Rowing for Beginners

By the Watta Team · Updated

New to the rowing machine? This guide covers everything you need to get started: proper technique, your first workouts, understanding the PM5 monitor, and how to progress safely without injury. Rowing is one of the most effective full-body exercises, and the learning curve is gentler than you think.

Why Rowing?

Rowing is a full-body exercise that works 86% of your muscles in every stroke. It is low-impact (no pounding on joints), scalable to any fitness level, and burns more calories per minute than most other cardio exercises. The Concept2 RowErg is the gold standard for indoor rowing — used by everyone from beginners to Olympic athletes. Once you learn the basics, rowing becomes an addictive, meditative workout.

The Rowing Stroke

The rowing stroke has four phases: Catch (legs compressed, arms straight, body leaning slightly forward), Drive (push with legs first, then lean back, then pull arms), Finish (legs straight, handle to lower ribs, slight lean back), and Recovery (arms away, body rocks forward, legs compress). The most important concept: rowing is legs-back-arms on the drive and arms-back-legs on the recovery. Power comes from your legs, not your arms.

Your First Workouts

Start with 10-15 minute sessions at a comfortable pace. Focus entirely on technique for the first two weeks. Row at 18-20 strokes per minute — slower than you think. Set the damper at 3-5 (not 10). After two weeks, build to 20 minutes. After four weeks, try 2 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes rest. Do not worry about split time initially — technique first, fitness follows.

Understanding the PM5

The Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) displays your workout data. Key metrics to learn: Split time (pace per 500m — lower is faster), Stroke rate (strokes per minute), Distance, and Time. Ignore calories for now. A split time of 2:30-3:00 is typical for beginners. Focus on keeping the split consistent rather than fast.

Choosing an app?

Which app should you use with your Concept2? →

Seven erg trackers ranked, free options first: ErgData, the Concept2 Logbook, Watta and more — what each is best for.

Common Beginner Mistakes

The five most common beginner mistakes: 1) Pulling with arms first instead of driving with legs, 2) Setting the damper too high (3-5 is correct for beginners), 3) Rushing the recovery (the return should be twice as slow as the drive), 4) Hunching the back instead of sitting tall, 5) Gripping the handle too tightly — use a relaxed hook grip.

How to Track Your Progress

Write down three numbers after every session: distance, time and average split — they are on the PM5 summary screen when you finish. After a month, repeat your first-week session and compare; most beginners see the split come down noticeably as technique improves. You can keep the record in a notebook, upload sessions to the free Concept2 Logbook with the ErgData app, or use Watta, a free iPhone app for Concept2 ergs that logs a session from a photo of the PM5 screen and keeps your personal bests.

Tips

  • +Legs generate 60% of power, back 30%, arms only 10%. Drive with your legs.
  • +Set the damper to 3-5 for your first month. Higher is not harder — it changes the feel, not the difficulty.
  • +Slow down the recovery. Count to 2 on the way back for every count of 1 on the drive.
  • +Watch one YouTube video on rowing technique before your first session.
  • +Take a photo of your PM5 screen after each session. Watta, a free iPhone app for Concept2 ergs, reads the distance, time, split and stroke rate from it and keeps your personal bests, so you can track progress from day one.

Further Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

What damper setting should beginners use?
Start at damper 3-5. The damper is not a resistance setting — it controls how the flywheel decelerates. Lower damper settings are easier on the body and better for learning technique. Most experienced rowers use damper 4-6.
How often should beginners row?
3-4 times per week for 15-20 minutes is ideal for beginners. Allow rest days for your body to adapt. Increase duration before frequency — build to 30-minute sessions before adding a 5th day.
Will rowing hurt my back?
Not if you use proper technique. The most common cause of back pain in rowing is hunching or hyperextending at the finish. Sit tall, brace your core, and lean back only to about 1 o'clock at the finish. If you experience pain, reduce intensity and check your technique.

Related Content

How to Track Progress on a Rowing MachineErg Technique GuideRowing Warm-Up GuideSteady State Rowing GuideConcept2 RowErgThe Concept2 RowErg is the industry-standard air-resistance indoor rowing machine used by Olympic teams, universities, CrossFit boxes, and home gyms worldwide.Damper SettingThe damper setting is the adjustable lever (1-10) on the side of a Concept2 rowing ergometer that controls airflow to the flywheel and affects resistance.Drag FactorDrag factor is a normalized number on the Concept2 PM5 that measures the actual air resistance the flywheel feels, so you can replicate the same stroke feel on any erg.Split TimeSplit time is the pace expressed as the time it takes to row 500 metres on an ergometer, displayed in minutes and seconds (e.g. 2:00.0/500m).Stroke RateStroke rate, or strokes per minute (SPM), is the number of complete rowing strokes you take in one minute on the ergometer.PM5 MonitorThe PM5 (Performance Monitor 5) is the current-generation display unit on Concept2 ergometers, showing split time, distance, stroke rate, watts, heart rate, and other workout metrics.The RecoveryThe recovery is the non-power phase of the rowing stroke where the rower returns to the catch position, following an arms-back-legs sequence.The FinishThe finish is the end position of the rowing stroke where the handle is drawn to the lower ribs, legs are flat, and the body is leaning slightly back.The DriveThe drive is the power phase of the rowing stroke where the rower pushes with the legs, swings the back, and pulls with the arms to accelerate the flywheel.Rowing Pace CalculatorCalorie Burn CalculatorFor BeginnersFor Home GymFor University StudentsBeginner 20-Minute Row
Free on iPhone

Every erg counts.

Photograph your erg screen after the piece and Watta logs it for you.

Download on the App Store

iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later · no subscription · Android beta

See everything Watta does