I am currently a sophmore in high school and looking to get my 2k down before winter conditioning starts for crew season. Last season, the time that got me on the first freshmen 8 was 8:54. Once i started training on my own this fall, my time dropped to 8:46, which is currently my PB. My goal is 8:10 (or lower if possible). I'm currently following the 2,000 meter program from the UK concept2 site. This upcoming season is my first year on the varsity team, and i want to try to impress the coaches from the start of conditioning.
Although I have room to improve, i feel i understand the technique.
There's a number of areas that I'm struggling with:
Overcoming pain
Pacing
Breathing
Power.
Any help in improving in these areas would be much appreciated.
~SAM~
high school sophmore seeking 2k help
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almostflipped
- 1k Poster
- Posts: 101
- Joined: April 5th, 2006, 2:48 pm
First off, congratulations on training on your own through the fall. This really will give you an advantage over a lot of people. As to your questions.
Overcoming Pain: Just accept that it's going to be there. You can try to ignore it, but that is just another way of focusing on it. You can try to distract yourself, but that only lasts so long and ultimately distracts you from rowing. Best bet is to just accept it and move on with your life. If you need something to focus on, think about your technique and turn all your attention to that while also thinking about intensity instead of splits.
Pacing: Figure out what split you want to hold and hold it. Be patient, don't expect to drop 20 seconds in one shot, but push yourself to drop the split 1-2 seconds each time you test.
Breathing: Focus on exhalation. That feeling you have of not getting enough air in is caused by not emptying your lungs of all the carbon dioxide that has built up (as opposed to not getting in enough oxygen). My personal preference is a quick breath in at the finish, a long deep exhalation on the recovery, and a quick but deep breath in at the catch, exhale during the drive.
Power: Erg. You are already following a specific plan so I wouldn't add extra stuff in. One adjustment maybe to add power tens to your SS. Say 1-2x a week do steady state workouts with some hard power 10's every 10-15' (keep yourself to 10 strokes though, more than that and you risk building up lactic acid which would defeat the purpose of steady state). Also, focus on taking that catch with your legs while maintaining a solid suspension with your body. You can pick up a few seconds just by holding those core muscles firm at the catch and really connecting the legs with the handle.
Overcoming Pain: Just accept that it's going to be there. You can try to ignore it, but that is just another way of focusing on it. You can try to distract yourself, but that only lasts so long and ultimately distracts you from rowing. Best bet is to just accept it and move on with your life. If you need something to focus on, think about your technique and turn all your attention to that while also thinking about intensity instead of splits.
Pacing: Figure out what split you want to hold and hold it. Be patient, don't expect to drop 20 seconds in one shot, but push yourself to drop the split 1-2 seconds each time you test.
Breathing: Focus on exhalation. That feeling you have of not getting enough air in is caused by not emptying your lungs of all the carbon dioxide that has built up (as opposed to not getting in enough oxygen). My personal preference is a quick breath in at the finish, a long deep exhalation on the recovery, and a quick but deep breath in at the catch, exhale during the drive.
Power: Erg. You are already following a specific plan so I wouldn't add extra stuff in. One adjustment maybe to add power tens to your SS. Say 1-2x a week do steady state workouts with some hard power 10's every 10-15' (keep yourself to 10 strokes though, more than that and you risk building up lactic acid which would defeat the purpose of steady state). Also, focus on taking that catch with your legs while maintaining a solid suspension with your body. You can pick up a few seconds just by holding those core muscles firm at the catch and really connecting the legs with the handle.
Tips
Pain:
The best tip for dealing with pain is to split the piece up. Instead of a the whole 2k just concentrate on the 500 your on. The first 500 doesn't hurt. The second 500 is where you need to concentrate on getting to the half way point. The third 500 is about making it to the last 500. I know it sounds stupid but it works.
Breathing: Make sure you actually inhale. Again this sounds simple but it is a good thing to concentrate on.
hope that helps
The best tip for dealing with pain is to split the piece up. Instead of a the whole 2k just concentrate on the 500 your on. The first 500 doesn't hurt. The second 500 is where you need to concentrate on getting to the half way point. The third 500 is about making it to the last 500. I know it sounds stupid but it works.
Breathing: Make sure you actually inhale. Again this sounds simple but it is a good thing to concentrate on.
hope that helps