Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Medium

A single-modality, 20-minute aerobic test with no complex skills or heavy loading. The challenge lies in sustaining a near-threshold pace, managing technique, and resisting fade. It’s accessible for all levels, yet posting high meters demands strong conditioning, smart pacing, and mental grit. Overall load and skill demands are moderate, but duration elevates the difficulty.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (9/10): Primary stimulus is aerobic capacity over 20 minutes. Hold a steady threshold pace, manage breathing and cadence, and resist drifting into unsustainable redline efforts early.
• Stamina (6/10): Legs, hips, back, and grip cycle thousands of strokes; the demand is sustaining consistent force and posture, taxing muscular endurance more than absolute strength.
• Speed (5/10): Stroke rate control is important. Move efficiently at a manageable cadence; going too fast early harms sustainability and total meters.
• Power (2/10): Explosiveness matters less than sustainable output. Briefly use harder strokes for starts/finishes, but pacing beats spikes in power.
• Strength (1/10): No heavy external loading. Force demands are moderate and repetitive; strength helps stroke power but is not the main limiter.
• Flexibility (1/10): Requires basic hip, ankle, and thoracic range for proper catch and finish. No extreme mobility demands beyond solid rowing positions.

Movements

• Row

Scaling Options

Scale to: 16-minute row for max meters • 20-minute BikeErg or SkiErg for max distance • 10 x 1:30 on/0:30 easy row, count work-interval meters

Scaling Explanation

These options preserve the aerobic stimulus and measurable distance while reducing duration or impact and supporting better technique and sustainable pacing.

Intended Stimulus

Steady, uncomfortable cardio. Settle quickly into a sustainable split and hold it, aiming for a slight negative split in the last few minutes. Breathing stays controlled but challenged. Prioritize a strong leg drive, solid posture, and smooth strokes per minute. Finish with a push toward threshold without blowing up early.

Coach Insight

Open conservatively for 2 minutes at +2–4 seconds over target split, then lock into target pace. If you feel strong at 17 minutes, press for a small negative split. One tip: drive with the legs, brace the core, quick hands away. Keep stroke rate 24–28 spm for most athletes. Avoid early sprinting, arm-pulling, and sky-high damper settings—they spike fatigue and tank your split.

Benchmark Notes

These levels estimate meters rowed in 20 minutes on a Concept2. Middle athletes should aim for about 5,000 m (2:00/500 m). Newer rowers may land near 3,200–4,700 m, while advanced athletes can exceed 5,600 m. Assumes steady pacing, sound technique, and minimal fade.

Modality Profile

This is purely monostructural work on the rower. All training time is spent developing cardiovascular endurance, pacing control, and rowing mechanics, with no gymnastics or weightlifting components and essentially no transition time.

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