Rowers Block: How to Beat It

To beat rowers block, work out what’s causing it, cut your training by half for a week, then rebuild with something different. Rowers block isn’t a medical term. It’s a handy name for the patch where sessions feel flat, splits stall and you dread getting on the erg. It’s common and usually fixable, and pushing harder is rarely the answer.

How to spot it

• Splits stop improving, or go backwards, for 3 weeks or more.
• You skip sessions or watch the clock.
• Technique feels clumsy or rushed.
• You get little satisfaction from training you used to enjoy.
• Your legs feel heavy at warm-up, and it doesn’t fade.

One bad session isn’t a block. A rough test is whether you’ve felt this way for 2 weeks or longer, across different sessions.

Find the cause

Often the answer is a mix of two or three. Take a few minutes with your training log and be honest.

Sign	Likely cause	First fix
Tired all the time, poor sleep, heavy legs	Too much hard work	Half your volume for a week
Bored, not tired	Monotony	Change one session, venue or time of day
Fresh, but splits won’t move	Plateau	Try a new training block
Dread before tests	Pressure	Drop tests for 4 weeks
Busy at work or home, ill	Life	Lower the plan to 2 short sessions a week
Hungry, flat in long sessions	Under-fuelling	Eat more around training

As a rough rule of thumb, a resting heart rate 5 or more beats above your usual for several mornings is another sign to ease off. Measure it before you get out of bed.

A plateau is a normal part of training. Our guide to the upper limit problem explains why PBs get harder to find. If nerves are the issue, read about beating race nerves. For under-fuelling, start with the nutrition hub.

A two-week reset

Days	What to do	Time
1 to 3	Rest, or easy movement such as walking	20 to 30 minutes if you walk
4 to 7	2 or 3 easy rows with a technique focus, at 16 to 18 strokes a minute	15 to 20 minutes each
8 to 10	1 new session, such as rowing outdoors or a pyramid of 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 minutes firm with equal rest	About 20 minutes
11 to 14	3 varied sessions, stopping each while you could still do more	20 to 30 minutes each

The pyramid has 9 minutes of firm work and 9 minutes of rest, so it’s short enough to feel light. Leave the monitor on a screen that hides your split, if you can, because the point of these two weeks is to enjoy rowing again.

At the end, check in. If you’re enjoying it, build back at about 10% more time a week, as a rule of thumb. If not, ease off further or talk to your coach.

Other ways to get moving

1. Half everything for a week. If your long session is 40 minutes, row 20, and keep it at a talking pace.
2. Change one thing. Row outdoors, join a club or try a new workout. Our clubs directory lists options near you.
3. Reset your goal. Pick something small, such as three sessions a week for a month. Our guide to setting rowing goals has examples.
4. Go back to technique. Slow sessions at 16 to 18 strokes a minute can renew interest and fix faults that have crept in.
5. Cross-train. Running, cycling or swimming can freshen you up while you keep your fitness ticking over.
6. Check the basics. Sleep, food and fluids all affect motivation. Write down how much sleep you get for a week.
7. Row with others. A training partner who’s expecting you is hard to let down.

Set a goal you can reach

Big goals feel distant when you’re stale. Make the next one small and measurable:

• Attendance: three varied sessions a week for 4 weeks.
• Process: log every session for 4 weeks.
• Performance: take 3 seconds off your 2k in six months. That’s under 1 second per 500m, or 0.75 seconds to be exact.

Attendance goals are a good choice during a block, because they’re entirely in your hands. A structured training plan also takes the daily decisions away.

Stop it coming back

• Take an easier week every 3 or 4 weeks, even when you feel fine.
• Change at least one session each month.
• Keep most sessions at a talking pace.
• Test every 4 to 6 weeks, not every week.
• Ask three questions every Sunday: how did you sleep, how did sessions feel out of 10, and what would make next week easier?

When it’s more than a slump

If you feel low or anxious over a longer period, or training has become a source of distress, speak to your GP. The same goes for tiredness that doesn’t lift after two easy weeks, because that can have causes unrelated to rowing.