The Plan

Coach Simon Hoadley has developed a cutting-edge training plan that is shown to increase race pace watts in well-trained athletes by 18% in just 12 weeks.

It’s so effective because it is powered by insights from the CrewLAB platform data, informed decades of coaching experience at all ages across the world and rooted in modern sports physiological science.

CrewLAB can build a training plan that is uniquely built for each individual on your team. It adjusts and optimizes the training around the current version of each athlete, using the best sports science principles.

Power Based Training

Every workout is personalized to the individual using wattage targets. We treat training like a scientist running an experiment or a doctor prescribing medicine. Specificity matters.

The plan adapts automatically to changing levels of fitness with key benchmarking events.

It is designed to achieve the maximum possible benefit with a minimal training load. More is not always better when it comes to high-intensity training.

📚 For more background on the philosophy and science behind the plan, check this out: How to build a rowing training program in 2023

Benefits of the CrewLAB Training Plan

• Prescribes challenging but achievable workouts that don’t overtrain your athletes
• Helps your athletes build the mental skills needed to race and perform under pressure
• Makes athletes train smart, don’t just hitting every interval ‘as hard as possible’
• Creates accountability metrics to keep the team on it while rewarding accuracy not overtraining to beat teammates
• Varies workouts to target different parts of the physiology needed for 2k racing
• Prepares athletes to race at close to peak performance on any week over the cycle
• Creates metrics to monitor overall training load metrics to minimize injuries
• Achieves results with minimum time requirements each week to make it easy to stick to it
• Works within most team environments year round
• Grants your team access to CrewLAB experts to craft the best plan possible using your team’s unique constraints and situation

What’s in the plan

A complete and individualized training plan delivered to you through the CrewLAB app

• 3 High-intensity Interval sessions a week. Each roughly 40 minutes in length
• 1 Kettlebell strength session a week (customizable for the equipment you have access to)
• 1 Endurance session primer a week. We recommend you add more if you can

How to use the plan

Download the CrewLAB from the app store on your phone and the CrewLAB training plan and Calendar is filled out and sent out automatically every week on Monday

Wattage targets can be measured precisely on the Concept2 Row Erg and on the water with the Peach system, NK Oar Locks. If you don’t have all that equipment, after doing the training on the erg for some time, athletes can start to approximate the proper power based on feel.

Pacing Tips

• Aim to start at your suggested pace and go up if capable in the second half of the session
• Passive rest is better than active rest for most of these interval based sessions

Warming up and cooling down

• You are free to select your own warm up (see here for why the warmup matters)
• Many of our athletes use the warmup to add volume to their training (5 min or 40 min warm ups are both fine)
• We advise you to minimize your warm downs. Stretching might be better than moving

Recovery Tips

• Sleep and nutrition are critical to keep up with the training plan.
• On off days, you should focus on low intensity volume exercise.

How to get started?

1. Send us a typical weekly schedule for your team specifying the number of sessions and the usual length of time per session
2. Specify 1-3 key events, distances, and dates for peak performance
3. Schedule an erg test session to set up the correct training zones for each athlete

All training will be delivered through the CrewLAB App

FAQs

How much is on the erg vs water?
The 3 Interval sessions are most suitable for the erg, but can also be repeated on the water. After several weeks mature and experienced athletes can do these on the water successfully.

How does it mix with other types of workouts? Cross training?
These mix very well with all other types of training. It is recommended that the CrewLAB program is the primary high intensity component of your plan and that you supplement with more endurance, lifting and skills sessions

How do I get my team to peak at the right time?
The program can be designed to peak at any time that suits and uses a linear periodization model that means close to peak performance can be achieved by athletes at any time.

Are the 3 Interval sessions always the same? Or do they vary?
A few of them repeat from time to time so that the athlete can sense progress, but largely the workouts are all unique over a 12 week period to maintain variety and interest in training.

Why do I have to be accurate? How important is it to be precise in my load?

It is very important. Most programs crudely assume that harder work and more intensity is the way to get better. Science has shown that each load creates a different physiological response in your body, and each person responds differently to those loads. We want to measure both the load you exercise at and your response to it so we can make a better training program based on your needs.

Reach out to info@crewlab.io if you'd like to get started.