How Do I Improve My Erg Score on a Training Trip?

A training trip is actually one of the best environments to make a real dent in your erg numbers, because you’re removing the usual obstacles — limited gym time, work schedule, inconsistent access to equipment — and replacing them with daily, focused sessions. But improving your score isn’t just about rowing more; it’s about rowing with intent across a few specific training qualities.

The biggest lever for most rowers, especially those self-coaching while traveling, is technique under fatigue. It’s easy to maintain good form on a fresh, easy piece and fall apart the moment intensity rises — and that breakdown is exactly where wasted watts and slower splits come from. Spend part of every session deliberately holding your technical cues (drive sequence, connection at the catch, ratio of drive to recovery) at increasing intensities, rather than just accumulating meters.

Structurally, a productive trip-length block usually mixes three things: aerobic volume (longer, steady pieces to build your base engine), interval work at or near race pace (shorter, harder pieces with rest, which is where most score improvements actually come from), and dedicated technical pieces at lower intensity where your only job is moving well. Trying to hit max effort every single session is a common mistake that leads to plateaus or burnout rather than progress — the aerobic and technical work is what makes the hard pieces effective.

If you’re training somewhere without a coach physically present, filming your pieces (even just on your phone, propped up to the side) and reviewing your form against your own cues is a simple way to self-correct between sessions, which matters more than most rowers expect when there’s no one else watching your stroke.