10Km Rowing Plan

Due to the need to build up some good fitness to get through the distance, the 10000m plan is an 8 week plan.

The YouTube playlist for this plan is available here.

And if you use the ErgZone app, you’ll see that all of these sessions exist under the RowAlong (RA) track. Just search for RowAlong under the Discover tab – and you’ll see it. The first of the 10K plan is RA46. But they’re all tagged with the 10K label, so you should find them all.

As you go through the 8 weeks, you should notice there’s a progression in duration and intensity. This is all to get your fitness and speed developed over the period of this plan. Do try to stick as close as possible to the stroke rate and pace guides. They’re there for a reason! Remember – don’t push the slow stuff, push the fast stuff!

The format of the plan is 5 sessions a week, but don’t worry if you can’t squeeze in 5 sessions. Just do them in order. So if you only do 4 sessions a week, you’ll start week 2 with Week 1 Session 5. It’s important to still do all the sessions.

If any of the terminology or concepts are a bit confusing – or you don’t know why the plan is designed this way – check out the “Useful Info” links in the menu bar above.

The following descriptions are just brief headlines – click the “Week X Session X” links to check out the video and full info on YouTube, including the all important page / intensity guides.

Week 1 Session 1 – 5 x 10 minutes – resting 90 seconds between – at 18/20/18/20/18spm
Week 1 Session 2 – 30 minutes at 20 strokes per minute
Week 1 Session 3 – 40 minutes – increase pace by 2seconds every four minutes
Week 1 Session 4 – 3 x 12min with 1 minute rests – at 20/18/20spm
Week 1 Session 5 – 20 x 20 secs with alternating pace x 3 – with 2:30 rests

Week 2 Session 1 – 3 x 15mins with 2 min rests – rate pyramid (change every 3 mins)
Week 2 Session 2 – 35mins at 20spm
Week 2 Session 3 – 3 x 12 mins with 3 minute rests
Week 2 Session 4 – 3 x 11 mins with 1 minute rest – at 18/22/18 strokes per minute
Week 2 Session 5 – 1min at 20spm MAX POWER then 1 min rest – 20 times

Week 3 Session 1 – 5 x 8mins at 24spm with 2:30 rests. 8mins are split into 5min and 3min
Week 3 Session 2 – 40 mins – changing through 18/20/22/20/18/18/20/22/20/18spm every four minutes
Week 3 Session 3 – 40 minutes – increase 2 seconds every four minutes
Week 3 Session 4 – 30 minutes at 18spm
Week 3 Session 5 – 10/5/10/5/10 mins with 2 min rest between

Week 4 Session 1 – 30mins – 4 mins at 20spm then 1 min at 28spm x 6
Week 4 Session 2 – Descend through 9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 minutes, swapping 20spm and 18spm (no rests)
Week 4 Session 3 – 10 x 3 mins at 26-28spm with 90 second rests
Week 4 Session 4 – 30 minutes at 20spm and at 2K+18 pace
Week 4 Session 5 – 15mins x 3 with 2 min rests – split into 5/4/3/2/1min chunks

Week 5 Session 1 – 4 x 8 mins with 2:30 rest between
Week 5 Session 2 – 50 minutes with no rests – changing between 18 and 20spm every 10 minutes
Week 5 Session 3 – 6 x 5mins with 2:30 rests. Starting at 10K rate and Pace – INCREASE!
Week 5 Session 4 – 30 minutes – 18 strokes per minute
Week 5 Session 5 – 40 minutes – alternating 20spm and 24spm every 4 minutes (with no rests)

Week 6 Session 1 – 5 x 8mins with 2 min rests at 26spm / 2K+10 – or your 10K Stroke Rate and Pace
Week 6 Session 2 – 55 minutes – changing up and down 18-20-22spm
Week 6 Session 3 – 40 minute push pace – Start at 2K+23 and increase every 4 minutes
Week 6 Session 4 – 30 minutes at 20spm
Week 6 Session 5 – 3 x 12 minutes with 90 second rests at 24spm

Week 7 Session 1 – 12 x 3 mins with 90 second rests at 26-28spm
Week 7 Session 2 – 60 minutes – changing through 18/20/22spm x 4
Week 7 Session 3 – 20 x 1 min at 20spm with 1 min rests
Week 7 Session 4 – Start at 2K+23 and increase every 4 minute
Week 7 Session 5 – 2 x 20mins at 24spm with 2 min rests

Week 8 Session 1 – 5 x 8mins with 3 min rests – split the 8 minutes in half
Week 8 Session 2 – Alternate 18spm and 20spm every 3 minutes for 30minutess
Week 8 Session 3 – 10Km Prep: Row 3 minutes at 5K Stroke rate and pace – then 17minutes at 18spm

HAVE A REST DAY HERE – MAKE SURE TO RECOVER BEFORE THE 10K ROW!!

Week 8 Session 4 – 10Km time trial
Week 8 Session 5 – 30 mins at 20spm / 2K+18 with 10 power strokes (still at 20spm) every 4:30