I’m surveying those who do erg rowing in lieu of lifting (seasonal and/or generally) and what their experience has been for improving their cycling performance. Please provide me with a summation of your experience if interested and I will share the results.
Bill Black
I don’t have any experience, but erg rowing is largely an aerobic exercise. I would think of it as more of a substitute for trainer time. I don’t think you are going to get any meaningful substitute for the benefits of lifting from rowing.
That may well be the result although aerobic vs. anaerobic effects from erg use depend upon the specific usage. It will be difficult to parse any results due to those differences but I’m hoping generalized results may be indicative.
Bill Black
Erg is not a substitute for lifting at all? Completely different adaptations. Rowing is far closer to cycling than lifting, you would not substitute gym work for rowing.
Generally, I agree with you. However, I have gone back and forth and have had some very good results in seasons with the erg instead of the lifting – see page 6 of attached USAC newsletter.
USACnewsletter0413.pdf (1.7 MB)
I am confused, the pdf you linked does not talk about rowing at all? Or am I missing it. (Very possible, a bit sleep deprived atm)
Read my above message again …“I have gone back and forth and have had some very good results in seasons with the erg instead of the lifting…”
Bill Black
Summary of some of my results in lower left inset on article page and I was back and forth with the erg/weights.
Bill Black
Hi @BillB ! I started (indoor) rowing a few years ago. Just to give you a feel, here are some volume numbers by year:
Year 1: ~500k meters
Year 2: ~1.5 million meters
Year 3: ~3 million meters
Now, I’m definitely an old guy, so nothing I do on the erg is going to knock your socks off. My 2k time is in the 390s to 400s range depending on my training. So, at least ‘trained’.
I have three main observations about rowing as it relates to cycling performance. Aerodynamics, injury prevention, and performance on the bike.
First point, if you row consistently, especially if you’re a cyclist, you are going to like the way it makes you look. Even though I’m an old dude you can see on my dexa scans that the last couple years of rowing has added a lot of muscle to my upper body. Not just back & shoulders but abdominals & intercostals. Turns out, this is a pretty sizeable downgrade to cycling performance because my CdA has really suffered so if you are a cyclist who likes to TT you better come to terms with the fact that rowing is going to take some seconds off your aerodynamic profile.
Second, the reason I started rowing, injury prevention. I used to have a nagging upper hamstring problem & started rowing because an MIT rower told me (on a bike ride) that he had the same injury if he rowed to little but ran too much. Rowing also solved my upper hamstring discomfort. Don’t know why. Based on personal experience I also think consistent rowing can help cyclists who suffer back discomfort when they ride a lot of hills…and cyclists who have knee pain related to quad/ham imbalance.
But, of course, gotta be able to row with good technique…otherwise you replace on injury with another.
Finally, performance on the bike…over the past training season I focused a lot on consistency & volume and maybe not so much on performance, but when took my bike down to a local group ride just to keep my sanity & get out of the house I crushed all time power records for 1min, 3min, 5min power. Kind of out of the blue. Probably, because my rowing added a lot of work in that effort range…things like mcneely sprint workouts, broken 2k efforts, and extended sweet spot work on the erg.
I should also add that I don’t take any kind of TRT, PED, or peptide. One thing you should be cautious of while compiling your data is that among masters athletes in rowing/cycling/triathlon it’s fairly common to take these kinds of drugs. So you might see one group of masters athletes that seems to respond entirely differently to training stimulus than another group…that might be because one group is taking 100mg of cyp every thursday and the the other is not.
Can’t wait to see what your data says. Good luck!
Your results in years of rowing, instead of lifting, have no real correlation to whether rowing is a good substitute for lifting. I’ve had great results in years with no rowing or lifting, but that doesn’t mean thar only riding my bike is the best option, especially in the long term.
True Nigel and that is why I’m seeking feedback from others. Anecdotes invariably lead to more specific and better controlled inquiry.
Bill Black
Brennus, thank you for your response.
Bill Black
I came to cycling from indoor rowing, and my 1min power then was better than it is now, despite my FTP and 5min each being probably 75 W higher now than then.
Edit - I was significantly stronger then and was trying to improve both 500m and 2000m times.
Thanks Randomcoach — I’ve received a number of similar anecdotes, most noting greater power on even shorter durations.
Bill Black
This is an interesting thread for me as I’m returning to (outdoor) rowing after more than 25 years and am trying to combine it with MTB training as well as target a crew reunion for a rowing race in London next month (Vets Fours Head).
Rowers don’t substitute lifting for rowing - they hit the gym hard! Of course you will get some upper adaptations from rowing by itself (which is what I’m counting on for myself), but probably not what you are looking or hoping for.
Very few actual non-rowers use an ergo properly. To a certain extent this may not matter as you don’t have to simulate/train the rising of the hands towards the catch (and other aspects) if you are never going to row in a real boat. But the risk of injury is real and something I’m conscious of as my legs’ ability to generate power clearly is much greater than my upper body’s ability to connect that power to the handle of the erg/blades. Also blisters…
So true! If you have accumulated a lot of meters on the erg & then go to the water for the first time, COME WITH HUMILITY! Good rowing form on the water is more complicated than a good golf swing. It’s a very technical sport.
+1. I started rowing (1x sculling) a couple years ago at 54. One of the more humbling experiences of my life. We got the ERG about the same time and it’s been a great change of pace in the off season. With my aerobic fitness, I’m respectable on the ERG and have decent form. On the water, I haven’t even gotten to the point where I can leverage my fitness and really just focus on technique.
My biggest surprise in the ERG/rowing world was the focus on short efforts. 2k seems like the distance everyone focuses on and it’s like a 7-10 minute effort. For a guy who focuses on 3-12 hour bike races, it’s hard to wrap my head around. I mainly focus on steady state Z2ish rows. I did over a half million meters on the ERG last December as part of my club’s holiday challenge. Not enough to win the challenge but enough to keep the engine in decent shape when I’m not riding much. Definitely not a substitute for lifting, particularly the way I do it. I guess for the folks doing 500m all out efforts, you might build some strength. It’s like working sprints on a bike. Helps with absolute power and explosiveness, but still not the same as lifting heavy weights.
+1 here too. Erg rowing and actual rowing are almost like completely different sports. The golf swing analogy is a great one. It’ll be a good while before you can even put any real power into your stroke at all on water. It takes a while to dial in the balance and precision of getting the blades to slip into the water and stay stable while you pull. Prepare to get wet! 
I had some on/off elbow tendon issues when my rowing volume was high. Possibly technique related, but I also experienced a similar thing when doing significant volume of weighted pullups (I had a goal to do a one-armed pull/chin-up… never made it).
