Rowing Is a Skill, So Why Do We Treat It Like a WOD?

When I run British Rowing workshops, the biggest lightbulb moment for coaches, whether they’re working in schools, gyms, or rowing clubs, is understanding the difference between skill work and speed work. Without separating the two, it's hard to make big gains in either.

Rowing is a skill. On the water, it’s one of the most technical endurance sports, demanding timing, rhythm, sequencing, and power. Indoor rowing removes wind, water, and balance but rests on the same foundations.

And yet, in most gyms, the erg is rarely treated that way. Instead, it’s thrown into the mix as a calorie-burner or a punishment tool. True, rowing can do those things, but that’s only a fraction of its value. A WOD (workout of the day), is a high-intensity circuit against the clock, designed to test strength, endurance, and grit. WODs build fitness, resilience, and community, but they aren’t where skill development happens. If you want to row faster and more efficiently, you can’t just strap in and go wild. You need to practise the stroke outside of WODs, with the same intention sprinters bring to their starts or weightlifters bring to their snatch.

That’s why treating rowing as a skill matters: without deliberate practice, the opportunity to get better is lost.

The Myth of “Fitness First”

A common belief is that more fitness equals faster times. It feels logical: push harder, log more meters, and the speed will follow. But grinding out meters without attention to movement quality just reinforces bad habits.

As Olympic coach Steve Redgrave once put it: “If you row badly, all you get better at is rowing badly.”

I see this often as a coach: athletes hammering out sessions with their shoulders tight, timing off, or power applied in the wrong order. The result? They get fitter at rowing poorly. They will improve, but not nearly as much as if they focused on efficiency. A technically efficient rower with moderate fitness can often outpace a much fitter athlete who leaks power on every stroke. Fitness alone doesn’t guarantee speed. Skill dictates how effectively that fitness translates to performance.

Research shows that how you move can matter as much as how strong you are. A study by E M Buckeridge found that hip movement explained 48% of the difference in rowing force output, showing that technique plays a huge role in performance.

I see this first-hand: many of my clients improve their numbers inside a single session just from technique work. One client cut his 500m time by 21 seconds (from 2:11 to 1:50) straight after adjusting his technique. Even better, his stroke rate was lower in the faster attempt, meaning he was moving more efficiently, not just working harder.

Motor Learning 101: Why Skill Comes First

The science of motor learning shows that complex movements are learned through repetition with feedback. In rowing, that means drilling the stroke pattern until it becomes second nature, not just when you’re fresh, but even under fatigue and pressure.

This is what people call “muscle memory.” Technically, it’s your nervous system, not your muscles, that remembers. Each repetition strengthens neural pathways. The more consistent the pattern, the deeper it’s ingrained.

But here’s the catch: repeat a flawed movement, and you’re hard-wiring errors. That’s why deliberate, high-quality reps matter more than endless meters.

Strength coach Mark Rippetoe put it simply: “You don’t get strong from doing the exercise; you get strong from learning to do it correctly.” The same is true for rowing. It’s not about more strokes. It’s about better strokes.

Each stroke you repeat is like a step through tall grass. With enough repetition, the path clears and the movement becomes automatic. That’s how muscle memory is built.

What Rowers Can Learn from Weightlifting & Sprinting

In many sports, skill development comes first. Olympic lifters spend countless hours refining movement patterns before they even think about maxing out. Sprinters rehearse starts, strides, and mechanics with the same precision, often drilling short segments instead of just running full races.

No serious coach would ask a lifter to max their clean & jerk repeatedly for conditioning, or a sprinter to run sloppy 100s until they collapse. Yet in rowing, it’s common to see the erg used in exactly that way: endless, messy meters in the name of fitness.

The lesson? If skill is the limiting factor, no amount of conditioning will fix it.

From WOD to Practice Session

So how do we bring that same respect for skill into indoor rowing? By making a clear distinction between technique work and hard rowing pieces. Both matter, but they aren't the same.

• Warm-Up Drills: Your warm-up is the perfect chance to rehearse technique. Use pause drills, pick drills, or controlled low-rate strokes to sharpen form before fatigue sets in. Think of it as priming your nervous system for what’s ahead.

  👉🏻 Example: Sit at the finish position and row arms-only, then arms and body only, before adding the legs. Spend around 2 minutes on each stage. This reinforces sequencing and rhythm, and ensures the arms move away and the body swings forward before the knees bend — one of the most common sequencing problems I see.

• Skill Blocks in Endurance Work: Long, steady rows at 16–20 spm are where skill and fitness overlap. The lower rate gives you space to feel the sequencing and refine efficiency. Over time, these controlled strokes become your default pattern, even as the pace picks up.

  👉🏻 Example: Row for 20–60 minutes at 18 strokes per minute, depending on your experience and training volume. The slower rate gives you time to focus on sequencing, especially during the recovery phase.

• Separate the Work: When it’s time for intervals or race-pace pieces, the goal is execution, not experimentation. By then, the technique you’ve ingrained in warm-ups and steady work should carry you automatically.

This is exactly why I run Indoor Rowing Technique Transformation sessions: they strip everything back, rebuild movement patterns, and integrate them into real training. The difference in performance once movement quality is dialled in is remarkable.

The Payoff

The payoff is real. When you treat rowing as a skill, you:

• Get faster because every stroke produces more speed for less effort, whether in training pieces or on race day.

• Stay healthier because efficient technique reduces strain on the back, shoulders, and hips, reducing the risk of overuse injuries.

• Build longevity because skill-focused athletes keep progressing year after year, while grinders plateau once fitness alone can’t take them further.

As Barbell Medicine’s Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum reminds us: “Training is practice. Practice is training. The goal is to get better at the thing, not just tired from doing it.” In rowing, that means every session is a chance to move better as well as work harder.

Final Thought

There’s nothing wrong with rowing in a WOD. It can be a fantastic way have fun and to build fitness, grit, and community. The key is making sure that isn’t your only exposure to the erg. If you want to get better, set aside time to treat rowing like the skill it is: use warm-ups to drill, steady sessions to embed, and hard pieces to express what you’ve learned.

If you’d like guidance on taking your rowing further, I have a limited number of slots available in 2025 for my Indoor Rowing Technique Transformations. Once these are filled, you’re welcome to join the waitlist for 2026.