In this article we are going to discuss some of the variation for your rowing workout. Note that these are off water workout to be practiced on rowing ergs.

Probably the most basic variation is the ‘steady state’. That would be a continuous workout where you are going at a comfortable pace trying to maintain the same splits throughout the workout. Try keeping your stroke rate at a minimum of 18 and 24 if you want to go on the higher end. A workout like that is mainly focused at endurance building and can last from anywhere between 10 to 60 minutes or even longer.

Another type of workout is the interval training. This is where you try to break your workout tempo into two speeds. It is quite similar to interval sprint which combines short, high intensity bursts of speed, with slow, recovery phases, repeated during one exercise session.

Another type of workout could be higher intensity workout for shorter duration. For example an elite rower might practice 6K in a single session with maximum speed and intensity.

You can also play with the amount of time you work out. One of the most common types is the pyramid. For instance you start with 4 minutes, then 3 minutes, 2 and then 1 minute. Then climb up again to 4 minutes practicing at the same 1 minute intervals. At each of these intervals, you choose a different stroke rate. For instance 18 SPM at 4 minutes, 20 SPM for 3 minutes, 22 for 2 minutes and 24 for 1 minute and the same in reverse.

There are a lot of varieties you can practice for your workout. You can also make up one of your own once you are comfortable with the variations.