on correct form, and achieve goals. But the classes only meet 3x a week. So I am thinking of getting a rower and rowing everyday in the mornings before work. I'd probably only row 30 minutes in the a.m.

My question is can one row every day? Or even twice a day?

Or is it like weight training where you need to have rest days?

Thanks,

dan

[Quatroux]

I only know of one well documented rowing plan that details how one would do more than one session a day. That is Mike Caviston's Wolverine Plan. His sessions are roughly 40' of strong rowing plus warm up, cool down, and stretching.According to Xeno Muller, Olympians will commonly do two sessions a day of even greater intensity burning up to 2000 calories per session. This doesn't include cross training which could be a whole other session per day that would include running, cycling, or weights.

it is going to take you a long time to work up to any of this. I don't have any concrete guidance on how quickly you can add to your weekly meters. It really depends on intensity.

I currently do one session per day of 10-12km. I have done as much as 3 sessions a day with a daily meter total of 16km+. That is the point where my intensity can't be maintained at a high enough level to really do me a lot of good. Each person is different, but you need a plan like Mike's so that you can eventually survive long periods without a day off while still working at a high enough intensity to see some improvement. This won't come overnight. I suggest some cross training and lots of stretching as well.

in short, increase slowly and vary your workouts (you need a plan) and rowing without a day off will not be a problem.

[jamesg]

Here you can get a programme that suits you:
http://concept2.co.uk/training/interactive

For GP rowing 5 x ½h a week is fine, repeating the first half of the above. For racing, the second half knocks a few seconds off your 2k time, which will be good anyway if you've done the first half.

[Cayenne]

I found the book, Row Daily, Breathe Deeply, Live Better to be excellent. It offers a POV on the very question you ask. (Spoiler Alert: The title gives away the author's position )

[PaulG]

Hi...
My question is can one row every day? Or even twice a day?

Or is it like weight training where you need to have rest days? dan

/

It's pretty well established in the sports science literature that rest days are very important. That's when your body adapts to the training stimulus you put on it during the workout days. You don't mention your age but rest days are more important as you get older. Similarly it is important to incorporate rest days when you are just starting out as you body adapts to the new stress. I'm 57 and it took several years for me to get up to 5 sessions/week, but I set PRs this year and last.

Listen to tour body and psyche and record your workouts. If you are still sore from the previous session and mentally are not looking forward to the next session, you probably need a rest. If the quality of your workouts is decreasing you probably need more rest days. I agree with James, the the IP is a good place to start. You can specify many parameters that reflect you current state of conditioning.

You may not always enjoy it, but it should be rewarding.

[Quatroux]

I found the book, Row Daily, Breathe Deeply, Live Better to be excellent. It offers a POV on the very question you ask. (Spoiler Alert: The title gives away the author's position )

I've seen this mentioned somewhere before (likely on these forums). The reviews are good. I'll add it to my wish list. Thanks.

[hjs]

How often you an train depends on intensity. If you go easy you train 3/4 times a day if you want. If you train harder you certainly can't do that every day. But training 4/6 times a week is perfectly fine. 1 day per week rest seems adviceble though. I nice goal for basis endurance training is the following, if you can do the same training again after 5 minutes the intensity is ok, if you can't it has been a harder day.
I guess your class training is hard, so other sessions should be relative easy.

[Realistic]

i'm working on finding what works for me in terms of rowing schedule too. I get in sort of a "groove" when I work out back to back days, and when I take a day or two off then it takes me awhile to find that groove again. That doesn't mean I have to go all out every time, some days i'll just do a 2k to keep in rythm.

Anyways that's just my thoughts, and what works for me...