The Real Reason Your Split Won’t Budge (Hint: 2ks & 5ks Could Be Holding You Back)
Jun 9
3 min read
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By Cat Trentham
If you’ve been rowing for a while, you’ve probably done your fair share of 2k and 5k tests. You row hard, chasing that PB, and then… nothing. The split won’t budge.You try again. Another 2k. Another 5k. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
For beginners, test pieces can be useful - because almost anything works at the start. But once that initial progress fades, repeating 2ks and 5ks often leads to a plateau. And if your only strategy is to test more, you’re not giving yourself a real chance to improve. In fact, it might be the very thing holding you back. So—what should you be doing instead?
Why More 2ks and 5ks Won’t Help
Doing a 2k or 5k test is like taking an exam - it shows what you’re capable of, but it doesn’t make you better. If all you ever do is test, whether 2ks, 5ks, or anything in between, you’re not giving your body a chance to get stronger or faster. You’re just burning yourself out. It’s like driving the same route in rush hour traffic every day and hoping for less congestion. You have to take a different road to get anywhere faster.
The Smart Way to Train
If you want to break through a stuck split, you need a proper plan, one that balances a range of endurance sessions (to build your engine) with interval training at intensities tailored slightly above your race pace (to boost power and efficiency).
Here’s how it works:
Endurance sessions (think 40–60 minutes at a steady pace) - these build your aerobic base, helping you row longer and recover faster. To keep things interesting, I like to programme stroke rate ladders or pyramids for my clients - adding variety to keep things fresh.
Intervals - these vary depending on your target distance. Eg., 8 x 500m intervals for a 2k focus, or 3 x 10-minute intervals for a 5k focus. Doing these just above race pace trains your body to push hard while maintaining good technique under fatigue.
By combining a variety of both types of training at the right intensities, you’ll teach your body to row faster, more efficiently, and with less effort, moving past that plateau for good. And if you’re not sure how to structure it all or what pace to hit? That’s exactly where a coach (like me) can help!
More Isn’t Always Better
If you’re not improving, it’s easy to think the answer is just more. More metres. More 5ks. More time on the erg. But more training isn’t always better training. If you’re always rowing at the same pace and pushing to your limit every session, your body doesn’t have time to adapt, it’s just trying to survive. That’s when overtraining creeps in. You start picking up niggles, and the sport you loved begins to feel like a grind.
Training smart means knowing when to push, when to back off, and when to change it up. That’s how you build speed, and stay healthy doing it.
Progress Isn’t Random - It’s Planned
Progress doesn’t happen by accident. If you’re hopping from one session to the next with no clear structure, or just hammering out “another 2k” every week, it’s no wonder things have stalled. Real progress happens when you train with purpose. A solid plan gives your body the right balance of intensity, variety, and recovery. Each session builds on the last. That’s how you stay consistent, get faster, and enjoy the process again.
The Confidence Factor
When you stop hammering test pieces and start training with purpose, something cool happens: your confidence grows. You’re no longer dreading another painful 2k or 5k, (well, maybe just a little!). Instead, you’re seeing progress: holding faster splits in intervals, feeling stronger on steady rows, recovering quicker. That builds belief. So when your next test does come around, you’re not just hoping for a miracle—you know you’re ready.
Need a Hand?
Stuck at the same split? I can help. My indoor rowing programming is personalised and built around proven training principles - not guesswork. You’ll get a balanced mix of endurance and interval sessions tailored to your target distance, pacing guidance to train at the right intensity, and ongoing support to keep things progressing (and enjoyable).
Let’s make your next row actually count!
