Your personal
power profile

7-stroke peak: from a standing start, pull 7 maximal strokes and record the average wattage — this captures your alactic (ATP-PCr) power, the system that fires in the first 10–15 seconds of all-out effort. 60-second max: row at absolute maximum for 60 seconds and record average watts — dominated by the anaerobic glycolytic system, the capacity to sustain high power once phosphocreatine is depleted. 30-minute rate-20: row 30 minutes at a stroke rate capped at 20 spm and record average watts — your aerobic engine, which we treat as Critical Power (CP).

We use the 2-parameter Critical Power model: P(T) = CP + W′/T, where CP comes from your 30-min and 60-sec powers (CP = (P60·60 − P30·1800) / (60 − 1800)) and W′ is derived from the same pair (W′ = P60·60 − CP·60 joules). The predicted average power is converted to a Concept2 pace via the cubic drag formula (pace = ∛(2.80/watts)), and we iterate until the predicted total time matches 2000 metres.

We use the ACSM rowing equation applied to your 30-min watts, which closely approximates the power output at your lactate threshold / maximal aerobic steady state: VO₂ (mL/min) = 12.5 × watts + 130. Dividing by body weight gives the per-kilogram value in mL/kg/min. This method correlates well (r ≈ 0.94) with lab-measured VO₂max in trained rowers.

Each of your three test scores is converted to W/kg and compared to your own profile median. The system furthest above your median is your dominant energy system — your physiological strength. The one furthest below is your limiting system — the bottleneck most worth targeting in training. A well-balanced athlete will show small deviations across all three.

The three-test battery captures the three primary metabolic systems (alactic, glycolytic, oxidative) without redundancy. A 3-minute test overlaps heavily with both the 60-sec and 30-min data points on the power-duration curve, adding noise without meaningfully improving the CP / W′ fit. Three tests are faster to administer, easier to recover from, and produce a clean 2-parameter model with minimal collinearity.

In well-trained rowers, the 2-parameter CP model typically predicts 2K time within ±5–10 seconds. Accuracy depends on the quality of your test inputs — true maximal efforts with proper warm-ups. The energy profile percentages reflect established exercise physiology (Gastin 2001) for efforts of the predicted duration (typically 6–7 minutes), where aerobic metabolism dominates (80–87%), with glycolytic and alactic contributions accounting for the remainder.

Yes. We recommend testing at the start of each macro-cycle — typically early fall (base phase), mid-winter (build phase), and pre-spring (race prep). Tracking how each system evolves over time reveals whether your training is shifting the right energy systems. A common pattern: aerobic power improves through winter steady-state volume, while peak power may plateau without dedicated sprint work.