How to Track Progress on a Rowing Machine

By the Watta Team · Updated 9 October 2026

The rowing machine measures everything, but the monitor forgets it once you start the next session. Progress shows up when you repeat the same piece and compare. This guide covers which numbers to watch, which benchmark pieces to repeat and how often, and the four practical ways to keep a record of your rowing.

The Numbers That Show Progress

Five numbers tell you whether your rowing is improving. Time over a fixed distance — the same 2K or 5K rowed faster. Distance in a fixed time — more metres in the same 20 or 30 minutes. Split at the same stroke rate — a faster /500m pace at, say, 20 strokes per minute means more power per stroke, not just more strokes. Heart rate at the same split — if a pace that used to take 150 bpm now takes 140, your aerobic fitness has improved, even if you have not rowed faster. And consistency — sessions and metres per week, which predict the other four better than any single workout does.

Benchmark Pieces to Repeat

Pick one benchmark and repeat it every 6–8 weeks: a 2K if you like short, hard efforts, a 5K or 30-minute row if you prefer steady work. Keep the conditions the same — same drag factor (check it in the PM5 menu rather than trusting the damper number, because machines differ), similar time of day, a similar warm-up. Between tests, use your everyday sessions: a regular 20-minute steady row at a fixed stroke rate is a free weekly check on whether the same effort is producing a faster split.

Four Ways to Keep a Record

A notebook or spreadsheet costs nothing and works with any rower; the catch is typing the numbers after every session, which is where most logs stop. The PM5 memory stores your recent workouts on the monitor itself — useful for a quick look back, but a shared gym machine holds everyone’s sessions, and it is no long-term log. The Concept2 Logbook is the official free online log: sessions arrive through the ErgData app over Bluetooth or a USB stick, and it powers the world rankings and metre milestones. Watta, a free iPhone app for Concept2 ergs, logs a session from a photo of the PM5 screen — distance, time, split, stroke rate and, when the monitor shows them, heart rate, watts and calories — and keeps personal bests per distance and machine, with no pairing or typing. It can also import the sessions you upload to the Concept2 Logbook.

What Progress Looks Like

New rowers usually improve fastest in the first weeks, and much of that early gain is technique — a cleaner stroke moves the flywheel further for the same effort. After the first few months, gains come more slowly and in steps rather than a straight line. A flat month is normal; a split that gets slower for a week or two usually means accumulated fatigue, a different drag factor, or a hot room, not lost fitness. Judge progress over 6–8 weeks, not session to session.

Progress Beyond the Monitor

Not all rowing progress shows on the screen. Signs it is working: a pace that used to feel hard now lets you hold a conversation; you recover faster between intervals; your resting heart rate drifts down over months; sessions you once dreaded become routine. If your goal is body composition, track waist measurements or how clothes fit every two weeks alongside your rowing log — the scale moves slowly and muscle gain can hide fat loss.

Tips

+Choose one benchmark piece and stick with it. Switching between 2K, 5K and 30 minutes makes it hard to see a trend.
+Record the drag factor with every test. Two machines on the same damper setting can feel very different.
+Row your weekly steady session at a fixed stroke rate so the split becomes a fair comparison from week to week.
+A log you keep beats a perfect log you abandon. Pick the method that takes the least effort after a session.
+Watta, a free iPhone app for Concept2 ergs, turns a photo of the PM5 summary screen into a logged session, so the record keeps itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I am improving on the rowing machine?

Repeat the same piece and compare: a faster time over the same distance, more distance in the same time, a faster split at the same stroke rate, or a lower heart rate at the same split. Any one of these, sustained over 6–8 weeks, means you are improving.

How often should I test on the rowing machine?

Every 6–8 weeks for a full benchmark such as a 2K or 5K. Testing more often mostly measures how tired you are that day. Your regular sessions, rowed at a fixed stroke rate, show progress in between.

Does the PM5 save my workouts?

Yes, the PM5 keeps your recent workouts in its memory, which you can open from the main menu. It is not a long-term log, though, and on a shared gym machine your sessions sit alongside everyone else's. Use the Concept2 Logbook, a notebook or an app such as Watta to keep a permanent record.

Can I track progress on a rowing machine that is not a Concept2?

Yes, with a notebook or spreadsheet, or the maker's own app if it has one. Watta reads Concept2 monitors (PM5, PM4 and PM3) from a photo; sessions on other brands can be entered by hand.

Why is my split getting slower?

Usually fatigue from recent hard training, a different drag factor (check it in the PM5 menu), heat, poor sleep or illness. One slow week is noise. If the trend is down for three or four weeks, add an easy week and retest.

Every erg counts.

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

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