How to Use ErgManiac AI Training Plans
ErgManiac can generate a personalized training plan based on your fitness data, goals, and schedule. Instead of copying a generic plan from the internet or guessing what to do each day, the AI builds something specific to where you are right now and where you want to be. Here is how to use it.
How the AI Plan Works
The AI plan is not a static template. It pulls from your workout history to understand your current fitness, your strengths, and how much volume you can handle. Log at least 5-10 workouts before generating a plan so the AI has enough data.
Step 1: Navigate to Training Plans
Go to your ErgManiac dashboard and click Training Plans in the navigation menu. Then click Generate New Plan.
Step 2: Choose Your Goal
The AI asks what you are training for:
- 2000m time trial: Build toward a peak 2K test on a specific date
- General fitness: Balanced improvement across endurance, power, and consistency
- Weight loss: Higher volume, lower intensity to maximize calorie burn
- Half marathon / 10K: Focus on pacing and endurance
- Custom distance: Set any target and the plan optimizes for it
If applicable, set a target date so the AI can periodize your training with a proper taper.
Step 3: Set Your Availability
Tell the AI how many days per week you can row. Be honest. A 6-day plan is useless if you can realistically row 4 days. The AI adjusts workout distribution, volume, and intensity based on your available days.
You can also mark specific days as rest days. If you never row on Fridays, say so. The plan will work around it.
Step 4: Review the Generated Plan
The AI produces a week-by-week plan. Each session includes workout type, distance/duration, target pace, stroke rate, zone, and a brief explanation of its purpose.
Review the plan and make sure it looks realistic. You can adjust individual workouts before accepting.
Step 5: Follow the Plan
Once you accept the plan, it appears on your dashboard as a calendar view. Each day shows what workout is scheduled. After you complete a session, log it as usual (photo scan or manual entry). ErgManiac automatically matches the logged workout to the planned session and marks it complete.
If you miss a day, the plan adapts. It does not just shift everything forward by a day. The AI considers what you missed and adjusts upcoming sessions to compensate. Missed an easy session? No big deal. Missed a key interval workout? The AI might reschedule a similar session later in the week.
Step 6: When to Retest
For goal-specific plans, the AI schedules a retest every 4-6 weeks. Row the test distance at full effort and log it. The AI automatically detects the test, updates your zones, and recalibrates target paces for the next training block.
If your retest shows improvement, paces get faster. If you are flat, the AI adjusts volume and intensity to address what is holding you back.
Tips for Getting the Most from AI Plans
Log every workout. The AI learns from what you actually do, not just what it prescribes. If you go off-plan and do your own workout, log it anyway. The AI factors it in.
Do not cherry-pick sessions. Skipping easy UT2 days and only doing hard intervals undermines the entire plan structure.
Trust the easy days. If the AI prescribes 2:10 and it feels slow, that is by design. Row the prescribed pace.
Be patient. Fitness gains on the erg take weeks to show up in your numbers. The first 2-3 weeks of a plan might not produce visible improvement. Stick with it. Weeks 4-8 are where breakthroughs happen.
Regenerate when life changes. If your schedule changes significantly, generate a new plan with updated availability rather than forcing the old one.
The AI training plan is a tool, not a contract. Use it as your guide, adjust when life demands it, and keep logging.
