The plan behind the story · Dave Bell rowed from Peru to Kenya and did not set foot on land for 327 days
From your first strokes to an hour on the water: an eight-week rowing plan
Eight weeks of rowing, on a machine or with a club. If you are new to it, you end able to row 30 minutes steadily with good technique and a beginner course booked or done. If you are already fit, you end with a 60-minute steady row, a faster 2,000m time and a plan for open water.
Why this works
Dave Bell rowed alone from Lima to Kilifi in 327 days, with no support boat and no stops. The reports of his row return to two habits again and again: patience (he stopped for about eight weeks rather than reach the Coral Sea in cyclone season) and problem-solving (when something broke, he said, you either repair it or manage without it). This plan builds both. Most of the rowing is long and easy, the hard sessions are few, and every week has a fallback if something gets in the way.
The NHS suggests adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus strengthening activities on at least two days. The getting-going track reaches about half the first figure by week 8; the fit track goes well past it.
Before you start
- A machine or a club. Most gyms and many leisure centres have rowing machines. For rowing on water, British Rowing’s Go Row finder (UK) lists learn-to-row courses at local clubs; USRowing’s club finder (US) does the same.
- Learn the stroke. Ask a gym instructor or club coach to watch five minutes of your rowing. The order is legs, then body, then arms on the way back; arms, then body, then legs on the way forward.
- Check with a GP (family doctor) first if you are new to hard exercise, or have a heart, back or joint problem.
- Kit. Close-fitting clothes (loose fabric catches in the seat), a water bottle, and a notebook or phone to log each session.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (getting going) | Row 10 minutes at a pace where you could talk. Log the distance. | 2 sessions | Stop if your back aches; ask for a technique check. |
| 1 (already fit) | Row a 2,000m test, full effort, after a 10-minute warm-up. Log time and average split. | Once, plus 2 easy 30-minute rows | This is your benchmark for week 8. |
| 2 to 3 (getting going) | Row 15 minutes easy, then 20. | 2 to 3 sessions a week | Same effort each time; distance should creep up. |
| 2 to 3 (already fit) | One long easy row (35, then 40 minutes); one session of 4 x 4 minutes hard with 2 minutes easy between. | 3 sessions a week | Keep the long row conversational. |
| 4 (getting going) | Book a learn-to-row course, or a gym induction if you prefer the machine. | Once | Courses fill up; spring starts are popular. |
| 4 (already fit) | Long row 45 minutes. Add two strength sessions: squats, lunges, rows with a dumbbell. | 3 rows, 2 strength | Strength helps your back hold the stroke. |
| 5 to 6 (getting going) | Build to 25 minutes steady. Add one session of 5 x 1 minute a little harder, 1 minute easy. | 2 to 3 sessions a week | Harder, not flat out. |
| 5 to 6 (already fit) | Long row 50, then 55 minutes. Hard session: 3 x 8 minutes at your 2,000m pace plus 5 seconds per 500m. | 3 rows a week | If a session goes wrong, swap it; do not double up. |
| 7 (getting going) | Row 30 minutes without stopping. | Once, plus one easy 20 | Note how far you went against week 1. |
| 7 (already fit) | Long row 60 minutes. | Once, plus one easy and one hard session | Eat and drink as you would on a long walk. |
| 8 (both) | Getting going: repeat your week 1 row and compare. Already fit: repeat the 2,000m test. | Once | Then see “What next”. |
If it goes wrong
- Sore lower back. Usually technique: reaching with the back before the legs have finished, or hauling with the arms. Drop the time, get the stroke checked, and carry on.
- Blisters. Common at the start. Keep a light grip, keep hands dry, and let them harden.
- A missed week. Repeat the last week you completed. Bell stopped for eight weeks on purpose and still finished.
- No club near you. Stay on the machine. Indoor rowing is a sport in its own right, and the numbers make progress easy to see.
Track it
After each session, write the date, minutes, distance, and one word for how it felt. Fit track: add the average split per 500m for hard sessions and the 2,000m times from weeks 1 and 8.
What next
Getting going: finish a learn-to-row course and ask the club about its improvers’ sessions. Already fit: ask a coastal or sea rowing club what it would take to crew a longer open-water row next season. For more long journeys, read how Karl Bushby walked home from Chile, or start with our guide to getting active again.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.