Train Like a Champion

You’ve read our feature on “The Training Conundrum.” Now test yourself by giving these workouts from championship crews a try!

The Longhorn Night Stadium Run: When they needed to return to the fundamentals of good old-fashioned hard work, the soon-to-be NCAA champion Texas women turned to a classic workout–stadium steps. Not only is this a great workout but also a top-tier team-bonding and toughness-building exercise. Find your local stadium (it doesn’t need to hold over 100,000 spectators like UT’s DKR Texas Memorial Stadium). You can run the entire stadium or go for a set time. The key is to keep moving. For extra impact, turn on the lights and run this one at night.

The RowAmerica Rye Obstacle Course: A less common but equally memorable workout is the RowAmerica Rye obstacle course. Adapted from the coaches’ Serbian training, this is an ideal way to work on mobility and agility, while still incorporating aerobic work and body-weight strength training—a quadruple whammy!

Radovic uses equipment that almost every boathouse will have on hand. Athletes will “jump over the erg, jump under the bench, do a crab walk, do a duck walk, push-up, pull-up, and kids just keep running around.” The circuit is performed for a set period of time that can be extended as athletes become more experienced. At Rye, the varsity squad completes two sets of 20 minutes, while the novices do two sets of 15 minutes, completing the workout weekly throughout the winter months.

The Cal 1×30-Minute Erg: The most traditional rowing-specific workout on this list is a staple in many programs, including the Cal men and U.S. National Team, for a reason. Not only is this a great test of current fitness levels but also doubly effective as a good workout in and of itself, which many shorter erg tests are not.

Frandsen has the Golden Bears complete their 30 minutes at rate 22 to 24 to level the playing field—high enough that it doesn’t advantage the bigger athletes and low enough to test strength and cap those rowers who prefer to complete other tests at a high rate, like pulling a 2K at 42. Complete this workout every five to six weeks throughout the fall and winter to evaluate your progress.

The One-Minute Maximum Effort: No stroke-rate cap (set drag factor to 120). As Olympian Olivia Coffey wrote for Rowing News, it’s like all the emotions of a 2K wrapped up in a compact little package. You feel the free speed in the first few strokes, the buildup of lactate and burning lungs throughout the middle, and the desperation and need for damage control by the end.

It’s surprisingly hard for such a short burst of effort, and you can feel the effects for days. What the minute test can tell you that a lot of other tests can’t is the potential of an athlete who might have an underdeveloped cardiovascular system. Most athletes who produce strong power scores eventually notch 2K or 6K ergs that reflect that power, though the process can take years.

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