The best way to improve your rowing fitness on the water is to use your rowing muscles on land as often as possible. In other words, get on the Concept 2 Indoor Rower, a.k.a. the "erg!" Erging is by far the best training for rowing. While you will not improve as much (or maybe at all) without erging, you can still maintain a good level of fitness with cross training.

On this page, you will find the following resources to help you plan your land workout program:

• Erg Workouts
• Cross Training Workouts
• Additional Ideas from Members
• Winter Training Plans
• Additional Resources

Erg Workouts

Types Of Erg Workouts

Rowers tend to divide their erg workouts into several distinct categories. Most erging plans contain four categories of workouts (listed from easiest/lowest intensity to hardest/highest intensity), listed here with their characteristics:

STEADY STATE (SS):

• 45-90 minute workout
• Lower heart rate (often 140-160, but varies by gender and age)
• If multiple pieces are completed, rest time should be 10% of the work time (i.e. if you are doing 10 minute pieces, you take 1 minute rest; 20 minute pieces, 2 minutes rest; etc.)
• If done on an erg, the stroke rate is 16-22
• If you know your 2k or 6k split times, these workouts should be done at 2k split + 20 (ex: 2:10 plus 20 seconds, = 2:30), or 6k split + 14
• Steady state can be substituted for by running, swimming, cross country skiing, etc. If you want to do some cross training, it is best to substitute your steady state workouts so that you can do the harder workouts on the erg.

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD (AT):

• Approximately 6,000 to 12,000 meters of work or approximately 40-45 minutes of work
• Higher heart rate (often 160-180, but varies by gender and age)
• Usually done in 2 or 3 pieces (i.e. 3 x 3k) and has 50% rest time (i.e. if it takes you 12 minutes for a 3k, set the rest for 6 minutes)
• Stroke rates should be 24-28 strokes per minute
• If you know your 2k or 6k test split times, these workouts should be done at 2k split + 10 or 6k split + 2

LONG INTERVAL (LI):

• Approximately 8,000 meters of work or approximately 25 minutes of work
• Higher heart rate (often 170+, but varies by gender and age)
• Usually done in 4 or 5 pieces (i.e. 4 x 2k or 5 x 5 minutes) with 100% rest time (i.e. if a 2k takes you 8 minutes, set 8 minutes of rest)
• Stroke rates should be 26-30 strokes per minute
• If you know your 2k test split, these workouts should be done at 2k split + 4

SHORT INTERVAL (SI):

• Approximately 15-20 minutes of work
• Highest heart rate (180+, but varies by gender and age)
• Usually done in many short pieces (i.e. 8x500) with 200% rest time (if 500 meters takes you 2 minutes, then set 4 minutes rest)
• Stroke rates should be 28-32 strokes per minute
• If you know your 2k test split, this workout should be at your 2k split or faster

Examples of Erg Workouts

The following are only examples and should not be considered to be the only workouts out there. Ask 10 coaches and your list of workouts will multiply by 10!

Need help reading the table? Here are some examples:

• Example: 4 x 10', 1' rest = 4 repetitions of 10 minutes of rowing followed by 1 minute rest
• Example: 2 x 3k, 7' rest = 2 repetitions of 3000 meters of rowing followed by 7 minutes of rest

Weekly Erg Workout Plans

AARC recommends that you find at least 3 times per week to work out. What follows are examples for 3, 4 or 5 days per week of workouts.

3 workouts per week

• Day 1 - Steady State
• Day 2 - Anaerobic threshold, long interval, or short interval
• Day 3 - Steady State

4 workouts per week

• Day 1 - Steady State
• Day 2 - Anaerobic threshold
• Day 3 - Steady State
• Day 4 - Long interval or short interval

5 workouts per week

• Day 1 - Steady State
• Day 2 - Anaerobic threshold
• Day 3 - Steady State
• Day 4 - Long interval or short interval
• Day 5 - Steady State

General Erging Pointers

DRAG FACTOR

To avoid injury, please be conscious of the drag setting on the erg. To check the drag on the model C erg (that's the one most of you use), press and hold the "OK" button and then at the same time press the rest button. In the lower right corner of the monitor, it should say "DRAG" and when you start rowing, a number will show up in that corner. Lower numbers mean there is less resistance; higher numbers mean there is more resistance. Ideally you all will keep your setting around 120 (115-125 is acceptable). To adjust the drag, move the fan lever (on the right side of the big wheel on the erg) up for more resistance and down for less. FAILURE TO DO THIS MAY RESULT IN BACK INJURY. For other erg operation questions, go to www.concept2.com and download their manual.

GOAL SPLITS

If you have never erged before, you do not know how hard to go. There are many ways to figure out how fast you should be pulling (we see this "speed" in time/500m), but the best way is to just play around a little bit, using the above information as a guideline. Give yourself a dozen workouts or so to judge your speed - if you need help from there, e-mail the coaches!

PACING

It is advisable to do all workouts in a negative split style. Negative splitting means that you get faster throughout the workout. In other words, attempt to avoid going out too hard and getting slower throughout (known as "flying and dying").

AS THE RATING GOES UP, THE SPLIT GOES DOWN

As a general guideline, the higher the stroke rating, the faster you should go. For example, if you pull your 2k test at 32 strokes per minute with a 1:40 split, you should go about 1:45 at a 28, maybe 1:50 at a 24, etc.

STEADY STATE RATING STRUCTURES

Many people like to break their steady state up into specific rating structures. Others choose to just go one rating for the whole workout. Some popular rating structures for 10 minutes are:

• 4 minutes @ 18, 3 minutes @ 20, 2 minutes @ 22, 1 minutes @ 24
• 5 minutes @ 18, 3 minutes @ 20, 2 minutes @ 22

CONSISTENCY

Decide on your rating(s) and goal split(s) before you start and force yourself to consistently stick to them. Attempt to not stray from the plan for more than one stroke at a time. If you get off your pace, get yourself right back on. It is important to be disciplined.

Erg Testing

Regular ergers should do an erg test to establish baseline fitness levels and to monitor improvement. Recommended distances are 1k, 2k, 4k or 6k. Erg tests are fun to do against teammates. Keep in mind that you can not physically withstand daily racing. Highly competitive rowers pull tests on a monthly basis. It is not recommended that you test more often than that.

There are no "limits" on the way you pull a test. It is optimal to go all out. Generally the shorter tests (1k, 2k) will be done at higher ratings (28-32), while the longer tests (4k, 6k) are done at lower ratings (24-28). Pacing is yours to figure out, but if you are training often, you should have a good idea of approximately how hard of a pace you can sustain throughout the workout.

Cross Training Workouts

Non-erg workouts can serve as a replacement for steady state erg workouts. Remember, if you are not going to erg at all, make sure you cross train!

You will benefit from weight training, but cardiovascular workouts should not be eliminated to make room for weight training. Try to add it to your schedule, if at all possible, as it is great for general strength and injury prevention.

Yoga, as well as other core strengthening and stretching exercises, are great for rowers. To get into our difficult positions and be strong in those positions, it is important to have great core strength and flexibility. Again, it is not ideal to substitute these workouts for cardiovascular work, so try to add them to your schedule.

AARC makes its weekly email available to members trying to arrange group cross training activities.

Cardiovascular Cross Training

Just as rowing can be excellent cross training for many other sports, other activities are excellent cross training for rowing. Running, biking, cross-country skiing, spinning, etc, are all aerobic exercises that will maintain aerobic fitness and improve muscle strength in many of the same muscle groups used in rowing. In addition, by balancing the muscle groups used, cardiovascular cross training can help to decrease risk of injury both during the season and the off season.

Weight Training

Doing a weight machine circuit that covers the major muscle groups 2-3x/week is more than adequate to gain benefits for rowing and general health. The goal here is not to bulk up--doing too much weight training can actually detract from improvement in rowing. But rather weight training in moderation provides a more general health benefit that is important to rowers and non-rowers of all ages. Weight training strengthens bones, and prevents the natural decline in bone mass that happens with age. Aerobic exercise alone will not provide this benefit, and there is now evidence that even small to moderate amounts of weight training as we age will bring a tremendous benefit in preserving our bones. Weight training improves muscle endurance and maintains muscle balance, which both act to prevent injury, not only with rowing but with other activities as well. Sweep rowing is an unbalanced activity; activities that restore balance in strength will help to eliminate injury and maintain overall fitness.

The weight machines available at most health clubs and gyms are very safe and easy to learn. However, it is always important to have someone with experience demonstrate how to use the equipment before you start a program. Many health clubs will offer a free initial evaluation including demonstration of proper technique on the machines, and establishment of a training plan. Again, the goal is not to overdo it with weight. A consistent work-out plan several times a week, starting light and focusing on moderate workout of all the major muscle groups, is the best place to begin.

Yoga

Rowing is a complex sport; not only strength and endurance, but balance, flexibility, and focus are all tremendously important aspects of good rowing. The regular practice of yoga can improve muscle tone, flexibility, balance, agility, breathing, awareness, and focus, just to name a few.

Additional Ideas From Members

PLANNING WINTER TRAINING, by Mike Perry

A very important aspect of training is to improve gradually. That means not increasing volume or intensity too quickly. If someone has been rowing once or twice a week all year then they shouldn't try to start erging every day immediately unless each workout is fairly short. I think the rule of thumb is not to increase volume more than 10% a week and I think even that's a pretty big increase.

By far the best way to get faster is to enable yourself to train consistently by not getting sick, injured or burnt out. Someone planning their winter training should be very honest with themselves about what they can sustain for the whole winter. If that means only erging three or four times a week, well that's a lot better than erging every day in December and then quitting until April because you hate it so much. It's absolutely true that the erg is the best way to get fitter in the winter. It's also true that you won't get diminished returns from high volume training until you're doing ~2 hours a day. But that doesn't mean that everyone should try to do even close to that much. You can get a very decent level of fitness from as little as 40-50 minutes a day five days a week.

Also, I get the sense that cross training is being discounted a little too much here. For a very serious rower, erging is of much more value than running. But that's not nearly as true at the club level. Using the bike, cross-country skier, stair climber or pool in addition to erging can help a lot in keeping you from getting injured or bored. In all of these cases I would say that if you use a heart rate monitor you'll be in a much better position to figure out how hard to go. I'll bet that if everyone on the list made the commitment to put their heart rate above 140 for 50 minutes five times a week instead of committing to a high level of erging, most people would be in better shape in the spring because more people would actually be able to follow through with the commitment. For anyone who is more interested in really seeing how fast they can go, more specific advice based on that person's goals is probably necessary. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this, but you can tell people they can ask me questions about training if they want. I love to go on and on about it. Just post my email if you think people are interested.

FUN ERGING IDEAS, by Brad Layton

One thing that is kind of "fun" is to make teams and do intervals by setting the erg for a distance like 12k and put the fastest erger with the slowest, the second fastest with the second slowest, etc and race by taking 2k or 1k shifts. Other things to do are to see how far you can go in ten minutes at a low rate like 16 or 20. As for what type of distance and intensities, I've found that as long as you can stand to sit on the thing for at least an hour doing something, you're probably getting a good workout.

Varied stroke rates are probably a good idea for a couple of reasons:
1) Fights boredom
2) Works the muscles at different rates (not sure if this is important or not, but I think you want to make the muscle adapt to various loads)

As far as swimming and running go, it depends on your goals. They can be good if you're feeling some burnout or if you're doing 2-a-days.

TRAINING FOR LIGHTWEIGHTS, by Pam Besteman

Lightweights need to do the same type and intensity of training as open weights. If you are a lightweight rowing in open boats, it's about using your body weight effectively. If you are planning to race as a lightweight next season, do the same work as open weights, but watch that your weight doesn't get away from you. Eat smart on a day to day basis, this will help with your training as well. Also, I only suggest those who are naturally at weight attempt to row light weight. Trying to "get down to weight" isn't worth the risk!

If you want to be fast in the Spring, you must do the erg work in the winter! Nothing is better for rowing than erging. Adding lifting to your routine will be helpful as well. Focus on the core muscles.

Stretching is also key, especially to prevent injuries. Try yoga it's great for relaxing as well as stretching the muscles. It's also a great way to get in the stretching after an erg workout!

Winter Training Plans

• March 2006 Training Plan
• February 2006 Training Plan
• January 2006 Training Plan
• December 2005 Training Plan
• Winter 2004-2005 Training Plan
• Winter 2003-2004 Training Plan

Additional Resources

• Erg Training Plans
  • Wolverine: www.concept2.com.forums/wolverineplan.htm
  • Interactive training program: www.concept2.co.uk/birc/training.php
• Online discussion groups:
  • Concept 2: www.concept2.com
  • Concept 2 UK: www.concept2.co.uk
• Ranking:
  • Concept 2: www.concept2.com
• E-rows/Virtual Erging:
  • Supercanoa: www.supercanoa.de
• News and More:
  • Row2K: www.row2k.com
    
  • Rowers World: www.rowersworld.com
    
  • IRow: www.irow.com
    
  • USRowing: www.usrowing.com
    
  • Rowing Canada: www.rowingcanada.org