Indoor Rowing Training Tool – Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Indoor Rowing Training Tool?
The Indoor Rowing Training Tool creates personalised Concept2 indoor rowing sessions based on your experience, fitness level, training goals and available training time.
Whether you’re just starting your rowing journey, training with your club, preparing for a regatta, competing at an elite level, or simply rowing to stay fit, the tool generates sessions tailored specifically to you.
Is the tool free?
Yes. The Indoor Rowing Training Tool is currently completely free to use while it is in Beta.
Who is the tool designed for?
The tool has been designed for rowers of all ages and abilities, including:
- Junior rowers
- School rowers
- Club rowers
- University rowers
- Masters rowers
- Elite and high-performance athletes
- Coaches looking for session ideas
- Anyone using indoor rowing to improve their fitness
Whether you’re preparing for your first race or chasing a personal best, the tool adjusts each session to suit your individual needs.
Do I need to be an experienced rower?
Not at all.
The tool is suitable for complete beginners through to elite athletes. Every session is personalised based on the information you provide, ensuring the training matches your current experience and fitness level.
What rowing machine is it designed for?
The sessions are primarily written for the Concept2 rowing machine.
Most sessions can also be completed on other rowing machines, although pacing information may vary.
How does the tool personalise my training?
The training session is created using the information you provide, including:
- Age group
- Experience level
- Current fitness
- Session duration
- Training phase
- Primary training focus
- Event or race distance (if applicable)
This allows every session to be tailored to your goals, whether you’re building fitness, improving endurance, increasing power, or preparing for competition.
Can I use the sessions if I’m not training for racing?
Absolutely.
Many people use indoor rowing simply to improve their health and fitness. The tool can create sessions focused on endurance, strength, weight management, general fitness or performance.
Does it create full training programs?
Not yet.
The current version creates one personalised session at a time.
A complete multi-week training program builder is currently in development.
Can I generate more than one session?
Yes.
You can generate as many sessions as you like. Adjust your selections, try different training focuses, or create sessions for different stages of your training.
Is the tool suitable for younger athletes?
Yes.
The tool has been designed to cater for junior rowers as well as adult athletes. For younger rowers, parents and coaches should always ensure the training is appropriate for the athlete’s age, experience and overall training load.
Is it suitable for Masters rowers?
Absolutely.
Masters athletes have different recovery needs, training goals and racing demands. The tool considers your selected age group and training inputs to create sessions appropriate for Masters rowing.
Can elite athletes use it?
Yes.
Experienced and high-performance athletes can generate challenging sessions focused on race preparation, power development, anaerobic capacity, endurance, and performance.
The quality of the session depends on the information you provide, allowing the tool to scale from beginner to elite training.
How accurate are the sessions?
The sessions are created using established rowing coaching principles, sports science and AI technology.
While every effort has been made to produce high-quality training sessions, they should be considered guidance rather than a replacement for professional coaching or medical advice.
Always listen to your body and modify training when necessary.
Can I use the sessions alongside my club’s training program?
Yes.
The tool works well as a supplement to your club’s training. If you’re already following a structured program from your coach, it’s always worth discussing any additional sessions with them to ensure they fit your overall training plan.
What if I only have 30 or 45 minutes?
That’s exactly what the tool is designed for.
Simply choose how much time you have available, and it will create a session that fits within your selected duration.
Is this a replacement for a rowing coach?
No.
A good coach provides observation, technical feedback, motivation, and long-term planning that no online tool can replace.
This tool is designed to complement coaching by providing structured, personalised training sessions whenever you need them.
Will more features be added?
Definitely.
This is only the beginning.
Planned future features include:
- Multi-week personalised training programs
- Progress tracking
- Saved training history
- Additional training goals
- More advanced session options
- Expanded coaching insights
- Additional rowing tools and resources
I’d like to provide feedback.
I’d love to hear from you.
Whether you’ve completed a session, found a bug, have suggestions for new features, or simply want to share your experience, your feedback is invaluable and will help shape future versions of the Indoor Rowing Training Tool.
Please email guy@thecoxswainsjourney.com
About the Creator
The Indoor Rowing Training Tool has been developed by Guy Besley—rowing coach, coxswain, author of Beyond the Call: The Art of Being a Rowing Coxswain, and creator of The Coxswain’s Journey.
The goal is simple: to make high-quality, personalised rowing training accessible to everyone—from junior rowers taking their first strokes on the erg to Masters competitors, club athletes, and elite performers striving for their next personal best.