How to Improve Your 2km Ergo Time in Weeks
Science Backed Training Plan:
Example of a pacing strategy with an initial sprint that some may find very effective.
This is where most beginners, or even more advanced rowers get it wrong. They do too much fast, hard, work, at an intensity that doesn't allow them to recover and truly benefit from these sessions.
80% of your time rowing should be steady and aerobic, at around 60-70% of your max heart rate, or 50-60% of your 2km ergo watts (Calculate Here). Beginners should aim for at least 2-3 hours of this training weekly, broken into sessions of 40-60 minutes, although sessions of 30 minutes or longer can also be effective.
Whilst training on the erg or water is great, you can also do this training through other means, such as running, swimming, cycling, or any other activities that get your heart rate in the right zone.
You can also break up sessions into smaller blocks with a few minutes of rest to maintain focus, although blocks less than 12 minutes long aren't as productive as longer blocks.
A 2km ergo is over 70% aerobic-based, and steady state training is critical for building the base that will get you through that middle kilometre.
The other 20% of your training is where you include your high intensity work closer to race pace. You should aim to do at least one threshold session, which is around 20-30 minutes of rowing at 85-90% of your max heart rate. If only doing one high intensity session weekly, than focussing on threshold until 4-5 weeks out from your 2km is the best option.
If you have 2 high intensity sessions weekly, or are less than 5 weeks out from a trial, you should either replace, or add a race pace interval session. This should be around 4km of slightly slower than race pace work with equal rest to rowing ratio, e.g 4x1km or 8x500.
Try keep your time within a second or two of your target 500m trial split. For example, if you are aiming for a 1:40 average on your 2km, you should do 8x500m at a 1:41 or 1:42 average with 1:40 rest.
Effective Pacing:
Pacing correctly is the fastest way to take significant time off your 2km time without fitness or strength improvements.
Going out too fast too early is the worst way to pace, and will leave you dead with hundreds of metres remaining, resulting in short changing yourself early.
The best way to pace a 2k is to be very consistent for the first 1500m, staying right on your target pace, and then reassessing and evaluating if, when and how hard your final sprint will be depending on what's left in the tank.
It can also be effective to start your first 500m 0.5 - 1 sec faster than target pace, but beginners should try avoid going much faster until they have the experience to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
The first 750m of a 2km will always feel amazing, but it is critical that you don't fall into the trap of going too hard too soon and barely limping over the finish line.
Conclusion:
A 2km ergo can seem daunting, but with a few months of solid training, and a focus on pacing consistently, you will be amazed by how much you can improve. For a more in-depth training or pacing plan, make sure you keep in tune for weekly posts.