Rowing is hard, that's why Steve Redgrave used to renounce the coxless four after seemingly every Olympics (only to inevitably knuckle down and scoop another gold medal at the next one). More specifically the 2,000m- the distance of every Olympic event- emphasises endurance, power delivery, and mental toughness. It’s also one of the few forms of cardio that builds muscle rather than eating it away all while building a V-shaped body. A 7min 30 sec 2K row is respectable and 7 min is impressive. Here is how to get there.
The form
Yanking at the handle like a lawnmower won’t cut it. Here’s how the pros pull.
1. The Catch
Keep your arms straight, head up and upper body leaning forward from the hips. ‘Your shins shouldn’t go past vertical,” says David Hart of rowing machine company Concept2. ‘And don’t overreach.’
2. The Drive
Start the drive by pressing with your legs. As you move back lean back slightly, then finally add the arm pull. ‘Your hands move in a straight line to and from the flywheel,’ says Hart.
3. The Finish
‘At the end of the stroke, your upper body should be leaning back to about 11 o’clock. Keep the handle held lightly below your ribs, and don’t “chicken wing” it- keep your elbows in.
4. The recovery
‘Extend your arms until they’re straight, then lean forward from your hips. Once’ your hands have cleared your knees, allow your knees to bend and slide the seat forward.”
The Plan
Devised by Gym Jones coach, Pieter Vodden, this 2k- smashing strategy takes just 11 days to complete. Repeat the whole thing until your best reaches the ‘respectable’ time of 7min 30sec.
Day 1
Row for 30 sec with 90sec recovery. Start by aiming to go 150m per 30sec period and increase that by 1m per round. Take it up as far as you can- 170 is the goal.
Day 2 Rest
Day 3
Row 10 x 500m with 1 min rest. Try and hold your intended 2K ‘Split time’ pace- so if you’re shooting for a 7min 2K, you need to hit 1min 45 sec. On the last round go all out.
Day 4/5 Rest
Day 6 Warm up for ten minutes, and then row 1,000m as fast as possible.
Day 7 Rest
Day 8 Warm up for ten minutes, and then row 1,500m as fast as possible.
Day 9/10 Rest
Day 11
Warm up for 20 minutes at a slow pace, with occasional ‘power 10s’- ten hard strokes at your target 2K pace. Then row 2,000m as fast as possible.
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