I wish you a happy new year!
I used the last few days of the previous year to achieve my goal of rowing my first half marathon on the rowing machine and I also took part in the New Year’s Eve run in Schwaibach with one of my best friends. It had been a while since my last run with lots of participants and performance measurement, largely due to the pandemic. All in all, it was a successful end to the year and a great start to the new year for me.
After the run, I had a quick chat with Pippo, who is passionate about road cycling and covers distances that I can only marvel at. 😲 When asked about this, he told me that good time management is important, but that a training plan helps a lot. New year, new luck – this prompted me to look into the subject of a training plan.
Contents
So far I haven’t used a sophisticated training plan. KISS principle. Training twice a week, whatever I felt like and what my body felt like. In the article on aerobic and anaerobic training with the rowing machine, I described two different rowing goals. The training is designed according to your personal goal. The same applies to a training plan. Before using a training plan, it is important to know which goal you want to pursue – the plan can be customized accordingly. If your goal is simply to stay fit or maintain your weight, you don’t need a sophisticated training plan.
When asked for a simple universal training plan within the rowing community, Pete’s plan is usually mentioned. Why? It’s a training plan that brings weekly variety and can be used on an ongoing basis. From my perspective, Pete’s Plan is simpler than Mike Caviston’s Wolverine Plan, but has been significantly influenced by it.
There are different types of training plans, either periodized or continuous.
- What is a periodized training plan?
A periodic training plan takes you through various training phases until a certain point in time when you reach a peak and prepare for a competition, for example. - What is an ongoing or continuous training plan?
In contrast, there is a continuous or ongoing training plan. This helps you to improve day by day and therefore always be faster in a race than before.
For example, the Ergo Cup takes place every year at the end of March at Ammersee in Bavaria. It is an open competition in ergometer rowing. If you want to prepare for the 2,000m, a periodic training plan would be suitable.
The continuous training plan is also suitable, but does not focus on a specific date. You would probably also do well with it, just not on a peak performance intended for the competition. From my perspective, a continuous training plan is ideal for most amateur rowers.
Training plans in PDF format are often sought as a download, the reason for this is simple: either print them out and tick or cross them out every week (“Don’t stop that streak” becomes visible) or save them on your smartphone/tablet as a reminder and check what’s on before training.
I have researched the topic of creating a training plan. I have now created 4 different training plans that can be used for your own rowing training. These are available here in the article, as well as a link to the Google Sheet for copying and customizing and also available as a PDF download.
Speaking of the PDF version: There is a Concept2 training manual from 2005, which explains various training programs in detail on pages 32-57 (part 3). Rating: Highly recommended!
Regardless of the training plan, I would also like to mention the topic of warming up. Unfortunately, I often neglect it a bit, but I notice that the harder the sessions are, the better it is to do a warm-up beforehand and then a cool-down with little strength. Warming up prepares the body for the exertion and prevents injuries – even on the rowing machine, which is a safe piece of training equipment.
Rowing machine training plan for beginners
What do I define as a beginner? If you have never rowed on a rowing machine before and are starting to row. You start by learning the technique until you feel comfortable and can row longer distances in one go. I started with 20 minutes, but you can also start with less, especially if you are untrained and get out of breath quickly.
From my perspective, the most important thing at the beginning is to focus on technique. I would therefore start with slow rowing sessions so that you can focus more on the movement:
The table deliberately does not contain any information on speed or SPM. Focus on rowing correctly, I recommend watching technique videos on YouTube more often and using them to reflect on your own rowing.
Rowing machine training plan for endurance training
In endurance training, the focus is on enabling higher speeds over a longer period of time. When I started rowing, I looked up row-along videos on YouTube and sometimes (somewhat frustratedly) stopped again, simply because I couldn’t keep the stroke rate constant at 24-26 SPM over a longer period of time. With an endurance training plan, you start with lower strokes per minute and steadily increase to higher speeds week by week.
[table “17” not found /]The higher speeds are only possible at the beginning if there is not too much focus on strength at the same time. Attention should also be paid to a clean technique and execution of the individual strokes.
Rowing machine training plan for losing weight and burning fat
The training plan for losing weight and burning fat efficiently appeals to me personally the most. Why? Because it is relatively congruent with steady state training in the aerobic zone and supports my goal of “being fit”. If you improve your aerobic fitness, you automatically benefit in other areas too. I don’t mind rowing at the same pace for 45 minutes or more – on the contrary: try to keep the same pace and stroke rate for as long as possible, it’s challenging!
I have already lost weight with my rowing training in 2022, you don’t have to do particularly intensive training for this, just long sessions at a steady pace. This has a significant impact on your body fat percentage and reduces belly fat. Sounds almost too simple to be true, but it works!
You can either base your training on your heart rate, or you can base it on beats per minute (bpm) without measuring your heart rate. I use the Spotify playlists 20 SPM or 22 SPM as an accompaniment. The following sequence could be possible as a training plan:
[table “18” not found /]Rowing machine training plan for muscle building
One of the biggest advantages of the rowing machine is that it trains both endurance and strength. Of course, you can also focus on strength and reduce the number of strokes. You try to maximize your strength with every stroke, which automatically slows you down. It doesn’t matter which rowing machine or resistance system you use. Water, air or magnet – all types offer the opportunity to focus more on strength.
The training sessions for muscle building don’t have to be particularly long; due to muscle fatigue, the sessions usually only last 15-20 minutes.
[table “19” not found /]It’s not that easy to start with a stroke frequency of 15 – 16 SPM. I usually end up in the 18-19 SPM range during my strength training sessions, and I also make sure that the punches are executed cleanly and that the back is not bent. The power mainly comes from the legs and back. You can feel the latissimus muscle when the rowing technique is performed correctly, which can also be seen in the strength curve.
It is advisable to warm up the muscles before a workout that focuses on strength. I stretch before every workout and use push-ups, for example, to train my chest as well.
Don’t forget: Stronger muscles inevitably lead to a higher basal metabolic rate, which is probably noticeable in your appetite.
How does Pete’s rowing plan work?
If the above training plans make you think: “I’d like to combine endurance, strength and fat burning at the same time.” – Pete’s plan is suitable for you. It includes pyramid workouts, hard long (5k) sessions and intervals. Basically a good mix of different workouts. A little ambitious at the beginning, but you determine the pace and the strength used according to your actual capabilities. This is probably why the training plan is so universal.
“On the seventh day you shall rest” – Pete follows this imperial order – but the remaining days are intended for rowing. Pete defines 6 days a week as rowing days, only 3 of which are actually defined as workouts, with steady state in between. He attaches great importance to taking a complete break one day a week and not training. After 3 weeks, it starts all over again:
1st week
8 x 500m / 3min30 rest
Even distance (~8 to 15k)
5 x 1500m / 5min break
Even distance (~8 to 15k)
Hard distance (~5k+)
Steady course (~8 to 15k)
Break
2nd week
250m, 500m, 750m, 1k, 750m, 500m, 250m / 1min30 rest per 250m of rowing
Even distance (~8 to 15k)
4 x 2000m / 5min break
Even distance (~8 to 15k)
Hard distance (~5k+)
Even distance (~8 to 15k)
Break
Week 3
4 x 1000m / 5min rest
Steady distance (~8 to 15k)
3k, 2.5k, 2k / 5min rest
Steady distance (~8 to 15k)
Hard distance (~5k+)
Steady distance (~8 to 15k)
Rest
There are no strokes per minute and this makes the training plan so simple. Everyone can adapt this plan for themselves and pay attention to other details within the workouts. Generating more watts, a better strength curve or more focus on posture. If rowing 6 times a week is too much for you, you can just use the sequence as a guideline and do it at your own pace.
Apps also offer the opportunity to get ideas and inspiration for workouts. The Smartrow app with defined workouts is available for the Waterrower Performance ergometer, the ErgData app offers variety with the Workout of the Day (WOD) and the EXR app is ideal for a rowing machine with FTMS support.
How do I train on the rowing machine?
I use the Polar H10 chest strap to monitor my heart rate and carry out pulse-oriented training. I currently use both the Concept2 device and the Waterrower Performance Ergometer for my training:
However, the training plans for rowing can be applied and used independently of the rowing machine.
I haven’t used a training plan for my rowing training so far, but I will probably now use the training plan with the steady-state exercises from the plans above.
Tip: EXR is an app for virtual rowing that is compatible with rowing machines that can send an FTMS signal via Bluetooth. EXR also offers training plans within the app to achieve different goals.
