Where to Row
By the Watta Team · Updated
There are four ways into rowing in any city: a club with a learn-to-row intake, a gym with a Concept2, an indoor league over the winter, or a machine of your own. Which is right depends on whether you want to get on the water, and how much you want other people around while you train. The city guides below cover 70 places in detail; the four routes apply anywhere.
Four ways in
A club with a learn-to-row intake
Most clubs run beginner courses once or twice a year, usually in spring, and they fill fast. A club is the only route to water rowing and almost always the cheapest access to a room full of ergs. Ask about winter membership: many clubs charge less over the indoor season.
A gym with a Concept2
Chain gyms increasingly keep one or two RowErgs, and CrossFit boxes and HYROX gyms nearly always do. The machine is identical everywhere, so a 2K in one city is directly comparable to a 2K in another — which is the whole basis of erg rankings.
An indoor league or race
Indoor regattas run through the winter in most rowing countries, from club-level sprints to national championships. They are the simplest way to find other people training on an erg without joining a boat club.
Your own machine
A second-hand Model D holds its value and needs almost no maintenance. The catch is that training alone is where most people stop — which is why a log that shows the trend, and other people in it, matters more at home than it does at a club.
City guides
United Kingdom
United States
Europe
Australia & New Zealand
Canada
Rest of the World
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find a rowing club near me?
Do I need to join a club to row indoors?
Is a 2K in one city comparable to a 2K in another?
What if my city is not listed?
Every erg counts.
Photograph your erg screen after the piece and Watta logs it for you.
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