Beginner HIIT Rowing Workout

If you have not already, be sure to check out The Complete Guide to High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Total Time: ~26 minutes

Equipment Needed: Row Machine, Seconds Pro App, Heart rate monitor (to gauge intensity)

Prerequisites: Adjust foot straps.

Workout Structure

• • Warm-Up: 5 minutes

  • Main HIIT Session: 16 minutes (5 intervals of work and recovery)

  • Cool-Down: 5 minutes

General Guidelines:

• • Pace: On a rowing machine, intensity is often measured by strokes per minute (SPM) and your perceived effort (RPE, or Rate of Perceived Exertion, on a scale of 1-10). For beginners, focus on effort rather than speed.

  • Form Tip: Keep your back straight, core engaged, and move in this sequence—legs push first, then lean back slightly, then pull the handle to your lower chest. Reverse the motion to return. Don’t hunch over or yank the handle with your arms alone.

  • Intensity: During work intervals, aim for an RPE of 7-8 (challenging but sustainable). During recovery, drop to RPE 3-4 (easy, conversational pace).

  • Duration: About 25-30 minutes total.

The RPE Scale (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

The RPE scale typically ranges from 1 to 10, though some versions use a 6-to-20 scale (like the Borg Scale). In the context of your workout, the 1-to-10 scale is used, where:

RPE 1-2: Very light effort. You could do this all day—think of a leisurely walk or light stretching. Breathing is easy, and you can easily hold a conversation.

RPE 3-4: Light to moderate effort. You’re working, but it’s comfortable—like a brisk walk or a casual bike ride. You can still talk in full sentences, but you’re breathing a bit harder.

RPE 5-6: Moderate to somewhat hard. You’re definitely working now, and your breathing is noticeable. You can still talk, but it’s in shorter sentences. This might be a steady jog or a faster bike pace.

RPE 7-8: Hard effort. This feels challenging—you’re pushing yourself, breathing heavily, and can only speak a few words at a time. Think of a controlled sprint or a tough uphill climb.

RPE 9-10: Very hard to maximal effort. You’re going all out, like in a full-on sprint. Breathing is labored, talking is nearly impossible, and you can only sustain this for a short time.

SPM: This Strokes per Minute, it should shown on the row machine display.

Workout Breakdown

1. Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Get your body ready and practice good form at a low intensity.

• • • 0:00-2:00: Row at a slow, steady pace (18-20 SPM). Focus on form—smooth, controlled strokes. RPE: 2-3.

    • 2:00-4:00: Slightly increase your pace (20-22 SPM). Add a bit more power to your leg drive. RPE: 3-4.

    • 4:00-5:00: Do 20 seconds of slightly faster rowing (22-24 SPM), then 40 seconds of slow rowing (18-20 SPM). Repeat once. RPE: 4-5 during faster bits.

2. Main HIIT Session (16 minutes)

This section alternates short bursts of higher intensity with recovery periods. It’s designed to push you but give enough rest to keep going.

Cycle 1: 4 minutes

• • • • 1 minute: Row at a moderate pace (22-24 SPM). Push harder with your legs. RPE: 6-7.

      • 1 minute: Slow recovery row (18-20 SPM). Focus on deep breathing. RPE: 3-4.

      • Repeat this cycle twice.

      • Rest: 1 minute off the rower—stand, stretch your legs, sip water.

Cycle 2: 4 minutes

• • • • 30 seconds: Row harder (24-26 SPM). Focus on powerful strokes, not just speed. RPE: 7-8.

      • 1 minute 30 seconds: Slow recovery row (18-20 SPM). RPE: 3-4.

      • Repeat this cycle twice.

      • Rest: 1 minute off the rower—shake out your arms and legs.

Cycle 3: 4 minutes

• • • • 45 seconds: Row at a challenging pace (24-26 SPM). Imagine you’re racing someone just ahead of you. RPE: 7-8.

      • 1 minute 15 seconds: Slow recovery row (18-20 SPM). RPE: 3-4.

      • Repeat this cycle twice.

3. Cool-Down (5 minutes)

Bring your heart rate down and stretch out tight muscles.

• • • • 0:00-2:00: Row very slowly (16-18 SPM). Focus on long, smooth strokes and deep breathing. RPE: 2-3.
      • 2:00-5:00: Get off the rower and do some light stretches:
      • Hamstring stretch: Sit on the floor, one leg extended, the other bent, and reach toward your toes (30 seconds per leg).
      • Quad stretch: Stand, pull one foot to your glutes, hold for 30 seconds per leg.
      • Upper back stretch: Clasp your hands in front of you, round your upper back, hold for 30 seconds.

Key Tips for Beginners

1. 1. Track Progress: Most rowing machines display metrics like distance, time, and SPM. For fun, note your total distance rowed during the main session to track improvement over time.

Why This Works

• • Rowing engages about 85% of your muscles (legs, core, arms), making it a full-body workout.

  • HIIT burns more calories in less time and improves cardiovascular fitness faster than steady-state cardio.

  • The intervals are short enough for beginners to handle but long enough to challenge you.

Recovery periods prevent burnout and help you maintain good form.

Programming the Seconds Pro App

This guide will walk you through programming a 24-minute Beginner HIIT Rowing Workout in the Seconds Pro app on your iPhone, using a rowing machine. The workout includes a warm-up, a main HIIT session with three distinct cycles, and a cool-down. Seconds Pro is a robust interval timer app that lets you customize your workout but doesn’t control the rower or track metrics like distance—those are up to you to monitor. We’ll use the “Custom Timer” template, which doesn’t support automatic looping without pairing intervals, and leverage the app’s copy, paste, and reorder features to build this efficiently.

Step 1: Download and Open Seconds Pro  

• • Action: Download Seconds Pro, a paid app widely used for interval training like HIIT, Tabata, and circuit workouts. It’s available on iOS and Android.

• • • iOS Link: App Store

    • Android Link: Google Play Store

    • Once installed, open the app on your iPhone. You’ll land on the “My Timers” screen. These are instructions for the iPhone, Android may be slightly different.

Step 2: Select the Custom Timer Template  

• • Action: From the “My Timers” screen, tap the “+” button at the top right.

  • Action: Scroll through the template options and tap “Custom Timer” to start with a blank slate for full control over intervals.

Step 3: Set Up the Timer Name and Activity  

• • Action: Tap the “Timer Name” field at the top and enter “Beginner HIIT Rowing Workout”.

  • Action (Optional): Tap “Activity Type” below the name, select “Rowing” from the list to tag it, then tap “Done” or the back arrow to return to the timer setup screen.

Summary of Exercises to Be Added , in the following pages.

Here’s the breakdown of the workout intervals we’ll program, including exercise titles, durations, and colors for visual cues in the app:

Step 4: Add the Warm-Up Interval  

• • Action: Tap “Add Interval” at the bottom of the timer setup screen.

  • Duration: Set to 5 minutes (300 seconds) by tapping the time field and adjusting the picker.

  • Name: Tap the name field and enter “Warm-Up: Slow to Moderate Pace (18-22 SPM, RPE 2-5)”.

  • Color: Tap the color circle, select “Yellow,” and confirm.

  • Notes: Tap “Notes” and enter: “Row at a slow, steady pace (18-20 SPM, RPE 2-3) for the first 2 minutes, increase to 20-22 SPM (RPE 3-4) for the next 2 minutes, then do 20 seconds at 22-24 SPM (RPE 4-5) followed by 40 seconds at 18-20 SPM. Focus on form—legs push first, lean back slightly, pull handle to lower chest. Keep back straight.”

Step 5: Add the Main HIIT Session (Cycle 1)  

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1 minute (60 seconds).

    • Name: “Work: Moderate Pace (22-24 SPM, RPE 6-7)”.

    • Color: Blue.

    • Notes: “Push harder with your legs. Focus on powerful strokes.” 

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1 minute (60 seconds).

    • Name: “Recovery: Slow Row (18-20 SPM, RPE 3-4)”.

    • Color: Red.

    • Notes: “Slow down, focus on deep breathing.” 

• • Action: Repeat the above Work and Recovery intervals once more:

• • • Tap the first “Work” interval, select “Copy,” then “Paste” below the last interval. Repeat for “Recovery.”

    • Verify the order: Work, Recovery, Work, Recovery.   

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1 minute (60 seconds).

    • Name: “Rest: Off Rower”.

    • Color: Teal.

    • Notes: “Stand, stretch your legs, sip water.”

Step 6: Add the Main HIIT Session (Cycle 2)  

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 0:30 (30 seconds).

    • Name: “Work: Hard Row (24-26 SPM, RPE 7-8)”.

    • Color: Blue.

    • Notes: “Focus on powerful strokes, not just speed.” 

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1:30 (90 seconds).

    • Name: “Recovery: Slow Row (18-20 SPM, RPE 3-4)”.

    • Color: Red.

    • Notes: “Slow down, focus on breathing.” 

• • Action: Repeat the above Work and Recovery intervals once more:

• • • Copy and paste “Work,” then “Recovery,” ensuring they follow in sequence. 

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1 minute (60 seconds).

    • Name: “Rest: Off Rower”.

    • Color: Teal.

    • Notes: “Shake out your arms and legs.”

Step 7: Add the Main HIIT Session (Cycle 3)  

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 0:45 (45 seconds).

    • Name: “Work: Challenging Row (24-26 SPM, RPE 7-8)”.

    • Color: Blue.

    • Notes: “Imagine racing someone just ahead of you.” 

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 1:15 (75 seconds).

    • Name: “Recovery: Slow Row (18-20 SPM, RPE 3-4)”.

    • Color: Red.

    • Notes: “Slow down, focus on breathing.”

• • Action: Repeat the above Work and Recovery intervals once more:

• • • Copy and paste “Work,” then “Recovery,” in sequence.

Step 8: Add the Cool-Down Interval  

• • Action: Add an interval.

• • • Duration: 5 minutes (300 seconds).

    • Name: “Cool-Down: Slow Row & Stretching (16-18 SPM, RPE 2-3)”.

    • Color: Teal.

    • Notes: “Row very slowly (16-18 SPM, RPE 2-3) for 2 minutes, then get off the rower and do light stretches: hamstring stretch (30 sec/leg), quad stretch (30 sec/leg), upper back stretch (30 sec).”

Step 9: Configure Extras  

• • Action: Scroll to “Alerts,” leave as “Default Beeps” for simple audio cues.

  • Action: Under “Audio,” select “No Audio Selected” to keep it silent beyond beeps (or choose music if preferred).

  • Action: Ensure “Allow Overrun” is off (default) to keep intervals strict.

Step 10: Set the Timer Color (Optional)  

• • Action: At the top, tap “Timer Color,” choose “Green” for a fresh vibe, or leave as “Not Set” for default.

Step 11: Save and Test the Timer  

• • Action: Tap “Save” at the top right to return to “My Timers.”

  • Action: Find “Beginner HIIT Rowing Workout,” tap it, then tap “Start” to test. Watch the intervals transition and listen for beeps.

Summary of Workout Timing  

• • Warm-Up (5 minutes): 5:00

  • Main HIIT Session (14 minutes):

• • • Cycle 1 (5 minutes): Work 1:00, Recovery 1:00, repeated twice, plus Rest 1:00

    • Cycle 2 (5 minutes): Work 0:30, Recovery 1:30, repeated twice, plus Rest 1:00

    • Cycle 3 (4 minutes): Work 0:45, Recovery 1:15, repeated twice

• • Cool-Down (5 minutes): 5:00

  • Total Time: 24 minutes

General Notes  

• • Equipment Setup: Adjust rower: Feet strapped in snugly, damper setting 3-5 for beginners.

  • Form Tip: Keep your back straight, core engaged. Sequence: Legs push first, lean back slightly, pull handle to lower chest. Reverse to return. Don’t hunch or yank with arms alone.

  • Track Progress: Note your total distance rowed during the main session to track improvement over time.

  • Safety: Dial back intensity if you feel dizzy or overly fatigued.

Now you’re ready to row! Start the timer, focus on your form, and push through those work intervals—your body will thank you for the full-body workout.

When using the below file, be sure to have the Seconds Pro App loaded first (above).

IMPORTANT: Once you click on the below timer, it will prompt to download a configuration file to your device. Once it is downloaded, you will need to navigate to the downloads location on your device. Once you locate the file and click on it, it should open to an import screen in the Seconds Pro App.

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