Stop Rowing Like a Powerlifter (The 4-Gear Fix)

By Jak Cornthwaite

We see this every week. Big, powerful athletes jumping on the rower and treating the handle like a heavy deadlift. Grinding away at 22–24 strokes per minute. Damper set to 10 (or higher than it should be). Thinking you’re rowing optimally.

Here is the reality: You aren't effectively building your engine. You are applying the brakes.

At that low rate, the flywheel slows down massively between strokes. To get it moving again, you have to spike your force production. That means high blood pressure and, more importantly, local muscular fatigue.

You get off the rower, and your legs are blown up. Then you look at the Thrusters in the next round and wonder why they feel like lead.

We need to fix this. We use the "Gears" concept:

• Gear 1 (18-20 s/m): Recovery & Tech. Connection, slow slide.

• Gear 2 (22-26 s/m): Aerobic Capacity. The "Engine Room" for mosts workouts.

• Gear 3 (28-32 s/m): Race Pace/Anaerobic. Fast hands, fast turnaround.

• Gear 4 (34+ s/m): Sprints. Max power, max rate.

  
  

Stop fighting the machine. Shift the load from your legs to your lungs. Save the legs for the barbell.

The Challenge: This week, I want you to try the "Rate Cap" Drill.

3 Rounds:

2:00 @ 24 s/m

2:00 @ 26 s/m

2:00 @ 28 s/m

Goal: Keep the same 500m split across all three. Feel the difference in your legs. Report back here with your findings. Crack on.