Concept2 Forum

Well I’m a complete noob but I have a few goals I guess

13 year old boy, 104 lb , 5 ft 2 in and I row a 10 min 2k
My main goal was in 2 years to get a 6:20 2k hearing it’s a holy grail but I don’t even know if this is even possible and if so how would I get to my goal like that.

Welcome to the forum!

Others will provide lots of good advice, like trying the Beginner's Pete Plan (lots of info out there on it, just do a search), but I figured I'd mention one thing that will be totally out of your control, and that's how much you grow over the next two years. Height is a significant benefit, because it allows you to do longer strokes (while maintaining good form). That will likely play a big role in how fast you'll be two years from now.

Another thing, right now, at the start, I wouldn't worry too much about that specific goal (which btw, will be a tough one to reach) but concentrate on laying the foundation for getting there. Some folks post questions like "I need to take 30 seconds off my 2k time in 2 months - how can I do that?" At least in your case you do have a lot of time to work on it.

Good Luck

Gashna wrote: ↑

July 18th, 2020, 5:57 am

Well I’m a complete noob but I have a few goals I guess

13 year old boy, 104 lb , 5 ft 2 in and I row a 10 min 2k
My main goal was in 2 years to get a 6:20 2k hearing it’s a holy grail but I don’t even know if this is even possible and if so how would I get to my goal like that.

First, look at your parents and other relatives. This to give you an idea how tall you will become.

If, that is a big if, you grow a lot the next 2 years, you maybe get to 6.20 ish. Much more likely you wil need more time.
And if you have the genes to stay smaller shorter, it could happen never.

Most good rowers, are way above 6 feet and weight double or more you weight. You have only little influence on this. The only thing you can do it eat well, sleep well, be (alround) fit. For now don’t worry to much about your 2k time. For the most part its your base talent thats to decide. To much training now won’t help, for now just do things you like and enjoy!

Echoing what Henry says above here. Just aim at steady progression. Doing a 6:20 as a 15 year old is highly unlikely, unless you are the little brother of Isaiah Harrison, who did a 5:53 in the 15-16 age range. Even breaking 7 minutes at 15 would be very good. Heck, even breaking 8 would be good!

Welcome - it's nice to see someone taking a good long term view.

Not wanting to put you off, but if you get to 6:20 at age 15, you will be in the world class athlete bracket. Henry will no doubt know, but I'd be surprised if anyone other than Isaiah Harrison (all 6'9" of him) has gone much faster at that age (and he's sub-6).

If you really enjoy erging, go for it. If you find something else that really grabs your attention, then go for that too. Plenty of time. Have fun.

Tandstad wrote: ↑

July 18th, 2020, 7:21 am

Echoing what Henry says above here. Just aim at steady progression. Doing a 6:20 as a 15 year old is highly unlikely, unless you are the little brother of Isaiah Harrison, who did a 5:53 in the 15-16 age range. Even breaking 7 minutes at 15 would be very good. Heck, even breaking 8 would be good!

Literally- the little brother of Isaiah just set his first world record at 12.

I did cross country running at that age but one thing I learned is you can build up a solid pain tolerance and mental fortitude and that can help a lot against people who are larger than you. With rowing it is probably similar. The feeling on a 2K in the third 500M is quite similar to the final stretch of a 5K cross country race. You really have to dig deep.

Try to eat a lot to make sure you get as big as you should get. I probably under ate a lot during my cross country and track years and might have been taller, based upon my other relatives' heights, if I had ate more. Cardiovascular sports require a lot of calories, as Cameron Buchan says "Now for some food, because remember, Food is Fuel!" If you under-eat and you train hard you may be limiting your future adult height.

Consistency is important, if you put in quality erg time 4-5 days per week you will get faster. If it were me I'd probably do the Pete Plan for a few cycles and eat a lot and make sure to cross train with other sports that appeal to you to give yourself a bit of variety. Young people can handle a lot of volume and still recover if they eat enough and they build up to the volume gradually, so don't add too many meters per week at first but be consistent and gradually work your way up, you might start making great improvement around 60KM to 100KM per week, but don't rush to get there if you currently row at 30KM per week.

Gashna wrote: ↑

July 18th, 2020, 5:57 am

13year old boy, 104 lb , 5 ft 2 in and I row a 10 min 2k
My main goal was in 2 years to get a 6:20 2k hearing it’s a holy grail but I don’t even know if this is even possible and if so how would I get to my goal like that.

It is nice to have goals but they have to be realistic and achievable and it is way too early to know that. As been said above there are very few young ergers at 6:20 ever but it doesn't matter at all. Best not to set yourself up to be disappointed. Just do the best you can and enjoy your life in the process of getting as fit and as strong as you can whilst you grow up. If that leads to rowing success then all the better. Join a club and get some good training advice and eat well and sleep well. Make sure you have fun!!

Previous answers suggest that heigth is key. This is not confirmed by scientific studies of elite rowers. In science language, height is only one of the "antropometric determinants" and not the most dominant.
Read the abstract of this paper for a more general view. Maybe you can download the full paper.

An observation : in the current season 2K rankings for age group 13-18 yrs, I see nobody faster than 6:28 of age 15. In fact only 10 teenagers out of 442 in this group are faster than 6:20. The median for the 13-18 yrs group is 7:31. You have set your target pretty high!

Gashna wrote: ↑

July 18th, 2020, 5:57 am

Well I’m a complete noob but I have a few goals I guess

13 year old boy, 104 lb , 5 ft 2 in and I row a 10 min 2k
My main goal was in 2 years to get a 6:20 2k hearing it’s a holy grail but I don’t even know if this is even possible and if so how would I get to my goal like that.

Well i find that goal super inspiring to aim at. Thanks for flagging.

It's great to have goals and its important to get in the habit of delivering them. Thats the beauty of sport.

So - i would say break down your goal into more digestible chunks. You only achieve what you set out to do but its important to have success along the way.

So if i was doing it - i would initially seek to reduce my times over several different stages. Give yourself a test every month and try to knock time off.

I'd also assess how strong i was by seeing what my low pull is. This is when you pull a stroke and it shows the lowest split. This will give you an indication of the effort required.

I'd work on technique so as i grow , i am in a good position to use my growing frame as effectively as possible.

Is it doable in two years - that depends on you - but if you build an approach and strategy then the lessons on the way are probably just as important as the goal itself.

The OP only ever visited the forum once and never responded. I guess 6:20 may have been a big pipe dream.

winniewinser wrote: ↑

November 5th, 2020, 4:56 am

The OP only ever visited the forum once and never responded. I guess 6:20 may have been a big pipe dream.

Or maybe he's too busy training to post an update...

winniewinser wrote: ↑

November 5th, 2020, 4:56 am

The OP only ever visited the forum once and never responded. I guess 6:20 may have been a big pipe dream.

Well yes and his name has changed. But its interesting to see everyones responses. There's a whole heap of goal crushing.