Rowing in Meters versus Calories

CrossFit open workout 24.2 included a 300m row for both men and women in a 20 minute time domain. Rowing in meters versus calories has been programmed before, but it is a change from what has historically been programmed in the open and online qualifiers.

We get the question all the time, “should you row differently for calories versus for meters?” The answer is, it depends. If you are performing a single modality workout that only involves rowing, you do not need to change anything. If you are performing a workout that includes multiple modalities, then we would argue the answer is yes.

Understanding the Difference

Assuming you are using a Concept2 RowErg, they use a formula to generate calorie calculations based on a 175 pound individual. Therefore, it’s likely not a perfect depiction of how many calories someone is burning, but rather a simple way to measure output or what we call “reps”.

Calories are much smaller numbers vs meters. For example if you see a 25 calorie row vs a 375m row, the number 25 is much cleaner and easier to capture for a judge. It also generally takes longer for a calorie to tick over vs meter numbers are constantly moving. There is an ease and accuracy component when using calories over meters.

The most important difference between rowing for calories vs meters is that the pace for calories is linear while the pace of meters is negative exponentially.

For example, if you row 2 minutes at 1000 vs 2000 cal/hr it will double your calorie output vs if you row for 2 minutes at a 2:00/500m pace vs 1:30/500m pace it will only increase roughly 30% in total meters.

1000 cal/hr in 2 minutes = 33 calories

2000 cal/hr in 2 minutes = 67 calories

34 calorie difference = 103% increase

2:00/500m pace in 2 minutes = 500m

1:30/500m pace in 2 minutes = 667m

167m difference, ~ 33.4% increase

**Note: 1000cal/hr = 1:59.7 per 500m split, 2000cal/hr = 1:29.0 per 500m split

Single Modality Rowing vs Rowing in Metcons

If you are performing a workout with rowing only, we do not recommend changing your rowing technique regardless if you are rowing for meters or calories. The time domain of a piece might alter things such as your stroke rate slightly based on the format and length.

What matters most in rowing only workouts is the time domain so that you can pace yourself appropriately. As we suggest frequently, knowing approximately how long it will take you to row 25 calories, 50 calories, 100 calories, 500m, 2000m, 5000m etc. is very valuable information that can guide you towards strategizing for workouts.

Another difference with meters is that they tend to roll over more consistently than calories which was utilized to some people’s advantage in 24.2 as you were allowed to count rollover meters at the end of the workout. Therefore, if you finished on the row and performed the last hard pull, you were awarded for that work. If you are rowing a 1:45/500m pace you can consistently expect about 30 “ghost meters” from the end of your final pull. Calories also roll over, but since they are only shown in whole numbers on the Concept2 RowErg, it makes “ghost calories” difficult to predict.

Rowing in Metcons

Mixed modality workouts that combine weightlifting and gymnastics with rowing absolutely impact the overall strategy if the workout is in calories vs meters because the faster you row in calories, the less meters you row. For example:

20 calories at 2:30/500m pace = 2:00.0 sec and 377m

20 calories at 2:00/500m pace = 1:12.4 sec and 302m

20 calories at 1:30/500m pace = 0:37.0 sec and 206m

Therefore, you are awarded rowing at a faster pace in calories than meters. This is all assuming that the pace in which you perform the other movements does not change. If you are rowing faster than you are able to sustain it can also result in a worse performance because you are forced to rest, slow down, or may even fail reps.

Finding the Optimal Pace in 24.2

What we saw for the vast majority of athletes during 24.2 was row pace slightly slower than a 5k TT. This was most sustainable assuming the ability to cycle the deadlifts, stay consistent with double unders, and perform transitions efficiently was not impacted.

Concept2 released the below chart of how long it will take to complete 300m of rowing after the workout announcement. As you can see the time gained or lost between different paces is 3 seconds. Therefore, one hesitation, one trip on double unders, or the inability to get the rower up to speed could potentially negate rowing at a faster pace. Athletes who were aware of time lost in movement speed and transitions adjusted their rowing pace during the workout as fatigue set in.

Transitions Matter

Other strategies that can be practiced and cut down on valuable seconds in this workout include:

Getting your feet in/out of the rower quickly: Don’t both pulling the straps down. Find a comfortable setting for your feet and practice sliding your feet in and out without adjusting during the workout.
How you grab onto the rower handle and start pulling: Get one foot in quickly and start pulling, then slide your other foot in.
Getting up to speed quickly: The average pace of your 300m split vs the pace you remember yourself rowing at some point during the workout is not always the same. We saw most athletes drop off in their ability to get up to speed as fatigue set in throughout the workout.

In the 24.2 CrossFit Open Pacing video below you will see examples of all of techniques demonstrated by our onsite athletes Mike McGoldrick, Brandi McGoldrick, and Chris Ensign who performed the workout shortly after the announcement.

Not Every Erg is Created Equal

The Concept2 RowErg has been a staple in CrossFit competitions since the inception of the sport because they’re durable, reliably accurate, and compatible in competition. But these machines can incur quite a bit of wear and tear if not maintained properly. One way you can ensure you are rowing at a consistent resistance level is by checking the drag factor and adjusting your damper setting to accommodate the drag factor.

We recently had a rowing progression in TTT Compete written by Coach Becky Rogers where we found an optimal drag factor then rowed at 30-40 higher than that number for a few weeks. Taking the time to experiment with these nuances may be the edge you need to crush your next rowing workout

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about how to improve your performance in 24.2, check out our TTT Education Blog where we take a deep dive into optimization for each movement, data analysis, sample training progressions to train your limiters, and more.

2024 CrossFit Open Series: Rowing in Metcons