The Benefits of HIIT on a Rowing Machine

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates hard efforts with recovery. A rowing machine suits it well: it works your legs, back and arms together, there is no impact, and the monitor shows you exactly how hard each effort was.

Why the erg suits intervals

• Whole-body work. Large muscle groups share the load, so your heart rate climbs quickly.
• Low impact. Your feet stay in the straps, so there is nothing to land on.
• Measurable. Pace per 500 m, stroke rate and heart rate let you repeat a session and compare it week to week.
• Easy to scale. Change the length of the effort, the rest, or the pace.
• Short. A full session including warm-up and cool-down fits into 30 to 40 minutes.

Intervals train both your aerobic system and your ability to work above it, which is why rowers use them alongside steady rowing. They are not a replacement for easy miles. Our aerobic capacity guide and rowing machine workout for anaerobic performance explain how the two fit together.

HIIT is demanding. If you are new to the machine, build a base first. Our first month on the erg guide is a good place to start, and why we do interval training explains the idea in more depth.

Get the form right first

Intensity amplifies bad habits. Sit tall with your feet strapped in, push with your legs, swing the body back from the hips and finish with the arms, elbows drawn past your ribs. Return in the reverse order. Do not yank with your arms or collapse at the finish when you tire. If your technique falls apart, shorten the effort or take more rest. See how to use a rowing machine.

How hard is hard

Rate your effort on a 1 to 10 scale (RPE). Easy recovery rowing is around 3. Your hard intervals should sit at 8 to 9 for short efforts, and 7 to 8 for the longer ones. A useful guide is to pick a pace on the monitor for the first interval that you could repeat for every interval in the session. The final repeat should be as fast as the first, or a touch faster. If it is a lot slower, you started too hard.

Example sessions

Pick one and adjust to your level. Warm up first, and cool down with 5 minutes of easy rowing afterwards.

Session	Work	Rest	Rate	Effort
Short and sharp	8 x 30 seconds	90 seconds easy	28 to 32	RPE 9
Even work and rest	10 x 1 minute	1 minute easy	26 to 30	RPE 8 to 9
Longer intervals	4 x 4 minutes	3 minutes easy	24 to 26	RPE 7 to 8
Pyramid	1, 2, 3, 2, 1 minutes	Equal time easy	26 to 30	RPE 8

For a worked pace sum, imagine your steady 30-minute pace is 2:20 per 500 m. A sensible 1-minute interval might be 2:05 to 2:10, and a 4-minute interval around 2:12 to 2:15. These are examples, not targets. Use your own steady pace as the reference, and see the stroke rate guide for rating ranges.

A simple progression: start with the longest rest you need, then over several weeks add one interval, or shorten the rest by 10 to 15 seconds, but not both at once. Our guide to rowing machine interval training has more options.

Mixing in other moves

Some people combine short rowing efforts with bodyweight moves such as squats or lunges in a circuit. That can be a good way to break up a session, but keep the rowing technique crisp: do not row when you are so tired from the other moves that your form goes. The simplest approach is to keep rowing intervals on their own.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the warm-up.
• Going flat out on the first interval and fading.
• Cutting recovery too short, so each effort is slower than the last.
• Doing hard sessions on consecutive days. One or two a week is enough for most people.
• Letting technique slip as you tire.
• Setting the damper too high, which slows the stroke rate and loads the back. See drag factor explained.

Safety

Do a proper warm-up before every session and cool down afterwards. If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or have not exercised in a long time, check with your GP before starting high-intensity work. Stop if you feel dizzy, have chest pain or sharp joint pain.

If you want structure, our training plans include interval sessions in a progressive order.