Rowing Machine Session Log

Who this is for

Every indoor row, from the monitor to the page. Log the distance, time, split, stroke rate and damper setting of each session, and the log adds up metres and minutes week by week.

Anyone training on an indoor rower at home or in the gym, from people rowing a few times a week to those working towards a timed piece.

What this helps you track

• Distance and time for every session
• Average split and stroke rate exactly as the monitor showed them
• The damper or drag setting used, so sessions are comparable
• Metres and minutes added up for each week
• Session count and the longest piece in the period

How to use it

1. Write your name, the machine or gym and the dates the sheet covers.
2. Number the weeks from 1 and use the same number for every session in that week.
3. After each row, copy the distance, time in minutes, average split, stroke rate and damper setting from the monitor.
4. Weekly metres and minutes are worked out in the browser and the workbook, and the last row of each week holds the week's total; on paper, add them up at the end of the week.
5. Use the summary to see total metres, the number of sessions and your longest piece.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How do I enter time?

As minutes with a decimal, so 20 minutes 30 seconds is 20.5. That lets the log add sessions together. Write the split exactly as the monitor shows it, since it is only recorded, not calculated.

How do the weekly totals work?

Each row adds its metres and minutes to the running total for its week number. When the week number changes, the count starts again, so the last row of each week shows that week's total.

What damper setting should I use?

The log does not say. Record the setting you used so sessions can be compared, and take guidance from the machine's maker or whoever set your training.

Can I use it for other machines?

It is laid out for rowers, with split, stroke rate and damper columns. For bikes, cross-trainers and treadmills a cardio machine log fits better.