Rowing for Beginners

Why Rowing?

Rowing is a full-body exercise that works 86% of your muscles in every stroke. It is low-impact (no pounding on joints), scalable to any fitness level, and burns more calories per minute than most other cardio exercises. The Concept2 RowErg is the gold standard for indoor rowing — used by everyone from beginners to Olympic athletes. Once you learn the basics, rowing becomes an addictive, meditative workout.

The Rowing Stroke

The rowing stroke has four phases: Catch (legs compressed, arms straight, body leaning slightly forward), Drive (push with legs first, then lean back, then pull arms), Finish (legs straight, handle to lower ribs, slight lean back), and Recovery (arms away, body rocks forward, legs compress). The most important concept: rowing is legs-back-arms on the drive and arms-back-legs on the recovery. Power comes from your legs, not your arms.

Your First Workouts

Start with 10-15 minute sessions at a comfortable pace. Focus entirely on technique for the first two weeks. Row at 18-20 strokes per minute — slower than you think. Set the damper at 3-5 (not 10). After two weeks, build to 20 minutes. After four weeks, try 2 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes rest. Do not worry about split time initially — technique first, fitness follows.

Understanding the PM5

The Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) displays your workout data. Key metrics to learn: Split time (pace per 500m — lower is faster), Stroke rate (strokes per minute), Distance, and Time. Ignore calories for now. A split time of 2:30-3:00 is typical for beginners. Focus on keeping the split consistent rather than fast.

Common Beginner Mistakes

The five most common beginner mistakes: 1) Pulling with arms first instead of driving with legs, 2) Setting the damper too high (3-5 is correct for beginners), 3) Rushing the recovery (the return should be twice as slow as the drive), 4) Hunching the back instead of sitting tall, 5) Gripping the handle too tightly — use a relaxed hook grip.

Tips

• +Legs generate 60% of power, back 30%, arms only 10%. Drive with your legs.
• +Set the damper to 3-5 for your first month. Higher is not harder — it changes the feel, not the difficulty.
• +Slow down the recovery. Count to 2 on the way back for every count of 1 on the drive.
• +Watch one YouTube video on rowing technique before your first session.
• +Take a photo of your PM5 screen after each session and log it in Watta to track progress from day one.

Further Reading

• Concept2 Training Resources — Official training guides and workout of the day from Concept2.
• British Rowing — Indoor Rowing — Training plans and resources from the national governing body.
• Concept2 Rankings — Global erg rankings by distance, age, and weight category.