Strength Training for Rowers

Jack Dillon on Power, Movement and Training That Actually Helps the Boat

Strength Training Is Not Bodybuilding

Many rowers know they should do strength training.

Far fewer know exactly what that means.

Should rowers lift heavy? Do circuits? Do squats? Deadlift? Train to failure? Focus on core? Avoid the gym during racing season?

In Episodes 45 and 54 of the Complete Rowing Podcast, Jack Dillon gives a practical answer.

Strength and conditioning is not bodybuilding. It is not simply making the athlete look stronger. It is training the body to row better, handle load, reduce injury risk and apply power more effectively.

Jack describes strength and conditioning as something that underpins physical capability.

“It underpins your physical capability.”

That is the key.

The gym is not separate from rowing. Done properly, it supports the rowing stroke.

Why Rowers Need Strength

Rowing is an endurance sport, but each stroke is also a force application.

A rower must connect through the feet, legs, hips, trunk, shoulders, arms and handle. If any part of that chain is weak, unstable or poorly coordinated, power is lost.

Jack describes rowing performance as involving:

• strength

• fitness

• injury prevention

• mobilisation

• the ability to move the body well

For masters rowers, strength becomes even more important. Age tends to reduce muscle mass and power. Rowing alone may not fully maintain them.

For beginners, strength matters for a different reason. Some new masters rowers do not yet have the physical awareness or basic movement capacity to hold good positions in the boat.

Jack says many Learn to Row participants:

“don’t have a sporting background.”

That means the gym may help them learn how to use their bodies before they can row well.

Strength Starts With Movement Quality

Jack is clear that gym work can help beginners understand body positions.

Many new rowers struggle to connect their limbs to their trunk. They may bend their arms too early, collapse the body, overuse the shoulders, or fail to brace.

Jack explains that gym-based work can help people:

“connect the two.”

He means connecting the limbs and torso so the athlete can apply force through the whole body rather than flopping around in disconnected pieces.

This is why strength training for rowers should not begin with ego lifting.

It begins with learning:

• how to hinge

• how to brace

• how to squat

• how to transfer pressure through the feet

• how to hold posture under load

• how to move without collapsing

Jack uses a simple teaching tool:

“Broomsticks are a very good place to start.”

That is a useful line. A beginner does not need a barbell on day one. A broomstick, bodyweight and good coaching may be more valuable.

Strength Helps Boat Handling Too

For club rowers, strength is not only about the stroke.

It is also about the practical demands of the sport:

• lifting boats

• carrying blades

• getting in and out safely

• moving equipment

• holding positions in crew boats

Masters beginners often underestimate this. Rowing clubs require physical competence before the outing even begins.

Jack makes the point that strength training can support those basic movements, not just racing performance.

For a new rower, being stronger may mean feeling more confident carrying a boat or sitting well at the catch.

For a racing rower, it may mean producing more force and holding better posture under fatigue.

Both matter.

The Main Lifts: Useful, But Choose Carefully

When Ken asks what a rower should actually do in the gym, Jack lists the main movements:

“Deadlifting… power cleans… types of row… squats… and core.”

But Jack immediately adds nuance.

He is not a huge advocate of deadlifting all year round for rowers.

“I am not the biggest lover of deadlifting with rowers.”

Why?

“High risk to low reward.”

That does not mean deadlifts are useless. Jack uses them in pre-season and early season. But he is careful. Deadlifts can load the back heavily, and many rowers already place significant stress on the posterior chain.

Jack prefers cleans and power cleans for many athletes because they teach explosive force transfer.

He says power cleans teach:

“explosive movements.”

And:

“how to correctly transfer the energy through the floor.”

This is a very rowing-relevant idea. The aim is not simply to lift a weight. It is to teach the body to transfer force from the ground through the legs, hips and trunk.

Heavy Weights Versus Circuits

Many older rowers grew up with circuits, bodyweight exercises and light bars.

Jack is not against circuits, but he distinguishes them from proper strength development.

Circuits often build local muscular endurance and general conditioning. That can be useful, but it is not the same as structured strength training.

Jack explains that in a proper strength programme:

“There is a process to building up.”

He refers to the idea of “reps in reserve.” For example, an athlete might do eight repetitions but choose a weight where they could have done two more.

This helps avoid constantly training to failure.

Going to failure may suit bodybuilding or certain endurance contexts, but rowers do not need to destroy themselves in the gym every session.

Jack warns against simply working to failure:

“I don’t want to say that… it’s smart to just go work yourself to failure.”

That is important. Rowers already have plenty of fatigue from rowing, erging and racing. Strength work should make them better, not leave them too exhausted to train.

Periodisation: Strength, Power, Maintenance

Jack’s approach changes through the season.

He likes heavier strength work in the winter or pre-season:

“Heavier weights in the pre-season slash winter season.”

That fits with longer aerobic work and the absence of frequent sprint races.

After Christmas, he moves more toward power:

“Moving 50 to 70% weight capacity with speed.”

Then, as racing increases, the programme becomes more about maintenance:

“That endurance phase tends to turn into a maintenance phase.”

This is one of the most useful practical ideas for rowers.

You do not need to train the same way all year.

A simple annual model might be:

Winter

Build strength. Learn movement. Increase load gradually.

Pre-regatta season

Convert strength into power. Move moderate loads quickly.

Racing season

Maintain strength. Avoid creating too much soreness or fatigue.

Transition period

Recover, assess weaknesses and restart the cycle.

Strength for Masters Beginners

In Episode 54, Jack makes an important distinction between two masters groups.

One group is made up of experienced racing masters who want to get faster.

The other includes people new to the sport, often through Learn to Row or Get Fit and Row programmes.

For new masters rowers, strength training may first be about basic control.

Jack says many beginners:

“don’t have an understanding of what their body should be doing.”

That is not an insult. It is a coaching reality.

A rower cannot hold a strong catch position if they do not know how to brace. They cannot transfer power well if the hips, trunk and shoulders are disconnected. They cannot lift boats safely if they have never learned good lifting mechanics.

This is why strength work should be part of beginner rowing education, not an optional advanced extra.

Strength for Competitive Masters

The competitive masters athlete has a different problem.

They may already know how to row, but they want to:

• improve erg scores

• maintain power

• reduce injury risk

• stay competitive in age categories

• recover well enough to train consistently

For this group, the gym becomes more targeted.

The programme should identify weaknesses. Jack mentions how exercises can reveal:

“imbalances or issues with mobility, flexibility or imbalance in strength.”

That is a valuable point. Strength training is not just an output session. It is also diagnostic.

If one leg is much stronger, if the hips shift, if the back rounds, if the shoulders cannot stabilise, the gym exposes those issues in a controlled environment before they become problems in the boat.

Core Is More Than Sit-Ups

Rowers often say “core” but mean sit-ups.

Jack’s view is broader. Core is about bracing, connection and force transfer.

A rower needs to connect the legs to the handle without energy leaking through the trunk.

For beginners, that may involve learning how to breathe and brace.

Jack describes the importance of:

“learning how to get that good core compression.”

And:

“how to take a deep breath in and breathe out whilst bracing.”

That is far more useful than simply doing hundreds of sit-ups.

The rowing stroke needs a trunk that can transmit force while still allowing rhythm and relaxation.

The Gym Should Support the Water

Jack’s guiding principle is that the gym is part of becoming a better rower.

He says:

“The gym-based stuff is just as important as the water-based stuff.”

That does not mean it replaces rowing. It means it supports rowing.

For many rowers, two focused strength sessions per week may be enough. The goal is consistency and quality, not endless gym volume.

The sessions should leave the athlete stronger, more robust and more capable of rowing well.

If the gym work constantly ruins water sessions, it is not serving the sport.

A Practical Strength Framework for Club Rowers

1. Learn movement first

Use bodyweight, broomsticks and light weights to learn positions.

2. Build the main patterns

Squat, hinge, pull, push, brace and rotate.

3. Avoid ego lifting

The goal is not to prove strength once. It is to improve rowing over time.

4. Use the season

Build strength in winter, develop power later, maintain through racing.

5. Keep reps in reserve

Do not turn every gym session into failure.

6. Watch for imbalances

Use gym work to identify and correct weaknesses.

7. Support recovery

Strength work creates fatigue. Plan it around rowing.

Key Takeaways

• Strength and conditioning should support rowing performance, not bodybuilding.

• Rowers need strength to apply force, hold posture and reduce injury risk.

• Beginners may need strength work simply to learn body control.

• Jack Dillon likes squats, rows, core work and power movements, but is cautious with deadlifts.

• Power cleans can teach explosive force transfer.

• Training to failure is usually not the goal.

• Winter is a good time for heavier strength work.

• Racing season should focus more on maintenance.

• Gym work should make water sessions better, not worse.

Related Complete Rowing Podcast Episodes

This article is based primarily on:

Episode 45: Insights into Strength & Conditioning for Rowing — Jack Dillon

and:

Episode 54: Strength & Conditioning for Masters Rowers — Jack Dillon

Related listening:

• Episode 2: UT2 Training — Bill Jackman

• Episode 51: How to Train Through a Long Winter — Bill Jackman

• Episode 64: The Science of Training — Dr Paul Laursen

• Episode 71: Intelligent Training — Dr Paul Laursen and Martino Goretti

• Episode 22: Rowing Injury Treatment and Prevention — Pam Neuharth

Listen to the full conversations at CompleteRowing.com.