Hydrow Wave Rower
Hydrow Pro Rower
Compare Rowing MachinesRowing Machine Workouts: 10, 20, and 30-minute workout ideas
Want to get a great workout, but feel crunched for time? Would it be helpful to see different rowing workout ideas specifically for the window of time you have available?
In this blog, we’ll dive into different 10-minute, 20-minute, and 30-minute rowing machine workouts you can do on Hydrow to get a terrific full-body workout, no matter your fitness level.
Rowing machine workouts: Why short can be sweet
The great thing about rowing is that it’s an effective, full-body workout that can be completed in a short time window. In each and every stroke, rowing activates the majority of muscles in your body and is one of the best and safest workouts you can do.
Most rowing workouts use a form of interval training, which is a fantastic way to get more out of your workouts when you’re tight on time:
High-intensity interval workouts have been shown to burn 25-30% more calories than non-interval workouts done in the same timeframe.
High-intensity interval workouts lead to a higher metabolic rate for several hours after exercise.
High-intensity interval workouts can improve your blood sugar levels according to an analysis of 50 different scientific experiments.
Related Read: How long should you work out on a rowing machine?
At Hydrow, we have three different types of rowing workouts – Drive, Sweat, and Breathe – to meet your goals and needs. To give you an idea of what programming at Hydrow looks like from week to week, below are a few examples of how much you can get accomplished in just 10, 20, or 30 minutes of exercise.
Rowing machine workouts: 10-minute workout ideas
Ten minutes can feel like not much time, but you can really get a lot done when you have the right structure! The key is to warm up in a quick, efficient way to leave as much time as possible for your actual workout.
Here are some examples of 10-minute rowing machine workouts on Hydrow:
10-minute Drive:
2-minute warmup
Six sets of 30 seconds at max pace, 30 seconds off
One-minute rest
One minute at max pace
10-minute Drive:
3-minute warmup
Five sets of 60 seconds at max pace
30-second rests in between sets
10-minute Sweat:
2-minute warmup
Two sets of 3:30 at sprint pace with one minute of rest in between sets
First 90 seconds: 24 rhythm
Next 90 seconds: 26 rhythm
Final 30 seconds: 28 rhythm
One minute of rest
10-minute Sweat:
2-minute warmup
Four 2-minute sets:
Set 1: 24 rhythm at run pace
Set 2: 26 rhythm at sprint pace
Set 3: 24 rhythm at run pace
Set 4: 26 rhythm at sprint pace
10-minute Breathe: Two rounds of:
2 minutes at a 22 rhythm at jog pace
3 minutes at a 24 rhythm at run pace
10-minute breathe: A pyramid:
2 minutes at a 20 rhythm at jog pace
2 minutes at a 22 rhythm at jog pace
2 minutes at a 24 at run pace
2 minutes at a 22 rhythm at jog pace
2 minutes at a 20 rhythm at jog pace
Rowing machine workouts: 20-minute workout ideas
20-minute workouts are the quintessential workout at Hydrow. Why? In just 20 minutes, you get a nice dose of endorphins and a flurry of additional health benefits.
As our former Director of Research and Innovation Dr. Kristin Haraldsdottir points out, 20 minutes gives you the physical and psychological benefits you need to get through your day. Here are a few recent workouts to give you inspiration.
20-minute Drive:
3-minute warmup
Three 5-minute sets of:
45 seconds on at max pace and 15 seconds off
One-minute rest between sets.
20-minute Drive:
2-minute warmup
2-minute jog pace
Four 4-minute sets consisting of:
Minute 1: 15 seconds max pace, 45 seconds walk pace
Minute 2: 30 seconds max pace, 30 seconds walk pace
Minute 3: 45 seconds max pace, 15 seconds walk pace
Minute 4: 60 seconds max pace
20-minute Sweat:
3-minute warmup
Three 5-minute sets of:
Two minutes at jog pace
One minute at run pace
Two minutes at jog pace
One minute of easy rowing between sets
20-minute Sweat:
3-minute warmup
Five 3-minute sets of:
First 90 seconds: Jog pace at a 24 rhythm
Next 60 seconds: Run pace at a 26 rhythm
Final 30 seconds: Run/Sprint pace at a 28 rhythm
30 seconds of easy rowing at walk pace between sets
20-minute Breathe:
4-minutes at 22 rhythm at jog pace
Two 7-minute sets
First two minutes of a set at a 24 rhythm
Next three minutes at a 26 rhythm
Final two minutes at a 24 rhythm
Two-minute jog pace row at 22 rhythm in between sets
20-minute Breathe:
3-minutes at 22 rhythm at jog pace
Two 8-minute sets:
First two minutes at a 26 rhythm at run pace
Next two minutes at a 24 rhythm at run pace
Next two minutes at a 22 rhythm at jog pace
Final two minutes at a 20 rhythm at jog pace
One-minute easy row in between sets
Hydrow also has short warmup and cool down workouts you can mix and match, so another option would be to tack on a 10-minute warmup or 10-minute cool down to a 10-minute session, or tack on a 5-minute session of each to create 20 minutes. Workouts are designed to be easy to connect to meet your fitness goals and needs.
Rowing machine workouts: 30-minute workout ideas
Ready to go long? 30-minute workouts are great for building strength and endurance, and when you have the right program to focus on the time can really fly by. 30-minute rowing sets usually consist of smaller subsets called “pieces” that rowers will do to set their pace.
Navigate a challenging workout with one of these 30-minute workouts.
30-minute Drive:
6-minute warmup at 22 rhythm at jog pace
Eight 3-minute sets:
First minute: 20 seconds at max pace at 28 rhythm, 40 seconds recovery
Second minute: 40 seconds at max pace at 30 rhythm, 20 seconds recovery
Third minute: 22 rhythm at walk pace
30-minute Drive:
5-minute warmup at 22 rhythm at jog pace
20-minute Drive
3-minute warmup, then three 5-minute sets with one minute of rest in between.
First set: 40 seconds on at 28 rhythm at max pace, 20 seconds recovery for five sets
Second set: 45 seconds on at 30 rhythm at max pace, 15 seconds recovery for five sets
Third set: 50 seconds on at 32 rhythm at sprint pace, 10 seconds recovery for five sets
5-minute cooldown
30-minute Sweat:
3-minute warmup
Five 5-minute sets with 30 seconds of rest between each set
First two minutes: Jog pace at 22 rhythm
Next 90 seconds: Run pace at 24 rhythm
Final 90 seconds: Sprint pace at 26 rhythm
30-minute Sweat:
10-minute warmup row focused on technique
20-minute row:
2 minutes of warmup
Five 3-minute sets
45 seconds of rest in between each set
30-minute Breathe:
4-minute warmup
Three 8-minute sets
First 4 minutes at 22 strokes per minute at jog pace
Next 3 minutes at 24 strokes per minute at jog pace
Final minute at 26 strokes per minute at run pace
One minute of rest in between.
30-minute Breathe:
5-minute warmup row
20-minute Breathe
3-minute warmup
Two 8-minute sets with one minute of rest in between
5-minute cooldown
Non-rowing machine workouts that complement rowing
Did you know Hydrow also has a full library of workouts that take place entirely off the rowing machine? If you want to move your body and want a rest day from the rower, Hydrow’s On The Mat collection features an array of awesome workouts designed to round out your fitness regimen. You really can get a complete fitness regimen out of one machine!
On The Mat workouts that perfectly compliment your rowing workouts:
And if you’re really strapped for time, Christie’s 5-minute all-abs pilates class will have you sweating in seconds flat! It’s all on Hydrow, and the 22-inch touch screen rotates 25 degrees in either direction to make off-rower activity easy and spacious.
Final takeaways
Working out doesn’t have to be an hours-long time commitment. In fact, when you have an exercise routine that promises a full-body workout, you can get better results in far less time -- and have fun along the way. Hydrow offers everything you need to achieve a full-body workout in the comfort of your own home; learn more about us here.
