...worked on sprints - 6 sets of 5 x 15 seconds with 15 sec rest. Hopefully this will help catching runs when I get to Hawaii. I used to do this session quite often when I was training for sprint racing, but not much in the last decade or more.
Then, in the comments section, he added this:
I used to do several sets of 15 x 15 early in my career, but found the intensity dropped significantly. I get much better results with 3-6 sets of 5 x 15. Limiting the number keeps the intensity much higher. Sometimes less is more!
I thought this workout seemed beautifully simple and decided to incorporate it into my training for the OICK race. I went to the river today unsure of how many sets I would do; I've been feeling tired the last few days, probably from traveling and working on my building, and my back is still ailing. I figured I would decide once I had gotten started and knew how I was feeling in the boat. I ended up doing four sets.
In each set, the first sprint felt good--almost effortless. By the third sprint, the lactic acid was settling in and I was really feeling it. I got through the last several sprints in each set by lowering the stroke rate a bit and focusing on keeping my shoulders relaxed and rotating fully and pushing the boat forward with my feet. Greg didn't mention how much recovery to take between sets; I took five minutes so I would be good and ready to go hard again each time.
After four sets I was tired but felt good about what I'd done. I was especially pleased with how smooth and fluid that first sprint of each set felt. I've focused on speed more this season than ever before, and it's nice to know that's paying off.
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