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RowAlong - Indoor Rowing Workouts
Don't Row Alone: Easy 22-Min Rowing Workout | 5K Every Day with RowAlong
20-25 minutes of easy rowing. Your pace. Just company.
Monday or Friday, February or August - doesn't matter. This is about fitting 20-25 minutes of low-intensity rowing into your day, whenever that day is for you. Whether you row 4K, 5K, or 7K in that time - it's the time that matters, not the distance.
I'm on the Exergame Sentinel Spin course today if you want to row along with the same scenery. I'll do 5K then a 1K cooldown, giving you plenty of time to finish your row or cool down if you're faster than me.
Today's row:
- Low intensity, fitness-building pace
- Around 19-20 strokes per minute
- Conversational effort - just company and waffle
- Takes me about 22 minutes for 5K
What we cover today: ✅ Complete machine setup guide: drag factor, foot strap height (crucial!), seat position, handle grip ✅ Detailed technique breakdown: handle release, posture sequence, arms straight at the front, when to pull ✅ The beginning of my story - from pudgy 10-year-old to where I am now ✅ Why I was destined to be big (family genes + Saturday chocolate binges) ✅ How getting a drum kit accidentally turned my life around ✅ The lesson I learned about keeping busy vs sitting idle in front of the TV
Technique highlights: Handle to sternum height, wrists flat. Handle away, sit up, tilt forward, THEN bend knees. Arms straight and forward tilt as you push with your legs. Only pull when legs are halfway done. Legs down, back swings, arms pull - in that order.
This week I'm telling my story - how I got from being a lost kid who ran home for lunch money to becoming someone who rows 5K every day and makes these workouts for you. Today's chapter one. Tomorrow we continue.
No stretching at the end today (my quads are sore from parkrun), but I've got 9 hours of stretching videos in the library. Recommend: quads, glutes, shoulders, forearms, hamstrings.
About EXR: Using the Sentinel Spin course today because it's more interesting to look at than data. Free trial available at exrgame.com - use code RA26 for 15% off (I get nothing, you get a discount).
#rowing #rowingmachine #concept2 #5keveryday #dontrowalone #homefitness #mondayworkout #exergame #easyrow
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10. Mar 17: 25 Min Easy Rowing Workout — No Pressure, Just Row | RowAlong
41:50||Season 2, Ep. 1025 minutes of low intensity rowing you can do on any machine, any pace. This is Tuesday's row. If you want to watch the video, find it here and bookmark it: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUilThere's a reason these easy sessions matter more than you think — and it has nothing to do with how fast you go. Whether you're chasing a sub-7 two-K or just trying to keep up with your kids, showing up consistently at low intensity is where the real fitness gets built. That's what this series is about.Today's technique focuses on the recovery — why it's not a sequence of separate steps but one fluid motion, and the common habit of dropping the handle on the way forward that quietly wrecks everything that follows.The backstory reaches Boston 2017. After a British record and a weekend as world champion, I arrive at the World Championships with a squad of teammates for the first time — and promptly have the worst race of my competitive life. What happened in the conversation afterwards is the moment things started to unravel.
9. Mar 16: 25 Min Low Intensity Row Along — Technique, Hyrox Stories & Stretching
43:28||Season 2, Ep. 925-minute low intensity follow along rowing workout — any rower, any machine. Row with me while I share technique tips, my Hyrox Glasgow race story, and a full cool-down stretch.🔗 Full Daily Row Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUilThis is Week 1 of the new RowAlong Daily Row format — Monday's row is public, and Tuesday to Friday rows are available in the playlist above. Same daily commitment, just a smarter upload rhythm. Bookmark that playlist so you never miss a row!🚣 What's inside this row:00:00 Welcome & Format Update01:17 Workout Intro — Low Intensity Plan03:17 Let's Row — Warm Up & First Strokes09:17 Technique Deep Dive: Posture, Footplate & Grip15:30 Hyrox Glasgow Race Story22:00 Why Leg Drive Matters (Hyrox Rowing Fail Edition)30:40 Cool Down Stretch — Hamstrings & Hips36:50 Quad Stretch & Final Chat41:00 Wrap Up & What's Next⏱️ Bail out options: Stop at 15 or 25 minutes — the stretching is a bonus.📩 Got a question about your rowing technique? Drop a comment below.Don't Row Alone, RowAlong.
8. Mar 13: World Record Holder for a Weekend — 25 Min Easy | RowAlong Daily
38:08||Season 2, Ep. 8It's Friday the 13th, and the day is: this row, then a 2K on a £40 Bluefin rowing machine that I can lift with one arm, then edit 12 Aviron videos, then make the spare room up because my pal Martin is coming for a pre-Hyrox sleepover, then cook spaghetti bolognese, then go and watch Martin race in the morning before Julie and I race in the evening. Busy.Technique-wise today it's about angles and arm sequencing. The back swing should mirror the forward tilt — one o'clock to eleven o'clock — and going deeper than that costs more in recovery energy than the extra centimetre of length is worth. There's also a proper look at keeping the arms straight on the drive: if you can still see your elbows in your peripheral vision, they should be straight. The moment they disappear is the moment you pull them in.Then we get to Manchester, 2016. Five rowing machines in Dave's back garden, a staggered 1K race, and me arriving having trained hard enough to be doing 3:08 in training with more left to give. Have a good weekend. Sunday is a rest day. Monday's row will be late. Keep an eye on socials for the Hyrox result.Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme, particularly if you have any existing health conditions or injuries. Listen to your body and work at a pace that's right for you.
7. Mar 12: The Announcer Who Accidentally Won Me a Silver Medal — 25 Min Easy | RowAlong Daily
43:14||Season 2, Ep. 7Back on the Concept 2 this morning — With a Hyrox race in two days I'm keeping things easy. Later today I'm filming a 2K on a Bluefin rowing machine I picked up for £40 off Facebook Marketplace. It can be bicep-curled. Make of that what you will.Technique-wise, we get into handle height — aim for the sternum, not the belly button, not the neck — and the return sequence that most people get backwards. Arms away first, then sit up, then tilt forwards. A viewer sends a video of someone they're coaching and it turns into a useful case study: feet set too high in the foot plates, an on-water habit of dumping the handle, and a posture that collapses before the drive even starts. The fix is simple. Whether it gets made is another thing.Then the British Indoor Rowing Championships, 2016. I know Tim is there, so I've already made my peace with no gold. Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme, particularly if you have any existing health conditions or injuries. Listen to your body and work at a pace that's right for you.
6. Mar 11: Gold, a Spaceship, and a Cake You Really Shouldn't Eat | RowAlong Daily
35:49||Season 2, Ep. 625 minutes. Easy pace. On the Aviron today — don't panic, the Concept 2 is back tomorrow. Watch the full playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ookhrQKwvKEfSfOxp73vX02j8LrtUilI'm filming Aviron workouts for another series this week, so it was either swap machines or just crack on. I cracked on. And actually, it turns out there's something worth talking about here — because rowing on a different machine tells you things about your technique that your regular machine quietly hides from you.There's also a cake. Sort of. A genuinely useful way of thinking about how low, moderate, and high intensity sessions fit together in your training — and why 25 minutes at easy pace five days a week is actually doing more for you than you might think.The backstory rolls forward too. It's 2016, I'm now racing under the Fitness Matters banner, and for the first time I walk into a championship and there's a table full of people who know my name. The English champs. 20 lightweight 40-to-49s. And for possibly the only time in my career, I line up quietly thinking: I've got this.Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme, particularly if you have any existing health conditions or injuries. Listen to your body and work at a pace that's right for you.
5. Mar 10: Cracking Ice, Stiff Backs, and Finding Faster Company | RowAlong Daily
43:40||Season 2, Ep. 5It's half seven in the morning and my lower back is not happy about it. But that's fine — because rowing through it gave me probably my favourite description yet of what a proper warm-up feels like. Think thin ice on a puddle on a cold day. You'll know what I mean when I get there.I cover setup and technique early on — posture, drag factor, the idea of "row flow" and why I want your movement to feel like water rather than a series of speed bumps. Then we pick up the backstory from where I left it. It's early 2015, I've just come fourth in Boston, I'm throwing everything at training, and a coach called Sam Blythe does something really smart that pulls me away from the comfortable world of Free Spirits and into something a lot more competitive. It feels like a small moment. It isn't.The back half goes a bit off-road — posture at Wagamama, a squash lesson I was too self-conscious as a teenager to properly take on board, and something I feel pretty strongly about when it comes to people who worry about being judged at the gym. I think you'll agree with me on that one.Please consult your doctor or healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme, particularly if you have any existing health conditions or injuries.
4. Mar 9: Easy 25-Minute Low-Intensity Rowing Workout | Friendly Row with Technique Tips
43:36||Season 2, Ep. 4Join me for an easy, low-intensity 25-minute rowing machine workout designed for all levels and any rowing machine. Perfect for beginners, experienced rowers, and racers looking to move without pressure.In this session from the 25 by 5 (25x5) series — row 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week — focus on gentle movement, technique, and a relaxed pace. I’ll guide you through setup, rowing, and stretching, all wrapped up in under 40 minutes.This workout is part of my taper week before racing Hyrox mixed doubles with my wife, so it’s deliberately easy. I also share stories from recent races, including my 4th place finish at the World Rowing Championships, and why good posture is key to protecting your lower back and maximizing power.What you’ll get:Step-by-step machine setupLow-pressure rowing sessionTechnique tips on posture and core engagementStretching to finishPersonal insights from my rowing journey and upcoming goals⚠️ Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any exercise program. Stop if you feel pain or discomfort.
3. Mar 6: Easy 25 Min Rowing Workout (Burn Fat Without Burning Out)
38:36||Season 2, Ep. 3An easy 25-minute rowing workout you can do on any machine, at any fitness level. No stress, no sprint intervals — just a steady, low-intensity row that burns fat and builds your aerobic base while I keep you company.Perfect if you're just getting started, coming back from a break, or want an active recovery day between harder sessions.🏋️ Workout Details⏱️ 25 minutes + cool-down stretches📏 ~5,000m (but it's time-based — any machine works)💪 Low intensity — you should be able to hold a conversation🦶 Technique tip: try rowing with feet out of the strapsThis is part of the 25 by 5 series — a 25-minute row, five days a week. Hop on whenever suits you. No need to catch up, no need to keep pace. Just row.👉 Don't Row Alone, Row Along.⚠️ Disclaimer: Only undertake exercise if you are medically fit to do so. If you have any pre-existing health conditions, consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme. RowAlong accepts no responsibility for any injury sustained during these workouts. Listen to your body and stop if you feel unwell.
2. Mar 5: 25 Minute Rowing Machine Workout (going to World Champs Alone) RowAlong
41:04||Season 2, Ep. 2Easy 25-minute follow-along rowing workout — any machine, all levels. Plus: the story of how I ended up at the World Championships. Alone.Row 52 of the 25 by 5 series — 25 minutes of rowing, 5 days a week, on whatever machine you've got. Low intensity, no pressure, just move.Today's technique focus: the recovery. Why chain height at the catch matters, why most people are stiff on the way forward, and a three-word cue that changes everything — relax, tilt, float.Then the story picks up. I won gold at the English Champs in 2015 — two weeks later I was on a plane to Boston for the World Indoor Rowing Championships. No team. No coach. Just me. I wander through a frozen Boston Common the night before, sit at a Concept2 breakfast surrounded by strangers, and then I see the venue. Crash B. "Oh my, what have I done?"Race day tomorrow.⚠️ Disclaimer: Always consult a doctor before starting any new exercise programme. Exercise at your own risk.