Joining a club is a great way to train for a new sport because you can rely on the club to set your training sessions and you get the opportunity to test your progress in competition settings.
However, you might not always have access to an indoor rowing club and you have to plan your training on your own. I have already covered the basics of indoor rowing technique. Following on from that, this post will help you to structure your rowing training and get the best out of the ergo.
But before going into the workouts, you need to know how to set up the rower correctly and how to measure your efforts effectively.
Setting the damper correctly
The damper is the lever at the side of the flywheel with positions marked 1 to 10. You’ll often see people in the gym get on the rower, crank the damper up to 10 and start rowing. Actually this is not really what the damper is for, and higher resistance is not always better.
To understand this, think in terms of real boats. A setting of 10 is like a big heavy boat: it has the potential to cover a given distance faster than a lighter boat, but only if the rower is big and powerful enough to drive it. A smaller and lighter rower will do better in a lighter boat and will be able to cover the distance faster than they would in the heavy boat.
A real racing boat is equivalent to a damper position of 4. Rowers who race on water will do the majority of their training at this setting to replicate the river conditions. For indoor rowing, the most efficient damper position for you will depend on your weight, level of conditioning and what kind of workout you are doing e.g. sprint or endurance.
To set the right damper position, you need to test your ‘drag factor’ by rowing a few fairly hard strokes on the machine. The drag factor will display on the machine as a number between 100 and 150. The British Amateur Rowing Association has a list of recommended drag factors as follows:
- Lightweight (around 61.5 kg or less) women performance athletes: 125
- Heavyweight women performance athletes: 130
- Lightweight (around 75kg or less) men performance athletes: 135
- Heavyweight men performance athletes: 140
For normal trainees, I would knock 5 off these recommended drag factors. For example, if you are a lightweight woman doing a 5k row, go for a drag factor of 120.
How to set drag factor
Which buttons to press depends on what model of rowing machine you are using. On the Concept2 PM2 machine pictured below, press the RESET and READY buttons simultaneously. The drag factor will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. On the Concept2 PM3, drag factor is one of the menu options. Row around 10 strokes reasonably hard and adjust the damper lever to get your desired drag factor. For most of my training sessions, I tend to go for a drag factor of 120 – which for me translates to a damper position of 5.
Using Split time
When I first started using the rower in the gym, like many people the numbers I used to track progress were distance, time or calories. These were things I understood – or thought I did. Then someone explained split time to me, which is the number labelled av/500m. This is short for “average time to row 500m” and is the standard method of measuring pace in rowing.
So if you row 2,000m in 8 minutes, your av/500m split time is 2 minutes over that distance. However, at any one point in time you may have been rowing a bit slower or a bit faster than your average. You would probably have started slower and got much faster in the last few hundred metres.
The rower’s readout can give you both your current split time and your average split over the distance. In the picture, my current split is the figure of 1:54 in the middle of the display. The lower that number goes, the faster my ‘boat’ is moving. However, I can only row that sort of split for a couple of minutes, so that would be a sprint for me.
Split time is used obsessively by on-water rowers and people who compete because it gives you the most important piece of information: how fast the boat is travelling. I use split time as my main benchmark, but it is acceptable to utilise calories, heartrate or other measurements as well. Crossfit, for example, often makes use of calories as a rowing measurement in its workouts.
Choosing stroke rate
Stroke rate is measured in “strokes per minute” or SPM. A high stroke rate, e.g. 35 SPM is not necessarily the most effective way to make the boat go faster, especially at medium to long distances. Many workouts will have a prescribed stroke rate range, such as 22-24 SPM.
Stroke rate can also be a matter of personal style or technique. For instance, I tend to row at a lower stroke rate than many lightweight women because I have powerful legs due to my weight training background. So I give an almighty shove with my legs, which generates a lot of power but means I move a little slower.
Standard distances
The most common race distance in rowing is 2,000m. Elite heavyweight men will do this in around 5 and a half to 6 minutes, elite heavyweight women in around 6 and a half minutes. Mere mortals will achieve around 8 minutes, or half a minute either side depending on sex, weight and fitness.
The 5,000m and 10,000m are common long distances. Popular sprint distances include 250m, 500m and 750m.
Putting it all together
All these settings and numbers might sound rather technical, but once you start rowing it is much easier to understand how all these factors work in tandem because you can see the effect on the computer readout in real time.
For any distance, it is important to pace yourself and not go off too quickly. It is very easily done as when you take your first few strokes on the rower, the wheel feels very light. Be warned, this feeling does not last!
For long distances such as 5,000m, it is advisable to use a slow stroke rate of 20-24 SPM until the last 1,000m or 500m when you can up the rate.
It is also good practice to pick a modest split time and try to stick to it consistently; for example trying to keep to a split of 2:15 for the whole distance, or upping your split every 1,000m. This is trickier than it sounds and is important for good technique.
For sprint distances, it is fine to increase the stroke rate and the damper position as you are not rowing for very long. A 250m sprint will take most people a minute or less. Sprint distances are useful for interval training.
Sample workouts
To train for my first 2,000m race competing at womens lightweight, I used some of the following workouts:
1. Medium distance steady row
3,000m steady row, gradually increasing split as follows:
- First thousand metres @ 2:20 split, 22-24 SPM
- Second thousand metres @ 2:15 split, 22-24 SPM
- Third thousand metres @ 2:10 split, 26-27 SPM
- Last 250-500m, push as much as you feel able
To replicate this workout, choose your own split but keep the SPM the same.
This kind of session trains you to row at a consistent, steady pace. It’s important to learn how to row at a steady pace because it is so easy to go out too fast and fade halfway through. The first thousand metres will feel very easy but you will start to feel it after the halfway point.
2. Long distance steady row
5,000m or more steady row at a consistent split. This is about getting your base distance in so that you can work on technique and endurance.
To find your steady pace, row 5,000m in any way you can. It will probably take you somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes. When you have finished, note your average split time over the entire duration. The next time you row 5,000m, try to keep to that average split time for the duration.
3. Intervals
1000m or 750m intervals off 4 minutes rest. Aim for a medium stroke rate of around 26-28 SPM and try to get faster with each interval. 2-4 intervals is sufficient when you first start doing these.
4. Sprints
It is useful to do the occasional sprint (especially against a friend) to get the feel of going flat out for a short distance.
Warm up and warm down
As with any workout, it is good practice to warm up and warm down. Spend at least 5 minutes on each. You can also use the stationery bike or cross trainer to warm up and down.
Further reading
Explanation of drag factor from Crossfit forum
Recommended drag factor settings from the Concept2 website
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had a little rant there.
Excellent job.
We have one rower in our gym and until I started using it, it was covered in dust. It is a great workout in a short amount of time.
Thank you very much for explaining proper technique and the best ways to use it. I won’t feel like such a klutz as I’m using it.
Love the blog. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Rick, I’m stoked you like it!
I used to think the rower was a bit dull when I first tried it, but that was because I had no idea what I was doing or what to look for. Now I can’t take my eyes of the damn display, chasing those numbers!
Just wanted to say thanks for this post. I hadn’t realised I had no idea how to properly train on the rower up until now, and like others have always thought that 10 on the lever must be hardest/best but having done all your recommended tests to find my correct damper setting etc, I worked a lot harder this morning at a five than I ever did at a 10. Had to stop every 1000 metres to get my breath back. Good stuff!
@ Gale: That’s so great to hear. I know where you’re coming from as I used to be in the same position!
thank goodness someone wrote an article about the proper use of a rowing machine! It was very helpful and reassuring. thanks.
Cheers Lindsey, glad you like it!
I wonder if you might be able to offer some advice. Yesterday on the rower, doing a 5,000 steady row, I noticed that my stroke rate was quite high (36/37) while I struggled to keep my split time around 2:20. What might I be doing wrong?
@ Gale: wow, that is a high stroke rate, especially if you kept it up for 5000m. I just did a 5000m row tonight and I kept my stroke rate at 24 SPM until the last 500m. I don’t think I went above 30/31 SPM the whole time.
The problem with a high stroke rate is that it is difficult to get a powerful leg push in. Without that power from the legs, you are not going to get your split down.
So rather than moving backwards and forwards quickly (which encourages pulling with the arms), concentrate on pushing with the legs and maintain a steady stroke rate around 24 SPM. This should enable you to bring your split time down substantially.
If you haven’t seen it already, have a look at my technique article and see if there are areas you need to work on. A steady 5000m row is a good opportunity to work on technique.
http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2008/03/indoor-rowing-technique/
[...] out http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2008/03/indoor-rowing-training/ for how to train with the indoor rower, including ways of measuring your rowing and using the [...]
I just came across your website today. Great resource. I have never rowed before, but a friend of mine is opening a gym with these same machines. We were in today as he is setting things up and the two of us sat down for a “row-off.”
I pretty much beat my head against the wall for a 18:50:05 5000m race. I look forward to training with rowing more as I felt this was an awesome workout. Thanks for posting this info.
Jaime
Cheers Jaime, and well done on the rowing. That’s a very decent effort.
Hey thanks for the advice it is difficult to find info on good rowing machine workouts. Just bought a rower. used them in the gym before though…you can’t beat them!
Cheers, I wish you joy of your new rower, Rob!
Extremely helpful info – I have entered a 2000m lightweight indoor race to be held in about 5 weeks and all I have been doing (after running and a bit on the bike) is 2000m on a setting of about 8 and getting tired at 1000m.
Plus I was already tired to start with as I had trained already for about an hour.
Had not a clue about drag factor, splits, stokes per minute or specific training to get faster like intervals, sprints etc and longer rows for endurance.
Thanks heaps.
@ Eleena: glad you found this helpful. I certainly benefitted from people helping me when I first started. That first sample workout that I posted, the 3000m row which gets a bit faster every 1000m, is a great session; I found it incredibly useful in training for the 2k.
I am 55 year old female and started rowing when I had a shin splint from running. I was not sure what distance to row, but have been doing 5000k in 23min 45 sec with a split of 2.22. Ithink I will try reducing damper as like others thought the higher the better, but will do the drag test.
Very useful advice, thank you
Good luck with the rowing Katharine! You can approach rowing in a similar way to running, i.e. do a variety of different distances for different training effects. So you can do intervals for fitness and speed, long slow distance for endurance and so on.
I suppose cranking up the resistance on the rower would be a bit like running in a weighted vest. It does have a training effect but is not something to be done all the time!
Just found your page and now finally understand the concept of drag factors – thank you! I have been indoor rowing for 6 months now and am now thinking of joining a club. But I am a bit embarrassed they might laugh me out of the club as I may be a bit too short (I am 5’5) for rowing or not fit enough (I can do 2000m in 9 mins)… what do you think?
@ Simmy: it’s great that you want to join a club – definitely the best way to take your rowing to the next level. You are certainly fit enough and in any case your fitness will probably skyrocket as a result. You’re not too short either. I’m shorter than you and I do okay!
Good luck!
I am doing a sponsored row to raise money for my son’s karate club using my own Body Sculpture magnetic rowing machine which has none of the dampers, split times or distances your ones seem to. My plan is to do 9999 strokes in as short a time as possible. Currently I stroke between 35 and 40 per minute with the higher rate for sessions lasting between 45-60 minutes and so far have done a maximum of 1.5 hours (3276 reps). Is this enough training to complete my challenge or should I aim for more? Any advice, tips or advice gratefully recieved. Stuart.
Stuart, good luck with that, what an endeavour!
I’ve never done such long distance rowing myself. I guess it’s a bit like running a marathon – find a pace you can comfortably work at and train perhaps up to two thirds of the target distance/strokes beforehand. Marathon runners (especially first timers) will train up to 18-20 miles before the race itself. First timers are advised not to train more than 3 hours (whatever distance that is for the individual) so perhaps that would be applicable in your case too.
During training and the event itself, make sure you’ve got hydration and nutrition to hand as well.
Some way to go then. Thanks for the input. I’m off to do another long haul. All the best Stuart.
You’ll get there!
Hi (again),
I followed your link to here… from your technique article.
Again – great info and very helpful.
Looks like my body knew what to do anyhow (in terms of technique – it felt natural and the SPM I feel happy at 20 – 25) and find myself going quicker and but not in the 30′s and then temper it back.
In my last post I mentioned a reebok magnetic rower… which I bought eyes wide open (I needed a quiet rower as it is in the bedroom adjacent to 2 littles ones snoring away). I already have run out of techno stuff on this machine and should have held out longer and bought the Concept rower (selling 2nd hand on ebay for £200 ish). Ahh well… maybe the Reebok will be traded in before too long.
Your point about resistance levels is good and I fully understand & maybe going “too hard” at it with the maxed out #8 on the Reebok. I can only do 5 mins at this level (SPM 20 – 25) before my heart rate monitor slaps me around the face. Every 5 mins I rest for 1 or 2 min (drinking water like a fish) or so and then carry on. So my half hour run takes me 40 mins inc rest and I cover only 2 miles(ish).
I think it means I’m unfit… BUT getting fitter
Thanks onc again for your input.
Stu
Sounds like it’s all good.
You could also try going less hard (i.e. with less resistance) but going for longer without stopping. Perhaps you could do this every other session, which would improve your endurance and fitness.
Hi,
I have myself just bought a Reebok Series 3 rower like Stu above. Ive recently had shin splints through road running and decided to try rowing. Im happy with my technique after studying various videos.
The rower itself has 8 settings. 1 being lowest resistance and 8 being highest. Im mainly looking to loose weight around my waist, hips and chest area.
What resistance would you suggest I start on? And how long should I row for to get the best results?
Hi Dan,
Like running, a variety of sessions is good for weight loss and fitness, for example:
- Interval session, such as 250m or 500m intervals with 2-4 minutes rest in between (don’t forget to warm up and cool down as well)
- Steady row, such as 2000m or 3000m, aiming for a challenging but maintainable pace, getting faster towards the end
Check out the sample workouts in the article above for some more ideas.
As far as resistance is concerned, you should pick the resistence that is appropriate for the training session. So short, sharp bursts can be done at a higher resistence than long endurance sessions.
Don’t forget that your stroke rate is as important as the resistance. For instance, you could crank the resistance up really high making you put more effort into each stroke, but this could make your stroke rate slower which might reduce your speed overall.
Hi,
Thanks for the drag info and the technique advice.
I purchased a Concept 2 Rower years ago and only recently decided that I should pull it out of the garage and use it to get in better shape! I recently joined the Row Pro site and upgraded to a PM3 monitor and have begun rowing in a moderately competitive setting. Great blog and info! Thanks.
Cheers Al!
Never knew or used the drag factor setting on the C2, useful to know, always used to just flick the clutch to 5.
This is a useful & instructive resource; it’s infuriating to see supposedly clued up gym PTs watching their clients produce ridiculous rates of short, choppy strokes that never even get the fan spun up!
Yep, I’m always surprised by the lack of knowledge of gym staff in this area. Surely it only takes 5 minutes to explain?
I am looking for a little bit of advice. My 2k time is about 9:30 right now on a good day. I row competitively and my dream would be to get down to around a 7 minute 2k. I work out on a C2 everyday, but my time is not decreasing. What would you suggest to help me get down to my 7 minute dream? Thanks for the help, your article was quite helpful!
Maddy, I’d basically say the same as I said in the article above. Joining a club will be good for you, if there is one near you. Training with other people is a great way to improve. Otherwise the sample workouts I list above are all good, especially that first session.
You probably don’t need to work out every day. Three quality sessions per week would be better than a mediocre session every day.
Fantastic site, really informative. I have started rowing at the gym for about 6 weeks and I am doing 10000m in 44min damper 10 split with a stroke rate of 34 -35. After reading this I might tamper with the damper a wee bit and see what happens. I think my stroke rate is so high because I have no one to judge it against and therefore I just go for it. Cheers again, great site. Toots
Cheers Toots, good luck with your training!
Interesting article. I have a question. I row every day ( I have a Kettler Favorit)
I do this for 40 mins at a steady 18 SPM resulting in 3 kms and change at the end of my workout. I put quite a lot of resistance in my machine (to those familiar with the Kettler Favorit it is at the end of the first group of upper “stripes” on the oar levers.
I row as an aerobic exercise /calorie burning and muscle toning, (I do not want to grow muscle). Is this correct or would it be better to lower the resistance and increase the SPM?
Thanks in advance to your response.
Paul
Hi Paul,
If you are interested in calorie burning, I would alternate your long 40 minute workouts with some high intensity intervals, as you will get a greater fitness/calorie burn effect from shorter but more intense sessions.
Try doing 500m intervals with 5 minutes rest between intervals. This is a tough workout!
You can also try your suggested option of lowering the resistance and increasing SPM to 24-25.
Hi Gubernatrix:
Thanks for your response. Good suggestion. What I may do is alternate 3 days of the 500 intervals with 3 days of the 40 min higher resistance just for muscle toning. I am in decent shape really, (5.11 170 lbs, 42 years old), but burning additional calories is always good ! I wish I had more time to alternate some training with machines at the gym, but that’s why I love rowing so much, a very complete workout. I may add a few abs on the interval day. Lastly, do you suggest to do 6 x 500 meter intervals to reach the 3km mark?
Thanks once again so much for your response and valued advice.
Do whatever you can handle Paul. If you are really going all out on the 500m intervals then 3 or 4 are pretty punishing. I’d start with 4, and then increase to 5 or 6 after a few weeks. What’s important is the intensity during the 500s – quality over quantity!
I have been doing 6 x 5 mins set at a steady 23 SPM. I end at 600 meters each, resting 4 mins in between. Nice workout ! I lowered the resistance a bit from my usual 40 min continuous. I enjoy alternating each day the sets and the 40 min one.
Let’s see if at some point I can turn the 5 mins into 3 x 10 mins sets.
Thanks again.
Paul
Good info, thanks for it! I’ve been using rowers steadily at school for about 3-4 months now. Although I never knew what what numbers were referred to as, I assumed that big number in the corner that sat between 22 and 26 was probably my strokes per minute.
And I am happy to say for the first 5000m run today I had a split time of 2:03 holding about a average of 23-24 SPM.
Anyhow, thanks.
Thank you for this post and all of the comments! This is the most useful information I have come across on rowing. I started rowing because my husband purchased a Concept rower and reccomended me giving it a try. I used to distance run but cannot take the “pounding” on my shins anymore.
I beat my 3000m time today for the first time. I have much work to do but I am more excited now that I finally understand some of the dynamics and training methods. Our 3 children are also getting excited and taking their turns rowing.
Some comments I hope will be useful. The damper lever or resistance lever on the side, people always set this too high. The Olympic team row at a setting of 4. With the rower its how hard you pull back on the handle not the damper setting that makes the difference. If you are on a concept2 rower select drag factor and row hard if the number is higher than 120 the damper is too high drop down to 3 or 4 and try again 100/120 is about right for most reasonably fit people.
Try to row at a lower stroke rate to build power endurance e.g. 18 or 20 strokes per minute at a split time of 2.00, it also sorts out your technique do this for an hour or longer if you can.
Alternate between anerobic interval workouts of 10, 20, 30 ,40 seconds at a 1.30 split.
Also longer aerobic interval sessions of 400m at a 1.42 split up to 2,000m at a 1.50 split with rest intervals between of say 1 minute between. You might want to put a bucket next to the rower for some of them though.
Try tabata sessions as well.
The key is to have a good technique as you can hurt yourself. When you are on the indoor rower the chain should be level/smooth all the time and not jumping around if it is you probably have the damper set too high and are wasting effort.
Unfortunatly most machines in Gyms are normally wrecked, I dont know why but they are never maintained. Indoor rowing is a great sport as weill with the various events around the country
Hello,
I have recently taking up rowing in the gym, and loving it. But i seems to do something wrong posturewise, as every time after the training, my neck hurts. I’ve asked for an instruction by a guy in the gym, but he says my movement was fine. Have you any idea what it could be?
Lizzy.
Hi Lizzy,
It’s really difficult to say without seeing you row. There isn’t anything about rowing in particular that would make your neck hurt. You should be looking straight ahead at all times, keeping your back flat, not too rounded over. Make sure you don’t tip your head back and keep your shoulders down, not hunched up.
Hi,
My sport is Kettlebell Lifting and consist of a 10 minute performance set in competition. Just purchased a Concept 2 and can’t find much info on how many minutes per work out and how many days per week to get better conditioned for my sport. Don’t want to over train. Any suggestions ? Mix up interval training with distance for instance ? (I lift 3 days a week.)
Kind regards,
Mark
Yep, if you are rowing to improve performance in your sport then think about the metabolic demands of the sport and train accordingly. So your suggestion of combining interval training with endurance sounds sensible. It also depends where you are weak – is it your endurance that suffers, or your power or overall fitness? Answer this question for yourself and you will know where to put your efforts. As for frequency, 2-3 times a week should be enough.
Another tip to improve power is to use a low stroke rate (18-22 spm), and really try to use your legs in the stroke. This replicates the demands of the jerk. You could try rowing a ‘normal’ 500m at your usual stroke rate, then rest, then do a 500m with the slow stroke rate but try to achieve the same distance, or as close to it as you can.
very very informative!
By far the best explanation of indoor rowing training yet read. Thank you.
Nice of you to say so!
Excellent article thanks. I frequent a large chain of gyms where the PTs know little about the rowing machines except to tell their victims to row for 2 minutes & move along to another machine. I love the rower because my knees give me a bit of grief & it’s a great way to get an intence workout. I am 54 weigh 94kg & am 191cm. I currently row 3 times a week for 1 hour with a target distance of 14065m (being 1/3 of a marathon). Can you suggest what other training I can do to increase the distance rowed in 1 hour.
I recommend interval training as a way to increase your speed – see the end of the article above for some ideas.