A Rowing Warm-Up

A good rowing warm-up raises your body temperature, loosens the joints you use in the stroke and rehearses the movement before you load it. It should take 10 to 15 minutes, and it is a warm-up, not a workout. This page gives a simple routine for the erg or the boat, with times, plus guidance on what to do afterwards.

Why warm up

When you warm up, blood flow to the muscles increases, muscles and tendons become more elastic and your nervous system gets used to the movement. In practice, you feel less stiff, your first hard strokes feel smoother and you are less likely to jerk at the catch. A warm-up also gives you a moment to check how your body feels that day. If something is clearly wrong, you can adjust the session.

Longer, harder sessions need more warm-up than short, easy ones. A cold winter morning needs longer than a warm afternoon.

Step 1: gentle rowing (5 minutes)

Start rowing easily, at around 16 to 18 strokes per minute with light pressure. Build the slide length over the first minute, from half slide to full. Keep your breathing relaxed, and focus on smooth technique: legs, body, arms, then arms, body, legs.

If you are on the water, do your usual warm-up paddle, with some pauses and a few strokes of arms-only and arms-and-body.

Step 2: dynamic mobility (3 to 5 minutes)

Dynamic stretches move through a range rather than holding a position. Do each for about 30 seconds, off the erg:

• Leg swings, forward and back, then side to side, holding on to something for balance.
• Walking lunges with the front knee over the ankle and the torso upright.
• Bodyweight squats to a comfortable depth, keeping the heels down.
• Hip hinges, pushing the hips back with a flat spine, to rehearse the catch posture.
• Arm circles, starting small and getting larger.
• Thoracic rotations, with hands behind the head and turning the upper body.
• Cat-cow on hands and knees to move the spine.

High knees and heel flicks are useful if you want a general elevation in heart rate, particularly in cold weather. Keep everything controlled and within comfortable ranges.

Step 3: pick-ups (2 to 3 minutes)

Return to the erg for pressure and rate build-ups. For example:

Block	Effort	Rate
10 strokes	Light	18
10 strokes	Moderate	20
10 strokes	Firm	22 to 24
10 strokes	Near race effort	Session rate

Then take a minute of easy rowing before the session begins. If your session includes sprints, add two or three short starts. This rehearsal helps with pacing and technique when you are tired. See stroke rate guide.

A shorter version

If you have just 6 to 8 minutes:

1. 3 minutes easy rowing, building slide length.
2. 2 minutes of lunges, squats and hip hinges.
3. 1 to 2 minutes of pick-ups.

It is better to do a short warm-up than none.

Cooling down and static stretching

Static stretching, in which you hold a position, is best after the session or on a rest day, when muscles are warm. It can help maintain flexibility, but it is not needed before rowing, and long holds before a hard effort may leave you feeling slightly flat. Hold each stretch for around 20 to 30 seconds without pain:

• Hamstring stretch, lying on your back with a strap or hands behind the thigh.
• Quadriceps stretch, standing and pulling the heel toward the glute.
• Hip flexor stretch in a half-kneeling lunge.
• Shoulder and chest stretch, with an arm across the body or against a wall.
• Calf stretch against a wall.

Before stretching, spend 5 to 10 minutes rowing very gently to bring the heart rate down. See cool-down guide for rowing machine workouts and benefits of stretching before and after rowing. For a deeper look, see dynamic stretching for rowing machine users.

Hands

Rubbing and flexing the hands and wrists helps before a long piece. See how to warm up your hands for rowing.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the warm-up on short sessions and then feeling stiff.
• Going too hard, so that you are tired before the main piece.
• Pushing stretches into pain.
• Doing the same warm-up regardless of the session.

Browse more in the training hub.