Go Row Indoor is our new programme, which will be funded by Sport England’s mass market funding pot over the next four years. Our plan is to broaden the appeal of indoor rowing as a sport in its own right, so we will be working with health and fitness operators to make this happen. A lot of rowing is going on within health clubs already and we are keen to build on this.
Although we want to grow participation, a key part of the programme is to improve the quality of the experience. You can do an entire workout on a rowing machine, but not many people, including instructors, understand this. Therefore, we’re making lots of resources available on our website, including technique videos and training programmes. We’ve also developed a REPs-accredited training course for fitness professionals.
Boutique rowing concepts
Rowing as a group exercise experience is a trend that’s gathering pace in the US, with some boutique rowing studios opening in New York. To build on this momentum, we’ve developed group classes that are set to music: a 20-30 minute class for the gym floor and a 45 minute studio class.
At first, we planned to double the number of indoor rowers, based on Sport England figures. However, we’ve conducted independent research and shown we’ve already smashed those targets, as there were more indoor rowers than had been identified. Our research shows 1.3m people are already rowing in gyms, so we’re revising our targets.
By focusing on indoor rowing, a connection with the wider sport will happen naturally. However, although we want to offer pathways onto the water, we don’t want this to be a main focus. For geographical reasons alone, some people will never graduate to rowing on water, whereas indoor rowing is very accessible.
Indoor rowing is a fantastic sport for getting people active. In our research, we found four out of five people who were interested had access to a rowing machine. It’s a low-impact sport that allows people to go at their own pace, the technique is easy to master and it’s a fantastic workout that uses 85 to 95 per cent of muscle groups.