RowAlong – Indoor Rowing Machine Workouts

25 minutes. Low intensity. 20 strokes a minute. And a 15-year-old Flash t-shirt making its final public appearance.

It's riddled with holes, it's been through things, and today it rows for the last time. But it leads somewhere genuinely useful — a conversation about why scales are the worst way to measure your fitness progress, and what to use instead. We get into the t-shirt test (specifically: is the fabric pressing into your sides?), the Bill and Ted t-shirt that went into a drawer in 2008 because it was too tight, and how three years of quiet consistency brought it back out again. I also go deep on a few technique things that often get dogmatically stated as rules but are actually more nuanced:

✅ Soft knee bend at the finish — is it actually wrong?

✅ Pulling on your footstraps — when and why it matters

✅ Schrodinger's heels — the most honest explanation of the heels-up debate you'll hear

And there's a brief Obi-Wan Kenobi impression at the start. Because it was yesterday's Star Wars Day and the residual energy was still there.

Chapters:

0:00 Obi-Wan Impression & Welcome

0:04 Workout Overview (21 mins + 4 min cool-down)

0:18 Machine Setup: Drag Factor

0:26 Seat Position

0:39 Foot Stretcher Height

0:57 Handle Grip ("Loosey Goosey")

1:28 Row Begins — 3 to 4 out of 10

1:37 Technique: Straight Arms at the Finish

2:25 Words & the English Language (Default/Beloved)

3:14 Only Awake 20 Minutes — The Gradual Warmup Approach

4:15 Technique: Compression & Shins Vertical

4:24 Be the Snake — Core Bracing at the Catch

4:57 Handle Path & the Forward Tilt Trigger

5:23 The Soft Knee Bend Debate & Rowing Purists

5:41 Debunking Rowing Rules: Footstraps

6:55 Schrodinger's Heels — The Honest Answer

7:32 When Heels Up is Fine (And When It Isn't)

9:17 The Flash T-Shirt: A Brief History

11:43 Today is its Last Outing. Goodbye.

12:20 Student Dish-Washing Logic & What That Has to Do With Clothes

13:15 Why Old T-Shirts Beat Scales for Tracking Fitness

14:10 Why Scales Lie (Featuring Arnold, The Rock & Brad Pitt)

16:52 The Bill and Ted T-Shirt — 2008, Too Tight, Into the Drawer

21:10 Three Years Later: It Fits. The T-Shirt Test Explained.

22:33 Main Row Done — Pace & Heart Rate Check

23:32 Why Talking While Rowing Pushes Your Heart Rate Up

26:12 Success Feeds Success

26:45 Cool-Down: Hamstrings Stretch

27:13 Rest Day Yesterday — Editing & Dad Taxi Duties

29:05 Glutes Stretch

30:30 Digging the Garden Counts as Weights, Right?

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.

82kg after Christmas. 76.4kg yesterday.That's 5.6kg down — doing these workouts and being a little sensible with food. No big diet, no brutal sessions, no grinding. 25 minutes most mornings, low intensity, and letting the consistency do the work quietly in the background to eat away while I set myself up for the rest of the day's exercise!

And yesterday it showed up somewhere unexpected. I went for a run and felt incredible — fluid, fast, genuinely surprised by how good it felt. That's the low intensity base doing its job. You don't always feel it building. Then one day you do.

Today's row is 21 minutes at low intensity followed by a 4-minute cool-down. Along the way: the Concept2 Cross-Team Challenge (and why it desperately needs a handicap system), a disagreement with my edit producer over a single shot of a sheep, the maths on 200 possible outfit combinations, and a Mr. Burns analogy for what it feels like to have too many things on your to-do list at once.Come for the row, stay for the sheep.

🛑 Just want the workout? Main row is done by 22 minutes.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome & RowAlong Club

0:27 Machine Setup (Drag, Seat, Foot Stretchers, Grip)

1:38 Workout Begins — Where Are You Rowing Today?

2:25 Family of Rowers (Julie & The Kids)

3:04 Technique: Arms Straight, Sitting Up

4:12 The Outfit Maths (200 Combinations)

5:19 The Mr. Burns To-Do List

7:00 What's On This Week

7:32 Concept2 Cross-Team Challenge & The Handicap System

12:25 TV Editing Day Job: Music, Feedback & The First Cut

15:20 The Sheep Shot Debate

22:44 Are the Daily Workouts Continuing? Yes. Here's Why.

25:56 Yesterday's Technique Row (⚡ Lightsaber Warning)

26:43 Post-Row Stretches: Hamstrings

30:26 The Run That Felt Incredible

31:55 The Numbers: 82kg → 76.4kg

36:45 Cat Birthday Correction (It Was Aiza, Not Lulu)

39:03 Why Low Intensity Is Actually Working

40:23 App Rotation Plan (Urzone, Exer & Revisiting Whoosh)

42:02 11 Rowing Machines (One of Them is Leaving)

42:22 See You Tomorrow

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. Genuinely useful rowing technique tips — while you actually row. This is a follow-along rowing machine workout at a steady, sustainable pace. Your heart rate and breathing will lift a little, but you should be able to hold a conversation throughout. No shouting, no grinding — just consistent, productive work that builds real aerobic fitness over time.

Full "RowAlong Daily Workout" playlist:

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

Along the way we work through the full stroke in detail:

✅ Machine setup — drag factor, seat position, foot stretcher height, handle grip

✅ The recovery phase — relaxing your arms, the handle path, when to bend your knees

✅ Core bracing — the one cue that connects everything

✅ The drive — why it's a push, not a pull

✅ Elbows during and after the drive — the fix that makes the biggest difference

Whether you're brand new to the rowing machine or just want cleaner technique while you train, this one's for you.

(May the 4th be with you 🚣⚡)

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome & Workout Overview

1:15 Machine Setup: Drag Factor

1:31 Seat Position

1:59 Foot Stretcher Height

2:41 Handle Grip

3:28 Bank Holiday Monday in Glasgow ☀️

5:28 Still in Pyjamas 30 Minutes Ago

6:38 Technique: The Recovery Phase

8:51 Handle Path & Forward Tilt Trigger

9:41 When to Bend Your Knees

10:21 Bracing Your Core (The T-S-S-S Cue)

11:13 The Drive — Push, Don't Pull

14:53 Keeping Arms Straight During the Drive

15:27 How to Adjust Your Drag Factor Mid-Row

18:03 Elbows at the Finish

19:29 The Chicken Wings Fix

24:25 Cool-Down Row Begins

26:18 Cool-Down Technique Focus

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.

It's Friday. End of the week. 21 minutes of easy rowing, 18–20 strokes a minute, and a non-zero chance the doorbell goes mid-row because the boiler engineer is on his way.

That's the jeopardy. You're welcome.

Along the way we get into the mathematics of appliance protection plans — specifically the grim realisation that we've spent about £700 protecting a washing machine that cost £200. It's fine. It's fine.

Then we get into something actually useful: the Box of Power. It's a way of thinking about your handle pull and elbow position at the finish of the stroke — keeping everything connected and powerful all the way through. The kind of thing that's easy to let slip, especially when fatigue starts to creep in on a long row.Come for the Friday feeling, stay for the elbow chat.

Chapters:

0:00 End of the Week — Friday Format

0:33 Machine Setup (Drag, Seat, Foot Stretcher, Grip)

1:26 Row Begins — Boiler Service Jeopardy Explained

1:38 The Appliance Protection Plan Maths (It's Grim)

4:35 Technique Check-Up — Where Are We Getting Sloppy?

5:22 Handle Pull & Elbow Position at the Finish

6:52 The Box of Power — Explained

8:47 Keeping the Box All the Way Through the Stroke

22:26 Cool-Down Begins

26:30 Stretches & Accountability Tracker

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 row to start the day — 20 strokes a minute, low intensity, and enough conversation to make the time disappear.

Today it's the Glasgow version of summer (15 degrees, "tap's aff"), why yesterday's run in the sun counts as cross-training, and a long look at what I actually do for a living when I'm not on the rowing machine — editing observational documentaries for TV.

We get into the whole process: viewing 30 hours of rushes, building a story, cutting it down to 59 minutes for a terrestrial broadcast slot, and the moment you have to hand it over to the execs and pretend you're emotionally detached. (You're not.)

There's also a bit on where AI fits into editing right now — and where I think it genuinely doesn't.

Machine setup at the top, stretches at the end. Come for the row, stay for the edit suite chat.

Chapters:

0:00 Welcome & Workout Overview

0:55 Machine Setup

2:23 21-Minute Low Intensity Row Begins

4:12 Glasgow Summer & "Taps Off" Explained

6:33 Why I Went Running Instead Yesterday

7:51 The Willett 2K Check-In

8:49 Life as a TV Editor

17:26 Cutting 30 Hours Down to 59 Minutes

22:40 Showing Your Work to the Execs

23:23 Cool-Down Row

24:51 Will AI Replace TV Editors?

27:20 Post-Row Stretches — Hamstrings & Glutes

30:04 Quad Stretch

34:10 Forearm Stretch

35:27 Shoulder Stretch

37:36 The Time an Exec Loved It and Just... Left

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 of low intensity rowing — coached from setup to cooldown. Perfect for beginners and anyone fixing their rowing technique.

This is The RowAlong Daily Workout — 21 minutes of coached rowing followed by a 4-minute cooldown, every weekday. Same format, same calm pace, always something to learn.

Today I'm mixing up how we cover technique. Instead of saving it all for the end, we're weaving tips throughout the session — from machine setup right through to the final minutes on the rower. Think of it like terrestrial TV: the content comes to you, whether you're ready or not. (Unlike streaming — you'll get that analogy by minute 10.)

Along the way we cover:

→ Machine setup: drag factor, footplate height, and why it matters more to beginners than anyone

→ The six-move stroke sequence: push with legs, rock the body, draw the arms — then reverse it

→ Handle position on recovery: where it should float, and where it absolutely shouldn't be

→ Footplate placement hack: getting your feet right so pressure transfers cleanly into the machine

→ Core bracing: "be the snake" — relaxed yet engaged from catch to finish

→ Why your catch length matters more than your finish length

→ The simple acronym to remember the stroke order: LBR — Legs, Body, Row (arms)

→ Full cooldown and post-row stretch: glutes, quads, forearms, shoulders, and hip flexors

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro & today's plan

0:42 Machine setup

1:52 We're rowing — low intensity session

19:30 Core bracing: "be the snake"

21:40 Cooldown

25:09 Technique tip & full stretch

39:28 Sign-off

⚠️ Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are for informational purposes only.

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 of low intensity rowing, every weekday. Machine setup, coached rowing, technique work, and cooldown — same format, every time.

This is The RowAlong Daily Workout — 21 minutes of coached rowing followed by a 4-minute cooldown, structured so you always know what's coming. No guessing, no falling behind, no racing ahead. Just rowing together.

Today we're keeping it genuinely easy. RPE 3–4. Around 20 strokes per minute. The kind of low intensity rowing your body needs more of — and I'll show you exactly why controlling your intensity, rather than just rowing harder, is what actually builds real fitness over time.

Along the way I cover:

→ Machine setup: drag factor, foot stretcher height, and handle grip

→ The six-move stroke sequence: push, swing, pull, release, rock, bend

→ Why your legs control your pace far more than your arms ever will

→ Core bracing at the finish — and why it matters more than you think

→ Elbow height, handle position, and knee timing on the recovery

→ A full post-row stretch: hamstrings, glutes, quads, hip flexors, forearms, and shoulders

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro & series redesign

0:47 Machine setup

1:49 We're rowing — low intensity explained

15:46 Technique: the six-move stroke

22:51 Cooldown

28:25 Stretching

🚣 Full daily workout playlist: The RowAlong Daily Workout —https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil

🎯 Join the accountability board: rowalong.com/join

⚠️ Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are provided for informational purposes only.

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 low intensity 5K row this morning, with a 1K paddle to cool down — around 25 minutes in total at low stroke rate. Just enough to wake the body up and start the day right.

Along the way I cover how I ease into these morning sessions without a formal warm-up (coffee, emails, then straight on the machine), why those first few minutes of gentle rowing matter more than you might think, and a story about a pair of Levi's 501s that turned into a quietly satisfying reminder of what consistent daily rowing can do. I also end up on a long tangent about Hyrox — whether it has a ceiling, why tickets are so hard to get, and whether it could ever make the Olympics.

Also: I nearly promised yesterday that I'd talk about the community side of things today, then forgot. So that's tomorrow's topic, apparently.

CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:41 Machine setup 2:08 Row begins 2:56 No warm-up and easing in cold 14:37 The jeans test — noticing quiet progress 19:00 Hyrox — the bubble, the Olympics, the sled problem 23:24 Cooldown paddle 29:28 Warm-up deep dive and wrap-up

🚣 RowAlong Daily Workout Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil 🌍 Add yourself to the Rowers' Map: https://rowalong.com 🏅 Join the leaderboard: https://rowalong.com/join

⚠️ Health Disclaimer: Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are provided for informational purposes only.

#indoorrowing #rowalong #rowingworkout

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.

Row along with me for 25 minutes — low intensity, 18–21 strokes per minute, 5K with a 1K cool-down. Exactly the kind of session that's always the right answer.

I start with a full machine setup — drag factor, seat position, feet, handle grip — so whether you're new to the erg or just want a quick reminder, you're sorted before we even push off. Then we row. Nice and easy, no pressure, good company.

I had a bit of an energy-dump weekend — did too much, didn't recover enough — so today is all about easing back in and listening to what my body wants to do. And what comes out of that is a thought I keep coming back to: if you ever sit down on the rowing machine and wonder what you should do today, a low-intensity 20–30 minute row is almost always the right answer. I explain why, and it might just become your default too.

Along the way I get into boredom on the rowing machine — why I no longer use that word — and somewhere around the 40-minute mark I end up telling a story involving Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee, and why I'll never compete with Shane from Dark Horse for an audience. It makes sense in context. Honest.

This one's part of the daily RowAlong Club playlist — come back tomorrow and we'll do it all again.

CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:43 Machine Setup 2:09 Into the Row 2:26 Recovering After an Energy Dump Weekend 8:44 Why Low Intensity Is Always the Right Call 40:56 Paul Daniels, Shane, and the Rowing Audience Question 43:35 Finding Your Special Purpose

🚣 Daily rowing playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil 🎯 Join the RowAlong leaderboard: https://rowalong.com/join ☕ Support the channel: https://ko-fi.com/rowalong

⚠️ Health Disclaimer: Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are provided for informational purposes only.

#indoorrowing #rowalong #rowingmachine

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.

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.