Breaking 8 on 2k? rowing?

Question

this winter im planning on breaking 8 on my 2k.. right now my PR is a 2:04.8/500m. any workout plans/ suggestions?

Answer 1

how much do you weigh?

You should work on sprint pieces, like 4x500 meters almost daily. Work on getting your rate up well over 35.

Answer 2

Trust me lots of 30:00min pieces at U2, which is probably 2:30 for you, this will build up your aerobic capacity. You might want to check though what your U2 is. These will help alot. And also check yourself by doing a 1k piece every now and again and aiming for 1:58/59 because if you can do that your well on your way to breaking 8.  And just try and stick to your planned average (see below)

this was my plan for the week before when i broke it.

1 . good food the nights before with lots of water leading up

2. Some of my friends listened to their ipod while stretching and warming up

3. Go out 20 strokes hard and fast (idk what your split would be exactly but maybe around 1:49-1:50 (uses your adrenaline)

4. Settle down into your pace (For you stay 1:58-1:59)

Long and Strong, big breaths

5. Count down the strokes if it helps, it did for me (2000k's equals areound 200 strokes)

6. Push through to the 1k

7. When you approach the 1k, pick up the pace, you will be tired, but for 20 strokes push up to 1:55

8: You know have 750 metres to go, If you have done it right your average will be under 2, probably around 1:57

NOTE: Watch Your Average, but if its too high dont panic, lengthen out

9. Just hold on at around 1:59 if you go a little bit over thats fine, it shouldnt be too bad

10. When you reach your sprinting point, maybe 500m, 300m mine was 300, just finish it out remember 500 m is only 50 strokes....... absolutley nothing

11. Pick it up has hard as you can without rushing until you reach the end.

12. Collapse, before recovering and entering the 7 minute club.

As for counting, it works for some people but remember you count down not up, 10 m = a stroke pretty much

so 2K = 200 strokes

1.5 = 150

1k = 100 etc

but also i didnt start counting until i was ******, do it when you are in so much pain, but just practice

oh and to get ready for a 2k, theres proper ergos you can do like 30mins at 2:15 or something that help alot, ask your coach.

good luck

and dont worry it will click so soon, i couldnt get under 8:00s until like year 9 (55KGS) i think and i was in the high  6 min range in my final year

Answer 3

Good for you!!! 2:04 is a great split time to be starting from.  Since you're trying to break eight minutes, you'll need to get your split below 2:00 though (which I'm pretty sure you already knew. It's not too hard to do the math. :P)  So, try starting with a few 500 metre pieces. This will help you get a routine start.  When you start, get your rate up as high as you can (around 40-42 maybe? Or lower? I don't know how you row) and try to keep it solid for about 150 metres (you can bring it down a FEW strokes during this time, but keep it in that high range). While you're doing that, try to get your split to about 1:48-1:50.  If you can get it lower though that's great!  After the first 150m, settle down into a lower stroke rate (maybe 32? Most girls feel comfortable at about 28-30 spm, but if you're a guy you should be able to get it higher).  So you have 350m left which you should be rowing at this solid rate and a split time of about 1:55/500m.  When you are doing these 500m pieces, DON'T do any "power tens" and DON'T do a finish.  The last 350m should be a consistent rate/split time.

Once you feel comfortable completing 500m pieces with consistency, gradually increase the distance of your pieces. When you get to about 1250m you can start incorporating your "race plan" into your piece.  For example, every few hundred metres, increase your rate and power and do a "hard ten".  As you slowly work your way up to 2000m pieces, you will find that you are erging more comfortably and consistently.  In the last stretch of the pieces, do a strong finish and try to get your rate/split the same as (or better than) your start.  This is a really great method for 2k rowing and it's worked for a lot of my crew.  It takes time though, which is why it's great that you are starting in November! :)

That workout is targeted directly for improvement on your 2k. If you're wanting to improve your rowing for the spring as well, you should do other erg tests. Try some "pyramid" exercises on the erg where you change your stroke rate about every minute or so. Start low at about twenty to twenty-two strokes per minute and then gradually increase your stroke rate. Once you get to your highest rate (maybe 34?? Depends how high you're willing to go), start decreasing your stroke rate until you get back to your original rate. The slower rates should have longer periods of time. This is what a pyramid is like:

row at 22 strokes per minute for about 5 minutes

then increase your stroke rate to 24 spm for 4 minutes

then increase to 26 spm for 3 min

28 spm for 2 min

30 spm for 1 min

28 spm for 2 min

26 spm for 3min

24 spm for 4 min

22 spm for 5 min

This is a 29 minute pyramid. You can adjust your stroke rate and time according to the type of workout you want. Pyramids are really great exercises to help you keep your split times down at different rates. I hate doing them, but they will make you improve faster than you think.  Also throw in some 6k or 10k pieces every few weeks.

Besides erging, you should incorporate jogging and weight training into your daily routine. Get a gym membership. It's worth it. Do a long-distance jog in the morning and/or evening and try to increase your distance gradually. Your weight training should be based on the target areas that you think you need to build muscle in. DON'T FORGET TO DO CORE. Core exercises are so important. Especially for a rower!!!Anyway, all I have left to say is eat right and don't slack off! ;)  Good luck!!