Rowing requires a ton of oxygen. Every major muscle group except for the Pectorals is called into service when rowing. When rowing hard and fast the demand for oxygen is huge. Big Diesel workouts are one way to build that capacity.
The maritime diesel workout that all rowers know well is the 3 x 20 minute row. Good crews can easily cover over 12 miles in this workout. We will be doing the mini diesel version of 2 x 20 minutes. As we build our capacity we will crank these pieces at just below race pace. But this time through we are going to focus on steady work output and good technique.
Inevitably in these workouts you will hit a point maybe in the third minute of your second piece or the eighth and ninth minute of each piece, where the fatigue will tempt you to round your low back or let your shoulders, rib cage and head drop forward thus choking off your lungs room to work. If we can build the mental discipline and resolve of character to say, that “this level of inattention and physical sloppiness is not how I row”. If we can cultivate that focus and precision for 40 minutes of duress, then when it comes time to rip off one 2000M piece, those dance steps will be automatic and the only question becomes how much wood you want to toss on the fire. Good luck.
Workouts:
Primary – 2 X 20 minutes. Pieces 2: 22 spm, first 5 min, 24 spm, next 5 min, 26 spm, next 5 min, 28 spm, next 5 min. 2nd 20 minutie pieces: spm u pick; fan setting = u pick; rest interval – 4 minute (if alone). If sharing a machine we will do video reviews between pieces. Work effort is between 65%-85% of your 2K race pace.
Secondary – 8 X 3 min: spm = above 26 spm; experiment with fan settings; Rest =2min. At 75-85% of race pace.
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