Stroke Rate Guide: Choosing the Right Rate for Each Session

Stroke rate is the number of strokes you take per minute, shown on the monitor as s/m. In training plans it is written as r20, r24 and so on. It is one of the easiest numbers to read and one of the easiest to misuse.

Rate only makes sense next to pace. This guide explains how the two work together and what to aim for in each type of session.

Rate, pace and length

Think of a stroke as a unit of distance. Each stroke moves you along a certain number of metres. Your pace depends on two things:

• How many strokes you take per minute (rate).
• How far each stroke takes you (length, or metres per stroke).

Pace comes from both. You can go faster by raising the rate, by getting more from each stroke or by doing both. The best improvement for most people is more from each stroke.

Working out metres per stroke

You can calculate it from the monitor.

1. Convert your pace per 500m into seconds.
2. Multiply by the rate, then divide by 60 to get strokes in 500m.
3. Divide 500 by that number.

Worked example: 2:20 pace at rate 20

1. 2:20 is 140 seconds for 500m.
2. 140 x 20 divided by 60 = 46.7 strokes per 500m.
3. 500 divided by 46.7 is about 10.7m per stroke.

Worked example: 2:00 pace at rate 28

1. 2:00 is 120 seconds for 500m.
2. 120 x 28 divided by 60 = 56 strokes per 500m.
3. 500 divided by 56 is about 8.9m per stroke.

So at a faster pace you take shorter strokes, which is normal. The thing to watch is whether your metres per stroke drops more than expected when you raise the rate. Work it out from your pace and rate, as above, to keep an eye on it.

Rates for each type of session

These ranges match the zones in the free 8-Week 2k Plan. Treat them as guides rather than rules.

Session type	Typical rate	Feel (RPE)	Notes
Easy steady (UT2)	18 to 20	3 to 4	Conversation pace, long relaxed stroke
Firm steady (UT1)	20 to 22	5	Breathing deeper, still controlled
Threshold (AT)	22 to 24	6 to 7	Short sentences only
Hard intervals (TR)	24 to 28	8	Strong, repeatable, form intact
2k effort (AN)	28 to 34	9 to 10	Highest rates at start and finish

Beginners often find the low rates awkward, because it takes control to wait on the slide. That control is what builds technique.

Why a lower rate helps in training

Rowing steadily at 18 to 20 gives you time to practise the stroke. Each drive has to carry the flywheel a long way, so you have to use your legs properly. It also keeps the effort aerobic, which is the point of easy sessions.

If you are rowing UT2 at rate 24 to hit a pace on the monitor, the pace target is too ambitious. Slow down. The heart rate zones for rowing article covers how to check this another way.

Why a higher rate is not the answer to everything

Raising the rate is a quick route to a faster split, but it comes with costs:

• It is more tiring, because you take more strokes for the same distance.
• The recovery gets squeezed, so you rush the slide.
• Technique tends to fall apart under fatigue. If you row tired in mixed workouts, our guide to adding a rowing machine to your CrossFit routine covers how to pace it.

If your pace falls when the rate goes up, your strokes are shortening or weakening. Go back down a couple of points and push harder with the legs. If you’re tempted to haul with your upper body instead, our guide to rowing with weak arms explains what the arms actually do in the stroke.

Ratio: drive versus recovery

On the erg, the drive (leg push, body swing and arm pull) is quicker than the recovery (arms away, body over, slide forward). A common target is a drive that takes about half as long as the recovery, which gives a 1:2 ratio.

The easiest way to check is by feel. The drive should be a strong, quick push. The recovery should be slow enough that you could stop halfway if you wanted to. If you hurtle back to the catch, your ratio is off and you will probably rush into the next stroke.

Common causes of a rushed recovery are covered in common rowing technique faults.

Using rate in a 2k

Rate in a 2k is usually highest in the first 10 to 20 strokes and the last 200m or so, and steadier in between. As a rule of thumb, a decent club rower rates somewhere between 28 and 34. Beginners may be most efficient lower.

Use this pattern as a guide:

1. Start: 32 to 36 for the first 10 strokes to get moving, then drop.
2. Middle: your target rate, say 28 to 30. This should be a rate you can hold with a full stroke.
3. Finish: add 2 to 4 beats in the last 250 to 200m.

A better pace at the same rate is progress. A better pace at a higher rate is not necessarily.

See 2k erg pacing strategy for worked splits and how to do a 2k erg test for the setup.

Drag factor changes rate

At a lower drag factor, the flywheel keeps moving, so the stroke feels lighter and you tend to take more strokes. At a higher drag factor, each stroke asks for more, and rates tend to be lower. Compare rates only between sessions at the same setting. See drag factor explained.

Practising rate control

Two simple drills:

• Rate ladder. Row 10 strokes each at rates 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and then back down. Try to keep the pace improving as the rate rises. If it does not, shorten the steps.
• Rate steps. Row 10 minutes each at 20, 22 and 24. This is the structure used in Week 5 of the 8-Week 2k Plan. Sign up using the box at the end of this page to get it free. Watch your split fall as you go up in rate.

For a wider view of technique, visit the technique hub.