Rowing Erg Workout - Pyramid Challenge

Go to the gym or have a rowing machine at home? Kate Hamilton, a senior rower at North Shore Rowing Club, shares one of her favourite rowing workouts with us.

This is a great workout to build your rowing endurance and while keeping your mind engaged!

  • Rowing Erg Workout Warm Up Roam

    Try a few minutes of each.

  • Roam Rowing Erg Workout Main Set

    Set resistance on your erg to about 4 out of 10, or drag factor of 110.

  • Roam Rowing Erg Workout Cool Down

    Re-hydrate, re-fuel then relax!

Tips and Erg Settings

Tips
It will be hard but staying consistent at each segment of the pyramid. You develop this skill over time.

Pick a split (a split is a predicted time per 500m) and hold it. As the pyramid goes up, try and make the split shorter.

Your legs are your powerhouse! Remember to use them rather than the arms, and you won’t fatigue as quickly.

Be aware of your body, especially your back. You will notice that it's harder for you to activate your core when your back starts to sag. Many novice rowers also bend their legs too early and brush the handle over the knee caps.

Lean back after the 'catch'. When you get tired, you may not lean back enough - try aim to lean to the one o'clock position.

Erg settings
Set the resistance lever on the side of the machine to about 4. This will give you a drag factor of about 110, which is similar to water.

The mistake many people make is to set the resistance too high, which compromises their technique and the quality of the workout.

To learn more about finding the correct drag factor on your rowing erg, check out this helpful YouTube video.