BIKEERG
4000m Time Trial Prep Program
(12-Week Plan)
ABOUT THE COACH:
JUSTIN FARINA, OCT, [Link]., [Link]., CF-L1
Multiple SkiErg World Record Holder
2018 & 2019 Concept2 Tour De SkiErg Champion
2018 Row'd Royalty Men's Tall Champion
2018 SkiErg World Sprints Champion, Men’s 30-39 Division
2018 World Rowing Virtual Indoor Sprints - 3rd Place Overall
2017 & 2019 Row'd Royalty - 3rd Place Overall
2017 World Indoor Rowing Sprints - 3rd Place, Men's 30-39 Division
2017 SkiErg World Sprints - 3rd Place, Men's 30-39 Division
Check out Concept2’s blog post - 10 Questions with Justin Farina
Listen to his interview with Marc Megna - Available on iTunes
Listen to his interview on the Humble Coach Podcast - Available on iTunes
Learn more about our ONLINE MEMBERSHIP by visiting
[Link]/membership
Program Overview
The goal of the 4000m Time Trial Prep Program is to:
1. Set and develop a strong baseline score for future programs and training;
2. Introduce our pacing structure for the BikeErg;
3. Provide specific training as a foundation for our Online Membership program.
ALL ATHLETES must have a 4000m personal best pace before starting this program!
A few notes on PACING during the duration of this program:
There are two ways to increase or decrease your pace (split) on the BikeErg:
a. By raising or lowering the damper setting (much like the gears of a bike), or;
b. By increasing or decreasing your rpm’s (revolutions per minute).
Do your best to be as accurate as possible, and FOLLOW THE PACING INSTRUCTIONS to the best of your ability.
We suggest using 85-95 rpms for the bulk of your efforts, unless otherwise indicated. It is important to determine
where damper setting allows you to sustain that rpm range to produce your best results. Experiment!
Remember, a LOWER SPLIT is a FASTER SPLIT!
A minus (-) means to go faster…you might see “decrease split” or “increase pace”. They all mean the same thing.
A plus (+) indicates the opposite.
(In the picture above, the “average pace” for this 1000m interval session is 1:38.9/1000m)
A QUICK WORD ON WARM-UPS
Everyone is different.
So a “one size fits all” warm-up doesn’t make much sense. We will suggest some combination
of the following for most sessions:
1. General movement prep and mobility (emphasis on low back, hips, quads, hamstrings,
ankles/calves).
2. 3-5 minutes of light cycling at low damper, gradually working up in rpms towards your
normal training range.
3. Specific cycling, working towards the DAMPER SETTING, RPMS, and SPLITS you will be
using in the session. This could take the form of specific intervals you set up for yourself,
or simply playing with settings/speed without any real structure.
WANT TO SHARE YOUR TRAINING RESULTS?
Need a little extra accountability?
Tag @garageathlete on Instagram or Twitter to receive coaching feedback, or to have your
session featured on our page.
WEEK 1
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 2500m/rest 4 minutes
Target 4k + 5-7 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “2500m” > rest “4:00”
Pacing example: if your 4k personal best average pace is 1:45/1000m, then your target pace for this session
should be ~1:50-1:52/1000m.
Session 2 (Variable Time)
45 minutes continuous ride, as follows:
• 10 minutes at 4k + 18 seconds
• 4 minutes at 4k + 8 seconds
• 1 minute at 4k + 2 seconds, or better
• Repeat x3
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Variable”:
Program the 10:00, 4:00, and 1:00 intervals separately with 0:00 rest between, for a total of 9 intervals.
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
5x 1500m/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k + 2-3 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “1500m”. Rest “3:00”
Session 4 (Single Distance)
20km continuous ride
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Keep this consistent!
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “20000m”
WEEK 2
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 2000m/rest 4 minutes
Target 4k + 4-6 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “2000m” > rest “4:00”
Session 2 (Variable Distance)
24 km continuous ride, as follows:
• 8000m at 4k + 18 seconds
• 3000m at 4k + 8 seconds
• 1000m 4k + 2 seconds, or better
• Repeat x2
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Variable”:
Program the 8000m, 3000m, and 1000m intervals separately with 0:00 rest between, for a total of 6 intervals.
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
8x 1000m/rest 2 minutes
Target 4k pace to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “1000m” Rest “2:00”
Session 4 (Single Time)
40 minutes continuous
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Stay consistent..
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > “40:00”
WEEK 3
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 4000m/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k + 15-16 seconds to start. Increase pace at least -2 to -3 seconds on each set.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “4000m” > rest “3:00”
Session 2 (Variable Time)
40 minute continuous ride, as follows:
• 8 minutes at 4k + 17-18 seconds
• 2 minutes at 4k + 2-4 seconds
• Repeat x4
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Variable”:
Program the 8:00 and 2:00 intervals separately with 0:00 rest between, for a total of 8 intervals.
Session 3 (CHECKPOINT SESSION)
2500m
Target 4k pace for the first 2000m. Complete the final 500m as fast as possible.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “2500m”. Be sure to change splits to “500m”. Alternatively, you can use
“Interval: Variable” and set the 2000m and 500m portions separately with 0:00 rest between.
Session 4 (Interval Time)
3x 10 minutes/rest 2 minutes
Target 4k + 12-16 seconds. Stay consistent. Try and keep rpm’s relatively high.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Time” > “10:00” rest “2:00”
WEEK 4
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 2500m/rest 4 minutes
Target 4k + 5-7 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “2500m” > rest “4:00”
Session 2 (Variable Distance)
16 km continuous ride, as follows:
• 2000m at 4k + 14-16 seconds
• 2000m at 4k + 5-6 seconds
• Repeat x4
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “16000m”
Change splits to 2000m. Alternatively, use “Interval Variable” and program each individual 2000m with 0:00 rest,
for a total of 8 intervals.
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
5x 1500m/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k pace + 1 or +2 to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “1500m” Rest “3:00”
Session 4 (Single Time)
45 minutes continuous
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > “45:00”
WEEK 5
Session 1 (Variable Distance)
2500m/rest 5 min/1500m/rest 3min/500m
Target 4k pace to start. Increase pace on each set if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Variable” > “2500m” > rest “5:00” > “1500m” > rest “3:00” > “500m” > rest 0:00
Session 2 (Variable Time)
40 minute continuous ride, as follows:
• 10 minutes at 4k + 16 seconds
• 5 minutes at 4k + 5 seconds
• 10 minutes at 4k + 16 seconds
• 5 minutes at 4k + 5 seconds
• 10 minutes at 4k + 16 seconds
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Intervals Variable”
Set each “10:00” and “5:00” set individually with rests at “0:00”. There are five intervals.
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
12x 500m/rest 2 minutes
Target 4k pace -4 to -6 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “500m” Rest “2:00”
Session 4 (Single Distance)
20km continuous
Target 4k + 15-16 seconds. Stay consistent. Keep rpm’s relatively high and use a low damper/gear.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “20000m”
WEEK 6
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 2000m/rest 4 minutes
Target 4k pace + 3-5 seconds to start. Increase pace on each set if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “2000m” > rest “4:00”
Session 2 (Distance Intervals)
2x 10km/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Stay consistent, but see if you can be slightly quicker on the second rep.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “10000m” > “rest 3:00”
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
10x 1000m/rest 2 minutes
Target 4k pace to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Distance” > “1000m” Rest “2:00”
Session 4 (Single Time)
30 minutes continuous
Target 4k + 13-16 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > “30:00”
WEEK 7
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
6x 1200m/rest 90 seconds
Target 4k pace to 4k + 1 second to start. Increase pace on each set if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “1200m” > rest “1:30”
Session 2 (Variable Time)
40 minute continuous ride, as follows:
• 7 minutes at 4k + 18 seconds
• 3 minutes at 4k + 2-4 seconds
• Repeat x4
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Intervals Variable”
Set each “7:00” and “3:00” set individually with rests at “0:00”.
Session 3 (Time Intervals)
Two rounds of the following:
4x 1 minute/rest 2 minutes
Rest 4 minutes between rounds
Target 4k pace -4/-5 seconds to start. Increase pace throughout if possible.
Set your monitor for “Interval: Time” > “1:00” Rest “2:00”.
Use a nearby clock to time the rest between rounds.
Session 4 (Single Distance)
24km continuous
Target 4k + 18-20 seconds. Stay consistent. Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “24000m”
WEEK 8
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
3x 2000m/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k +2 to 5 seconds to start. Increase pace on each set if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “2000m” > rest “3:00”
Session 2 (Distance Intervals)
3x 4500m/rest 5 minutes
Target 4k +8-10 seconds to start. Increase pace on each set by -2/-3 seconds, or better.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “4500m” > rest “5:00”
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
3x 1500m/rest 4 minutes
Target 4k pace to 4k -1 second to start. Increase pace on each if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “1500m” > rest “3:00”
Session 4 (Single Time)
45 minutes continuous
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > “45:00”
WEEK 9
Session 1 (Variable Intervals)
2000m/rest 4min/1500m/rest 3min/1000m/rest 2min/500m
Target 4k pace to 4k + 1 to start. Increase pace on each rep if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Variable” > set each interval separately (there will be 4). Pay attention to the
changing distances and rest intervals!
Session 2 (Variable Time)
40 minute continuous ride, as follows:
• 6 minutes at 4k + 18 seconds
• 4 minutes at 4k + 2-4 seconds
• Repeat x4
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Intervals Variable”
Set each “6:00” and “4:00” set individually with rests at “0:00”. There will be 8 intervals.
Session 3 (Distance Intervals)
5x 1000m/rest 1 minute
Target 4k -2 to -3 seconds on rep 1. Target 4k pace on the middle three reps. Fast as you can on final rep.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “1000m” > rest “1:00”
Session 4 (Single Distance)
20 km continuous
Target 4k + 17-20 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “20000m”
WEEK 10
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
4x 1000m/rest 3 minutes
Target 4k -3 to -4 seconds to start. Increase pace on each rep if possible.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “1000m” > rest 3:00
Session 2 (Variable Distance)
16km continuous ride, as follows:
• 4km at 4k + 12-14 seconds
• 2km at 4k + 4-5 seconds
• 4km at 4k + 12-14 seconds
• 2km at 4k + 4-5 seconds
• 4km at 4k + 12-14 seconds
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Intervals Variable”
Set each “4000m” and “2000m” set individually with rests at “0:00”. There will be five intervals.
Session 3 (CHECKPOINT SESSION)
3000m, for time.
Target 4k pace for the first 2300m. Complete the final 700m as fast as possible.
For this effort, set your monitor for “Intervals: Variable” > set two intervals at “2300m” and “700m” with 0:00 rest.
Session 4 (Single Time)
45 minutes continuous
Target 4k + 17-20 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > “45:00”
WEEK 11
Session 1 (Distance Intervals)
2x 2000m/rest 6 minutes
Target 4k -1 (or better) on first rep. Increase pace on second rep.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Distance” > “2000m” > rest 6:00
Session 2 (Single Time)
30 minute continuous ride, at 4k + 12-16 seconds. Keep this consistent!
Set your monitor for “Single Time” > 30:00
Session 3 (Time Intervals)
1 minute/rest 30 seconds. Complete as many reps as necessary to cover 4000m (roughly 6 to 8 reps).
Target your 4k GOAL PACE for the duration of this workout.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: time” > “1:00” > rest “0:30”
Session 4 (Single Distance)
24km continuous
Target 4k + 16-18 seconds. Stay consistent.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “24000m”
WEEK 12
Session 1 (Variable Distance)
1000m/rest 1:30/1000m/rest 1:30/2500m
Target 4k GOAL PACE for the duration of this workout.
Set your monitor for “Intervals: Variable”. Set each of the 3 intervals individually.
Session 2 (Variable Time)
40 minute continuous ride, as follows:
• 5 minutes at 4k + 18 seconds
• 5 minutes at 4k + 4-6 seconds
• Repeat x4
Increase pace by increasing damper setting (higher gear), by increasing rpm’s (faster cadence), or a combination of
both.
Set your monitor for “Intervals Variable”
Set each “5:00” individually with rests at “0:00”. There will be eight intervals. Alternatively, set this as a “single
time” > “40:00” piece and change to 5:00 splits.
Session 3 (4k Prep Session)
4x 2500m/rest 2 minutes
For each rep, start the first 500m at 4k goal pace, immediately into easy recovery 2000m spin. Drop the damper to
an easy setting to maintain a light, high rpm spin.
Set your monitor for “intervals Distance” > “2500” > Rest “2:00”
Session 4 (TIME TRIAL)
4000m, for time.
Set your monitor for “Single Distance” > “4000m”
GOOD LUCK!
CONGRATULATIONS!
THANK YOU for completing our 12-Week BikeErg
4000m Time Trial Prep Program
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SAVE 15% on any of our membership options by using the
promo code “4KPROGRAM” at checkout.
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Become an ONLINE MEMBER today.
Our mission is to help build robust “engines” in our athletes utilizing the full line of Concept2
Indoor exercise equipment as our training centerpieces. By providing several training streams
and programming options each week, our online members get the physical and mental
flexibility to adjust their training to fit their current goals and needs week to week. It's the
combination of training structure and variety that makes our online membership truly unique.
Membership includes:
• Access to weekly training plans on private Facebook forum.
• Online coaching and technical support.
• Personalized pacing and performance feedback.
Membership Requirements:
1. An accurate 2k time trial (rowing and ski), 4k time trial or FTP score (BikeErg, FanBike)
2. Access to any or all of the Concept2 machines
3. A digital camera/phone (for screenshots of training session summaries)
All of our athletes are strongly encouraged to log their results online on the Concept2 Logbook.
For smartphone users, downloading ErgData is highly recommended. It makes uploading results
easy, and comes equipped with features not available on the Concept2 Performance Monitor
(such as a "Stroke Counter").
How does an Online Membership with GARAGEATHLETE work?
We deliver our programming at the start of each week via a PRIVATE Facebook group forum that only
paying members will have access to. Regardless of which of the plans you follow, you will have access to
all available programming options (over 20 new workouts every week):
Row PERFORMANCE – 5+ training sessions per week
Ski PERFORMANCE – 5+ training sessions per week
Bike PERFORMANCE- 4+ training sessions per week
General FITNESS - 4 training sessions per week
Aerobic BASE - 3 training sessions per week
(For more information on our programs, and to download sample training plans, click here. If you
would like to view a sample full week of our training program, please contact us and request one.)
Athletes can complete as many sessions as they feel they can manage in a week. Obviously, all available
workouts in 7 days is asking a lot for most people. We are more than willing to help you with your
scheduling and provide some guidance as to which sessions to focus on.
The backbone of our training plan currently follows a 52-week schedule that is designed around some
key competitions and events on the indoor race calendar. Specifically, the World Indoor Rowing
Championships and the Concept2 Tour De SkiErg. These both take place in February. Other challenges
and events occur throughout the year, but our main objective each season is to hit our performance
peaks around those two events.
We expect members following the programs to post/submit training results for coaching feedback.
Simply posting results to the forum, or attaching images/videos in a private message, is more than
sufficient. The beauty of the Concept2 Performance Monitor is the simplicity of the session summary
screen. It may just look like a bunch of distances and split times, but the data provided on each
screenshot is a powerful assessment tool. It's also important to note that athletes sharing training
results and offering feedback on sessions they themselves are also completing makes for a great
environment for performance improvement and development.
For more information on how to get the most out of your online membership, read our frequently asked
questions.
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For any training related questions during the completion of this program, or if you require
clarification, or simply to provide some feedback, please send me an e-mail!
justinfarina@[Link]