Is the Pete Plan good for beginners?

There's a 24-week version written for beginners and intermediates, so it's a sensible start. Just keep the long rows easy. Going too hard on those is where a lot of people come unstuck.

Can I use your free tools with the Pete Plan or Wolverine Plan?

Yes. The zones calculator and the Grey-Zone Check work with any plan, and they're a good way to keep your easy days honest.

Can I switch from a free plan to coaching later?

Of course. Bring your logbook. Knowing what you've already done helps us build what comes next.

Coach or free plan?

Do you need a coach, or will a free plan do?

Honestly? Sometimes a free plan is enough. The Pete Plan and the Wolverine Plan have helped loads of people get fitter and faster on the erg, and they cost nothing.

So if you're thinking about paying for coaching, it's worth knowing what you'd actually be paying for.

What the free plans are

The Pete Plan started on the Concept2 UK forum in the early 2000s. The original repeats a three-week cycle of six sessions a week, built around regular racing and testing, and there's a gentler 24-week version for beginners with three core sessions a week and two optional ones.

The Wolverine Plan was written by Mike Caviston for the University of Michigan women's team in 2001, and it's a demanding one. Both were written for everyone, so neither knows anything about you.

When a free plan is enough

If your week's fairly predictable and you're good at keeping your easy sessions easy, a free plan is a great place to start. Follow it properly and you'll probably get quicker.

Check your easy sessions are actually easy →

Where a fixed plan struggles

A plan on paper can't see that you slept badly, that work went mad this week, or that your easy row was quicker than it should've been. That last one's the big one. A lot of people drift into the grey zone on easy days: too hard to recover from, too easy to make them faster.

Fixed plans also keep going whatever happens. Ill, injured or away for a week? The sheet doesn't move, so you either skip chunks or try to catch up, and catching up is how people get hurt.

What coaching adds

Coaching isn't a better spreadsheet. It's someone reading your sessions, spotting what's actually holding you back and changing the plan when your results or your life say it should.

There's the accountability too. Knowing someone's looking at your week makes it a lot easier to keep turning up, and turning up week after week is what makes you faster.

Built around your week: Free plan: No; Core: Yes; Coached: Yes
Changes when you're ill, busy or tired: Free plan: No; Core: From your feedback; Coached: Yes, by your coach
Someone reads your sessions: Free plan: No; Core: Checked weekly; Coached: Every session
Stroke video reviews: Free plan: No; Core: No; Coached: Yes
Messages with your coach: Free plan: No; Core: No; Coached: Unlimited
Cost: Free plan: Free; Core: £165 a month; Coached: £295 a month

	Free plan	Core	Coached
Built around your week	No	Yes	Yes
Changes when you're ill, busy or tired	No	From your feedback	Yes, by your coach
Someone reads your sessions	No	Checked weekly	Every session
Stroke video reviews	No	No	Yes
Messages with your coach	No	No	Unlimited
Cost	Free	£165 a month	£295 a month

See all coaching options →

If money's the thing

Coaching isn't cheap, and I'd rather you trained well on your own than stretched for it. My free tools will tell you whether your easy sessions are actually easy, give you your zones and plan your race for any distance. The Playbook gives you the keys to train well on your own.

Free rowing tools →The Playbook →

Questions people ask me

Ready for a plan that knows you?

Most athletes start with Coached: your own coach, a plan built around your week, and someone in your corner.

See Coached See Core