25 rowing goals for the rowing machine and the water

Rowing goals for beginners

A first rowing goal is about rowing steadily for a set time, not about a fast split.

• Row for 10 minutes without stopping.
• Row 2,000 m without stopping.
• Row 3 times a week for 4 weeks.
• Hold 22 to 24 strokes a minute for 10 minutes.
• Row 5,000 m in one session.

Rowing machine distance goals

Distance goals are totals of metres, and the machine counts them for you. Swimming goals work the same way, with lengths in place of strokes.

• Row 10,000 m in one session.
• Row 50,000 m in a month.
• Row a half marathon: 21,097 m.
• Row a full marathon: 42,195 m.
• Row 1,000,000 m, however long it takes.

Rowing time and speed goals

A speed goal is a time over a set distance, tested when you are fresh and not more than once a month.

• Row 500 m in under 2 minutes.
• Row 2,000 m in under 8 minutes.
• Row 5,000 m in under 25 minutes.
• Take 10 seconds off your 2,000 m time in 12 weeks.
• Hold the same 500 m split for a whole 2,000 m piece.

Rowing technique goals

Technique goals are about the stroke itself. They cost no extra time, because you practise them inside sessions you already do.

• Keep one stroke rate for a full 20 minutes.
• Row 1,000 m at 18 strokes a minute, pushing harder on each one.
• Start every session with 5 minutes of legs, then body, then arms.
• Film your stroke once a month and fix one thing.
• Row 10 minutes with your eyes off the screen, by feel alone.

30 day rowing challenges and season goals

A day-count challenge suits rowing well, since a session can be short. If you would rather count kilometres outdoors, look at cycling goals.

• Row on 20 days out of 30.
• Row 100,000 m in 30 days. That is about 3,300 m a day.
• Row 100 sessions in a year.
• Row 100 km on the water in one season.
• Enter a first race, indoors or on the water.

What is a good rowing goal?

A good rowing goal is one number on the screen: metres or time. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best, and no sport makes specific easier than one with a counter in front of you.

The big one is a million metres. Concept2, a maker of rowing machines, has run a Million Meter Club since 1987 for people who log that lifetime total. At 5,000 m three times a week it takes about 67 weeks, which makes it a good goal for people who like a long count.

For a first goal, think smaller: 2,000 m without stopping, then 5,000 m. The research on goal tracking found that keeping a record is what raises your odds of getting there.

How to track rowing goals

Log the metres as soon as you stop. The machine forgets them when it sleeps. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that writing it down beat keeping it in your head.

Metres are an amount: every session adds to the total. Sessions are a day count: you tick the day. Most 30 day challenge ideas use the second shape, and it fits a short daily row well.

A million metres is too big to hold in your head, so put it in a picture that fills up as you row. A slice of it gets coloured in every session.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good rowing machine goal for a beginner?

Rowing 2,000 m without stopping. At an easy 2 minutes 45 per 500 m it takes 11 minutes, which is long enough to be a real effort and short enough to repeat three times a week.

What is the Million Meter Club?

A free challenge run by Concept2 since 1987. You log your metres, and when your lifetime total passes one million you can claim a certificate. It keeps going at every million after that.

Should I aim for distance or speed?

Distance first. A total only goes up, so every session counts toward it. Add a speed goal, like a faster 2,000 m, once rowing three times a week feels normal.