The Top 3 Cardio Workouts for Rowing

Good rowing fitness needs two things: a big aerobic base and the ability to produce short, hard efforts. These three sessions cover both. Warm up for 10 minutes before each, and cool down afterwards. If you have a health condition or are new to hard exercise, check with your GP before you start.

1. Anaerobic sprints

When you sprint, your body cannot supply oxygen fast enough, so it relies more on its anaerobic energy systems. These sessions train that ability. They must be short, since hard efforts cannot be held for long. Expect to be done in 10 minutes or so of work.

Pick a level and do the sprints on the erg:

Level	Hard	Easy	Repeats	Work time
Beginner	10 seconds	20 seconds	10	5 minutes
Intermediate	20 seconds	40 seconds	10	10 minutes
Advanced	20 seconds	20 seconds	12	8 minutes

Row the hard efforts with good technique, at a high rate (often 30 or more) and the easy ones at a gentle pace. The last sprint should look like the first. If your pace drops sharply halfway through, lengthen the easy time or cut the number of repeats. An air bike also works for this kind of session if you want some variety. For more sprint ideas, see 5 indoor rowing sprints every rower trains for and rowing machine workout for anaerobic performance.

2. Aerobic base training

Aerobic capacity is how well your heart, lungs and muscles use oxygen. It improves with long, steady, well-paced rowing, done consistently over weeks. There is no shortcut. Think of this as the foundation that everything else sits on. See all you need to know about aerobic capacity.

A simple six-week build, with three steady sessions and one longer session each week:

Week	Three steady sessions	Longer session
1	30 min	40 min
2	35, 35, 30 min	45 min
3	35 min	50 min
4	40 min	50 min
5	45, 40, 45 min	55 min
6	45 min	60 min

Row at an easy, conversational pace: you should be able to say a sentence without gasping. A stroke rate of 18 to 22 is typical. Take a rest day between sessions. A worked sum for week 1: three sessions of 30 minutes plus one of 40 gives 130 minutes. By week 6 you are at 195 minutes. That jump is gradual, with roughly 5 to 12 per cent added per week, which keeps the risk of overuse down.

If you are new, our first month on the erg guide is a gentler start. For heart rate guidance, see heart rate zones for rowing.

3. Rowing-specific intervals

Two sets that suit the erg:

30/30 sprints. Warm up for 10 minutes. Then row 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, five times. Rest for a couple of minutes. Repeat for a second block of five. Pace yourself so you can keep the same effort through the set. A stroke rate around 28 and strong leg drive suit this session. Some rowers add a short bodyweight block between sets, such as 20 air squats, but it is optional and the rowing is the point.

Pyramid. Warm up for 10 minutes. Row 1 minute hard with 1 minute rest, then 2 and 2, 3 and 3, 4 and 4, then back down: 3, 2, 1. Keep your stroke rate steady, in the high 20s to low 30s, and your effort strong but controlled so that the last interval matches the first. Check your watts or split per 500 m to keep it even. This is an intermediate session, and it looks easier on paper than it feels, because the rests are as long as the work. The total work is 20 minutes and the total rest 16.

Both are on the Concept2 monitor under the interval menus. See rowing machine interval training.

Putting it together

For most rowers, a good week might include two steady sessions, one longer session and one interval session. Our training plans lay this out week by week. Leave at least a day between hard sessions.

Common mistakes

• Doing every session hard, so none are done well.
• Skipping the warm-up before sprints.
• Cutting rests short so the quality falls.
• Using a very high damper setting. See drag factor explained.
• Adding time and intensity in the same week.

Stop if you feel dizzy, have chest pain or sharp pain in a joint, and seek advice if it persists.