training zones

The principal rationale of training is to facilitate an improvement in performance when in the competitive environment. There are many different ways to train, and the effectiveness of a program will vary from athlete to athlete – however the principles of training remain the same, with arguably the most important principle being that of overload. Without overload there is no improvement in potential or greater capacity to do work.

In rowing we traditionally talk of 5 training intensities, also known as zones or bands. These are Oxygen Utilisation 1 and 2 (UT1 and UT2 for short), Anaerobic Threshold (AT), Oxygen Transportation/VO₂ max (TR) and Anaerobic (AN).

Each zone has a different rationale. The UT1 and UT2 zones are the traditional ‘aerobic’ zones, UT2 being the lightest and at an intensity designed to burn fat rather than carbohydrate – the purpose of which means that athletes become a) leaner, and b) don’t deplete glycogen stored in the muscles – thus allowing multiple training sessions each day. UT1 is a higher intense aerobic workout, but still aerobic none the less – this zone will arguable have a greater impact than that of UT2 workouts on your fitness level. Both zones are typically long steady continuous training pieces, or split in two parts, e.g. 2 x 30 minutes.

Anaerobic Threshold (AT) sessions are designed to be at an intensity that is on and sometimes just past the limit of aerobic respiration. These sessions are more intense than the UT1 and UT2 sessions, which will greatly limit the duration of exercise – this in turn limits the long term effectiveness of this session on your fitness level, but will assist the development and efficiency of the heart. This zone will also increase your mental strength and physical tolerance to the effects of lactate in the blood.

The other 2 zones (TR and AN) are of even greater intensity and shorter duration, and are used to have a positive effect on the transportation of oxygen around the working muscles and training the body to work without oxygen (anaerobic exercise) respectively.

Each zone naturally builds on the intensity of the previous. As intensity increases so does the stroke rate. As the stroke rate increases so does the power output – using the power output we can calculate the pace (time/500m) you should be able to row at, and a result of this is a higher heart rate. The following table demonstrates the interaction of the training zones with stroke rate, power output and heart rate.

Training Band		s.min1*	%2k (w)**	HRR%***
Oxygen Utilisation 2	UT2	16-20	45-60	55-70
Oxygen Utilisation 1	UT1	20-24	60-70	70-80
Anaerobic Threshold	AT	24-28	70-80	80-85
VO2 Max/Transport	TR	28-32	80-105	85-90
Peak Power/Anaerobic	AN	32+	105-115	90-100

*s.min^-1 is scientific notation for strokes/minute

**%2k is the % of power output, measured in watts of a 2000m test – from this it is possible to calculate pace  (time/500m)

***HRR% is Heart Rate Reserve %. When resting and maximum heart rates are know it is    possible to calculate the heart rate at which one should train to have the most appropriate effect on the body’s systems.

Finally, when interpreting training programs sessions are either continuous (without rest) e.g. 8km or made up of intervals, e.g. multiples of a set distance or time. Interval based pieces are written as 2x5km 10r, which means two lots of 5km with a 10 minute rest between them.