I want to break 7.50 this summer

Question
I am a 5ft10 female, I am 150lbs.I am a freshmen, but this is my 3rd season. I just pulled a 7.56 on my last 2k. I really want to break 7.50 this summer. Do you think I can do it? What should I do?

Answer
Hi Victoria: Your 7:56 puts you in the Top 15% for girls your age, which is excellent.  Getting to 7:50 would put you in the Top 10%.  It's a good goal, but I don't think 6 seconds is going to make that much difference in your boat placement.  In other words, if you have sound on-water technique, you should be rowing in a top boat.

To reach your 7:56 goal, there's a quick way and a more methodical way.  The quick way is to approach your next 2K by going off at least 2 strokes higher at the start and rowing at least an extra 100-200 meters at your racing start tempo.  This will ensure your first 500 split will be well ahead of a 7:50 pace.  From there, it is a question of hanging on andleaving it all on the erg by the time you finish.

The more methodical way is to supplement your rowing training with weight lifting.  You also want to up your nutrition intake so that you can add 5 to 10 pounds of muscle.  I think with your height, you can handle the extra weight.  The added muscle will make a big difference as you will have more power to really drive the erg time down.

Good Luck/AP