This is our go-to HIIT rowing workout: one hard minute, one easy minute, 20 minutes in all. It's the format Concept2 uses for its own workout of the day, and it works at any level. Pick yours below and add a result for your own split.
Sam Watson · Updated November 13, 2026No result? Skip this: every workout also says how hard it should feel and the stroke rate. Your pace calculator result works here too.
5 minutes easy, with three 10-stroke pushes at the session's pace in the last 2 minutes.
Your level is highlighted. The chart shows the shape of the session: the taller and darker a bar, the harder you row; grey is rest or easy rowing.
6 x 1 min, 2 min easy rowing between
About 16 minutes
6 x 1 min at 24-28 strokes a minute, 2 min easy between. Hard. A few words at a time; you could hold it for 10 to 20 minutes.
10 x 1 min, 1 min easy rowing between
About 19 minutes
10 x 1 min at 28-32 strokes a minute, 1 min easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
10 x 1 min, 1 min easy rowing between
About 19 minutes
10 x 1 min at 30-34 strokes a minute, 1 min easy between. Flat out or close to it, for a minute or two at most.
5 minutes very easy.
Set the monitor to show your split, and pick the one split you'll hold for every hard minute. If you added a time above, it's the one shown for your level.
It should feel a little too easy. Good: hold back. The first rep sets up all the others.
Find your rhythm: legs, then swing, then arms. Same split, every stroke.
Don't stop. Keep the handle moving lightly, drop to about 20 strokes a minute, and breathe out long.
Check your split against rep 1. On it? Good. Slower? Next time, start a little easier.
Now you can push. Anything left goes here, but keep every stroke long.
Write down your average split for the hard minutes. Next time, aim to beat it by a second.
Every hard minute at the same split. Keep rowing in the easy minute; don't stop.
Sprinting the first minute and fading. Rep one should feel a little too easy.
Same idea, different shapes, each at your level with your own split. Once the 20-minute HIIT feels comfortable, swap one of these in. Want it shorter and harder still? Try the Tabata.
Option 1 HIIT
A good first HIIT: as much recovery as work, and you can stop after any rep.
Good for: Fitness, Weight loss, Faster 2k
The workout · about 10 min
10 x 30 s, 30 s easy rowing between
10 x 30 s at 26-30 strokes a minute, 30 s easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
The workout · about 16 min
16 x 30 s, 30 s easy rowing between
16 x 30 s at 28-32 strokes a minute, 30 s easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
The workout · about 20 min
20 x 30 s, 30 s easy rowing between
20 x 30 s at 30-34 strokes a minute, 30 s easy between. Flat out or close to it, for a minute or two at most.
Coach's note: Count strokes instead of watching the clock: about 14 or 15 strokes is one hard rep.
Warm-up: 5 minutes easy, with three 10-stroke pushes at the session's pace in the last 2 minutes.
Cool-down: 5 minutes very easy.
Common mistake: Stopping in the easy 30 seconds. Keep rowing lightly so the next rep starts smoothly.
Option 2 HIIT
Short, sharp reps with very little recovery. It gets hard quickly, so it teaches you to pace.
Good for: Fitness, Weight loss, Faster 2k
The workout · about 8 min
8 x 40 s, 20 s easy rowing between
8 x 40 s at 26-30 strokes a minute, 20 s easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
The workout · about 12 min
12 x 40 s, 20 s easy rowing between
12 x 40 s at 28-32 strokes a minute, 20 s easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
The workout · about 16 min
16 x 40 s, 20 s easy rowing between
16 x 40 s at 30-34 strokes a minute, 20 s easy between. Flat out or close to it, for a minute or two at most.
Coach's note: The 20 seconds goes fast. Keep the handle moving gently and breathe out hard.
Warm-up: 5 minutes easy, with three 10-stroke pushes at the session's pace in the last 2 minutes.
Cool-down: 5 minutes very easy.
Common mistake: Going flat out on the first few reps. Your last rep should be at the same split as your first.
Option 3 HIIT
Longer hard pieces, closer to the effort of a 2k race. The next step once 1-minute reps feel easy.
Good for: Fitness, Weight loss, Faster 2k
The workout · about 14 min
5 x 2 min, 1 min easy rowing between
5 x 2 min at 24-28 strokes a minute, 1 min easy between. Hard. A few words at a time; you could hold it for 10 to 20 minutes.
The workout · about 17 min
6 x 2 min, 1 min easy rowing between
6 x 2 min at 26-30 strokes a minute, 1 min easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
The workout · about 23 min
8 x 2 min, 1 min easy rowing between
8 x 2 min at 28-32 strokes a minute, 1 min easy between. Very hard. No talking; each rep is a struggle by the end.
Coach's note: Think of each rep in two halves: settle in for the first minute, then hold on for the second.
Warm-up: 5 minutes easy, with three 10-stroke pushes at the session's pace in the last 2 minutes.
Cool-down: 5 minutes very easy.
Common mistake: Letting the stroke get short as you tire. Keep pushing the legs all the way down.
HIIT means short, hard pieces with easy recovery between. The American College of Sports Medicine counts 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on at least three days a week as meeting its guideline (Garber and others, 2011). A review of 13 trials found HIIT and steady training cut body fat by similar amounts, with HIIT taking about 40% less time (Wewege and others, 2017); those trials used running and cycling, not rowing.
Keep rowing through the easy minute rather than stopping, as Concept2 advises, and don't go out too fast: Concept2 warns that starting the first interval too hard usually means fading later.
Rowing is the machine; HIIT is how you use it. Hard intervals with easy recovery, like this workout, are HIIT. A long easy row is the opposite, and just as useful: our zone 2 row is that session.
Yes, if it is hard enough and regular. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on at least three days a week, or 30 minutes of moderate exercise on five (Garber and others, 2011).
Add a result at the top of this page and each level shows your split. Without a monitor: beginners should manage only a few words at a time, intermediates no talking, and advanced rowers close to their 2k effort.
Better not. Put an easy row or a rest day between hard sessions. The Pete Plan, a popular rowing plan, alternates every hard session with a steady one so you recover for the next (The Pete Plan).
All 10, with filters for level, time and goal, are on our rowing machine workouts page. Want every day planned for you? Try the 30-day plan.
Don't have a rower yet? Our pick for most people is in the best rowing machines.
The paces and stroke rates come from our pace calculator.