TARGET · SCIENCE & METHOD

A benchmark is evidence of what you did, not a prediction of what you should do.

Rowing Target keeps the method deliberately simple: choose a recognised test, preserve the conditions that make the result comparable, use achieved pace as a reference, and analyse the pacing of the completed effort.

WHY BENCHMARKS WORK

Standardisation makes change easier to see.

Performance testing is useful when the task can be repeated with enough consistency that changes in the result are meaningful. The 2,000 m Concept2 time trial has demonstrated high repeatability in well-trained rowers, while broader research shows that reliability can vary with ergometer type and race distance.

Reliability of 2,000 m rowing performance Reliability by ergometer type and race distance

TARGET'S EVIDENCE RULES

Keep the comparison honest.

Same benchmark

Compare the same time or distance rather than converting different tests into a pretend equivalent result.

Same machine family

Keep the ergometer and measurement system attached to the result instead of assuming every watt is interchangeable.

Same rate constraint

A fixed-rate test is a different protocol from a free-rate maximal effort and should remain distinguishable.

Use achieved pace

The body-pace reference comes from a completed comparable result, not from an opaque prediction model.

Analyse execution

Opening, body and finish are reviewed separately so a PB and a pacing mistake do not get treated as the same signal.

Keep the result primary

The headline benchmark remains what the athlete actually achieved. Pacing analysis informs the next attempt; it does not rewrite the score.

PACING

A previous result is a sensible anchor because it is athlete-specific.

For a repeated benchmark, the average pace from a previous comparable result is a simple piece of personal evidence. Target can deliberately choose the latest attempt, best result in the last 12 months, all-time best or a specific result.

That reference is not treated as a physiological threshold or guaranteed future result. It is simply a pace the athlete has already demonstrated for that benchmark under comparable conditions.

2,000 M EXAMPLE

Successful pacing is usually controlled, not perfectly flat.

Analysis of successful 2,000 m rowing performances found a slightly faster opening sector followed by a more controlled middle rather than a continuously aggressive positive split. Rowing Target therefore separates launch, body and finish instead of prescribing one identical split for every block.

Pacing strategy in 2,000 m rowing