Can I Use the Maffetone Method to Help My Rowing?

The Maffetone Method builds aerobic fitness by training at a capped, fairly low heart rate. It came from running and triathlon coaching, but the idea carries over to rowing, where a big aerobic base underpins almost every distance. This guide explains the formula, shows how to use it on the erg or water, and is honest about where it stops being enough.

What the method says

Dr Phil Maffetone is a coach and doctor who has worked with endurance athletes, mainly runners and triathletes. His approach centres on doing most of your training below a “maximum aerobic function” (MAF) heart rate. The idea is to teach your body to rely more on fat and oxygen at moderate effort, so you can hold a steady pace for longer without drifting into hard, sugar-hungry work. In running that is often described as avoiding “the wall”, the point where fuel runs low and pace collapses.

The cost is pace. Training under the ceiling usually feels frustratingly slow at first, and many people abandon it because of that. A runner who normally jogs at six minutes per kilometre might need to slow noticeably to stay under the cap. Rowers see the same thing: the split you can hold at the cap is often well off what you would pull on a “normal” steady day.

The MAF 180 formula

The starting point is 180 minus your age. Maffetone then suggests adjustments:

• Subtract 10 if you are recovering from a major illness or operation, or take regular medication.
• Subtract 5 if you have had injuries, are returning to training, make no progress, or often get colds, flu or allergies.
• Leave it at 180 minus age if you have trained consistently, at least four times a week, for up to two years without those problems.
• Add 5 if you have trained for more than two years, with progress and no problems.

A worked example: a 40-year-old returning from a layoff takes 180 minus 40, which is 140, then subtracts 5 for the category above, giving 135. That is the upper limit. The working range sits about 10 beats below it, so 125 to 135 beats per minute.

Treat the number as a rough guide, not a precise measure. If you have a heart condition or take medication that affects heart rate, speak to your GP before using any heart rate target.

Applying it to rowing

1. Get a chest strap or other reliable monitor. Wrist sensors can lag during rowing.
2. Warm up for five to ten minutes, letting your heart rate climb gradually.
3. Row steadily with your heart rate between the bottom of your range and the ceiling. Keep the stroke rate low, around 18 to 20, with a long relaxed stroke.
4. If your heart rate creeps over, ease the pace rather than ignoring it.
5. Log average split, heart rate and stroke rate for each session.

At first your pace will be well under what you’re used to. That is normal. Over weeks, the pace you can hold at the same heart rate should improve, and that improvement is the point of the method. Our heart rate zones for rowing guide explains how this fits with conventional zones, and how much steady state is enough covers volume.

The MAF test

Maffetone suggests a regular test. In running it is several miles on a track at your ceiling heart rate, with the time for each mile recorded. For rowing, a practical version is a set distance, such as 5,000m, at your ceiling heart rate, repeated about once a month under similar conditions.

Compare average split, and also look at whether your splits drift slower in the later kilometres. If the average improves over several months, your aerobic fitness is likely improving. If it stalls, check sleep, stress, illness, hydration and whether your recovery is keeping up. Our guide to marginal gains for rowing shows how to work through small changes like these. Weather and room temperature shift heart rate, so look at the trend rather than a single result. For another number to track, our page on Olympic rowers’ resting heart rate explains how to measure your own.

Is it enough for rowing?

Not on its own. A 2k is raced at an intensity that low-heart-rate work doesn’t train directly, and the method’s running data is not rowing data. Maffetone’s own published race-prediction tables come from his athletes, not from controlled studies of rowers, so don’t treat them as a guarantee. A sensible plan uses the aerobic base for most sessions and adds structured hard work such as intervals, particularly as a test approaches. See how to do a 2k erg test for how to prepare.

If your main events are long, such as 5k, 10k or marathon pieces, the method fits better. If you race mostly short distances, you need to train both the aerobic and the anaerobic systems, see the difference between training for 5km and 2km.

Should you try it?

It suits you if you tend to row every session too hard and plateau, or if you’re coming back from time off. It suits you less if you only have a few hours a week and need to race soon. Try it for a block of eight to twelve weeks, test every four weeks, and judge by your results. Our guide to setting rowing goals that last shows how to plan a block like this and measure your progress. If your heart rate behaves oddly or you feel unwell, stop and see your GP.