Prescribing Aerobic Training for a Novice Rower
A 17-year-old novice rower wants to improve his 2000 m ergometer time before a school regatta in 10 weeks. His current time is 7:40, with a measured maximum heart rate of 198 bpm and a resting heart rate of 62 bpm. He trains three times per week, and all his current sessions are short, hard pieces at maximal effort. He reports feeling flat, his times have plateaued, and he has had two minor illnesses in the past 6 weeks. His coach wants him to do more of the same because 'hard work builds fitness'.
1. Using the data, evaluate the current programme and explain why the rower has plateaued.
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The current programme consists only of short, maximal efforts, which predominantly stress the ATP-PC and fast glycolysis systems. This develops speed and anaerobic power but does little to improve the aerobic capacity and efficiency that underpin a 2000 m row, which lasts roughly 7–8 min and is predominantly aerobic.
Training at maximal effort three times per week with no easy sessions means the rower is accumulating fatigue without adequate recovery. The two minor illnesses and the feeling of being flat suggest he is in a state of overreaching or non-functional overtraining. Persistent high-intensity work raises stress hormones, disturbs sleep, and suppresses immune function, which increases illness risk.
A plateau in performance is a predictable outcome: the training stimulus has not changed in type, so the body has no reason to adapt further, and fatigue masks any fitness gained.
The programme also lacks progressive overload in the right variable. To improve a 2000 m time, the rower needs to increase aerobic base volume and add threshold work, not simply repeat maximal pieces. Heart rate data can guide this: with a maximum of 198 bpm and a resting rate of 62 bpm, his heart rate reserve is 136 bpm, so a target for easy aerobic work of about 70% of heart rate reserve would be roughly 62 + 0.70 × 136 = 157 bpm.
2. Design a 10-week programme outline using training principles, and explain how you would monitor adaptation.
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The programme should apply specificity, progressive overload, recovery, and individualisation.
Weeks 1–3 (aerobic base): three sessions per week. Two steady sessions of 30–40 min at about 65–75% of heart rate reserve (roughly 150–165 bpm), and one session of longer intervals, for example 4 × 5 min at threshold with 2 min easy. Reduce maximal pieces to once every 1–2 weeks.
Weeks 4–6 (build): four sessions per week where possible. Add a threshold session such as 3 × 8 min at about 80–85% of heart rate reserve with 2 min recovery, and a technique session at low intensity. Keep one short, high-intensity session (for example 6 × 250 m) to maintain anaerobic power.
Weeks 7–9 (race-specific): include 2000 m time trials or 2 × 1000 m at goal pace with full recovery, plus threshold work. Reduce volume slightly as intensity rises.
Week 10 (taper): reduce volume by about 30–40% while keeping some intensity, so fatigue dissipates and fitness is expressed.
Progression should be gradual, for example increasing weekly volume by no more than about 10%, and hard days should be separated by easy days.
Monitoring: keep a training diary of heart rate, session ratings of perceived exertion, sleep, and mood. Track resting heart rate (a rise of several beats may indicate fatigue or illness), body mass, and illness symptoms. Re-test the 2000 m time every 3–4 weeks and compare split times. If performance falls and fatigue persists, reduce load. The goal is to replace some maximal work with aerobic and threshold work while ensuring adequate recovery.