Concept2 Forum

Hey guys, Im a highschool rower and I am currently a sophomore. I am 5'11" and about 140 pounds right now. My best 2K time was a 7:27.2, and that was about 2 months ago. My best 6K time is a 23:56. Im not focusing on the 6K very much, but I am very motivated in dropping my 2K time a good amount for the coming spring season and the years after also. I will also be attending C.R.A.S.H.-B's. Im hoping to get to about a 7:10 or so in the C.R.A.S.H.-Bs and be 7:10 or below for the beginning of the spring season. Also, a long distance goal would be around a 6:45 2K in probably two years from now. Is this possible? Any off-season workout plans to drop a 2K time? Help or advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Yes its possible at that height but you will need more muscle mass before you hit the 6:45 goal so allow a few years and continued training.

Carl Watts wrote:Yes its possible at that height but you will need more muscle mass before you hit the 6:45 goal so allow a few years and continued training.

Thank you. Do you think I should be weight lifting over the winter or mostly on the erg?

Both, but big lifts only, don't waste time with curls and other isolation moves. Focus on squats, deadlifts, rows, pullups, bench press, military press, kettlebell swings, cleans, and some good core work (not crunches only).

Yes do weights. I can atribute much of my performance to time spent in the Gym but you need to do loads of cardio to back it up in terms of endurance for anything 2K or more or the wheels just fall off when your heartrate maxes out.

I'm going to disagree with the posters above and say screw the weights.

You're a sophomore in HS, so you must be what? 15/16 years old? I'm sure your body is still developing/growing -> the muscle mass will come with training, no lifting necessary.

Funny you mention you don't care about your 6k, just your 2k, because in reality, with proper training, both will improve dramatically.

Focus on long and slow (i.e. steady-state, or SS). Get the miles (or km, in this case) in, and you'll see the dividends.

I'm assuming you have a coach, but if not there are plenty of resources online for good training programs.

ArmandoChavezUNC wrote:I'm going to disagree with the posters above and say screw the weights.

You're a sophomore in HS, so you must be what? 15/16 years old? I'm sure your body is still developing/growing -> the muscle mass will come with training, no lifting necessary.

Funny you mention you don't care about your 6k, just your 2k, because in reality, with proper training, both will improve dramatically.

Focus on long and slow (i.e. steady-state, or SS). Get the miles (or km, in this case) in, and you'll see the dividends.

I'm assuming you have a coach, but if not there are plenty of resources online for good training programs.

Only erg times below 1k don,t need much aerobic fitness. 2k and 6 k both need lots of fitness.
eat well and enough, make sure proteine is number one in your meals, also sleep enough.

Weights can be usefull, but at your age, you don,t need to go very heavy yet and technique is number one, so only do it if you get help on does.

For the rest focus on lots of longer rows between 20 and 60 minutes. Get you stroke strong and smooth. And do some shorter faster stuff also, but make 80% of your sessions long and no timetrials.

Rowing 2k and up relies on aerobic fitness, but strength also plays a major role. The watts needed to pull faster times goes up at a greater percentage than the drop in 500m pace. Don't do anything without receiving proper instruction on form and technique, but don't rule out strength training. Elite rowers, college rowers, and even the juniors at the boathouse where I row lift.

If I was you I would post this same question on the Rowing Illustrated training forums.

We are not saying go nuts on the weights at your age, I didn't even start going to the Gym until I was 17 or 18 years old but you need a balance of strength and aerobic fitness and you will simply not get fast times without both. You will find like everyone else that your genetically limited as to how far you can go but there is a great deal of personal satisfaction to be had in finding those limits.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. My crew team trains all winter, every day after school. We do 2 days in the weight room and 3 days erging most weeks. I really want to build some muscle for sprint pieces like a 2K because my endurence is fine, but I dont think the strength is there yet. No one quite answered my question though. Would a drop like that on a 2K test be possible?

Yes it is very possible.

bwashburn15 wrote:Thanks for the feedback everyone. My crew team trains all winter, every day after school. We do 2 days in the weight room and 3 days erging most weeks. I really want to build some muscle for sprint pieces like a 2K because my endurence is fine, but I dont think the strength is there yet. No one quite answered my question though. Would a drop like that on a 2K test be possible?

Because nobody can tell, at your age if you not improve you ate doing a lot wrong, you should improve rapidly.
2k is not a sprintpiece, your weight will mostly gain by good food.

bwashburn15 wrote:Thanks for the feedback everyone. My crew team trains all winter, every day after school. We do 2 days in the weight room and 3 days erging most weeks. I really want to build some muscle for sprint pieces like a 2K because my endurence is fine, but I dont think the strength is there yet. No one quite answered my question though. Would a drop like that on a 2K test be possible?

At your current weight and with your current training plan? Highly doubtful.

You need to train at least 6 times a day (not counting weights) to make substantial gains. 3 erg sessions a week won't get you very far. I don't know how often you row, but as long as those involve quality meters then those count, obviously.

WOW...maybe I am choosing the wrong activity to get involved with. The way I see it this young man is asking if a less than 10% improvement is possible within a two year timeframe and a 4% improvement within say 6 months. He is likely 16-17 years old and working out moderately. Other posters have noted the 2K results are majority weighted towards the strength side of the equation. In my mind he is likely in a time of his life where he is maturing rapidly. Remembering my time at that age (many moons ago) when my activity was primary wrestling and football( both sports which required strength and wrestling added a lot of aerobic demands), I certainly enjoyed improvements of strength and aerobic capacity within these ranges and timeframes given. What is it about rowing that is so different than other activities. I also assume the previous poster meant to say 6 times a WEEK.