Most rowing training plans rely on indications of effort level to be used on the erg. These can be quite confusing to the beginner, so I’ve tabulated them below.
| Effort level | Approx. percentage of max. heart rate / % | How it feels |
|---|---|---|
| UT3 | <60 | Very easy, only putting light pressure down |
| UT2 | 60 | Comfortable. can hold a conversation at the same time |
| UT1 | 75 | Hard but maintainable. Breathing heavily, can talk in short bursts |
| AT | 85 | Short of breath, borderline uncomfortable |
| TR | 95 | Can only speak a few words, very uncomfortable to maintain |
| AN | 100 | Anaerobic. Only maintainable for short periods of time |
Differences in effort level definition
These definitions are based on the specific ones used by my club — other clubs’ definitions may vary slightly (as an example, this is not entirely consistent with the GB rowing team’s training matrix)