Zach Fowle’s Favorite Indoor Rowing Workouts Ahead of the USRowing Indoor Championships – Muscle & Fitness

When he’s not living the suburban life—marketing job, wife, toddler, dog—Zach Fowle is strapped to his ergometer, its rhythmic hum counting down the hundreds of miles he logs each year without leaving his basement.

Fowle, 38, has been a competitive indoor rower for five years. However, he did not switch from water to machine like many rowers. “My CrossFit coach noticed that I was always crushing the rowing segment of the workout and suggested I try competing,” he says.

Fowle started with virtual competitions, racing against other rowers around the world via online platforms and specialist apps. He soon qualified for his first major personal event, the World Rowing Versa Challenge 2023 (part of the World Indoor Rowing Championships), where rowers competed in five demanding events that tested speed, endurance, strength and strategy. Fowle won bronze (tied for 3rd place). “After that I wanted to delve into everything that has to do with indoor rowing.”

Other major races followed, including a return to the Versa Challenge in 2024 and the 2025 US Indoor Rowing Championshipswhere Fowle won silver in the 2,000 meters. (He will compete in the 1,000 meters at the 2026 Virtual Indoor World Rowing Championships at the end of February.)

Health benefits of rowing

If you want to reach peak fitness, try indoor rowing. For proof, look to Fowle. Aside from occasional strength training (usually squats and bench presses), this is his only exercise. “Regular rowing keeps me in top shape,” he says.

Indoor rowing is a low-impact, high-intensity exercise that takes the strain off the joints but pushes the body to its limits. “It is an effective means of building and strengthening muscle, strengthening cardiovascular health and increasing endurance,” says Dr. Edward Phillipsassociate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and indoor rowing enthusiast.

Research has shown that indoor rowing can rival treadmill and elliptical training in increasing VO2 max – the maximum amount of oxygen your body uses during exercise and a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness.

Indoor rowing also offers something other cardio can’t: a full-body workout. “The main misconception about rowing is that you mainly train the upper body,” says Fowle. “But it’s 60% legs, 30% back and 10% arms.”

Rowing uses approximately 86% of the body’s muscles with each stroke. It mainly works the posterior chain, the group of muscles in the back that runs from the heels to the upper back:

• Calves
• Hamstrings
• Glutes
• Erector Spinae (the muscles that run along the spine)
• Lat
• Traps
• Deltoid muscles.

The fitness prowess of indoor rowing has even caught the attention of scientists, and it is studying how it can protect against the damaging physical effects of long-duration spaceflight.

Four rowing workouts for every level

While you may never reach Fowle’s level of performance, you can use his training. Here are three of his favorite routines. Adjust the time, distance, rest period and pace based on your fitness level and training goal. “They’re designed so you can do anything from taking it easy to killing yourself,” says Fowle.

Before you start, you must first learn proper form and technique. Without them, you waste energy, tire quickly and increase your risk of lower back strain, says Fowle. “The rowing machine punishes people who are not prepared.”

He recommends watching instructional videos online. His choice: Dark Horse Rowing on YouTube. When you’re ready, you can start collecting your miles.

20r30: An ideal starting place for beginners. Row at a speed of 20 strokes (the number of strokes in 1 minute) non-stop for 30 minutes. (Most exercise machines display stroke rate. If not, count your strokes every minute.) “It’s a workout that gradually builds aerobic and muscular endurance at a stroke rate that allows you to practice good form,” says Fowle. “Increasing your total meters over time is a sign that your fitness has improved.”

Zone 2: This moderate-intensity workout is Fowle’s favorite “steady state” exercise that turns on the body’s fat-burning machine while building cardiovascular endurance. Use a heart rate monitor and row for 20 minutes while maintaining a heart rate in Zone 2 (60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate, calculated by subtracting your age from 220). Rest for 1:30 and repeat the sequence two more times. A chest strap or bracelet monitor is often more accurate than wrist devices. The talk test is another method to estimate when you are in Zone 2. You can still have a conversation, but not sing, or the effort feels like a four or five on a 10-point scale.

Speed ​​pyramid: An interval-based routine where you ‘climb’ to the top of the pyramid by gradually increasing the distance and rest period. Once there, repeat the sequence in reverse order to descend. “It’s a great test of endurance and strength,” says Fowle. “The goal is to maintain a fast pace. Not a full sprint, but certainly fast and uncomfortable.” It works like this:

1. Row for 250 meters; rest for 1 minute
2. Row for 500 meters; rest for 3 minutes
3. Row for 750 meters; rest 4.5 minutes
4. Row for 1,000 meters; rest 6 minutes
5. Then reverse the order: 750, 500 and 250.

Rowing Golf: The Competitive Cardio Challenge

Row Golf is a fun way to track your progress and boost your motivation. The training simulates a round of golf with 18 holes. However, each ‘hole’ is a 1-minute sprint, where you row as fast as possible for 60 seconds. Your score for each hole is determined by the number of meters you travel. For example, if you row under 300 meters, that is a bogey; 300 to 320 yards equals par; 321 to 335 is a birdie, and any distance above 335 is an eagle. Rest 1 minute between holes. “Tally up your score like in golf and see if you can beat it on your next round,” says Fowle. Don’t feel like a full 18? Play nine holes.

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