row2k Features
Youth Coaches Corner
Training Plans, Part 4: Favorite Workouts
March 20, 2023
John FX Flynn, row2k

Head of the Passaic, 2022

To learn more about this series, the topics we plan to cover, and to read the first three columns on Training Plans, please visit the Youth Coaches Corner's index page. Youth coaches are more than welcome to contact row2k to get involved in future columns.

This week, we asked coaches about favorite workouts and what training looks like on their stretch of water.

(Note: A 19-minute pyramid is mentioned several times below; for clarity, this is usually 19 minutes continuous rowing with rate changes at the 4', 3', 2', 1', 2', 3', 4' points.)

What are some of your favorite and most used workouts?

MATT GRAU - THREE RIVERS ROWING - WOMEN'S HEAD COACH

I have always been partial to two 10-minute warmups followed by a 3 x 19’ pyramid. It seems to work well on the body of water we have here and is easy to replicate on the erg while also hitting our goal of as few erg pieces over 20 minutes continuous as possible. A lot of our AT workouts are adapted from previous Three Rivers coaches like Steve McCarthy and Rick Brown and have been a part of the program since before I got here. Tom McNamara, a TRRA alum, recently returned to coach here and he has continued to bring in “throwback” workouts.

I’ve also been using a variation of the “blasters” workout mentioned by Kris Korzeniowski in a presentation he gave in 2015: we do 20” on/40” off x 10 on the ergs to work on explosive power. That workout fits in very well to most practices and seems to be something the kids enjoy. Often the “favorite” workouts for a given year are the ones the athletes respond the most to.

Pacific Rowing Club Novice/U17 Regatta, 2023
Pacific Rowing Club Novice/U17 Regatta, 2023

JOSH BAKER - ATOMIC ROWING - HEAD MEN'S COACH

Pyramids--either 10 or 19 minutes long--with ascending or descending rates are one of my go-to's, and we'll hammer them out both on ergs and on the water. There is enough variability to keep athletes engaged while hitting on building up in rate and pressing through the first half, and then remaining disciplined in technique and effort while shifting down on the back half. Rates can be adjusted depending on the training goal. We'll usually do some variation of these at least once a week and it seems to be a highlight.



PARKER WASHBURN - DEERFIELD ACADEMY - WOMEN'S HEAD COACH

On the final day of our season, we aim to have two exceptional 1500m pieces. So, a common workout for us is 2x1500m. Starting out, the rates are modest and the focus is primarily on the quality of the individual effort. Later in the season, we can shift towards sustaining a particular cadence or achieving certain speeds over this workout. Also, we like to do 20-stroke pieces, no better way to build confidence than by going fast!



KIRSTEN PRESKENIS - FARMINGTON HS - HEAD WOMEN'S COACH

I love short intervals on the erg. Going by time and not meters keeps everyone together. 30 seconds on/30 seconds off x 30 is my favorite. Relay erg races are also great to build team camaraderie. For longer intervals, we’ll add body circuit exercises between pieces.

Golden State Indoors, 2023
Golden State Indoors, 2023

On the water, my favorites workouts use our fall and spring race courses. We’ll run the full course, or focus on one segment of the course for shorter intervals.



DREW COMBS - LITCHFIELD HILLS ROWING CLUB - HEAD COACH

The challenge of the workout is what makes it fun, but classics like 5x5 (on 5 minutes rest) are usually in there, along with 10 x 2:30 on, with 30 seconds paddle.

A classic I love is 20 x 1' on/1' paddle--a minute is long enough to make you burn but each athlete can wrap mind around hammering for a minute, and it will torch you. Another good one is 6x8 minutes at 26 with 4,4,4,6,4 rest. That helps teach pacing, and is another bear to tackle mentally.



ED FELDHEIM - FAIRFIELD PREP - MEN'S HEAD COACH

Nineteen minute pyramids on the erg is a definite go to, those probably show up two or three times a month during the winter. It's mentally easy to do and a great way to get back on the erg after a short break. We also play "Erg Golf" once a winter and the guys really enjoy it, even as they lay on the ground afterwards. It's basically setting a par time for varying length pieces from 550 meters to 175 meters and then they get a score based on their completion time, bogey, birdie, etc. They get paired up and play against another pair so it is a fun competitive workout that really gets everyone spent by the 9th hole.

Philly Youth Regatta, 2022
Philly Youth Regatta, 2022

ZACH SPITZER - NEREID BOAT CLUB - HEAD MEN'S COACH

We try to stick to different workouts at different times of year. So we would do the same workout once a week during the fall, and now we rotate through 2-3 in the winter to keep it fresh, but really my favorite workout is whatever they get excited about doing. I don’t have any personal attachment to a specific workout, just what they find exciting and challenging during that time of year.



Do you have any special workouts or rows that are specific to your school or body of water?

HEIDI HUNSBERGER - GREENWICH CREW - CO-HEAD WOMEN'S COACH

We row on a river that exits into Long Island Sound, so we have a lot of fun landmarks: islands, train bridges, the I-95 bridge. In the fall we do a fun horseshoe course that goes between the Mianus River and Greenwich Cove. The start and beginning are always almost guaranteed to be flat, but the middle gets a bit dicey, and with rocks/buoys/Long Island Sound swell it's very "exciting" to watch the coxswains slice up the course. We have always dreamed of rowing across from Greenwich to Long Island--still waiting on the perfect day with plenty of hours to get there and back.

Head of the Hooch, 2021
Head of the Hooch, 2021

ZACH SPITZER - NEREID BOAT CLUB - HEAD MEN'S COACH

Our water stays pretty flat so we are able to go for longer periods of time. It's fun to have them race around bends and through bridges regularly. It makes other bodies of water seem simple.



JOSH BAKER - ATOMIC ROWING - HEAD MEN'S COACH

Oak Ridge is home to one of the top 2k racing venues in the country and we are fortunate to have a group here that works hard to install and maintain the course through the spring and early summer. This allows for a ton of straight line reps in preparation for sprint racing. On top of that, we have virtually limitless meters of protected water in either direction for when we need to open things up a bit, as well as two 5k courses which offer some fun twists and turns to prepare for head race season.



KIRSTEN PRESKENIS - FARMINGTON HS - HEAD WOMEN'S COACH

We have a short but wide body of water. We’ll do straightaways, figure 8’s or loops. To break things up, I’ll have them do a straightaway of regular rowing, then a straightaway with a specific drill.

Flick #5, 2013
Flick #5, 2013

DREW COMBS - LITCHFIELD HILLS ROWING CLUB - HEAD COACH

Lake laps, varying your technique drill or stroke rate at each landmark; that is a great way to get steady state done without the boredom of just rowing flat rate.



JULIA HOWARTH - BAYLOR SCHOOL - HEAD WOMEN'S COACH

At Baylor, we row on the Tennessee River where the Head of the Hooch Regatta is held. It’s great to be able to get some extra practice of the lines of the course during the Fall! At Mercer, we were able to utilize the start platform during practices so we could prepare the novice coxes leading up to regattas.

PARKER WASHBURN - DEERFIELD ACADEMY - WOMEN'S HEAD COACH

Our stretch of the Connecticut River offers a strong current in early spring. Long pieces rowing upstream is something we can do plenty of!

Polar Bear Regatta, 2023
Polar Bear Regatta, 2023

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