Everyone tells you to push harder. I'm here to tell you that the best training you can do is the easy stuff — and this is how to do it right.
Here's the truth most rowers miss: when you row easy, you can finally feel the stroke. You use more muscle instead of fighting the machine. You avoid the niggles and injuries that come from grinding every session. And you build the aerobic base that lets you row for longer, day after day, without burning out. Easy isn't the opposite of progress — it's the engine of it.
So today's 21 minutes are deliberately gentle, and I talk you through the whole thing as I row. Sit on your sit bones instead of slumped back in the seat. Shins vertical at the catch, the strap over the balls of your feet, and a handle you hook rather than choke. Then the drive — feet pushing and hands connecting at the same moment, rocking forward over your hips instead of rolling like a weeble, and a recovery so relaxed the only thing that ever tenses is your core.
Master that, and you don't just row easier — you row *better*, and for far longer. Whether you're on a home machine or down at the boathouse, it's the same stroke. Come and do it with me.
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If you are returning following an illness or injury, follow the advice of your doctor, physiotherapist or other qualified healthcare professional. Stop exercising if you experience pain, dizziness or unusual discomfort.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Why easy rowing is your best training
00:53 Setting your drag factor
01:13 Sit on your sit bones, not the back of the seat
01:38 Foot stretcher height
03:10 How to hold the handle
03:43 Connecting your feet and hands
05:54 Rocking forward with a straight back
09:40 Monira won two championships rowing easy
13:43 Legs, body, arms — the drive sequence
20:06 Dropping the handle low at the front
21:33 Relaxing the shoulders
23:09 Relax down, rise up
24:43 Cool down begins
29:40 Hamstring stretch
30:55 Glute stretch
33:05 Quad stretch
34:50 Hip flexor stretch
36:38 Wrist and forearm stretch
37:28 Shoulder and tricep stretch
39:50 See you in the next one
Find more indoor rowing workouts, training plans, and rowing technique guides at rowalong.com
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RowAlong is a free follow-along rowing workout podcast for indoor rowers of all levels. Every session is time-based and works on any rowing machine — Concept2, WaterRower, Hydrow, NordicTrack, or any gym rower. Press play. Strap in. Let's RowAlong.
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