15 rowing machine workouts from 10 to 60 minutes (for any fitness level)

Ever walked into the gym, made a beeline for the rowing machines (maybe all the treadmills were taken?), plonked yourself down and then kind of... not really been sure what to do next? We hear ya! But fear not, we've pulled together 15 different workouts you can try on a rowing machine, ranging from 10 minute blasts to a whole hour. They're suitable for all levels, from beginners to advanced rowers, and they can be done at home if you have access to your own rower, or at the gym – just set up your phone, connect your headphones and follow along.

But why the rowing machine fuss to begin with? Well, according to British Rowing, just one row uses 85% of your muscles, including all nine major muscle groups, so if you're not yet into it, now is the time to change that.

Ready, set, row!

How long should you work out on a rowing machine?

Boring but true, how long you exercise will always depend on your fitness abilities, stamina and how experienced you are. There's no one size fits all answer and tbh, we love that.

Work out to a volume that fits your routine and lifestyle. If that's twice a week, great. If that's more – also great. How long you spend on the rower each workout will again, depend on what kind of workout you're aiming to do. Interval workouts that are designed to burn fat are more likely to be shorter in length but at a much higher intensity than form-improving drill workouts or slower cardio sessions.

How long should I row as a beginner?

That really depends. Someone new to rowing but with experience in other types of physical activity may find their feet a little faster than someone with limited exposure to cardiovascular activity. There are other factors which may also influence your starting threshold, too, such as current health, any injuries, stress levels, sleep quality, age, and so on.

That said, a solid place to start is by rowing for five minutes, at a steady and maintainable pace – whatever that looks like for you. Over time, you can slowly increase the time and/or the intensity of your rowing sessions as and when it feels good to progress. Start with 2-3 sessions per week, and go from there.

Is it okay to row everyday?

Our question to anyone considering rowing everyday is: why would you want to? Unless your fitness goal is to simply have the most fun possible and you also find rowing the most fun activity, we’re struggling to settle on a scenario whereby rowing everyday would be advisable. Not because there’s anything wrong with rowing, specifically, for seven days in a row, but because doing almost any activity every single day can both inhibit progress and increase your risk of injury.

Rest is an important factor when working towards a goal – it allows muscles time to repair and energy stores to replenish ahead of your next training session. It’s absolutely possible to safely row *most* days, if you’re mindful of intensity, use some rowing days as active recovery, and prioritise overall recovery, but probably steer clear of rowing every day – particularly at a high intensity.

Fun fact: research suggests that working out two days a week has very similar effects – in terms of physical fitness – to working out twice per week. Only, exercising six times per week is likely to increase fatigue and negative feelings towards exercise. Something to bear in mind.

Can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine?

We're going to level with you – the only way to get rid of belly fat is by looking after your nutrition and exercising in line with your goals. Knowing how to lose body fat (because remember: you can't spot reduce fat from any one area of your body) is about eating in a safe and sustainable calorie deficit, along with regular movement and good sleep and stress hygiene.

Wanting to lose weight well is a great goal if you have unhealthy visceral fat to lose but, it won't ever be achieved by just one thing. If you're exercising like mad to outweigh a less-than-healthy diet, you'll fall into a vicious cycle of not having your efforts rewarded. So, instead of running pillar to post trying to find something that sticks, aim for a flatter more consistent line of eating and exercising right instead.

And, remember. If exercise is only ever about fat loss, it will likely end up becoming less enjoyable as time goes on. Find something you enjoy, that gets you moving and your fitness tracker ticking over and you're more likely to stick with it. Fact.