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Event programsRowingStrength

2000 m Erg Race or Test: 12 weeks, peaks at ~6 h.

2,000 m on the rowing ergometer — 6 to 9 minutes in the severe domain, decided mostly by aerobic power and by pacing the first 500 m. That's the intermediate plan; beginner runs 12, advanced runs 12 weeks.

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Written for where you are.

Beginner
12 weeks after Concept2's 12-week plan: three interval days plus a steady day, a baseline 2k in week 1 and the race in week 12.Shortest runway 4 weeks · research minimum 4 · 6 sources
12 wk
2-3.5 h a week
Intermediate
12 weeks, 5–6 sessions: two key days a week (AT, Wolverine Level 2, 4-minute and race-pace pieces), long UT2 on Saturday, a 2k in weeks 1 and 7.Shortest runway 6 weeks · research minimum 6 · 6 sources
12 wk
2.5-5.5 h a week
Advanced
12 weeks, 7–8 sessions including 2 strength: two key days plus long UT2, a Wolverine Level 1 and Level 2 session alternating with AT/TR work.Shortest runway 8 weeks · research minimum 8 · 6 sources
12 wk
3.75-7.5 h a week

The checklist comes with it.

T-7Drag factor: set it and record it (PM menu). Race at the drag factor you trained at — the damper is a gearing choice, not "resistance".
T-1Monitor: programme a 2000 m single distance on the PM or ErgData, displaying split and rate. Know your target split.
T-1Kit: heart-rate strap (optional), water, towel, fan.
race morningFeet: foot straps across the widest part of the foot; heels down at the catch where mobility allows.
race morningWarm-up: the Concept2 standard warm-up, finishing about 3–5 min before the start.
race morningLogbook: a Concept2 Online Logbook entry for the rankings (optional).

Every plan cites its homework.

Expected 2k times are coaching heuristics, not Concept2 ranking medians. The plan skeletons were written for the dossier: their session types and progressions follow Concept2's 12-week 2k plan and the Wolverine Plan's levels, the weekly arrangement is Helios's. Pacing evidence is from abstracts (Garland 2005, Boillet 2022, Gee 2013). The taper uses the general under-20-minute class; no rowing-specific taper trial was read. The strength sessions stand in for rowing-specific strength — no rowing strength trial was reviewed.

  1. 1Helios research dossier — rowing (§2 the 2000 m erg)
  2. 2Concept2 — 2k erg test, 12-week plan
  3. 3Concept2 — 2k erg test, 4-week plan
  4. 4Concept2 — Training Guide (PDF)
  5. 5Mike Caviston — the Wolverine Plan, University of Michigan (archived PDF)
  6. 6Garland 2005 — pacing in elite rowing and erg races (PubMed 15618339)
  7. 7Boillet et al. 2022 — pacing strategies over 2000 m on the erg (PubMed 35350683)
  8. 8Gee et al. 2013 — reliability and pacing across repeated 2000 m erg tests (PubMed 22868257)
  9. 9Astridge et al. 2024 — 1500 m vs 2000 m erg demands (PubMed 38016454)
  10. 10Watts et al. 2023 — training-zone time and LT2 power in rowers (PubMed 37463357)
  11. 11Zhong et al. 2025 — training-intensity distribution in rowers, systematic review (PubMed 40185480)
  12. 12Bosquet et al. 2007 — taper meta-analysis (PubMed 17762369)

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