How to Row Faster: What Affects Your Speed

Boat speed or erg split comes down to how much force you apply per stroke, how efficiently you apply it, how often you stroke, and how long you can keep it up.

Technique comes first

Good technique means sequencing the stroke well: legs drive first, then the body swings, then the arms finish. The handle should travel in a smooth line, with arms straight and relaxed until the legs have done most of their work. Opening the back early, shooting the slide (letting the seat run ahead of the hands) and snatching at the catch all waste energy. Check yourself against our common technique faults.

A short checklist for each stroke:

• Catch: shins vertical, arms straight, back firm, ready to apply force at once.
• Drive: push with the legs, keep the arms straight, then swing the body and draw the arms.
• Finish: legs flat, body slightly back, hands at the lower ribs, elbows past the body.
• Recovery: hands away, body over, then slide up at a controlled speed.

Body position

A tall, strong posture gives you leverage. Hinge from the hips, keep your chest up, and avoid slumping at the finish. Keep the shoulders down and relaxed, and rotate from the hips rather than twisting at the shoulders. A stable core lets the legs’ power travel to the handle; our guide to building a stronger core for rowing covers the basics, and five ways to improve your rowing posture gives quick fixes.

Power

Most of the drive comes from the legs, so leg strength matters. Well-taught strength work such as squats and deadlifts can help; see strength training for rowing and how to build strength in your legs for rowing. Apply force quickly at the catch and keep it through the middle of the stroke, then let the recovery be unhurried. Speed and power are linked: a rower who can apply force quickly for the whole drive will move the boat or flywheel faster than one who only has a high peak.

Speed, power and fitness

A good 2k needs a mix of aerobic fitness, power and the ability to tolerate discomfort. The bulk of your training should be steady aerobic rowing, with a smaller amount of harder intervals and race-pace work. Our 2k improvement guide explains this in detail.

Day	Session	Purpose
Monday	40 minutes steady, 18 to 20 spm	Aerobic base
Wednesday	6 x 500m at target 2k pace, 90 seconds rest	Race-pace practice
Thursday	Strength: squats, hinges, rows, core	Power
Saturday	5 x 4 minutes firm, 2 minutes easy	Aerobic power
Sunday	60 minutes steady	Endurance

Stroke rate

Higher rates leave less time per stroke, but only help if each stroke keeps its quality. Pace is power per stroke times strokes per minute. A rower who keeps good power at 30 strokes per minute will beat one who rushes to 34 with a weak drive. Learn which rate suits each distance; the stroke rate guide is a good start.

On the water

Boat class, crew size, crew weight and conditions all influence speed, as do blades and rigging. Larger boats such as eights are faster than single sculls, because the crew’s combined power outweighs the extra drag. In sculling, each rower holds two oars; in sweep rowing, each holds one longer oar. Rigging and blade choice matter, but far less than technique and fitness. See rowing boat types for how classes differ.

For beginners

Learn the sequence slowly at a low rate, and ask a coach to watch you. Video helps. Aim for consistency before speed, and work through your first month on the erg. Practise regularly: three short sessions a week teach more than one long one.

For experienced rowers

Test every few weeks, for example with a 2k test, identify what limits you, and train that: aerobic base, leg strength or race pacing. Rest well, because fatigue masks fitness. A structured plan helps. More articles sit in the training hub.