Week 9, Session 1 - Zerg Attack 6x500m 2'r 6 x 500m reps with 2 minute rests in between. Static starts only for all. This is a key piece that will become a staple of your training. It is the go-to for both predicting and improving your 2k time.

Week 9, Session 2 - Zerg Control Blind 30' 30 minute steady row, with 5 minute splits. Push the monitor away from you so you can't see it & set a countdown timer on your phone to 30 minutes. Aim is to see how tight you can keep your pace and rate throughout purely by feel.

Week 9, Session 3 - Zerg Power 2 x 3k 5'r @ 20 2 x 3k intervals, 5 minute rests in between, all at a stroke rate of 20spm. The long reps in this challenge will help you build stamina. Doing the second quicker than the first may take guts.

Week 9, Session 4 - Zerg Taming 8k Steady Fixed piece of 8k, gentle. Use a heart rate monitor and try to keep below 70% of your max HR at all times.

Week 9, Session 5 - Zerg Race 5k Time Trial Get your pacing right and push to beat last time. Figure out your pacing plan BEFORE your row. Don't want to be crunching numbers and readjusting targets mid-row.

Week 10, Session 1 - Zerg Attack 4x1,500m 1:30'r 4 reps of 1,500m with 90 second rests in between. Static starts for all. This is a session taken from my old coached training plan from a few years ago. It's a hard session aimed to build stamina and pace for your 5k.

Week 10, Session 5 - Zerg Race 6k Time Trial This is a race for speed. It is also a rankable piece. If you've recently done a 5k TT, don't let this fool you.... that extra 1k can make a big difference, so don't go out too hard.

Week 12, Session 1 - Zerg Attack 8 x 300m 3'r 8 reps of 300m with 3 minutes rests. Static starts only for all. These are sprints, but it is still 2.4k of rowing, so they aren't quite all out sprints, or you'll catch yourself out.

Week 12, Session 3 - Zerg Power 6 x 1k 3'r @ 20spm Six reps of 1k with 3 minutes rests, all to be completed at 20spm. Remember, there's six of these. The last one can feel like a real trudge if you go out too hard in the beginning.

Week 12, Session 4 - Zerg Taming 30'@ 20 UT2 Use a heart rate monitor to keep your heart rate between 65% and 70% throughout the piece. Don't be put off by the effect on pace that these two combined caps have, I'd expect to see pace drop away as the piece progresses.

Week 12, Session 5 - Zerg Race 2k Time Trial Take your last 6x500m time, add 3 - 3.5s on and use that as your benchmark.

Week 13, Session 2 - Zerg Control Strapless 5k Rowing without your feet strapped in is difficult to master, but helps you focus on control and core strength.

Week 13, Session 3 - Zerg Power 5 x 5' 2:30r Rate Pyramid 18 - 22 - 18 Five 5 minute intervals with 2:30 minute rests. Stroke rate as follows: 5' @ 18 5' @ 20 5' @ 22 5' @ 20 5' @ 18 Last Completed: Week 47

Week 13, Session 5 - Zerg Race 30 Minute Distance Trial Fixed time piece of 30 minutes, for maximum distance. Timed pieces are different and can take some getting used to. 7,500m is a great benchmark to aim for, but this won't come easy for some.

Week 14, Session 1 - Zerg Attack 6' 6'r 5' 5'r 4' 4'r 3' 3'r 2' 2'r 1' 6 timed reps, with matching rests, reducing by one minute each rep. No rate restrictions on any reps. Static starts for all.

Week 14, Session 2 - Zerg Control Blind 30' 30 minute steady row, with 5 minute splits. Once you're ready, push the monitor away from you, set a countdown timer to 30 minutes and start. Aim is to see how tight you can keep your pace and rate throughout purely by feel.

Week 14, Session 3 - Zerg Power 6x500m 2'r @ 20 6 x 500m reps with 2 minute rests in between, all at 20spm. Static starts only for all. This is a play on the traditional 6x500 2'r. The stroke restriction will completely change the nature of this piece.

Week 14, Session 4 - Zerg Taming 30'@ 20 UT2 Use a heart rate monitor to keep your heart rate between 65% and 70% throughout the piece. Don't be put off by the effect on pace that these two combined caps have, I'd expect to see pace drop away as the piece progresses.

Week 14, Session 5 - Zerg Race 5k Time Trial Fixed pieced of 5k, for time. Last Completed: Week 9 Summary: What did you learn from your last 5k? Where can you improve your pacing? Tips: Figure out your pacing plan BEFORE your row.

Week 15, Session 3 - Zerg Power 30'@ 20 Fixed time piece of 30 minutes, at a capped stroke rate of 20spm. Last Completed: Week 10 Time to allow: 40 minutes (including warm-up) Target: Start slower than your recent 5k@20, power up for the last 5 minutes.