Programming for 500m sprint

[Kevin94]

Hello! I have been going to the gym for 4 years. A few months ago, I added rowing workouts on the ergometer which I really enjoy and for the past 4 months, I've been doing 5x5 minutes with 5-minute rests, and about a month Ago I've added 3x20 minutes with 4-minute rests for more aerobic work. Today, I did a test and achieved a time of 1:25.1 for 500 meters, which I would like to improve. Should I replace the 5x5-minute sessions with a steady session like 2x35 minutes? I can train on the ergometer twice a week. My current plan looks like this:

Monday- Upper body strength training
Tuesday - Lower body strength training
Wednesday - Rest, some walking
Thursday - Upper body strength training
Friday - Rowing on erg 5x5mins
Saturday - Rowing on erg 3x20mins
Sunday - Lower body training

Thank you in advance for your advice!

[alex9026]

Are you using a Concept Erg? If so, 1:25 is good going on a little rowing experience, I'd assume your strength is carrying you through this effort. The 500m is more aerobic than the average gym go-er appreciates, so you would no doubt benefit from a "bigger engine". Sprint training is hard on the body, you may want to restructure your gym sessions.

What did you rate at for your 500m effort? What does your rate and pace look like on your 5x5 minutes, have you been progressing these and if so, how? Likewise your 3x20 mins (treated as a steady state piece, 4:00 rest is a little long imo).

[Kevin94]

Thank you for your reply! My 3x20 isn’t as much a steady state I think beacuse at the end of each my heart rate go up to about 170bpm… (I’m 24 so it’s about 87% of HR max at the end) For comparison, my heart rate was 174 beats per minute at the end of the 500m test.

I'm trying to add 2 watts each week to my 5x5 (currently at 288 watts, and it's already difficult to maintain it through all 5 sets) and 3x20 (currently at 186 watts, also hard). Do you think it would be beneficial to reduce the intensity if I only do erging twice a week?

My gym’s concept 2 PM5 showed 44 s/m at the end of 500m test but it was controlled fly&die and I didn’t think much about it. For 3x20 my stroke rate is around 22 s/m and 22-24 s/m for 5x5. If I hit the wall, I plan to take a one week off, reduce my wattage for 3x20 and 5x5, and then start progressing again from there - I have no idea what an optimal training routine for 500m should look like.

[jcross485]

Alex is right that most people can benefit from a bigger engine; I don't think that would ever hurt.

That said, I am of the opinion that 500m training needs to be looked at more in line with the way 400m / 800m runners train; a lot of the best train the speed aspect and then stretch the speed out with speed endurance as opposed to training the engine. The 500m requires a lot of top end power and speed; much more so than a 2k or longer.

Your 500m sprint is very strong at 567.9 watts. That said, what is your max pull? If it's say 700w, increasing it to 800w will ultimately bring up your 500m sprint as working at the same % will yield higher power, if that makes sense.

If you do a few all out sprints on ample rest while trying to hit max wattage per stroke (stop as soon as you start seeing power drop off), you'll find out your max power or wattage.

[alex9026]

Thank you for your reply! My 3x20 isn’t as much a steady state I think beacuse at the end of each my heart rate go up to about 170bpm… (I’m 24 so it’s about 87% of HR max at the end) For comparison, my heart rate was 174 beats per minute at the end of the 500m test.

The 220-age formula to determine max heart rate isn't particularly reliable... That said, 170bpm or 87% is high for steady state work which as jcross alludes to, you don't particularly need an abundance of, but I'd suggest you consider reigning this in.

I'm trying to add 2 watts each week to my 5x5 (currently at 288 watts, and it's already difficult to maintain it through all 5 sets) and 3x20 (currently at 186 watts, also hard). Do you think it would be beneficial to reduce the intensity if I only do erging twice a week?

Most of us refer to pace over watts, but as long as your method is consistent and you can understand what you're working with.... If only Erg'ing twice a week, I'd be more inclined to keep the intensity high, but this is dependent on your strength work.

My gym’s concept 2 PM5 showed 44 s/m at the end of 500m test but it was controlled fly&die and I didn’t think much about it. For 3x20 my stroke rate is around 22 s/m and 22-24 s/m for 5x5. If I hit the wall, I plan to take a one week off, reduce my wattage for 3x20 and 5x5, and then start progressing again from there - I have no idea what an optimal training routine for 500m should look like.

I like a variety of 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m and 1k intervals. Read through this:
viewtopic.php?t=111430

[alex9026]

The above link is an old thread, but a lot of input from sprinters/more experienced erg'ers than me. At 24 and a solid starting point, you could really make some progress. How tall are you? Bodyweight?

[Kevin94]

Thank you for answers! So should I keep doing these 5x5 and 3x20 with high heart rate and eventually take a week off and then „reset” wattages if I stall? Maybe I should add some lighter work like 1x35min after my 5x5mins erg as a steady session?
My height is 187 cm and weight is 96 kg at the moment (bulking)

[alex9026]

Thank you for answers! So should I keep doing these 5x5 and 3x20 with high heart rate and eventually take a week off and then „reset” wattages if I stall? Maybe I should add some lighter work like 1x35min after my 5x5mins erg as a steady session?
My height is 187 cm and weight is 96 kg at the moment (bulking)

I'd look to rotate through different distances/times within a pace range, but that's just me... You'll only know if adding 35 mins after an interval session is beneficial for you through trial and error. For 500m training, probably not, the hit on recovery probably wouldn't be worth it. But I did/do and other erg'ers do too, though I dare say the majority aren't lifting 4/5 times a week.

3x20:00 gives you an hour of Erg'ing, but again, you may want to vary this with a straight up 10k, or 2x30:00/2:00, to give you more time in a given zone.

I'm by no means a sprinter, but I have loosely followed a 500m plan in to my own making to work my a top end speed ahead of focusing soley on the 2k, one recent week looked like this:

Intervals:
400m/300m/200m/100m x2

1k repeats

800m repeats

Total 4 hours of steady state

I didn't lift this week. I like targeting different paces, particularly the quicker pieces because if nothing else, it builds confidence I can hold a pace or rate.

EDIT: I re-read your initial post and you stated you can erg twice a week. The principles would still apply, though, you can rotate through a variety of distances for your interval pieces. You will likely hit a wall/platue repeating 5x5 minutes every week. Just like a lifter will eventually add a variable to their 5x5 strength routine.

[Kevin94]

I will try to rotate it! And I need to test that max stroke as well.
I'm wondering about this steady session stuff but I have no idea where to put it . Will 5x5/1000m/800m etc. high intensity intervals and one 3x20 non-steady session a week be enough for me to build an „engine" in the form of VO2 max sufficient for that sprint? On other days, I spend a lot of time walking. On Wednesdays, I walk for about an hour at a gentle pace, usually with a heart rate below 100 – in zone 1, so it doesn't really improve endurance but probably helps in recovery if it matters.

[Carl Watts]

The 500M is a pure power distance.

Evaluate what is hurting the most at the end of it and improve on that. My best time was like 1:26 at the age of 40 and the legs felt like the tide was going out when you hit the 350m mark, you could laterally feel them fading.

Pace is really important, you need target and you stick to that from the outset after a couple of hard strokes to get on pace. Its pointless going any faster than the target pace, the power law is a cubic so don't waste energy that you will not have so you can crash and burn before the finish.

[Tsnor]

3 different energy systems in play for 500m sprint.


Chart from here (not an endorsement) https://metrifit.com/blog/understanding ... -training/

Training can extend the duration of output for your anerobic systems. But your anaerobic systems will run out of gas before your 500m ends leaving your split fading. This is not a problem, it's how your body works. The World Rowing Indoor Championships 500m results include graphs showing how splits change over time. Look at the winner here. His split starts at 1:08 and falls to 1:22 by the end of the race. https://worldrowing.com/event/2025-worl ... s-rankings

For a trained athlete a 500m erg sprint is about 50/50 aerobic/anaerobic. ( Based on a 500m erg sprint being comparable to running 400-800 meters. By measuring the energy byproducts of the various energy systems this study found "Aerobic to anaerobic energy system contribution (AOD method) to the 400-m event was calculated as 41% - 59% (male) and 45% -55% (female). For the 800-m event, an increased aerobic involvement was noted with a 60% -40% (male) and 70% - 30% (female) respective contribution." https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/ws/po ... 208029.pdf )

To max your 500m sprint you need to train your anaerobic systems more heavily than someone who is 2K focused. 2K is roughly 80% aerobic.
(1) Strength Training
(2) Repeated short intervals

Then you need to improve your aerobic output with a combination of long/slow and hard sessions.

And do all this without overreach/overtraining.

Here is your training schedule with a very rough set of changes that could meet those goals, but many others will work. As you know from strength training don't work the same muscles hard 2 days in a row, rowing works both upper and lower body and have at least one rest day per week.

Monday- Upper body strength training then do Rowing Tabata intervals like 8 sets of (20 seconds max, 10 rest)
Tuesday - Endurance row, 90 mins at conversational pace (your long duration row, will be about 15-20km but keep it zone 2 conversational)
Wednesday - Rest, some walking
Thursday - Lower body strength training; Rowing on erg 6x4mins with 3 mins rest
Friday - Endurance row, 45 mins at conversational pace (about 10km, much more and you're too fast)
Saturday - Rowing on erg 2x20mins threshold pace
Sunday - Endurance row, 45 mins at conversational pace (about 10km)

This intense schedule is not long term sustainable, but will give you improvement in 500M time in 4-6 weeks. After 4-6 weeks you need to adjust to less intense. 3 hard days, 3 zone 2 days. Total time roughly 6 hours/week.

[Kevin94]

Thank you very much! So I will try rotating short intervals and 3x20 first and after hitting the wall, I’ll try this routine to peak for new 500m test! Do you think that longer rest - 5mins instead of 3 on 6x4mins erg would be better beacuse should allow a bit higher intensity?

Monday- Upper body strength training then do Rowing Tabata intervals like 8 sets of (20 seconds max, 10 rest)
Tuesday - Endurance row, 90 mins at conversational pace (your long duration row, will be about 15-20km but keep it zone 2 conversational)
Wednesday - Rest, some walking
Thursday - Lower body strength training; Rowing on erg 6x4mins with 3 mins rest
Friday - Endurance row, 45 mins at conversational pace (about 10km, much more and you're too fast)
Saturday - Rowing on erg 2x20mins threshold pace
Sunday - Endurance row, 45 mins at conversational pace (about 10km)

[iain]

I am no sprinter so little to add on specifics and will comment on generally accepted principles rather than personal experience.

I think you need to set a short term objective. If you are happy for your 1 rep maxes to fall to allow a maximal 500, then the above program looks sensible although the optimum program will depend on where you currently are and how you recover. I agree that more recovery is required than your current program. We only get faster/stronger when we are resting so don't neglect this. Personally I find that the intensity that can be maintained is much more determined by how recovered I am than the rest over the amounts discussed here. Anything over 2 min rest is substantial recovery and each extra minute has a lower benefit and is most useful to allow very slow rowing to flush the muscles.

On specifics, while a weekly 90min row will yield results in the long term, this is not likely to help much with your 500M short term goal. In addition 500M optimum stroke is less efficient than would be recommended for a long row. The drop off in pace between your 5' & 20' rows is substantial suggesting that your endurance is weaker than your strength. I would recommend lowering your stroke rate for longer rows so that you can concentrate on good technique and maintaining the force during the drive with plenty of time to recover between. Conversely, you should try and increase rate for the shorter ones aiming to get 5min rows to at least 28 strokes per minute. As the linked 500 data shows very high stroke rates are optimal for 500M and developing a fast stroke is necessary to optimise this.

Best of luck!

[Tsnor]

Do you think that longer rest - 5mins instead of 3 on 6x4mins erg would be better because should allow a bit higher intensity?

10 years ago I'd have said no. Now I think you are correct, that getting enough rest between intervals is important (except where you are intentionally not letting your body reset like in Tabata intervals). But I have no data to support either thought, so am no real help to you on this.

Example input from Healthline, which was an interesting read, but I didn't cross check anything. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitne ... -endurance

For 500m: "How long should I rest between sets if my goal is maximizing strength and power?" ... "typical rest periods for increasing strength are between 2–5 minutes, which research shows to be optimal for strength development. However, researchers note that this may vary depending on age, fiber type, and genetics"

For 2K: "How long should I rest between sets if my goal is endurance?" ... " the optimal rest period for increasing muscular endurance is less than 2 minutes. However, rest intervals can be as short as 20 seconds and still provide benefit, if endurance is your goal." ... "The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends 30-second rest intervals between sets to improve muscular endurance."

[Tsnor]

On specifics, while a weekly 90min row will yield results in the long term, this is not likely to help much with your 500M short term goal.

Agree that building aerobic base happens slowly and will not show a difference in 4-6 weeks.

Any thoughts on what to use those days for if not long/slow endurance rows? They are tucked next to days with hard strength training and intense rowing, so cannot really be used for hard rowing or strength training.

Longer term (6 months+) those endurance rows will substantially improve 500m performance. Just like the world record holder in speed skating 5,000m with a time of 6:01 uses massive aerobic workouts to build the base for his anaerobic output. "Nils van der Poel incorporates long bike rides (6-7 hours at 220-265W) into his training, even during the competitive season" . https://cyklopedia.cc/cycling-tips/trai ... 03h%20220W)