Training for Competition
The current racing distance for indoor rowing regattas is 2000 meters. The training suggestions given below are geared to this race distance.
Workout Frequency: 4-6 times per week (less when you are rowing on-the-water.)
Duration: 30-80 minutes depending on the intensity of the workout.
Work Type and Intensity: the whole range, from racing to easy steady state. Different types of work should be done at different times in your training year.
Favourite Five Workouts:
Your preparation for the 2,000 metre race should fall predominantly into the aerobic area and should continue to be focused on distance, measured both in time and in metres. With this in mind, here are five favourite types of workouts as a guide for your race preparation. Good luck and good racing.
1. Endurance:
Rows of 30-45 minutes or 7,500-10,000 metres. This workout category includes:
- Thirty minute time trials for the World Ranking.
- A continuous 10,000 metre piece with increasing intensity (decreasing splits in terms of pace) each 2,500 metres.
- “Swing” rows at 20-30 seconds easier than race pace – a swing row is a steady moderately paced row; not so fast that you can’t keep up a conversation the whole time.
- And the old favourite: a continuous piece which consists of 5 to 8 repetitions of (3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute, as follows: Row 3 minutes @ a low stroke rate of 22 spm; then 2 minutes @ a moderate stroke rate of 27 spm; then 1 minute at a high stroke rate of 32 spm.) Then repeat. There is no rest between these pieces.
2. Over distance:
Rows of longer than the race distance; such as: 2 x 6,000 metres with 5 minutes rest between, keeping the pace steady but trying to improve your overall time for both pieces in the course of your training.
3. Repetitions:
Moderate intensity work intervals alternated with short rests; such as: 15 x 1:40 work/:20 rest. For the 1:40, work at 4-6 seconds slower than race pace.
4. Long Intervals:
3 to 5 repetitions of 1500 metres at 3-5 seconds slower than race pace, with 3-5 minutes rest between pieces.
5. Intervals:
High intensity work intervals with rest for 1-3 times the work duration, such as: 2 to 3 sets of 3 x 500 meters at 3-6 seconds faster than race pace, with 3 minutes rest between 500 meter pieces and 6-8 minutes between sets.
Key Workouts to Prepare for a 2,000 Meter Race
- 30-40 minutes steady piece at a moderate to hard intensity, focusing on effective technique.
- Three 10-minute pieces with 2-3 minutes rest. Your total metres rowing should end up being more than the meters you row in a single 30-minute piece.
- Four to six 5-minute pieces with 2-3 minutes rest. Make these pieces more intense than the 10-minute pieces.
- Four 1000-metre pieces with 3-4 minutes rest, at about the pace you might row a 2000 meter race.
- Six 500-metre pieces with 3-4 minutes rest, at a pace 2-3 seconds faster than your pace for the 1000 metre pieces.
Three Week Program for Competitive Rowers
This version of our Three Week Training Program is geared toward the rower with competitive goals who wishes to train for an indoor rowing competition or for serious competition in another sport.
