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RowAlong - Indoor Rowing Workouts
Apr 08: 25 Min Row — How HYROX Ruined My 2K | RowAlong
Bedhead hair, Expedition EXR route in the background, and a 5K row with a 1K cool-down to follow.
Today is one of those episodes where I don't have a plan, so I pick up the RowAlong story where I left it. I talk through how the channel started — a hand injury, then Covid, then a gap I spotted to offer something a bit calmer and more companionable than the shouty fitness content that was everywhere at the time. I cover how it went through a couple of name changes before landing on RowAlong, what those first lockdown summers looked like filming in the garden, and how throwing myself into Hyrox training from 2022 onwards was brilliant for my overall fitness but quietly let my 2K pace slide while I wasn't paying attention.
There's also a bit on why matching my stroke rate won't give you my split, how heart rate varies wildly between people (and why mine sitting at 34 resting isn't a cause for alarm, apparently), what my honest current training situation looks like — 5K in 21:50 when I said I was going easy — and what I actually need to do to get back under seven minutes for the British Rowing Indoor Champs in December.
Oh, and I might have won something on Premium Bonds. Could be £25, could be a million. We'll see.
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10. May 08: Friday Row | The Strimmer, The Broccoli & Why Slow Is Actually The Prize
44:03||Season 3, Ep. 1025 minutes. Low intensity. 20 strokes a minute. And a confession that using a strimmer as a teenager used to be my idea of a nightmare.There's a point to that story — it ends up being about how we learn to love things that are genuinely good for us. Broccoli gets a mention. So does Guinness. And then it connects back to why the easy row, the one that doesn't feel like it's doing anything, is quietly the most important session in your week.I also continue the mitochondria today — following on from yesterday's battalion analogy, there's a follow-up question about combining low and high intensity training in the same session. The answer is longer than you might think, and there are caveats, and the caveats have caveats. It all makes sense by the end.Technique walkthrough covers the finish position, drive sequence, compression, and the catch. Then we row. Then we stretch. Then we do the maths on development points.Chapters:0:00 Intro — Forgotten Fortress on the Exer App1:27 Easy Start — 20spm, Low Intensity3:00 Learning to Love the Slow Stuff (Broccoli & Strimmer)12:28 The Mitochondria Effect — Growing Your Battalion14:18 Technique Walkthrough22:27 How Long for Zone 2?26:33 Stretching — & The Combining Workouts Q&A
9. May 07: Zone 2 Rowing: Why Going Easy Builds More Fitness Than Going Hard
41:15||Season 3, Ep. 9How often do you get to do something easy that is actually this good for you? Exercise is usually hard. Recovery is usually boring. This is neither — and what it does to your mitochondria is genuinely fascinating.Today's row is 21 minutes at Zone 2 intensity. Around 20 strokes per minute. Conversational pace — the kind where you could finish a full sentence without gasping. Followed by a 4-minute cool-down. Simple on the surface. Quietly transformative underneath.Along the way we go deep on the physiology — the "battalion of soldiers" analogy for what Zone 2 actually does to your mitochondria, the difference between Zone 2 and that Zone 3 drift that secretly undermines everything, and the practical answer to the question: how long should I actually do this?There's also a full technique breakdown — from the finish (handle to sternum, elbows wide) all the way through to the catch, including why completely straight arms at the drive are the single biggest free power source on the machine.The Zone 2 deep-dive runs to about 41.Chapters:0:00 Welcome — How Often Do We Get to Do Something Easy This Good?0:35 Machine Setup: Drag Factor & Foot Stretcher1:21 Row Begins — Zone 2, 20spm3:00 Technique walkthrough12:00 Zone 2 and Mitochondria41:06 Row Well, Be Well41:06 Row Well, Be Well
8. May 06: Wednesday Row | Why Scales Are Lying to You & The Flash T-Shirt's Last Outing
39:59||Season 3, Ep. 825 minutes. Low intensity. 20 strokes a minute. And a 15-year-old Flash t-shirt making its final public appearance.It's riddled with holes, it's been through things, and today it rows for the last time. But it leads somewhere genuinely useful — a conversation about why scales are the worst way to measure your fitness progress, and what to use instead. We get into the t-shirt test (specifically: is the fabric pressing into your sides?), the Bill and Ted t-shirt that went into a drawer in 2008 because it was too tight, and how three years of quiet consistency brought it back out again. I also go deep on a few technique things that often get dogmatically stated as rules but are actually more nuanced:✅ Soft knee bend at the finish — is it actually wrong?✅ Pulling on your footstraps — when and why it matters✅ Schrodinger's heels — the most honest explanation of the heels-up debate you'll hearAnd there's a brief Obi-Wan Kenobi impression at the start. Because it was yesterday's Star Wars Day and the residual energy was still there.Chapters:0:00 Obi-Wan Impression & Welcome0:04 Workout Overview (21 mins + 4 min cool-down)0:18 Machine Setup: Drag Factor0:26 Seat Position0:39 Foot Stretcher Height0:57 Handle Grip ("Loosey Goosey")1:28 Row Begins — 3 to 4 out of 101:37 Technique: Straight Arms at the Finish2:25 Words & the English Language (Default/Beloved)3:14 Only Awake 20 Minutes — The Gradual Warmup Approach4:15 Technique: Compression & Shins Vertical4:24 Be the Snake — Core Bracing at the Catch4:57 Handle Path & the Forward Tilt Trigger5:23 The Soft Knee Bend Debate & Rowing Purists5:41 Debunking Rowing Rules: Footstraps6:55 Schrodinger's Heels — The Honest Answer7:32 When Heels Up is Fine (And When It Isn't)9:17 The Flash T-Shirt: A Brief History11:43 Today is its Last Outing. Goodbye.12:20 Student Dish-Washing Logic & What That Has to Do With Clothes13:15 Why Old T-Shirts Beat Scales for Tracking Fitness14:10 Why Scales Lie (Featuring Arnold, The Rock & Brad Pitt)16:52 The Bill and Ted T-Shirt — 2008, Too Tight, Into the Drawer21:10 Three Years Later: It Fits. The T-Shirt Test Explained.22:33 Main Row Done — Pace & Heart Rate Check23:32 Why Talking While Rowing Pushes Your Heart Rate Up26:12 Success Feeds Success26:45 Cool-Down: Hamstrings Stretch27:13 Rest Day Yesterday — Editing & Dad Taxi Duties29:05 Glutes Stretch30:30 Digging the Garden Counts as Weights, Right?
7. May 05: Tuesday Row | Down almost 6kg Since January & The Run That Proved It's Working
43:07||Season 3, Ep. 782kg after Christmas. 76.4kg yesterday.That's 5.6kg down — doing these workouts and being a little sensible with food. No big diet, no brutal sessions, no grinding. 25 minutes most mornings, low intensity, and letting the consistency do the work quietly in the background to eat away while I set myself up for the rest of the day's exercise!And yesterday it showed up somewhere unexpected. I went for a run and felt incredible — fluid, fast, genuinely surprised by how good it felt. That's the low intensity base doing its job. You don't always feel it building. Then one day you do.Today's row is 21 minutes at low intensity followed by a 4-minute cool-down. Along the way: the Concept2 Cross-Team Challenge (and why it desperately needs a handicap system), a disagreement with my edit producer over a single shot of a sheep, the maths on 200 possible outfit combinations, and a Mr. Burns analogy for what it feels like to have too many things on your to-do list at once.Come for the row, stay for the sheep.🛑 Just want the workout? Main row is done by 22 minutes.Chapters:0:00 Welcome & RowAlong Club0:27 Machine Setup (Drag, Seat, Foot Stretchers, Grip)1:38 Workout Begins — Where Are You Rowing Today?2:25 Family of Rowers (Julie & The Kids)3:04 Technique: Arms Straight, Sitting Up4:12 The Outfit Maths (200 Combinations)5:19 The Mr. Burns To-Do List7:00 What's On This Week7:32 Concept2 Cross-Team Challenge & The Handicap System12:25 TV Editing Day Job: Music, Feedback & The First Cut15:20 The Sheep Shot Debate22:44 Are the Daily Workouts Continuing? Yes. Here's Why.25:56 Yesterday's Technique Row (⚡ Lightsaber Warning)26:43 Post-Row Stretches: Hamstrings30:26 The Run That Felt Incredible31:55 The Numbers: 82kg → 76.4kg36:45 Cat Birthday Correction (It Was Aiza, Not Lulu)39:03 Why Low Intensity Is Actually Working40:23 App Rotation Plan (Urzone, Exer & Revisiting Whoosh)42:02 11 Rowing Machines (One of Them is Leaving)42:22 See You Tomorrow
6. Star Wars Day RowAlong: How to Row Properly on a Rowing Machine | 25-Minute Follow-Along Workout
43:46||Season 3, Ep. 625 minutes. Low intensity. Genuinely useful rowing technique tips — while you actually row. This is a follow-along rowing machine workout at a steady, sustainable pace. Your heart rate and breathing will lift a little, but you should be able to hold a conversation throughout. No shouting, no grinding — just consistent, productive work that builds real aerobic fitness over time.Full "RowAlong Daily Workout" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUilAlong the way we work through the full stroke in detail:✅ Machine setup — drag factor, seat position, foot stretcher height, handle grip✅ The recovery phase — relaxing your arms, the handle path, when to bend your knees✅ Core bracing — the one cue that connects everything✅ The drive — why it's a push, not a pull✅ Elbows during and after the drive — the fix that makes the biggest differenceWhether you're brand new to the rowing machine or just want cleaner technique while you train, this one's for you.(May the 4th be with you 🚣⚡)Chapters:0:00 Welcome & Workout Overview1:15 Machine Setup: Drag Factor1:31 Seat Position1:59 Foot Stretcher Height2:41 Handle Grip3:28 Bank Holiday Monday in Glasgow ☀️5:28 Still in Pyjamas 30 Minutes Ago6:38 Technique: The Recovery Phase8:51 Handle Path & Forward Tilt Trigger9:41 When to Bend Your Knees10:21 Bracing Your Core (The T-S-S-S Cue)11:13 The Drive — Push, Don't Pull14:53 Keeping Arms Straight During the Drive15:27 How to Adjust Your Drag Factor Mid-Row18:03 Elbows at the Finish19:29 The Chicken Wings Fix24:25 Cool-Down Row Begins26:18 Cool-Down Technique Focus
5. May 01: Friday Row | The Box of Power
39:44||Season 3, Ep. 5It's Friday. End of the week. 21 minutes of easy rowing, 18–20 strokes a minute, and a non-zero chance the doorbell goes mid-row because the boiler engineer is on his way.That's the jeopardy. You're welcome.Along the way we get into the mathematics of appliance protection plans — specifically the grim realisation that we've spent about £700 protecting a washing machine that cost £200. It's fine. It's fine.Then we get into something actually useful: the Box of Power. It's a way of thinking about your handle pull and elbow position at the finish of the stroke — keeping everything connected and powerful all the way through. The kind of thing that's easy to let slip, especially when fatigue starts to creep in on a long row.Come for the Friday feeling, stay for the elbow chat.Chapters:0:00 End of the Week — Friday Format0:33 Machine Setup (Drag, Seat, Foot Stretcher, Grip)1:26 Row Begins — Boiler Service Jeopardy Explained1:38 The Appliance Protection Plan Maths (It's Grim)4:35 Technique Check-Up — Where Are We Getting Sloppy?5:22 Handle Pull & Elbow Position at the Finish6:52 The Box of Power — Explained8:47 Keeping the Box All the Way Through the Stroke22:26 Cool-Down Begins26:30 Stretches & Accountability Tracker
4. Apr 30: 25-Minute Easy Row | Glasgow Sun and the TV Editing Process
40:00||Season 3, Ep. 4A calm 25-minute row to start the day — 20 strokes a minute, low intensity, and enough conversation to make the time disappear.Today it's the Glasgow version of summer (15 degrees, "tap's aff"), why yesterday's run in the sun counts as cross-training, and a long look at what I actually do for a living when I'm not on the rowing machine — editing observational documentaries for TV.We get into the whole process: viewing 30 hours of rushes, building a story, cutting it down to 59 minutes for a terrestrial broadcast slot, and the moment you have to hand it over to the execs and pretend you're emotionally detached. (You're not.)There's also a bit on where AI fits into editing right now — and where I think it genuinely doesn't.Machine setup at the top, stretches at the end. Come for the row, stay for the edit suite chat.Chapters:0:00 Welcome & Workout Overview0:55 Machine Setup2:23 21-Minute Low Intensity Row Begins4:12 Glasgow Summer & "Taps Off" Explained6:33 Why I Went Running Instead Yesterday7:51 The Willett 2K Check-In8:49 Life as a TV Editor17:26 Cutting 30 Hours Down to 59 Minutes22:40 Showing Your Work to the Execs23:23 Cool-Down Row24:51 Will AI Replace TV Editors?27:20 Post-Row Stretches — Hamstrings & Glutes30:04 Quad Stretch34:10 Forearm Stretch35:27 Shoulder Stretch37:36 The Time an Exec Loved It and Just... Left
3. Arp 29: RowAlong Daily Workout - 25 minutes low intensity - TV rant...
39:42||Season 3, Ep. 325 minutes of low intensity rowing — coached from setup to cooldown. Perfect for beginners and anyone fixing their rowing technique.This is The RowAlong Daily Workout — 21 minutes of coached rowing followed by a 4-minute cooldown, every weekday. Same format, same calm pace, always something to learn.Today I'm mixing up how we cover technique. Instead of saving it all for the end, we're weaving tips throughout the session — from machine setup right through to the final minutes on the rower. Think of it like terrestrial TV: the content comes to you, whether you're ready or not. (Unlike streaming — you'll get that analogy by minute 10.)Along the way we cover:→ Machine setup: drag factor, footplate height, and why it matters more to beginners than anyone→ The six-move stroke sequence: push with legs, rock the body, draw the arms — then reverse it→ Handle position on recovery: where it should float, and where it absolutely shouldn't be→ Footplate placement hack: getting your feet right so pressure transfers cleanly into the machine→ Core bracing: "be the snake" — relaxed yet engaged from catch to finish→ Why your catch length matters more than your finish length→ The simple acronym to remember the stroke order: LBR — Legs, Body, Row (arms)→ Full cooldown and post-row stretch: glutes, quads, forearms, shoulders, and hip flexorsCHAPTERS0:00 Intro & today's plan0:42 Machine setup1:52 We're rowing — low intensity session19:30 Core bracing: "be the snake"21:40 Cooldown25:09 Technique tip & full stretch39:28 Sign-off⚠️ Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are for informational purposes only.
1. Apr 27: Easy 25 Min Follow Along Rowing Machine Workout | Low Intensity + Perfect Technique
42:49||Season 3, Ep. 125 minutes of low intensity rowing, every weekday. Machine setup, coached rowing, technique work, and cooldown — same format, every time.This is The RowAlong Daily Workout — 21 minutes of coached rowing followed by a 4-minute cooldown, structured so you always know what's coming. No guessing, no falling behind, no racing ahead. Just rowing together.Today we're keeping it genuinely easy. RPE 3–4. Around 20 strokes per minute. The kind of low intensity rowing your body needs more of — and I'll show you exactly why controlling your intensity, rather than just rowing harder, is what actually builds real fitness over time.Along the way I cover:→ Machine setup: drag factor, foot stretcher height, and handle grip→ The six-move stroke sequence: push, swing, pull, release, rock, bend→ Why your legs control your pace far more than your arms ever will→ Core bracing at the finish — and why it matters more than you think→ Elbow height, handle position, and knee timing on the recovery→ A full post-row stretch: hamstrings, glutes, quads, hip flexors, forearms, and shouldersCHAPTERS0:00 Intro & series redesign0:47 Machine setup1:49 We're rowing — low intensity explained15:46 Technique: the six-move stroke22:51 Cooldown28:25 Stretching🚣 Full daily workout playlist: The RowAlong Daily Workout —https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUil🎯 Join the accountability board: rowalong.com/join⚠️ Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. The workouts on this channel are provided for informational purposes only.