Concept2 Forum

Hello everyone. I'm new here and this is my first post. Hoping I can get some tips or be directed to the right spot for help.

I started rowing in march. We were indoors for just over a month until we hit the water. Now that winter is here we are back inside. We scaled back practices to give everyone a rest but starting in january we will have 3 practices a week but I can only attend two a week.

There are 3 indoor competitions coming up in February that I want to try. But I'm lost on how to train in such short time. My background is more for weightlifting so cardio and endurance is unknown to me. So I don't know how go come up with a training plan.

How often should I train?
Should I continue to weight train? I find that after a big leg day my legs hurt for 2-3 days after which affects my edging power
How do I increase endurance and power?
How do I track my progress?

I should mention that the team practice are time and some based meaning we do workouts for a set time and change up the spm. So we may do a pyramid of 2 min intervals going from my of 18, 20, 22, 24. The workouts I find online are more based off of distance with no set spm, so more lime a race where you measure time for that distance from and try to finish faster over your training time. So that's why I'm confused on how to track progress. Would I just pick a few different workouts and repeat each week and training in time or distance to see progress of would I track by my average splits?

Need help.
April

Three or four of those pyramids on end, 18-20-18-20-18 or 18-20-22-20-18 or 20-22-20-22-20, 4-5 days a week, then taper.

See also the last few weeks of http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/training/interactive
Make sure you choose an appropriate plan, there are several hundred.

No lifting, you're strong enough already.

Rating is not important for racing, use the rate that feels the most natural. If you would run, swim, cycle ect, you would not worry about rate, but only on pace, why should rowing be different?

Weights, keep them doing, but maintance, goal should be to keep your strenght, not to increese it.

Number of sessions, depends on how much time you have. Do 2 hard session a week, at 2k rate/pace. Stuff like 8x500 rest 2k.
4x1k rest 5 min
5x750 rest 3.
Or stuff like that. These sessions are tough. Learn to feel what you can, try to pace yourself well. Last rep should be the fastest, but if you to much left you started to slow.
Maybe do a first 2k at 90/95% effort to get an idea where you stand now.

Always do enough warm up and cool down for those sessions.

For the rest do 2/4 days a week longer, slower work. Focus on good full strokes, pace not to fast. After the session you should recover fast. 5k / 30 min should be long enough.

jamesg wrote:Three or four of those pyramids on end, 18-20-18-20-18 or 18-20-22-20-18 or 20-22-20-22-20, 4-5 days a week, then taper.

See also the last few weeks of http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/training/interactive
Make sure you choose an appropriate plan, there are several hundred.

No lifting, you're strong enough already.

Thanks for the tips and link. I will check it out.

hjs wrote:Rating is not important for racing, use the rate that feels the most natural. If you would run, swim, cycle ect, you would not worry about rate, but only on pace, why should rowing be different?

Weights, keep them doing, but maintance, goal should be to keep your strenght, not to increese it.

Number of sessions, depends on how much time you have. Do 2 hard session a week, at 2k rate/pace. Stuff like 8x500 rest 2k.
4x1k rest 5 min
5x750 rest 3.
Or stuff like that. These sessions are tough. Learn to feel what you can, try to pace yourself well. Last rep should be the fastest, but if you to much left you started to slow.
Maybe do a first 2k at 90/95% effort to get an idea where you stand now.

Always do enough warm up and cool down for those sessions.

For the rest do 2/4 days a week longer, slower work. Focus on good full strokes, pace not to fast. After the session you should recover fast. 5k / 30 min should be long enough.

Awesome tips! Thanks!
The reason we work on a spm rate during practice is because we want to practice rowing together. Perhaps I should only row once per week with the group and row the rest if the week on my own so I don't have to worry about watching spm. Or I guess my group practices could be classified as my longer sessions that will focus on endurance and technique.

As for weight training do you think 3x per week at moderate weight and reps will be good?

Your weights should be directed towards strength. Basic movements are key....bench press, squats, deadlifts etc. No peaking exercises. There is a great article by Terry Oneill on preparing for the British Indoor Championships with an excellent 6 week lead up training plan. Google "Mens Health Magazine, British Indoor Rowing Champs"
Good Luck

April27 wrote:
Awesome tips! Thanks!
The reason we work on a spm rate during practice is because we want to practice rowing together. Perhaps I should only row once per week with the group and row the rest if the week on my own so I don't have to worry about watching spm. Or I guess my group practices could be classified as my longer sessions that will focus on endurance and technique.

As for weight training do you think 3x per week at moderate weight and reps will be good?

In a boat rating is ofcourse important, in a single race not so. The 2 k aimed sessions should be free rated, other stuff is fine to do with teammates together yes.

3 times a week is to much. 3 times in two weeks is enough.

Gettingold wrote:Your weights should be directed towards strength. Basic movements are key....bench press, squats, deadlifts etc. No peaking exercises. There is a great article by Terry Oneill on preparing for the British Indoor Championships with an excellent 6 week lead up training plan. Google "Mens Health Magazine, British Indoor Rowing Champs"
Good Luck

I don't know if I have enough time to focus on strength with my weights and prepare for the 2k. I have to focus a lot on my cardio as I feel weak. But I'm going to continue to weightlifting for maintenence I think. If I find my cardio is not improving I may taper off the weights a couple weeks before the 2k. I will check out the article though for some ideas. Thanks!

I think I will use this discussion to post my workouts too so feel free to critic me.
Yesterday I did a shoulder workout using cables. Kept my sets and reps moderate at 4x10-12
Then 30 mins of erging. 6373m
Had a massage after my workout too. Been having problems in my left trap muscle. Been bothering me for months so need to keep it under control. If I don't I have had times where it completely seizes up and throws out my whole back and takes me 3 weeks to gain full motion. No time for that!

Today I will test my 2k time.

Alright. I hit the erg first today to test my 2k time. First all time was 8:25.1. I started off strong for the first 500m keeping my split up service 2:00 but then tapered off in the end and could not finish strong. So I have a lot of work. I'd like to be under 8 mins.

I then did some light back exercises. Sets and reps of 4x12.

Then finished off my workout with 2x10 min erg with 3 min rest in between. Focused on long steady strokes.

April27 wrote:Alright. I hit the erg first today to test my 2k time. First all time was 8:25.1. I started off strong for the first 500m keeping my split up service 2:00 but then tapered off in the end and could not finish strong. So I have a lot of work. I'd like to be under 8 mins.

I then did some light back exercises. Sets and reps of 4x12.

Then finished off my workout with 2x10 min erg with 3 min rest in between. Focused on long steady strokes.

Ok, you now have a benchmark. A 2k should preferably been done more evenly paced. I think you are now at 8.15/20 level, if you start out at 2.03/05. This current 2.06 pace though is a good starting pace for 2k paced sessions.

hjs wrote:

April27 wrote:Alright. I hit the erg first today to test my 2k time. First all time was 8:25.1. I started off strong for the first 500m keeping my split up service 2:00 but then tapered off in the end and could not finish strong. So I have a lot of work. I'd like to be under 8 mins.

I then did some light back exercises. Sets and reps of 4x12.

Then finished off my workout with 2x10 min erg with 3 min rest in between. Focused on long steady strokes.

Ok, you now have a benchmark. A 2k should preferably been done more evenly paced. I think you are now at 8.15/20 level, if you start out at 2.03/05. This current 2.06 pace though is a good starting pace for 2k paced sessions.

How often should I test my 2k time?

Today's workout : 8x500m with 2min rest

2:04.4
2:04.1
2:02.5
2:02.6
2:01.9
2:02.6
2:03.5 - backed off a bit. Legs were on fire!
2:01.9

Max heartrate was 181.
I should mention I'm 34, 5'6 and 147lbs

On my last set I went too hard at the start and ended up going around 2:12 for a few pulls. I really need to focus on a steady pace but I think I get excited to try and beat the last time.

April27 wrote:Today's workout : 8x500m with 2min rest

2:04.4
2:04.1
2:02.5
2:02.6
2:01.9
2:02.6
2:03.5 - backed off a bit. Legs were on fire!
2:01.9

Max heartrate was 181.
I should mention I'm 34, 5'6 and 147lbs

On my last set I went too hard at the start and ended up going around 2:12 for a few pulls. I really need to focus on a steady pace but I think I get excited to try and beat the last time.

Nothing wrong with this. Pretty steady overall. This can be done roughly 2/3 seconds below 2k pace.

Re 2k, not to often is needed. But if you like it, maybe every 2/3 weeks. You proberly will improve rapidly.
Don,t overdo it with the hatd sessions, you need recovery. 2/3 hard sessions a week is enough. Also testing your 5k would help. Will build your aerobic toughness. A rough pacing idea is 2k plus 7 seconds, rating 3 4 spm below 2k spm.

hjs wrote:
Nothing wrong with this. Pretty steady overall. This can be done roughly 2/3 seconds below 2k pace.

Re 2k, not to often is needed. But if you like it, maybe every 2/3 weeks. You proberly will improve rapidly.
Don,t overdo it with the hatd sessions, you need recovery. 2/3 hard sessions a week is enough. Also testing your 5k would help. Will build your aerobic toughness. A rough pacing idea is 2k plus 7 seconds, rating 3 4 spm below 2k spm.

Thanks! You have given me lots of help! Tomorrow is rest day and Friday I will do 5k. Not sure if I can keep a 2k plus 7 sec pace for it but that will give me something to aim for.