Indoor Sport Services Training Guide

Calculating the Distance Rowed in Each Session

The kilometre distance shown in the training schedules is an estimate based on the following assumptions.

When doing strength training, rowing ten strokes flat out carries you 150m approximately, rowing lightly until you reach 300m gives sufficient recovery. Therefore 1 x (10 x 10) will carry you 3,000m.

To give recovery between sets round up as follows:-

(6 x 10) = 1,800m, row another 1,200m totalling 3,000m and then start the second set.
(8 x 10) = 2,400m, row another 1,600m totalling 4,000m and then start the second set.
(10 x 10) = 3,000m, row another 2,000m totalling 5,000m and then start the second set.

The final figure is obtained by adding a 1,000m warm-up row before starting the first set of flat out strokes. When doing the VO2 max training, the total distance is calculated by adding all of the intervals rowed along with a warm-up of 1,000 to 2,000m.

When doing power training, the distance shown in the training schedules is an estimate of the likely distance travelled whilst undertaking these sessions.

With all of the sessions the actual distance travelled will vary from person to person and will need to be worked into an individual's training plan if they want to hit the distance targets exactly for that week by increasing/decreasing as appropriate one of the subsequent training sessions.

Table 5.17

Note
These dates are taken from a six month marathon training plan terminating on the day of the London Marathon and the National Indoor Rowing Marathon Day.

Notes for Marathon Training Plans

General Notes

1. Damper refers to damper setting and is an indicator of drag factor.
2. SS means your standard, or preferred, damper setting or drag factor. For more information see The Damper Lever and Drag Factor in Appendix.
3. +2 means set the damper at two levels higher than your standard setting. So, if you usually row at damper setting three, increase it by two levels to damper setting five. If you are using the drag factor you should increase the drag factor by 20.
4. 5kP means your predicted 5,000m pace.
5. 10kP means your predicted 10,000m pace.
6. HMP means your predicted half marathon pace.
7. MP means your predicted marathon pace.

General Endurance (GE)

1. 30' @ MP means row for 30 minutes at your predicted marathon pace.
2. 10,000m @ MP means row 10,000m at your predicted marathon pace.

Strength

1. 1 x (10 x 10) means row ten strokes `flat out', recover by rowing lightly until heart rate is below 75% of MHR, and repeat ten times.
2. 2 x (6 x 10) means row ten strokes `flat out', recover by rowing lightly until heart rate is below 75% of MHR and repeat six times. Then row lightly for five to ten minutes and repeat the whole set.
3. To give the recovery between sessions round up as follows:
   (6 x 10) = 1,800m, row another 1,200m totalling 3,000m and then start the second set.
   (8 x 10) = 2,400m, row another 1,600m totalling 4,000m and then start the second set.
   (10 x 10) = 3,000m, row another 2,000m totalling 5,000m and then start the second set.

VO2 Max

1. 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/8' @ MP) means row for 5 minutes at 5,000m pace followed by eight minutes at your predicted marathon pace and repeat three times.
2. 3 x Alternate (1,500m @ 5kP/2,000m @ MP) means row 1,500m at 5,000m pace followed by 2,000m at your predicted marathon pace and repeat three times.

Power

1. 2 x (6 x 1'/2') @ 30spm means row hard for one minute at 30 strokes per minute, then row lightly for two minutes and repeat this six times. Take a break (five to ten minutes of light rowing) and repeat the whole set.
2. 8 x 90 sec/3' @ 34spm means row hard for 90 seconds at 34 strokes per minute, then row lightly for three minutes and repeat this eight times.
3. 4 x 3'/5' @ 30spm means row hard for three minutes at 30 strokes per minute, then row lightly for five minutes and repeat this four times.

Lactate Threshold (LT)

1. 15' @ MP/15' @ 10kP/15' @ HMP means row continuously for 45 minutes. The first 15 minutes at your predicted marathon pace, the next 15 minutes at 10,000m pace and the last 15 minutes at half marathon pace.
2. 60' Alternate (10' @ 10kP/10' @ MP) means row for ten minutes at 10,000m pace, then row ten minutes at your predicted marathon pace. Repeat until you have completed 60 minutes of continuous rowing.
3. 4,000m @ MP/4,000m @ 10kP/4,000m @ HMP means row continuously for 12,000m, the first 4,000m are rowed at marathon pace, the second 4,000m are rowed at 10,000m pace and the final 4,000m are rowed at half marathon pace.
4. 2 x (2,000m @ MP/2,000m @ 10kP/2,000m @ HMP) means row continuously for 6,000m, the first 2,000m are rowed at marathon pace, the second 2,000m are rowed at 10,000m pace and the final 2,000m are rowed at half marathon pace and repeat the whole set.

Taper

1. 20' @ MP & (2 x 3'/5') @ 32spm means row 20 minutes at your predicted marathon pace. Then complete your session with two hard three minute rows at 32 strokes per minute with five minutes light rowing in between.
2. (5 x 5'/5') @ 10kP means row five minutes at 10,000m pace followed by five minutes light rowing. Keep alternating until you have completed five sets.
3. 30' @ HMP & (6 x 1'/2') @ 36spm means row for 30 minutes at half marathon pace. Then complete your session with six hard one minute rows at 36 strokes per minute with two minutes light rowing between each one minute row.