Concept2 Forum

Hi,

I am 37 years old and I only started erging a few years ago. I started rowing on the water last year. I have about 1.6 million meters on the erg and 500km on the water.

Last year at my towns indoor Erg race I did a 1k in 3:25.5. this year I did the same event in 3:19.7.

I have a good amount of experience in endurance sports, running, triathlon, and so forth.

My question for you is, how fast do you think I ever will be and when will it happen? It seems I am at the age where people start getting a bit slower. On the other hand, I am just getting started with rowing.

I would like to get my 1k down to 3:12 or 3:07 before I turn 40, do you think that is possible?

Thanks for any input.

This will depend on your size (height) and genetics, although strength also matters and you might need to do some strength training for a 1k (although it is mainly fitness). I would expect that you would improve for 2-3 years at least of quality training as you improve your efficiency and rowing specific fitness. The 10% loss in power between the years will not be significantly due to age.

What proportion of your physical potential you do achieve will depend upon keeping going, how hard you are prepared to train, how hard you are prepared to push yourself and how much life interferes. A 12.5% power increase on your result from last year to get to 3:12 is a tough ask, but possible. Anything better than that will be really tough as each second is very hard won.

Good luck.

I started rowing when I was 41, 3 years ago. My first 1k was a 3:24.6, two years later I got a 3:07.8 without specific training for 1k.
I'm convinced to be faster now, but wasn't able to go for a 1k on a good day recently.

The age is less of a problem. It's more about body stats, height and weight, and your strength and fitness you gained in the last years. I think you mainly lack strength, as running and triathlon are not known for building strong bodies.
I'm not the body type for a "good" rower in heavyweight category, as my height is a bit limited and my weight is more middleweight than heavy. I can compensate with a bit more strength than average and I think I have a decent technique, which also plays a huge role.

Basically what Iain says! Depends 1: on your physiology - ie potential and 2: on how hard and smart you train.

Age is irrelevant at this stage for you. I didn't start to erg until I was 40. Didn't set most of my PBs until my mid 50s (including the 1k on your target)...and some of the outliers not until my 60s.

If you have done no specific 1K training you can drop quite a bit. Some years ago (age 60) I dropped the 1K from 3:20 to 3:13.7 from a starting point where I was already in optimal shape for the 2k. I did not even prepare optimally, doing no anaerobic intervals at all. All I did was about five 1Ks in training.
From your background it seems that you are probably biased toward longer distances (same as me). You would have to prepare for the 1K specifically. This would have to include strength training and anaerobic intervals unlike what you are used to from your triathlon background.

I would go for the 2K instead. This is more prestigious and may be more suited to your background. The best 1K rowers are heavier and more powerful than the 2K guys and strength plays a bigger role in the 1K than in the 2K.

You can no doubt get up to say 5W/kg. Distance and time will depend on style and training.

If you weigh 80kg, that means 400W, which is about 5.23m/s, pace 1:36 (for 500m).

400W means pulling a stroke worth 12Watt-minutes at rate 33, or some equivalent.

jamesg wrote: ↑

February 25th, 2025, 2:00 pm

You can no doubt get up to say 5W/kg. Distance and time will depend on style and training.

If you weigh 80kg, that means 400W, which is about 5.23m/s, pace 1:36 (for 500m).

400W means pulling a stroke worth 12Watt-minutes at rate 33, or some equivalent.

Thanks, that 5W/kg target is a useful reference. Do you think most people need dedicated strength work to hit that, or can it come from rowing-specific and interval training alone?

Also curious how that plays out across different weights, same W/kg, but different stroke power and rate expectations?

micc2 wrote: ↑

June 6th, 2025, 10:43 am

jamesg wrote: ↑

February 25th, 2025, 2:00 pm

You can no doubt get up to say 5W/kg. Distance and time will depend on style and training.

If you weigh 80kg, that means 400W, which is about 5.23m/s, pace 1:36 (for 500m).

400W means pulling a stroke worth 12Watt-minutes at rate 33, or some equivalent.

Thanks, that 5W/kg target is a useful reference. Do you think most people need dedicated strength work to hit that, or can it come from rowing-specific and interval training alone?

Also curious how that plays out across different weights, same W/kg, but different stroke power and rate expectations?

You don't need to strength train, but it will very likely be beneficial. Some of us (Nick Rockliff as a perfect example) haven't ever weight trained.

Don't fixate too much on 5W/kg, as if you weigh 90kg this will equate to 500w (1:28.8 pace) which could very easily be too optimistic, as weight doesn't necessarily equate to power. There's just too much to consider to use such a blunt target like that.

micc2 wrote: ↑

June 6th, 2025, 10:43 am

jamesg wrote: ↑

February 25th, 2025, 2:00 pm

You can no doubt get up to say 5W/kg. Distance and time will depend on style and training.

Thanks, that 5W/kg target is a useful reference. Do you think most people need dedicated strength work to hit that, or can it come from rowing-specific and interval training alone?

Also curious how that plays out across different weights, same W/kg, but different stroke power and rate expectations?

I am less convinced than James that a common W/kg ratio is applicable to all. I am not aware of much data on 1ks, but attempts to isolate the impact of different characteristics to people's performance tend to indicate that height has a bigger impact than weight (although, of course, lean weight is correlated to height). 500m potential is more strength related than 1k, but the best 1k performances are from very strong people. There is an important contribution from both anaerobic capacity and aerobic capacity so increasing whichever is relatively weaker may create the biggest improvements. One thing you didn't indicate was what rating you used. 1k can be done at an uncomfortably high rate, although others succeed with a slower but higher force stroke. 2.1mM in a few years is not that high which suggests that you should have significant capacity to increase efficiency and erg specific fitness. Also there is a great difference between how deep into the pain cave people are prepared to go, how much more could be forced out through suffering more will depend on where you are starting, but practicing at the appropriate rate and pace will give you the confidence to push faster at the same strength / fitness level to possibly knock of a few extra seconds.

Some people believe that the pace on a 10 interval session of 250M intervals with 1' rest is similar to 1k potential, so this is significantly faster than the others.

I am less convinced than James that a common W/kg ratio is applicable to all.

No way can it apply to all: Power in rowing depends on style, age and health. I'd suggest that anything over 1W/kg could have a training effect; and that 2W/kg is a first target, easily reached using standard rowing style if the arteries are not clogged.

iain wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2025, 2:44 am

Also there is a great difference between how deep into the pain cave people are prepared to go, how much more could be forced out through suffering more will depend on where you are starting, but practicing at the appropriate rate and pace will give you the confidence to push faster at the same strength / fitness level to possibly knock of a few extra seconds.

A very important thing to note. The pain cave tolerance is a massive factor that can easily make or break a TT.

Dangerscouse wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2025, 10:07 am

iain wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2025, 2:44 am

Also there is a great difference between how deep into the pain cave people are prepared to go, how much more could be forced out through suffering more will depend on where you are starting, but practicing at the appropriate rate and pace will give you the confidence to push faster at the same strength / fitness level to possibly knock of a few extra seconds.

A very important thing to note. The pain cave tolerance is a massive factor that can easily make or break a TT.

Not too sure about this. A TT should be the next stage from the previous TT and should have had all the training and preparation that goes with it. The TT is then just a training session. Not sure if you would just pick a time or distance at random and just go for it? That's not how I do it anyway.

nick rockliff wrote: ↑

June 9th, 2025, 10:45 am

Not too sure about this. A TT should be the next stage from the previous TT and should have had all the training and preparation that goes with it. The TT is then just a training session. Not sure if you would just pick a time or distance at random and just go for it? That's not how I do it anyway.

In all honesty, Rocky, you're a different breed to the rest of us. Stress seems to bounce off you

How deep into the pain cave you can go, or are willing to go is an interesting concept to me. I have done many grim erg sessions with other rowers in the last 6 months where me and one or two others are flopping round after, can’t speak, legs like jelly and knowing we’ve just given our all. Then there are others who seem to have hardly broken sweat then complain they didn’t achieve what they wanted or expected. I firmly believe they had the ability to do it, but were not prepared to put the body through that extreme. That’s mental strength and to someone extent confidence in yourself.
I’ve mentioned it before that the mind (imo) can be a limiting factor and you almost need to train your mind aswell your muscles.

ahooton wrote: ↑

June 13th, 2025, 7:28 am

How deep into the pain cave you can go, or are willing to go is an interesting concept to me. I have done many grim erg sessions with other rowers in the last 6 months where me and one or two others are flopping round after, can’t speak, legs like jelly and knowing we’ve just given our all. Then there are others who seem to have hardly broken sweat then complain they didn’t achieve what they wanted or expected. I firmly believe they had the ability to do it, but were not prepared to put the body through that extreme. That’s mental strength and to someone extent confidence in yourself.
I’ve mentioned it before that the mind (imo) can be a limiting factor and you almost need to train your mind aswell your muscles.

While I am sure that this is often the case, I do believe that people do vary in their ability to go into oxygen debt physically as well as mentally. I don't know whether you can train physical "lactate" tolerance, but the higher the proportion of fast twitch, the greater the finishing sprint that can be produced that generates this state, while the slower they will recover from it. In addition I believe that the endorphins released varies between people. Lower pain thresholds will mean that a lower oxygen debt will feel the same (and hence the same mental drive would produce a lower result).