HIIT Rowing Workouts: 8 Interval Sessions for the Erg
Interval training on a rowing machine is efficient: short, hard pieces with planned rest raise your heart rate quickly and work your legs, back and arms together. The catch is that rowing intervals punish bad pacing. Go out too hard on the first rep and the last three fall apart.
These eight workouts give you the reps, the rest, a stroke rate and a target pace. Targets are set relative to your 2K pace, the average 500 m split you can hold for a full 2,000 m. If you don't know it, row 2,000 m at a hard but even effort, or estimate from a recent piece, and use the training zones calculator to turn it into split ranges.
Before any HIIT session
- Warm up for 8–10 minutes. Easy rowing, then 3 × 10 strokes building to your interval pace.
- Set the damper to 3–5. That's the range Concept2 recommends for starting out. A higher damper makes each stroke heavier but not more useful.
- Program the intervals into the monitor if you can, so the rest timer runs itself.
- Cool down with 5 minutes of easy rowing afterward.
If you're brand new to rowing, do our 4-week beginner plan first. Hard intervals with poor technique are how most rowing back strains start.
The workouts
Times below don't include warm-up and cool-down.
1. 30/30s (15 minutes)
15 × 30 seconds hard / 30 seconds easy rowing. Rate 28–32 on the hard pieces.
A good first HIIT session. Aim for the same distance on every 30-second piece. Pace: about 2–4 seconds per 500 m faster than 2K pace.
2. Tabata row (12 minutes)
3 rounds of 8 × 20 seconds hard / 10 seconds rest, 2 minutes easy between rounds. Rate 30–34.
Very short and very hard. The rest is too short to recover, so expect the split to slide on the last few reps of each round. Keep your technique intact; stop the round if your form breaks down.
3. 8 × 500 m (about 25 minutes)
8 × 500 m with 1 minute 30 seconds rest. Rate 26–30. Pace: 2K pace to 2 seconds faster.
The classic rowing interval. Your slowest rep should be within 2 seconds of your fastest. If it isn't, start slower next time.
4. 1-minute on / 1-minute off (20 minutes)
10 × 1 minute hard / 1 minute easy rowing. Rate 26–30. Pace: about 2K pace.
The easy minute is light rowing, not stopping. That keeps your heart rate up and makes it harder than it looks.
5. Pyramid (about 25 minutes)
1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min, 1 min hard, each followed by half its length in easy rowing. Rate 24–28. Pace: 2K pace + 2 seconds on the 1–2 minute pieces, + 4–6 seconds on the 3–4 minute pieces.
Good for learning to pace pieces of different lengths in one session.
6. 4 × 4 minutes (about 30 minutes)
4 × 4 minutes with 3 minutes easy rowing between. Rate 24–28. Pace: 2K pace + 4–6 seconds.
The longest hard work in this list and the closest to how a 2K race feels in the middle 1,000 m.
7. Rowing and bodyweight mix (about 30 minutes)
5 rounds: 500 m row at 2K pace + 4–6 seconds, then 15 air squats, 10 push-ups and 20 seconds of plank. No set rest; move steadily.
Popular in gyms. Row first in each round so you're on the machine when you're fresh enough for good technique.
8. Distance ladder (about 35 minutes)
250 m, 500 m, 750 m, 1,000 m, 750 m, 500 m, 250 m, with rest equal to half the time you just rowed. Rate 26–30. Pace: faster than 2K pace on the 250s, 2K pace on the 500s, and 2K pace + 3–5 seconds on the 750s and 1,000.
How to fit HIIT into a week
| Your rowing week | What to do |
|---|---|
| 2 sessions | 1 HIIT (workouts 1, 2 or 4) + 1 easy row of 20–30 minutes |
| 3 sessions | 1 HIIT + 2 easy rows |
| 4–5 sessions | 2 HIIT on non-consecutive days + easy rows on the others |
Most of your rowing should still be easy. The hard days only work if you come into them rested. For more on structuring a week, see how to improve your erg time.
Reading your numbers
- Split is time per 500 m. Lower is faster.
- Watts rise with the cube of speed, so a few seconds faster takes a lot more power: going from a 2:00 split to 1:50 takes about 30% more watts. Check any split in the erg pace calculator.
- Calories on a Concept2 monitor assume a 175 lb rower. The calculator applies Concept2's body-weight adjustment if you want a closer estimate.
Still choosing a machine for these sessions? Our rowing machine buyer's guide compares the main options.
Frequently asked questions
›How often should I do HIIT on a rowing machine?
One or two interval sessions a week is plenty for most people. Keep the rest of your rowing easy so you recover between hard days.
›What split should I hold for rowing intervals?
Set it from your 2K pace. Short sprints (30 seconds or less) can go faster than 2K pace; 500 m and 1-minute intervals sit near 2K pace; longer intervals of 4 minutes or more sit a few seconds slower. The training zones calculator gives exact ranges.
›Is a higher stroke rate better for HIIT?
Not by itself. Speed comes from how hard you push with the legs on each stroke. Most intervals work well at 24 to 32 strokes per minute; if your rate climbs but your split doesn't drop, you're rushing.