6 Rowing Workouts You Must Try

Looking for a workout to build up your aerobic capacity using a Concept2 rowing machine? Your search is over!

Pacing Guidelines

When determining the intensity of your aerobic workouts, you have two main options: the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) method and the Pace method.

RPE uses a 1-10 scale, reflecting your personal feelings and accounting for elements like fatigue and the terrain. On the other hand, the Pace method emphasizes adhering to specific speeds during workouts, usually set by time trials. For example, a standard for rowing involves a 2000m time trial, with its results guiding your designated speeds. As an alternative, you can estimate your speed pacing without a time trial. Although it’s less accurate, it’s a more beginner-friendly method, avoiding the potential intimidation of time trial tests.

Further details on these pacing methods can be found in our How to Pace Your Aerobic Workouts post.

Workout 1

8 Rounds

Row 500m at increasing paces

Rest 90 seconds between rounds

Notes: Start at a slow, easy effort pace. As you progress through each round, gradually increase the intensity, aiming for faster split times.

Workout 2

4 Rounds

Row 750m at moderate pace (RPE 5-6)
Row 500m at fast pace (RPE 7-8)
Row 250m at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Workout 3

10 Rounds

Row 30 seconds at fast pace (RPE 7-8)
Row 30 seconds at recovery pace

Rest 4 minutes

10 Rounds

Row 30 seconds at fast pace (RPE 7-8)
Row 30 seconds at recovery pace

Workout 4

5 Rounds

Row 2 min at slow pace (RPE 3-4)
Row 2 min at fast pace (RPE 7-8)

No rest between rounds

Workout 5

3 Rounds

Row 250m at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)
Row 30 seconds at recovery pace
Row 250m at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)
Row 30 seconds at recovery pace
Row 250m at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)
Row 30 seconds at recovery pace
Row 250m at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Notes: Anaerobic sprint session. The workout is 3 rounds, each round consisting of 4 intervals at 250 meters each performed at very fast pace (RPE 8-9)

Workout 6 Mixed Modal Workout

8 Rounds

Row 15/12 Calories
10 Lateral Over Rower Burpee

Notes: The first calorie number is (15) is for males and second (12) is for females.