Rowing & Ergometer Glossary
By the Watta Team · Updated
A comprehensive guide to indoor rowing terminology, erg metrics, and training concepts. Every term explained for rowers of all levels.
Erg Terminology
What the monitor shows you
Split, rate, watts, drag factor, calories. These are measurements with exact definitions — the monitor is not estimating them, it is counting flywheel revolutions and doing arithmetic. Getting these right is the difference between following a plan and guessing at it.
How training is described
UT2, UT1, AT, TR, AN. Rowing inherited a zone vocabulary from its national federations that looks nothing like the Zone 1-5 language used in running and cycling. Most confusion about rowing plans traces back to that one mismatch.
What happens in the stroke
Catch, drive, finish, recovery, layback, ratio. Technique terms describe positions and timing. They matter on an erg as much as in a boat, because the machine rewards the same sequence.
The equipment itself
PM5, RowErg, SkiErg, BikeErg, damper, flywheel, footstretcher. Knowing what a damper actually changes — and why it is not resistance — saves most beginners a season of training at the wrong setting.
Metrics
What the monitor shows you
Split, rate, watts, drag factor, calories. These are measurements with exact definitions — the monitor is not estimating them, it is counting flywheel revolutions and doing arithmetic. Getting these right is the difference between following a plan and guessing at it.
How training is described
UT2, UT1, AT, TR, AN. Rowing inherited a zone vocabulary from its national federations that looks nothing like the Zone 1-5 language used in running and cycling. Most confusion about rowing plans traces back to that one mismatch.
What happens in the stroke
Catch, drive, finish, recovery, layback, ratio. Technique terms describe positions and timing. They matter on an erg as much as in a boat, because the machine rewards the same sequence.
The equipment itself
PM5, RowErg, SkiErg, BikeErg, damper, flywheel, footstretcher. Knowing what a damper actually changes — and why it is not resistance — saves most beginners a season of training at the wrong setting.
Workout Types
What the monitor shows you
Split, rate, watts, drag factor, calories. These are measurements with exact definitions — the monitor is not estimating them, it is counting flywheel revolutions and doing arithmetic. Getting these right is the difference between following a plan and guessing at it.
How training is described
UT2, UT1, AT, TR, AN. Rowing inherited a zone vocabulary from its national federations that looks nothing like the Zone 1-5 language used in running and cycling. Most confusion about rowing plans traces back to that one mismatch.
What happens in the stroke
Catch, drive, finish, recovery, layback, ratio. Technique terms describe positions and timing. They matter on an erg as much as in a boat, because the machine rewards the same sequence.
The equipment itself
PM5, RowErg, SkiErg, BikeErg, damper, flywheel, footstretcher. Knowing what a damper actually changes — and why it is not resistance — saves most beginners a season of training at the wrong setting.
Training Concepts
What the monitor shows you
Split, rate, watts, drag factor, calories. These are measurements with exact definitions — the monitor is not estimating them, it is counting flywheel revolutions and doing arithmetic. Getting these right is the difference between following a plan and guessing at it.
How training is described
UT2, UT1, AT, TR, AN. Rowing inherited a zone vocabulary from its national federations that looks nothing like the Zone 1-5 language used in running and cycling. Most confusion about rowing plans traces back to that one mismatch.
What happens in the stroke
Catch, drive, finish, recovery, layback, ratio. Technique terms describe positions and timing. They matter on an erg as much as in a boat, because the machine rewards the same sequence.
The equipment itself
PM5, RowErg, SkiErg, BikeErg, damper, flywheel, footstretcher. Knowing what a damper actually changes — and why it is not resistance — saves most beginners a season of training at the wrong setting.
Equipment
What the monitor shows you
Split, rate, watts, drag factor, calories. These are measurements with exact definitions — the monitor is not estimating them, it is counting flywheel revolutions and doing arithmetic. Getting these right is the difference between following a plan and guessing at it.
How training is described
UT2, UT1, AT, TR, AN. Rowing inherited a zone vocabulary from its national federations that looks nothing like the Zone 1-5 language used in running and cycling. Most confusion about rowing plans traces back to that one mismatch.
What happens in the stroke
Catch, drive, finish, recovery, layback, ratio. Technique terms describe positions and timing. They matter on an erg as much as in a boat, because the machine rewards the same sequence.
The equipment itself
PM5, RowErg, SkiErg, BikeErg, damper, flywheel, footstretcher. Knowing what a damper actually changes — and why it is not resistance — saves most beginners a season of training at the wrong setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rowing terms do I actually need?
What is the most misunderstood rowing term?
Why does rowing use UT2 and AT instead of Zone 2 and Zone 4?
Do these terms apply to the SkiErg and BikeErg?
Every erg counts.
Photograph your erg screen after the piece and Watta logs it for you.
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