Trials and testing for rowing

Why do trials and tests? | Faster Masters Rowing Radio – the podcast for masters rowers. Tips, advice and discussion from Marlene Royle and Rebecca Caroe. Support this show with a donation
https://fastermastersrowing.com/podcast

Timestamps
01:00 This Past Week – what we do to advocate for masters rowing.
Marlene is coaching a camp – why go on camp?
https://fastermastersrowing.com/how-to-select-a-camp/
07:00 The role of trials and testing
Situations where rowers don’t want to do a time trial.
But coaches want a measure of fitness.
– race in single sculls
10:30 Are you trying to boat the best possible crew?
What is your philosophy of training – how do you measure progress?
Have the strategy discussion. What do you want from your rowing? Why are you here?
These will guide your boat lineup choices and testing and trials.
14:30 The main tests you can do
1 – On indoor rower do a 10 second peak power ini Watts. Who’s the strongest? No preparation needed.
2 – 1k test – shows your top end fitness. Compare to world C2 rankings. What percentile is your score in?
3 – On water test – sub-maximal – do a 2k piece taking the rate up two every 500 meters. Start at rate 24 and go up to 30 – record the 500m split for each 500 meters. Do it twice or three times in a session. Your 500m splits should go down 3 seconds each time you take the rate up 3 points. Repeat fortnightly. This will help you predict your race splits. The increase in rate / reduction in split is linear up to around rate 32, then drops to 2 or 1 second per 500m
22:00 If you don’t want to measure progress, don’t test.
25:00 Do not be afraid of trials.
Mahe Drysdale article “Why do rowers fear the erg?”
https://www.rowingrelated.com/2010/12/winter-workouts-why-do-rowers-fear-erg.html

30:00 Book of the Month with Jess Di Carlo
The last Amateurs by Mark de Rond about the 2007 Oxford Cambridge boat race.
https://amzn.to/3lCjwD3
Economist article by Mark de Rond
https://www.economist.com/business/2007/03/29/rhythm-and-blues
This book tries to answer the eternal questions
– How do coaches pick crew lineups
– Why is this crew off-balance?
Seat racing – can you blend your crew to make it go faster than the sum of the parts?
You are competing with your squad to make the lineup but then once you are in the crew, you have to gel to make the boat go fast.
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