Training Advice

Choosing Your Training Session

The type and the number of sessions you perform in a week should be determined by your ultimate goal. It is important to be realistic about the targets you set yourself.

There are main goals that the rowing machine is appropriate for:

• losing weight
• getting fit
• rowing faster or training for competition

Losing Weight

The rowing machine can be a good tool to help you lose weight. Rowing is a low impact activity (reducing the chance of joint injury) and uses 70% of the body’s muscles dynamically, this means it burns a lot of calories. A competent athlete can burn between 600 and 1000 kcal an hour and a fit athlete can use in excess of 1200 kcal/hour. To put this into perspective, the daily intake for a healthy individual is approximately 2000 kcal for a woman and 2500 kcal for a man.

Getting Fit

The rowing machine is an excellent tool to improve fitness and can be used as part of training regime. Indoor rowing should complement any other training being performed, eg, weights, running or a fitness class.

Rowing Faster or Training for Competition

This is for the more experienced indoor rower or water-based rower who has a specific aim in mind, i.e. to improve a 2km time on the machine. It can take approximately 6-8 weeks of high intensity training to maximise your speed.

Training suggestions to meet you specific needs can be found in 'The Session' section. All information in this section is for guidance and information purposes. A doctor and qualified coach should be consulted before beginning any training plan.