Path to sub 7

[Starrower1245]

Hi, I am a 14 year old boy, 8th grade, 114 pounds, 5 foot 6, 3 and a 1/2 year experience rowing and coxing (recently at the national level). I am currently at a 7:48 2k and I want to go sub 7 in the next 6 months. I'm looking for a realistic estimate on how long it will take me to get there, and what I can do to get there faster? I currently row/erg close to 100km a week, and I'm lifting weights 3 times per week. I also try to maintain a clean, functional diet. frequent stretching, and I try to rest/recover a lot. Any advice on my path to sub 7 sometime in 2025? Thanks.

[iain]

At your age other than newbie gains (which should be behind you now), there might be some gains from tactics and mental approach / toughness, but much of any improvement is going to come from your body developing. Unfortunately this is strongly influenced by your hormones and we all have our growth / testosterone bursts at different times. As a result improvements are even more unpredictable than in adults. You are talking about a huge improvement (219 - 302W, 38%!). Personally I would not recommend 100km a week. If you are going to improve that much and are currently maximising your current performance, yo will need to put on both bulk and height. Such a growth spurt is likely to lead to growing pains and it is not sensible to train that hard through them. The most important thing is that you let your body develop and so I would recommend ensuring that you eat quantity as well as quality as well as getting plenty of sleep.

[jamesg]

Have a look at the C2 Rankings, including recent years.

You're already at 4W/kg, which is high. To stay at that level and reach 300W you'd need to weigh 75kg, with height in proportion. So it depends how fast and how much you grow, not on your willpower alone.

Don't try to burn out, you might succeed. Bones take time to harden.