Rowing Machine Workouts for Aerobic Performance

Aerobic fitness is your capacity to keep working using oxygen, and it underpins almost every rowing goal. Most of it is built with long, steady, controlled sessions rather than all-out efforts. Here are three workouts to develop it, plus how to pace them and how to fit them into a week.

What aerobic means in rowing

Aerobic training is done at an intensity you could keep up for a long time, usually where you can talk in short sentences. Even a 2,000 m race is driven mostly by the aerobic system, which is why steady rowing matters even if you are chasing a fast test. Read all you need to know about aerobic capacity for the background.

Three workouts

Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes each time and cool down afterwards.

Session	Work	Rest	Effort	Rate
Long steady row	30 to 60 min continuous	None	3 to 5 out of 10	18 to 22
Longer intervals	4 x 8 min	2 min easy	5 to 6 out of 10	20 to 24
Tempo piece	20 min continuous	None	6 to 7 out of 10	22 to 26

1. Long steady row. 30 to 60 minutes at a conversational pace, with a stroke rate of roughly 18 to 22. Keep your split consistent, within a couple of seconds per 500 m. Build the length gradually, adding five minutes every week or two. If you are new, begin with 20 minutes.

2. Longer intervals. 4 rounds of 8 minutes at a steady-firm pace, with 2 minutes easy between. The effort should feel controlled, not desperate. Aim for the final round to match the first. If your split drifts by more than three or four seconds, start slower next time.

3. Tempo piece. After warming up, row 20 minutes at a pace that feels hard but sustainable, where you can say only a few words. Do not use this every week. Treat it as one of your harder sessions.

A beginner’s route to 45 minutes

Many people want to row 45 minutes without stopping. A gradual route, three sessions per week at an easy pace:

1. Weeks 1 and 2: 15 minutes.
2. Weeks 3 and 4: 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Weeks 5 and 6: 30 minutes.
4. Weeks 7 and 8: 35 to 40 minutes.
5. Week 9 onwards: 45 minutes, with one shorter, harder session.

If you feel flat or sore, repeat a week rather than pressing on.

Pace by feel, rate or heart rate

Use heart rate zones if you wear a monitor, or the talk test if not. Easy days must stay easy, otherwise you cannot recover for the harder ones. The stroke rate guide helps with rate targets.

Build your week

A reasonable pattern is two or three steady rows, one interval or tempo session and a rest day or two. For a fuller structure, see our 5k and 10k endurance plans.

Tips

• Keep technique steady as you tire. Posture slips late in long rows.
• Eat something light you tolerate well in the one to two hours before, and drink water. See the importance of hydration when rowing.
• Avoid increasing your weekly volume too quickly. A rise of about ten percent a week is a common rule of thumb for gradual progress.
• Check with a GP before starting if you have a health condition.
• Vary the work to avoid boredom: music, a video or a structured plan help.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Turning every steady row into a race.
2. Skipping the warm-up because the pace is easy.
3. Setting the damper so high that the stroke is heavy and slow.
4. Doing only long rows and never including harder work.

For a full tour of endurance training, read the number 1 rowing workout for endurance and stamina.