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Anaerobic training is the moment in a workout when it really starts to hurt – and that is exactly why it is so effective. As intensity increases, breathing quickens, and muscles begin to burn, your body is working in a zone that is critical for performance enhancement, speed, and competitive success. Especially in rowing, one of the most intense endurance sports in competition, anaerobic training plays a central role. Those who understand what happens in the body during this process and how to utilize these training zones effectively can significantly increase their performance and achieve faster progress.
Rowing is often regarded as a classic endurance sport. In fact, a large portion of the energy during a race is provided through aerobic metabolic processes. At the same time, however, another factor decides victory or defeat: the ability to produce high intensities for short periods and to tolerate lactate. This is precisely where anaerobic training comes into play.
A 2,000-meter race in rowing takes approximately six to seven minutes and is performed over large portions near maximum oxygen uptake. At the same time, athletes must repeatedly handle short intensity spikes—such as at the start, during pace increases, or in the final sprint. This creates an enormous demand on the anaerobic energy system. Performance analyses show that successful rowing performance is closely linked to parameters such as VO₂max, lactate threshold, and anaerobic capacity. A rower’s maximum lactate values after a 2,000-meter race are approximately as high as those of a 400-meter runner who needs just under one minute for a lap around the track.
Anaerobic training aims to improve exactly these capabilities. It increases the body’s ability to provide energy quickly without oxygen, raises lactate tolerance, and improves the ability to maintain high intensities over short periods. For rowers, whether ambitious recreational athletes or competitive professionals, anaerobic training is therefore a decisive component of an effective training plan.
Anaerobic training describes exertion where the energy demand increases faster than the body can provide oxygen. In this situation, the organism increasingly relies on anaerobic glycolysis, in which carbohydrates are used for energy production without oxygen. This produces lactate as a byproduct of metabolism.
The difference from aerobic training lies not in the movement itself, but in the intensity and the dominant energy source. While aerobic training provides sufficient oxygen and fats as well as carbohydrates are fully oxidized, anaerobic training involves a faster but less efficient energy supply.
In training physiology, this transition is often described via the so-called lactate threshold. It marks the point at which lactate production increases faster than the body can break it down. Above this threshold, anaerobic processes increasingly dominate the energy supply. Research in rowing shows that parameters such as lactate threshold and maximum oxygen uptake correlate strongly with performance over 2,000 m.
Anaerobic training typically takes place above this threshold and is therefore characterized by high intensity, short exertion times, and clearly perceptible muscle fatigue.
The classification of anaerobic training zones is usually based on heart rate, power (watts), lactate levels, or relative intensities in relation to VO₂max. Generally, anaerobic training begins in intensity ranges above approximately 85% to 90% of the maximum heart rate or above the individual anaerobic threshold.
In this zone, the lactate concentration in the blood increases significantly and can reach values of over 4 mmol/l. This intensity can only be maintained for a limited time, as the metabolic byproducts lead to fatigue.
In practical training, anaerobic training is mostly implemented through intervals. Classic protocols include, for example:
6 × 1,000 m intervals in running
4 × 4 minute intervals near VO₂max
Short sprint intervals with maximum intensity
Such sessions are specifically used to improve both anaerobic energy production and maximum oxygen uptake. Studies show that high-intensity interval training can produce significant improvements in both anaerobic capacity and endurance performance. These principles, or in other words training methods, can be transferred almost identically to rowing.
During anaerobic training, the energy demand of the muscles increases abruptly. Since the body cannot supply oxygen fast enough, it increasingly relies on anaerobic glycolysis. In this process, glucose molecules are split without oxygen, creating ATP as an energy carrier.
The disadvantage of this system lies in its limited capacity and the production of metabolic products such as lactate and hydrogen ions. These lead to a drop in the pH value in the muscle, which ultimately causes the well-known burning sensation in the muscles and contributes to fatigue.
At the same time, anaerobic training triggers strong adaptation reactions in the body. These include improved buffering capacity of the muscles, increased activity of glycolytic enzymes, and improved recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers. As a result, the body becomes increasingly better at tolerating high intensities over time.
The cardiovascular system also benefits from this form of training. Interval training can improve both maximum oxygen uptake and neuromuscular performance. These adaptations are crucial for maintaining high speeds in competition.
(Milioni, F., Millet, G.Y., de Poli, R.A.B. et al. Effects of 4-week high intensity interval training on anaerobic capacity, repeated-sprints performance and neuromuscular function. Sport Sci Health 20, 1109–1118 (2024).)
Rowing represents a unique combination of strength and endurance performance. With every stroke, large muscle groups are activated simultaneously, including the legs, back, core, and arms. This creates an enormous energy demand that challenges both aerobic and anaerobic systems. Especially at high intensities, the anaerobic energy system is heavily taxed. During a race, rowers must repeatedly perform significantly above their average power output.
These intensity peaks are only possible if anaerobic energy production is sufficiently developed. Furthermore, training on a rowing ergometer allows for precise control of intensity. Wattage, pace data, and heart rate allow interval training to be dosed exactly. This means anaerobic training can be carried out very specifically – an advantage over many other sports.
Anaerobic training should be integrated into the training plan in a targeted and structured manner. Unlike base training, it cannot be performed daily due to its high intensity. Instead, it is typically used once or twice per week. This depends somewhat on your training volume.
A classic example of an anaerobic training session in rowing is interval training similar to the well-known running protocol of 6 × 1,000 meters. Transferred to the rowing machine, a session could consist of, for example, 6 × 4 minutes at high intensity with two to three minutes of active recovery. However, the classic 1,000 meters can also be transferred to the rowing machine.
Such intervals usually take place in the range of 90% to 100% of maximum performance capacity. The goal is to train as long as possible near maximum oxygen uptake while simultaneously improving lactate tolerance.
Interval training is the central form of training for developing anaerobic performance. It combines short, intensive exertion phases with controlled recovery phases. This allows more total time to be spent in high-intensity zones than would be possible with continuous exertion.
Scientific studies show that interval training is a particularly effective method for improving both anaerobic and aerobic performance parameters. Sprint and HIIT protocols in particular lead to significant adaptations in energy metabolism and neuromuscular performance.
For rowers, this means that targeted interval sessions should be a crucial part of training to increase competitive speed and exertion tolerance.
Although anaerobic training is important, it should always be built on a stable aerobic foundation. The majority of training volume in rowing remains in the base endurance range. A good 90% of your training should be in the form of base endurance.
Anaerobic sessions provide targeted performance stimuli and increase maximum performance capacity. A sensible training plan therefore combines longer aerobic sessions with one to two high-intensity interval workouts per week. This mix allows for optimal development of endurance, strength, and speed.
This form of training can be implemented excellently on the rowing ergometer. The precise control of intensity allows anaerobic training to be dosed exactly and the load to be adjusted individually.
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