RowAlong – Indoor Rowing Machine Workouts

May 20: The most important rowing machine workout you're probably not doing. This 25-minute low intensity row builds the foundation all your fitness sits on — better fat burning, sharper technique, stronger mitochondria — at just 5 out of 10 effort. Easy row, big gains. Row Along with me.

It starts off with going through the range of motion and technique for the first 10 minutes, and then I get into talking Rowing Apps, sorted into Loggers (ErgData, ErgZone), Visual (EXR, ImmersU Row), and Coaching (Asensei, MyRow) — more about why you use them, than specific recommendations.

👇 More low intensity rows: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

0:00 Welcome & Machine Setup

0:41 Drag Factor & Foot Placement

1:41 Handle Grip

2:05 The Row Begins

3:17 Handle Movement & Pulling at the Back

4:17 Posture — Sit Up, Tilt, Reset

6:14 Forward Tilt During the Drive

7:15 Braced Core Technique

8:15 Leg Timing at the Back of the Stroke

9:21 Legs, Body, Arms — The Sequence

9:32 Recovery Phase — Handle First

10:04 Handle Finish Height

12:28 Wrists Flat, Elbows Slightly Out

13:10 Rowing Apps — The Three Categories

13:31 Loggers (ErgData, ErgZone)

14:25 Visual Apps (XR, ImmersiU Row, MyWhoosh)

15:18 Coaching Apps (Asensei, MyRow)

15:51 Data Logging & Integration (Strava, Apple Health)

17:08 Don't Let Apps Steal Your Rowing Joy

19:48 App Compatibility Across Machines

23:07 Cool-Down

27:45 Hamstring Stretch

28:50 Glute Stretch

31:24 Quad Stretch

32:51 Hip Flexor Stretch

34:57 Forearm Stretch

35:27 Shoulder Stretch

36:12 Split Time — What It Means

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🚣

⚠️ Please ensure you are healthy enough to exercise before Rowing Along with me. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, consult a medical professional before starting this or any exercise programme.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The one where we talk kit. What to wear on a rowing machine, why your shorts might be stealing your stroke, and the Diet Coke vs Water analogy that changes how you think about training intensity.

Also: no background today (tech had a moment), a rant about the algorithm, and why your backside escaping costs you power.

21 minutes at 5 out of 10. Low intensity, low stroke rate. Or as we're calling it: drinking water, not Diet Coke.

👇 All the daily rows: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

0:00 Welcome & Machine Setup

1:06 The Row Begins

3:13 No Background Today — Tech Woes

4:37 Don't Let Apps Dictate Your Workout

6:45 Posture & Recovery Sequence

8:12 Power Leaks — Watch Your Backside

9:29 What to Wear for Rowing — T-Shirts & Shorts

16:44 Sports Bras for Rowing

19:19 Connecting Power to the Handle

22:12 Cool-Down

23:00 Why You Can't Row Faster

26:22 Stretching & Active Rehab

31:56 Diet Coke vs Water — The Intensity Analogy

33:28 Scottish Water & An Algorithm Rant

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🚣

⚠️ Please ensure you are healthy enough to exercise before Rowing Along with me. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, consult a medical professional before starting this or any exercise programme.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What shoes should you wear on a rowing machine? Do you even need rowing gloves? This 25-minute follow-along rowing machine workout doubles as Review Week — while we row at a nice low intensity, I'm talking through the best shoes for rowing (spoiler: Converse are hard to beat), whether barefoot rowing works, and what to look for in gloves if you're getting blisters.

The first 10 minutes are all about rowing technique — handle release, posture reset, leg drive, arm pull, the lot. Then we get into the gear chat. So whether you're here for the technique, the shoe advice, or just to row along with some company, you're in the right place.

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🖖

⏱ CHAPTERS

0:00 — Let's Get Started

1:05 — Machine Setup

2:52 — Warm-up

5:52 — Rowing Technique Breakdown

16:45 — Best Shoes for Rowing

23:52 — Rowing Gloves: Do You Need Them?

31:15 — Cool-down & Stretch

🔎 This is a RowAlong Daily Workout — Review Week #1

Low stroke rate, zone 2 intensity, all ages, any rowing machine.

#rowingmachine #rowingworkout #rowalong #rowingtechnique #indoorrowing #concept2 #bestshoesforrowingmachine

☕ Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/rowalong

🔔 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@rowalong?sub_confirmation=1

➡️ Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rowalong

CHAT WITH ME!

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👥 - FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rowalong/

- WEBSITE: https://www.rowalong.com

But seriously - just keep watching, that's all I ask!!

🔵🔵🔵

This workout is provided as usual WITHOUT MUSIC. If you want music, why not load up another YouTube tab, or maybe Soundcloud and pick your own tunes. As always, follow me for stroke rate. And I'll keep you company for the row with training tips, technique tips, and my usual general waffle.

See you in the next video.

==================What I use==================

(Affilliate Links):

***Rowing***

https://amzn.to/3cIjma7 Concept 2 Rowing Machine

https://amzn.to/3tjtV96 Polar H7 Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/3rcCJfa Concept 2 Phone Holder

https://amzn.to/3cufucm Jabra 65t Elite Earbuds

https://amzn.to/3tgeKxB Dyson Fan

https://amzn.to/3tfb9Qr Macbook Pro for RowPro software

https://www.rowalong.com/shop T-shirts

***Recommendations***

https://amzn.to/3yaTgU0 Powlabs Heart Rate Transmitter

https://amzn.to/3rbe5eT Polar H9 Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/3pFG1Hs Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/36t0rvO Wahoo Tickr Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/3rgFIn3 Garmin HRM Dual Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/3cpKevg Moofit Heart Rate Sensor

https://amzn.to/36yXObT Apple Watch

https://amzn.to/3an2vGW Floor Mat

https://amzn.to/3akI916 Ski-Erg

https://amzn.to/3tiWJ1N Bike-Erg

https://amzn.to/2Ms8iCZ Saris Hammer (For road bike on Zwift)

#hiit #indoorrowing #rowingmachine #burncalories

*for info, RowAlong used to be PDP - but the name was changed to RowAlong in 2020.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Friday one. The one where we figure out when this row actually fits into your life — morning buy-in, lunch break, last thing at night — and whether you should row before or after your weights session. Plus the "skill points" analogy that changes how you think about mixing cardio and strength.

21 minutes at 5 out of 10 effort. Low intensity, low stroke rate, zone two heart rate. Or as I like to call it: four cats out of three dogs.

👇 All the daily rows: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

0:00 Welcome & Workout Setup

0:39 Machine Setup — Drag Factor

0:46 Posture & Foot Placement

1:11 Foot Stretcher Strap Position

1:21 Handle Grip

1:38 Countdown to Row

2:05 The Row Begins

2:25 Morning Routine & Starting Easy

3:00 Pace Fluctuation Is Normal

3:51 Quantifying 5/10 Effort

4:33 Why a 2K Time Trial Helps

5:53 Time on the Machine Matters

7:08 Heart Rate & Zone 2

8:30 The Speech Test for Intensity

9:58 Benefits of Low Intensity Rowing

10:14 When to Do This Workout — Morning

10:52 These Rows Don't Drain Your Battery

11:45 Lunchtime & Evening Options

13:10 Last Thing at Night? Leave a Gap

14:27 Combining Rows with Other Workouts

15:28 The Skill Points Analogy

17:25 Cardio + Strength — Which First?

18:25 Light Cardio as a Warm-Up Before Weights

19:15 Why Too Much Cardio Before Weights Hurts

20:39 Easy Cardio After Strength Training

23:07 Cool-Down

23:32 End of 21-Min Row

23:58 Better to Row Any Time Than Skip It

24:55 Last Night's Hybrid Workout

27:25 Hamstring Stretch

28:05 Quad Stretch

30:26 Hip Flexor Stretch

32:27 Forearm Stretch

34:30 Arm Stretch

35:27 Shoulder Stretch

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🚣

⚠️ Please ensure you are healthy enough to exercise before Rowing Along with me. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, consult a medical professional before starting this or any exercise programme.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The short one. The chatty one. The one where we talk Metallica, Star Wars, and why your mitochondria need to email their friends more.

21 minutes of low-intensity rowing at 5 out of 10 effort, plus a full cool-down and stretch — perfect on its own or as a warm-up before weights.

👇 More Quickie Rows: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

0:00 Set Up Your Rowing Machine

1:59 The Row Begins

12:14 How Fatigue Changes Your Pace

16:10 Over-compression — Why Shins Past Vertical Loses You Power

22:00 How to Breathe While Rowing

23:07 Cool-Down

27:45 Hamstring Stretch

28:50 Glute Stretch

31:24 Quad Stretch

32:51 Hip Flexor Stretch

34:57 Forearm Stretch

36:24 Shoulder Stretch

38:30 2K Training vs RPE — Which Is Right for You?

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🚣

⚠️ Please ensure you are healthy enough to exercise before Rowing Along with me. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, consult a medical professional before starting this or any exercise programme.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most important rowing machine workout you can do. This 25-minute low intensity, low stroke rate row builds the foundation ALL your fitness sits on — from fat burning to technique to mitochondrial efficiency.

Just you, your rowing machine, and 5 out of 10 effort. Row Along with me.

Check out my YouTube channel for over 800 RowAlong workouts.

And for More low intensity 25 minute rowing workouts:👇

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

0:00 The Most Important Workout

2:05 Workout Begins

2:50 RPE — How Hard Should You Row?

7:42 Why Low Intensity Beats High Intensity

12:41 Technique Work at Low Stroke Rate

18:02 Relaxing Your Arms on Recovery

23:07 Cool-Down

23:38 How to Breathe While Rowing

27:18 Hamstring Stretch

28:37 Glute Stretch

30:26 Quad Stretch

32:27 Hip Flexor Stretch

34:30 Forearm Stretch

35:27 Shoulder Stretch

Don't Row Alone, Row Along 🏋️

⚠️ Please ensure you are healthy enough to exercise before Rowing Along with me. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, consult a medical professional before starting this or any exercise programme.

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people guess their low intensity pace. In this workout, you won't have to.

We row 21 minutes together at low intensity — around 20 strokes per minute — and I'll walk you through a simple breathing test that tells you exactly how hard you're working, no heart rate monitor required. If you can speak in full sentences, you're in the zone. If you can't, ease off. That's the whole thing.

Along the way I cover how to connect your feet to the flywheel (this changes your stroke more than anything else), why comparing your pace to other people is a waste of your mental energy, and how the three training bands — duration, intensity, and stroke rate — interact to define a workout.

It's a genuinely easy row. Come along.

What's in this one:

✅ 21 minutes low intensity steady-state rowing

✅ The breathing test — find YOUR zone, not someone else's

✅ The foot-to-flywheel connection cue

✅ Why 220 minus your age might be lying to you

✅ 4-minute cool-down row

✅ Full stretching routine

─────────────────────────

🕐 CHAPTERS

─────────────────────────

0:00 Welcome & what we're doing today

0:40 Machine setup — drag, seat & foot stretcher

2:01 Let's row — starting easy

3:11 Feet first: the connection cue

4:45 The Breathing Test — finding your low intensity zone

8:31 "What's wrong with me?" — why comparing pace doesn't work

17:00 What tempo intensity actually feels like

20:31 Max intensity explained

23:36 Cool-down begins

28:00 Stretching routine

33:53 The flywheel — the dumbbell analogy

36:41 Learning to row is like learning to drive

40:31 A quick word about algorithms

41:26 See you tomorrow

─────────────────────────

Full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

Don't row alone. Row along. 🚣

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A calm 25-minute low intensity rowing workout to keep you company — 21 minutes easy rowing, cool-down, and a full stretch. 🚣

Filmed al fresco today — me, a Concept2 RowERG, and a garden mid-renovation. The pace is easy, the chat is warm, and technique coaching runs right through it. Whether you're in a gym, a garage, or your own back garden, come row along.

What's in this workout:

✅ 21 minutes low intensity steady-state rowing

✅ Technique coaching — catch, finish, elbows, wrist position

✅ Which muscles rowing actually works (and why it matters)

✅ 4-minute cool-down row

✅ Full stretching routine

─────────────────────────

🕐 CHAPTERS

─────────────────────────

0:00 Welcome & workout plan

1:19 Set up your machine

1:32 Let's row — 21 minutes low intensity

4:06 Why I'm outside today

5:40 Training, fatigue & recovery

11:37 Technique: catch & finish positions

14:14 Rowing underarm — why it changes everything

17:08 Rowing efficiency vs. strength

22:31 Cool-down begins

26:53 Stretching — full cool-down

32:50 See you tomorrow

─────────────────────────

📍 Full Playlist on YouTube

─────────────────────────

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

Don't row alone. Row Along. 🚣

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 minutes. Low intensity. 20 strokes a minute. And a confession that using a strimmer as a teenager used to be my idea of a nightmare.

There's a point to that story — it ends up being about how we learn to love things that are genuinely good for us. Broccoli gets a mention. So does Guinness. And then it connects back to why the easy row, the one that doesn't feel like it's doing anything, is quietly the most important session in your week.

I also continue the mitochondria today — following on from yesterday's battalion analogy, there's a follow-up question about combining low and high intensity training in the same session. The answer is longer than you might think, and there are caveats, and the caveats have caveats. It all makes sense by the end.

Technique walkthrough covers the finish position, drive sequence, compression, and the catch. Then we row. Then we stretch. Then we do the maths on development points.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro — Forgotten Fortress on the Exer App

1:27 Easy Start — 20spm, Low Intensity

3:00 Learning to Love the Slow Stuff (Broccoli & Strimmer)

12:28 The Mitochondria Effect — Growing Your Battalion

14:18 Technique Walkthrough

22:27 How Long for Zone 2?

26:33 Stretching — & The Combining Workouts Q&A

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How often do you get to do something easy that is actually this good for you? Exercise is usually hard. Recovery is usually boring. This is neither — and what it does to your mitochondria is genuinely fascinating.

Today's row is 21 minutes at Zone 2 intensity. Around 20 strokes per minute. Conversational pace — the kind where you could finish a full sentence without gasping. Followed by a 4-minute cool-down. Simple on the surface. Quietly transformative underneath.

Along the way we go deep on the physiology — the "battalion of soldiers" analogy for what Zone 2 actually does to your mitochondria, the difference between Zone 2 and that Zone 3 drift that secretly undermines everything, and the practical answer to the question: how long should I actually do this?

There's also a full technique breakdown — from the finish (handle to sternum, elbows wide) all the way through to the catch, including why completely straight arms at the drive are the single biggest free power source on the machine.

The Zone 2 deep-dive runs to about 41.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome — How Often Do We Get to Do Something Easy This Good?

0:35 Machine Setup: Drag Factor & Foot Stretcher

1:21 Row Begins — Zone 2, 20spm

3:00 Technique walkthrough

12:00 Zone 2 and Mitochondria

41:06 Row Well, Be Well

41:06 Row Well, Be Well

Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com

Watch the full video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@rowalong

Join the community: facebook.com/groups/rowalong

Instagram: @rowalong_workouts

RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.