This one is for the rower in your crew who trains well and then bombs the 2k test. If that's you, listen up. If it's not, send it to the one who needs it. These are the two erg sessions I did before every big 2k.
Why do rowers bomb a 2k erg test?
This happens all the time. People train really well and all their prep looks good. They're holding good splits. Then they do the test and fall apart.
"I think the reason you fall apart there is a lack of confidence and a lack of composure when the pressure really comes on."
Going fast on a 2k comes down to two big levers. The first is the training. You have to be fit, rowing lots, erging lots, with the physiology for a good score. That part is simple: turn up every day, get on the water, get on the erg, put in the reps and trust the process.
The second is confidence, and that's the bit people get wrong. Confidence can't be faked, but it can be built. For me, it came from specific 2k prep on the rowing machine in the weeks and months leading up to a test. Every workout you knock off that's designed to prime you for that 2k gives you a smidgen more confidence.
2k ergs were something I was always quite good at. After I broke six minutes for the first time, every 2k I did was under six. I broke 5:50 about ten times, and my PB is 5:45. These two sessions were my favourites before a big test, and they made a real difference to my ability to turn up on the day and actually perform.
My two favourite 2k erg prep workouts
Session 1: 6 x 500m at your target 2k pace
| Work | Rest | Reps | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500m | 2 minutes | 6 | Exactly your target 2k pace |
Practise your target pace. Not faster, not slower. Just sit on it and find a rhythm where it feels sustainable.
It's not going to feel easy. But you want to feel that little bit of sustainability, that you can in fact do it. If you're on the sixth piece and still holding on to those splits for dear life, that's a big old confidence boost.
Session 2: 3 x 2k with a ladder of splits
The trick with this one is getting your splits dialled in. Decide on your target 2k pace first. Every 500 is then a set number of seconds slower than that target. Plus 12 means 12 seconds slower than your target split. Plus 3 means three seconds slower.
| 2k | First 500 | Second 500 | Third 500 | Last 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 2k | +12 | +9 | +6 | +3 |
| Second 2k | +3 | +6 | +9 | +12 |
| Third 2k | +9 | +6 | +3 | Target pace |
The first 2k ladders down towards your target. The second does the reverse. On the third you go pretty nuts: plus 9, plus 6, plus 3, then target pace for the last 500.
"That is gonna be fucking brutal and you just need to stay in it."
You might not nail those splits every single time. Stay in it anyway. If you get even a whisper of feeling like you're doing more than you thought you were capable of, or you're surprised you can hold these splits, or you're just staying on the rhythm and the numbers are holding, that's confidence.
"If you don't hit it the first time come back next week and try again."
How these sessions help on test day
Both sessions are designed to help you realise that you can stay on your split. That you can stay in it, trust your body, trust your training and trust the process.
A few sessions like these make the difference. They get you ready for what it's going to feel like in the third 500 of your actual 2k test.
Do them in the weeks leading up to your test. After the 3 x 2k you'll be well primed to do a good 2k, once you've recovered.
On the day itself, give yourself a proper warm-up. Here's the exact 2k erg warm-up I did before my 5:45. If you tend to get too dialled up before a test, read how to get your head right before a race or a 2k. And for the full story behind my numbers, here are my 2k erg scores by age.
Free tool: put your target 2k time into the erg calculator and it gives you the split both sessions are built on.
Common mistakes
- Going faster than target in the 500s. Not faster, not slower. You're practising your pace.
- Starting without your splits dialled in. Decide your target pace, then work out every 500 from it before you sit down.
- Bailing on the last 2k. It's meant to be brutal. Stay in it, and if you miss it, come back next week.
- Only training the engine. Doing the training is simple. Confidence is the bit people get wrong.
Send this to the guy or girl in your crew who needs to go faster on their 2k. Getting a crew ready for regatta season instead? Here's the 6 x 2k session that was the Kiwi eight's proving ground.
