Lower 2k from 7:35 to 6:50

Question
QUESTION: Hi
Going to be a sompomore next year
I am 180lbs and 5'9 and growing I have been rowing for 1.5 years and 4 season I just PRed today with a 7:35. Alot better than the 8:15 I had this time last year.I am hoping to make the top boat at my school next year and for that I would need to drop my erg to a 6:50 by next February. I was wondering How I can drop my score.I have talked to some people who say that I need to strength my core and to stretch more and I'm hoping that can help me drop 10 seconds also I was very tired today when I PRed. I had rowed in the morning. I think that that I could get a 7:20 if I trained a little and did core and abs but how can I drop the last 30 second which are crusal.

ANSWER: Liam,
For starters, while being tired is awful for an erg test, there will always be some obstacle in your way ( sick, tired, dehydrated), so I wouldn't factor that one in. Dropping 45 seconds is incredibly difficult, and you have very little time to reach this. It will be really hard, but if you work hard and often, you may get the results you want. What you really need is to lift lots of heavy weights, because at this point you don't have the strength. I would lift weights ( heavier than you usually go to), I would do 1500's at goal, I would do 1k's at goal, and 500's at goal. Right now, I would start with 500's because you can probably hold your ending 2k goal for those. After that gets easy enough I would do 1k's, after that 1500's, and then a 2k. You should be doing about 4 of these pieces 3 times a week, and lifting  heavy weights and doing very difficult core the other days. And remember the goal of a workout isn't to make it as easy as possible, its to make everything you do hard, and if one weight station feels easy, make it harder for yourself.
Good luck Liam,
Annie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Do you have any recommendations for exercises both core and weight lifting

Answer
Liam,
The weight and core workouts will both be pretty lengthy and hard to explain, so I would look around on the internet to see if you find some to your liking, or ask your coach to write you some up, because he knows the gear you have at your shell house better than me.
Good luck
Annie