Go slow more, go fast less; indoor rowing preparation

Online forums, chat groups, YouTube clips; the online discussion around indoor rowing is huge. Despite being one of the first indoor rowing-specific coaches and one of the most respected, Eddie Fletcher steers clear of online chatter.

His coaching method and beliefs are defined and honed through his sports science and physiology background and over 20 years of experience with indoor rowing. Based in Evesham a town near Birmingham in the UK, Fletcher trains a restricted number of athletes, mainly remotely and is currently preparing a group for the 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championships in Prague.

Fletcher set up one of the first indoor rowing clubs. It was in the late 1990s. Called the Old Rex, he operated it out of his garage. In 2010 Fletcher moved into premises then when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit he closed it down due to the expense. Now a lot of his training and testing has moved online.

Fletcher extolls consistency over time. He has some athletes going back 20 years.

“You get to know them so well and their bodies. This helps with their longevity in the sport. This is a viewpoint I’ve had from the start.”

And longevity is evident in his athletes. He has coached Graham Benton since the former world champion got into indoor rowing over two decades ago. Benton is now around 50 years old and during his career has done around 50 sub-6 minute pieces for 2000 metres.

This long game means that Fletcher wants his athletes to not do too much and to live life as well.

“Training is hard on the immune system so it’s good to get a balanced lifestyle between training and work and family and keep going as long as possible.

“Most athletes are overtrained from a young age and then end up retiring before they have physiologically matured.

“It’s a go slow more and go fast less approach. Do more at the bottom end (long, slow pieces) to push everything else up.”

Fletcher has a very structured approach. He doesn’t do any ‘fancy’ sessions and every session is measured and individually designed so that each athlete has certain parameters to reach during the session in terms of stroke rate and a heart rate cap. His athletes report to him once or twice a week and there is regular feedback.

Fletcher’s athletes have won over 100 medals at British, European and World indoor rowing competitions and with the 2024 World Rowing Indoor Championships just around the corner Fletcher is doing the last round of preparation.

The championships, says Fletcher, take a year to prepare for.

“I need a year to prepare. Most of the work is done at the lower training zones so I may start off with the athlete training for an indoor rowing marathon. That develops the deep consistency, the oxygen transport level. I’d have them doing a lot at 18 to 24 stroke rate. It’s physiological training.”

A marathon isn’t for everyone so for some 10k is the target.

Over the year Fletcher starts to build in pace and power with the heart rate capped. The last six weeks before the race, Fletcher starts to hone the race pace breaking it into two three-week cycles. He has a couple of time trial. In the first cycle it’s a 1500m time trial. Then in the last week before Prague his athletes do either a 1250m or a 1km at above race pace. Then closer to race day he does short pieces of 250m and 500m. In between there’s nice and easy 18 stroke rate pieces.

“I make sure they’re getting enough sleep, eating well and being relaxed before the race.”

There’s also the mental side and Fletcher works with a psychologist friend.

“Before a race a lot of doubt can creep in. It’ll start a couple of weeks before a race, I’ll get more calls coming in. I tell them ‘you can do this, the training tells me you can do this.’”

One thing Fletcher never does in training is a 2k. He sees it as having too much potential for the athlete to become discouraged either from the race or from the training piece.

“Training prepares you to race, you train to race and then you go and race.”

Fifteen of his athletes will be competing in Prague, and Fletcher is also attending.