Athletes are asking about the best way to improve their erg scores over winter.
So i just decided to share few things from my experience and the observation over the last years on this topic.
When we row on water (March- October, 7.5 month) we spend more time rowing then erging. So during the summer you row for about 1.5 hours; 3 times per week would give you around 4.5 hours of exercising. On the top of that we hike if the weather is nice, do some biking and just using an advantage of weather to stay active. Now, during the winter season, we erg just for 45 min (in the best case if you start erging in time). So two days of erging would give you just 1.5 hours of exercising + Saturday's row for 70-80 minutes (again, if you get on the water earlier), and sometimes it's just around an hour if it's too cold.
So here we are, during the winter season we drop the workload volume from Spring -Fall season of 4.5 hours + summer activities to just 2.5-3 hours. That gives you about at least 1.5-2 hours of less work volume per week. Per month it's accumulating to even greater numbers.
So here is an interesting thing. Usually what i am observing every year, is that at the beginning of the winter season, let's say for the first month or MAY BE two, every one usually starts to do better scores on the erg. And then...... we run out of our cardio reserves that we had trained over the summer. At that moment ergs start to feel surprisingly harder. Or sometimes we are not hitting the same numbers.
My advise is to use the other days when you don't train in the club for your cardio training. The duration should be around 60min. You can always mix up, let's say, bike / elliptical machine and treadmill in the gym. Stay for 20min on each station. Or you can do 20min of cardio load, 10 min weights, then repeat the same cycle. OR simply choose your favourite activity that you like and try to keep up with that cardio load.
So if we have about 2 hours of cardio deficit per week, use your other two days for cardio load (for those who has a bit more time and opportunity to do so). If you can't then try to go in the gym for at least one extra session. Believe me, it will make a big difference.
I know that quite few people are doing spin/cycling classes. There are lots of interval training that have the same effect that we do during the practice. Again, Longer duration - Lower intensity cardio load will improve your aerobic base and you will start seeing numbers improving for your erg scores.
Now about the reality, friendly reminder. The Beat the Beast (for those who are planning to attend it) event is in two and a half month from now - 11 weeks, January 30st.
