2020 World Rowing Indoor Championships, Paris, France
2020 World Rowing Indoor Championships, Paris, France

Indoor Rowing

What is Indoor Rowing?

Indoor rowing, or ‘erging’ (named because of the equipment used for this type of sport – the ergometer), has been widely used as a training tool for rowers since it’s creation. Today, indoor rowing has grown to become a competitive sport in its own right.

Ergometers have been used in rowing training since the 1950s in many countries. The earliest examples were huge metal contraptions with a solid iron flywheel.

Indoor rowing competitions take place all over the world. The longest running and best known is the C.R.A.S.H-Bs, held every year in February in Boston, USA. In 2018, the first World Rowing Indoor Championships were held in conjunction with Concept2 in Alexandria, USA.

The 1980s saw the development of lighter, slightly more rower-friendly machines. The Dreissigacker brothers, founders of Concept2, developed an ergometer using bicycle parts. This innovation helped to make the rowing machine light and affordable, and allowed rowers to compare their performances against one another. This caused indoor rowing to grow rapidly in training, and made indoor rowing competitions possible.

Just like on-water rowing, the most infamous benchmark test on the ergometer is 2000 metres for time. Many competitions include various race formats, including races for time, for distance, for maximum wattage, relay and team competitions, blind races, and elimination races. Indoor rowing is also found in other sport competitions, such as CrossFit, Functional Fitness, and ‘indoor’ triathlon.
Indoor rowing is naturally suited to virtual training and competition, and to eSports. Augmented reality and virtual racing and training platforms are being developed regularly, and 2020 saw a boom in virtual training and competition. The 2021 World Rowing Indoor Championships will take place virtually, with five continental qualification events taking place virtually as well.

 

Indoor Equipment

 

Go to the Concept2 website for more details

In 1981, brothers Dick and Peter Dreissigacker created the Concept2 Indoor Rower, which swiftly became the rowing machine of choice worldwide. Several models later, it’s used every day by Olympic champions and novices alike.

Model D Indoor Rower

Model D Indoor Rower

The Model D is known to competitive rowers as the standard for indoor training.

Model E Indoor Rower

Model E Indoor Rower

The Model E sits higher off the ground, making it easier to get on and off for those with mobility considerations.

Dynamic Indoor Rower

Dynamic Indoor Rower

The Dynamic Indoor Rower offers the closest simulation to rowing on the water and was developed to meet the specific training needs of competitive rowing athletes.

The Performance Monitor sets us apart from the competition with accurate, detailed and, importantly, comparable data from machine to machine. This is what makes the indoor rower an essential tool of training programs and boathouses around the world, and has led to indoor competitions, as well as world records and rankings.

Concept2 is dedicated to providing the most innovative products and programs. Every machine and oar we produce comes from a background of over thirty-five years of excellence. Our primary goal is to promote and encourage the growth of rowing, both indoors and outdoors. We believe that rowing is a lifelong activity, accessible to all.