10k Training Program

[Blessy]

Hello, everybody,

in the COVID-19 crisis is not all bad. Since my fitness studio has temporarily (indefinitely) closed and I can't use the ergometers there anymore, I finally fulfilled my wish for my own Concept2 after years.

I have been looking for training plans for 10ks for the last two days. Here in the forum I found this very good thread from 2016 (viewtopic.php?f=3&t=112493&hilit=10k). Otherwise the internet is only full of training plans for running. It looks like rowing and running have similar training plan designs. Is this true?

ArmandoChavezUNC said in the mentioned thread that for 10k's the increase of the total mileage is decisive. I don't think I can do the 90-110k a week that he recommends, but I have incorporated that consideration into my design. My current PB for 10k is about 39:40 and was not properly paced. I think my next target is sub 39:00. I am 28 years old, 185cm and about 93Kg.

Here is what I have been thinking:

• Monday
  15k 165 BPM HR
• Tuesday
  Rest
• Wednesday
  15k 165 BPM HR
• Thursday
  Rest
• Friday
  4x2.5k (3-5m Rest)
  at 10k pace (1:57:0)
• Saturday
  10k 165 BPM HR
• Sunday
  Rest

My HRMax is estimated to be 195 but I measured 198/199, Z3 for me is 139-159, Z4 is 159-178

I have a few questions regarding my training and the plan above:

• I like working out in Z4 at 165 BPM. Does this make sense or do I need to lower intensity to Z3?
• To get a steady HR I usually start with higher intensity and lower it as the HR rises over the course of a workout. Does this make sense?
• Do you think my plan makes any sense? I thought about adding HIIT too but the 4x2.5 intervals seem fine too.

My overall goal is better fitness. I used to do a lot of weight training and always rowed to balance out my training. In the meantime I have given up weight training and would rather concentrate on my cardiovascular system. If I could set some personal best times and end up in the best list of my age category (Top50: 37:55:1), that wouldn't be bad either

Thanks everyone and have a nice Sunday!

[hjs]

Re Hf, only see real numbers, your Max en rest rate are what matters.

You don,t talk about strokerate. Use rate 18/22 for most sessions. Use a lower hf cap, you want to improve your aerobic fitness, which for 10k is by far the most important factor.
Use a 70% hf cap of your Hf reserve. Which is max minus rest hf. This number plus your rest hf is your cap.
Use that one strict.

Volume, in the end is the most important. Thats why you keep intensity low mostly. A race/test is ofcourse free strokerate, free hf. Simply the best you can.

[Blessy]

Hi hjs,

you are right, I forgot the stroke rate. I usually row at 20/21.
I struggle to understand what you wrote about HR. What do you mean by "only see real numbers"?
My "real" cap would be 198/199 because that is the highest I have ever measured.
My calculated cap would be 195.

Maximum - Rest would be 198-63 = 135 but thats not 70% of my HRmax but only 68% (might be within the error margin) that's really low
Rowing 15k with a HR cap of 135 would take me... I don't know maybe 75min? I don't think I could do more then 150W without pushing my HR over the cap.

[hjs]

Hi hjs,

you are right, I forgot the stroke rate. I usually row at 20/21.
I struggle to understand what you wrote about HR. What do you mean by "only see real numbers"?
My "real" cap would be 198/199 because that is the highest I have ever measured.
My calculated cap would be 195.

Maximum - Rest would be 198-63 = 135 but thats not 70% of my HRmax but only 68% (might be within the error margin) that's really low
Rowing 15k with a HR cap of 135 would take me... I don't know maybe 75min? I don't think I could do more then 150W without pushing my HR over the cap.

By real numbers, don,t calculate your hf. But use your personal data. In your case 199 and 63. Your reserve is 136

136 x 0,7 gives 95
95, plus your rest, 63 gives you a cap of 158. So not that far away from your 165.


Over time your restrate should come down, changing your numbers a bit. Max will not change much. So your reserve will go up.

If you rest would drop to say 50, your reserve would be 149
Giving 149x0,7 plus 50 giving 154 as a 70% cap.

[jamesg]

To get a steady HR I usually start with higher intensity and lower it as the HR rises over the course of a workout.

That's one of the problems with using HR. Much better use Pace or Watts and harden up at the end: which is ideal race tactic, if competitors are a little too fast for comfort, so best get used to it. It's the only way to make them blow up.

Using Karvonen (range), HRs are Rest rate + Percentage of range, so if range is 200-60=140, 70% is 60 + 0.7*140 = 158.

Simplest way to train for 10k is do one every day, as foreseen in one of the C2 challenges; maybe take a rest every 5-6 days and push it the day after. The first program week might start the 5-6 day cycle at rate 20, which should put you at 40 minutes, then increase the rating by 1 every day. Second week a choice between same ratings, harder stroke, or just start at 21/22 and see how it goes. This will help both improve the stroke and also select the best rating for the final test, to be done after a pair of easy days.

[Blessy]

Thank you, now it has become much clearer.

So its: [(HRmax - HRrest) * 0,7] + HRrest : [(199 - 63) * 0,7] + 63 = 158
This is the upper end of my heart rate zone 3 (159). Since you said cap this should be my upper limit and I probably should stay in the 139-158 range as the HR zone suggests. Thanks

Any thoughts on the 4x2.5k?


@jamesg
Does one really need a day of rest after 15k at 70% HRmax?

From what you said you would increase stroke rate 5 consecutive days Mo-Fr: 20-25. But why exactly is that? Stroke rate doesn't directly correlate with pace, I can slide faster but row less powerful (as hjs HR recommendation would suggest). Since ~40min is my PR I should row 5 days a week at my PR? Maybe I haven't understood that right.

[Dangerscouse]

Maximum - Rest would be 198-63 = 135 but thats not 70% of my HRmax but only 68% (might be within the error margin) that's really low
Rowing 15k with a HR cap of 135 would take me... I don't know maybe 75min? I don't think I could do more then 150W without pushing my HR over the cap.

Easier said than done but don't worry about how slow it feels to start. Your pace will improve as your fitness improves and your HR will stay steady, so don't let your ego dictate your decisions, and I say that from experience. You need to be patient and build a solid aerobic base as there are no short cuts, and believe me, between us all we will have tried every possibility.

If you want to, I don't think that there is an issue with pushing one of your 15k, or the 10k, to a higher HR cap, but no more than 80%, or alternating the 4 x 2.5k to 4 x 10 mins on 3mins rest and keeping to a 90% HR cap and let the pace and time dictate themselves.

[hjs]

Thank you, now it has become much clearer.

So its: [(HRmax - HRrest) * 0,7] + HRrest : [(199 - 63) * 0,7] + 63 = 158
This is the upper end of my heart rate zone 3 (159). Since you said cap this should be my upper limit and I probably should stay in the 139-158 range as the HR zone suggests. Thanks

Any thoughts on the 4x2.5k?


@jamesg
Does one really need a day of rest after 15k at 70% HRmax?

From what you said you would increase stroke rate 5 consecutive days Mo-Fr: 20-25. But why exactly is that? Stroke rate doesn't directly correlate with pace, I can slide faster but row less powerful (as hjs HR recommendation would suggest). Since ~40min is my PR I should row 5 days a week at my PR? Maybe I haven't understood that right.

Cap is upper limit.

Do that 2.5 at your current 10k pace for the first three, and do the last one faster. Take it from there.

[Blessy]

Thanks Dangerscouse,

what you suggest would look like this (since I calculated my 70% HR wrong as written above):

• Monday
  15k 158 BPM HR
• Tuesday
  Rest or 15k 158 BPM HR
• Wednesday
  15k 158 BPM HR
• Thursday
  Rest
• Friday
  4 x 10min @ 180HR (3m rest) or 3 x 2.5k @ 10k pace (1:57:0) with 3m rest + 2.5k faster (1:56:0 for a start) (hjs's suggestion)
• Saturday
  10k 158 BPM HR
• Sunday
  Rest

[max_ratcliffe]

Something that worked really well for me was to do a hardish (but not TT) distance once a week, going from 6k one week, 7k the next, etc until 10k, all at the same pace.

Then I'd increase the split by one (i.e. get faster by 1s/500m) and start over at 6k. So I'd get one split faster every month or so. By the 10k end of the cycle, it was pretty tough, but one week later, back to 6k felt easy and short, so much so that it felt almost like cheating.

I suspect that this really meant that it was a 6k or 30' training programme, but it worked well for the 10k too for me for about 3-4 months.

[Blessy]

Okay just did a 15k: https://log.concept2.com/profile/1345241/log/43265882
I set the pace to 150W/2:12:6 but around the 43 minute mark I had to drop the pace to keep my HR below 158.

When rowing with such low intensity I find a longer stroke with 19/20 strokes very comfortable.
Would you suggest to lower the pace to be able to stay below my HR cap or just go with it as it is not terribly off?

The workout was not challenging though, but I guess that is not the goal here.

[hjs]

Okay just did a 15k: https://log.concept2.com/profile/1345241/log/43265882
I set the pace to 150W/2:12:6 but around the 43 minute mark I had to drop the pace to keep my HR below 158.

When rowing with such low intensity I find a longer stroke with 19/20 strokes very comfortable.
Would you suggest to lower the pace to be able to stay below my HR cap or just go with it as it is not terribly off?

The workout was not challenging though, but I guess that is not the goal here.

Do keep the cap, lower the pace if needed. The point is not making it hard, but to give the body an incentive to change. Its all about building the aerobic machine. Over time, pace will get faster.
The very best do sessions like this, below 1.45 pace, still keeping the cap.

[Dangerscouse]

Okay just did a 15k: https://log.concept2.com/profile/1345241/log/43265882
I set the pace to 150W/2:12:6 but around the 43 minute mark I had to drop the pace to keep my HR below 158.

When rowing with such low intensity I find a longer stroke with 19/20 strokes very comfortable.
Would you suggest to lower the pace to be able to stay below my HR cap or just go with it as it is not terribly off?

The workout was not challenging though, but I guess that is not the goal here.

As Henry says, lower the pace. It's frustrating but it does help to build discipline to stick to your goals and will provide meaningful feedback when you start to see you HR drop at the same pace. Without that you can't meaningful compare.

Also keep on your cardiac drift with these type of sessions. Admittedly it can be affected by hydration, tiredness, heat etc but it is another useful metric

[jamesg]

I had to drop the pace to keep my HR below 158. When rowing with such low intensity I find a longer stroke with 19/20 strokes very comfortable.

19-20 even with a good stroke is called UT2 and is for very long distances, recovery days, initial training to get a crew together and harden their hands, warmup/down and the like.

In HR training theory, one of the effects of training is to push the AT inflexion point closer to maximum HR. Otherwise training would be useless. This means that if no longer a novice the old percentages of HRR no longer apply. Sooner or later AT gets close to MHR: then we're ready to race.

If you want to use training bands, base them on percentages of your last 2k test power so that you get some progression. Such tests are done periodically to monitor our progress and adjust training levels. 60 to 80% of 2k Watts will cover most distance work.

[Blessy]

Thanks everyone,

i'll do another 15k today and will reduce the pace to 2:14 and see how that works out.

@Dangerscouse
I had never heard of cardiac drift before and have read a bit into it. The concept makes sense. Good think that heart rate bands are just that "bands" so with a HR cap of 158 I think everything from 145-158 should be fine, right? So it's important that my cardiac drift begins at around 145 and not drifts out of the HR band over the course of the workout. That's what I got from this.

@jamesg
Is there something wrong with the UT2 stroke rate? It felt like a waste of energy to row at 21/22 SPM when not putting any power in the stroke because my HR won't allow for it.