Client Highlight: Kenny McDonald

Kenny has done it again! This weekend Kenny set a world record in the 1 minute rowing erg race with a split of 1:20.3 in the men's light weight 50-55 year old category. Only a week earlier Kenny set the world record in the same event in the semi final, subsequently breaking his own world record yesterday, Saturday February 28th, 2026.

To top it off Kenny went on to win Gold in the 1k race for the same category! Speaking of his success from my programming, Kenny said:

Huge credit to Luke Smyth Fitness for his help and guidance for breaking this World Record at The World Indoor Rowing Championships. His knowledge has really helped me get an edge on my competition.

While working with Kenny we focused on making sure his metabolism was able to support max watts output across the durations of the events he had entered. This was key to his success as his engine needed to be able to support the strength and power his muscles were able to produce while racing. Three types of high intensity interval training sessions were used:

  • Sprint HIIT e.g. 30s on 15s off x10 x2 (rate of force development, neurological coordination at high rate)
  • Short HIIT e.g. 90s on 60s off x10 (anaerobic glycoloysis, lactate tolerance)
  • Long HIIT e.g. 5min on 5min off x6 (VO2max, cardiac function)

Shoutout to the team at HIIT Science for their extensive research on the best ways to implement HIIT! If you think you could benefit from this type of programming and training get in touch with me. Whether you're hitting a wall with your improvements, or reaching the limit of your capacity, I can help you unlock your metabolism for even more gains on the erg or on the water.

Congrats Kenny! Amazing efforts and well deserved!

Contact Luke for a Free Consultation

Thank you for your interest in Luke Smyth Fitness. I'm excited to hear from you and discuss how we can work together to achieve your athletic goals. together we will tackle your weaknesses, and develop your strengths.

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you unlock your full athletic potential. LET'S TRAIN SMART TOGETHER!

Whether you're looking to improve your rowing technique, enhance your strength and conditioning, or explore team programming options, I'm here to help. Feel free to reach out with any questions, enquiries or to schedule a consultation.

I'll respond to your message as soon as possible, typically within 24-48 hours.


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