Winter erg training plan: eight weeks to a 2k
Three or four sessions a week for eight weeks: one hard piece, the rest steady UT2, a 2k test at the end. Three weeks of base, four of harder pieces, then the test. Set the splits from your last 2k.
The eight weeks
| Week | The hard session | Steady sessions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Test a 2k (or 6k) to set your zones | 3 × 40–50 min UT2 |
| 2 | 4 × 10 min UT1, 2 min easy | 2 × 50 min UT2 + 1 × 60 min UT2 |
| 3 | 30 min at rate 20 (UT2 to UT1) | 3 × 50 min UT2 |
| 4 | 4 × 2,000 m at AT, 3 min easy | 2 × 50 min UT2, 1 easy 30 |
| 5 | 3 × 3,000 m at AT/UT1 | 2 × 50 min UT2 |
| 6 | 4 × 1,000 m at TR, 4 min easy | 2 × 45 min UT2 |
| 7 | 2 × 20 min at AT, then taper volume down | 2 × 30 min UT2, 1 short 4 × 500 m |
| 8 | Race week: 2k test, 10 min easy before it | 2 easy 30 min sessions |
Add a fourth session as another UT2 or a short, easy 30 minutes. Take a full rest day the day before the hard session, and don’t chase pace on the steady ones.
Splits from your last 2k
The full table of zones is on erg training zones; pacing the test is on the 2k pace calculator.
Make the winter more fun
The steady metres are where winter plans fall over. BLADES puts a boat on a river under your PM5, runs the pieces above, and lets you race a crew or a friend in a league. Over December, the Holiday Challenge calculator turns 100k or 200k into a daily number.
Row it on BLADESBLADES isn’t affiliated with Concept2. Paces and zones are rules of thumb; train to how you recover, and check with a doctor before hard training if you’re unsure.