Around 85% of the muscles in your body are activated when rowing. A rowing machine is therefore ideal for regular fitness training. What is particularly practical is the fact that the intensity of the workout can be regulated using various parameters, which is important when achieving different training goals.
You can adjust the following adjusting screws to make your units more strenuous or more relaxing:
- Training duration
- beats per minute
- Resistance level
The most important indicator for monitoring your fitness level and measuring your progress is your heart rate. Your pulse rate tells you how much power your body has to produce to complete your training.
Below we will give you a plan that will help you get really fit and achieve your sporting goals in 6 weeks. We have developed both a training variant for beginners and a version for advanced users.
Before it begins…
Are you motivated to do something for your fitness? Very good! Our rowing machines are sure to help you achieve your goals. The following goals can be tackled very well with training on the rowing machine:
- Increase endurance
- reduce weight
- Build strength
6 WEEK TRAINING PLAN
In our 6-week plan for beginners and advanced users, we made sure that you can achieve all of these goals. The plan calls for three training sessions a week, each with a different focus. This also ensures that you don't train too one-sidedly.
The information regarding resistance is only a rough trend. With the SportPlus rowing machines you have more than the three levels mentioned (low, medium or high) available so that you can make more precise adjustments. Try to choose a load level at which you can maintain the stroke frequency over the entire period.
Before each training session, you should have drunk enough (approx. 1 liter of water) and not have a completely empty stomach. In addition, you always have to listen to your body. If you are not feeling 100% well, we recommend that you postpone the session.
By the way: You should ideally take a day's break between sessions. Your body needs time to regenerate. Multiple units in a row are not effective.
Measuring your heart rate plays an important role in controlling your training. Each workout in the plan indicates what percentage of your maximum heart rate you should achieve. You can approximately determine your maximum heart rate using the formula “220 minus age in years”.
Example : According to this formula, a 30-year-old person has a maximum heart rate of 190. If the plan states that training should be carried out at around 60% of the maximum heart rate, this corresponds to a pulse rate of 114 (= 190 * 0.6). If possible, you should adjust the intensity on the device so that you achieve the intended load.
Now you are ready to start our 6 week training plan and get really fit. If you are new, we recommend that you pay attention to the information for beginners. If you already have experience with endurance sports or have already completed the beginners plan, you can switch directly to the advanced version.
Of course, you can modify the plan so that it suits you perfectly. However, the increase in resistance we recommend has already proven itself in practice. You'll be amazed at how your fitness level will increase in just a few weeks!
A = beginner
F = Advanced
HR = heart rate
Week 1 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 25 minutes Q: 30 mins |
A: 18-20 Q: 20-22 |
low |
A: 60-70% F: 65-75% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 14-16 Q: 14-16 |
high |
A: max 80% F: max 80% |
| 3 |
A: 40 minutes Q: 50 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 18-20 |
low |
A: 60-70% Q: 65-75% |
Week 2 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 30 minutes Q: 40 mins |
A: 18-20 Q: 20-22 |
low |
A: 60-70% Q: 65-75% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 14-16 Q: 14-16 |
high |
A: max 80% F: max 80% |
| 3 |
A: 45 minutes Q: 60 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 18-20 |
low |
A: 60-70% Q: 65-75% |
Week 3 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 25 minutes Q: 30 mins |
A: 10-22 Q: 22-24 |
low |
A: 60-70% F: 65-75% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 14-16 Q: 14-16 |
high |
A: max 80% F: max 80% |
| 3 |
A: 45 minutes Q: 60 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 18-20 |
low |
A: 60-70% F: 65-75% |
Week 4 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 35 minutes Q: 50 mins |
A: 20-22 Q: 22-24 |
low |
A: 65-80% F: 65-80% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 16-18 |
high |
A: max 80% F: max 80% |
| 3 |
A: 45 minutes Q: 60 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 18-20 |
low |
A: 60-70% F: 65-75% |
Week 5 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 25 minutes Q: 30 mins |
A: 18-20 Q: 20-22 |
medium |
A: 65-80% F: 65-80% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 16-20 Q: 16-20 |
high |
A: max 85% F: max 85% |
| 3 |
A: 45 minutes Q: 60 mins |
A: 16-18 Q: 18-20 |
low |
A: 60-70% Q: 65-75% |
Week 6 of the rowing training plan
| # | Length of time | strokes/min | Resistance | Pulse /% of max. HR) |
| 1 |
A: 30 minutes Q: 45 mins |
A: 20-22 Q: 22-24 |
medium |
A: 65-80% F: 65-80% |
| 2 |
A: 15 minutes Q: 20 mins |
A: 16-20 Q: 16-20 |
high |
A: max 85% F: max 85% |
| 3 |
A: 60 minutes Q: 75 mins |
A: 18-20 Q: 20-22 |
low |
A: 60-70% F: 65-75% |
Instructions for training
This training plan is just one possible idea of how you can train with your rowing machine. You should always add new stimuli to your training. That's why in this plan we've varied the duration, the strokes per minute and the resistance from time to time.
You can determine whether you are getting fitter by looking at your heart rate. If this remains fairly constant from week to week despite an increase in training volume or intensity, you can see progress. However, if you see a rapid increase in your heart rate as you increase your exertion, you should approach it in slower steps.
We wish you lots of fun and success with your rowing training!
