We believe midlife is the perfect time for change, and rowing is your ideal path to happier, healthier horizons. It's a powerful way to challenge yourself, boost your fitness, and connect with a supportive community that truly understands your journey.
Whether you're a seasoned rower or just beginning, welcome. This journey is one we share. We remember the intoxicating joy of those first strokes, and now you see a future of greater skill, fitness, and boat control. You know brute strength isn't the answer as we age; it's about teamwork, persistence, consistency, and embracing small challenges that build your foundation.
What you discover beyond the basics is rowing's deep reward. It's about refining precision, feeling the subtle surge of the boat, and knowing each stroke requires focus. Rowing is a lifelong endeavour – a mindful pursuit of the perfect stroke, shared with your crew. Progress isn't just splits; it's the camaraderie and the joy found in the journey itself.
Rowing shifts from a sport to try into a passion to master. It’s about lifelong learning and fitness, shared with others, celebrating every achievement. What you learn on the water flows into your life, building resilience, teamwork, and strength. Faster Masters Rowing is here to guide you, making your advancement enjoyable and rewarding. Others will notice the change in you.
We often get asked this question: Why are you doing all this work for masters?
We passionately believe that masters are an important part of rowing.
Our core work is to change ageist attitudes and enable more people to try rowing.
Winning is defined as more than a medal, it’s being in a community that you care about, being in nature, staying healthy, and living well.
Masters rowing is important for the sport.
Rowing is a “sport for life”. As long as clubs, federations and coaches know how to work with older athletes, masters can row with “adaptations” for as long as we choose.
Showcasing adaptations is part of our innovation; finding solutions to challenges is part of our thinking; overcoming structural impediments is part of our lobbying. It’s all in service to improving masters rowing.
Faster Masters Rowing was co-founded by international masters coaches Rebecca Caroe and Marlene Royle. Together, they’ve helped thousands of adult rowers and coaches improve their training, technique, and racing.
Alongside them, we’ve assembled a team of global experts who contribute their knowledge on everything from rigging and technique to mindset and menopause.
Troy Howell – Mastering skills in a single scull
Clarissa Kristjanssen – Menopause and hormonal health management for rowers
Volker Nolte – Oar lengths and rigging guidance for masters
Mike Purcer – Adjusting your rig as you age
David E Frost – Movement and mobility training over age 60
Sam Dutney – Erg training intensives for indoor race preparation
Adam Kreek – Sprint racing starts and explosive rowing power
Lesleh Anderson Wright – Coxing technique for sprint starts
David Dickison – Balancing the training needs of masters versus juniors
Al Morrow – Five key technique tips that improve efficiency
John Leekley – How to coach and manage crews of different speeds
Greg Benning – 1% performance gains for serious racers
Jack Burns – Brain training and mindset for racing and training
Sander Roosendaal – Rowing data basics made simple
Valery Kleshnev – Advanced rowing biomechanics and performance metrics
Mike Davenport – Rigging fundamentals explained clearly
Patrick Hamner – Lightweight erg racing strategies and preparation
Megan Falcone – Erg race technique and performance
Graham Benton – High-level erg race training methods
John Wojtkiewicz – Club operations and digital training tools
Tessa vander Veeken – Movement training through menopause
Grant Craies – Author of our monthly rowing training programs
Alex Wolf – Developer of our strength and conditioning programming
I do enjoy the information you provide and the podcast. I absolutely love rowing and coaching and have gained some good pointers from Faster Masters.
“What is working well for you? The intensity and volume are just about right for a geezer like me! What could be improved for you? – Nothing comes immediately to mind.”
I rate it a 5 – wished I had this kind of direction 30 years ago! The strength program has been particularly helpful with the core and hips and I’ve learned a lot about how to engage the entire body with relatively small weights in what appears to be a muscle specific exercise (1/2 kneel OHP is a good example). In terms of suggestions, it would be helpful if we can get some guidance on cross training – for example, sometimes I use the spin bike for the long Cat 6 workouts but I am not sure where my pulse should be relative to my max for the workout (I
Hi Rebecca, As a relative newcomer to rowing (18 months regular club rowing after a few corporate rowing/learn to row programs at my son’s school boatshed, at age 55), I am finding your podcasts and the other Faster Masters resources absolutely invaluable. They always seem to answer any questions that I have when I don’t have our coach to hand. And I’m forever sending links of info to my crew mates. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience and adding to the fabulous community of masters rowers worldwide. Many thanks
I would give the training plans a five as they were exactly what I was looking for. I don’t see any obvious areas for improvement.
Faster Masters is definitely helping me – it is extremely hard to coach yourself sensibly.
Am wondering if you can suggest a strategy for a 1k piece? [Our recent podcast is exactly about 1k erg trials.] Cool! That was very helpful. I’m stoked to redo my 20 minute test to see how much I’ve improved.
On the way to the erg sprints Friday night, in the car we listened to the Faster Masters February podcast. Thank you for that. My teammates loved it and we had great conversation afterward.
I’m looking forward to implementing your training over the next year. Last year I struggled with trying to figure out how to handle masters training with bits and pieces of advice here and there. But with your structure that I see just in the first month, it’s going to help out greatly. It’s hard enough rowing let along making stuff up as I go along!
Driving home Friday, I listened to your newest Faster Masters podcast. Although I’m not really doing erg time trials anymore, I found the discussion super-helpful in thinking about race prep. Seems like a good idea: every erg trial should be a time to practice on-the-water race plan, so it becomes the way you row.
Marlene, you and Rebecca are rocking the Masters rowing world. Thank you for doing all of this, you are helping so many people become better rowers and therefore happier people!
Again, LIFE CHANGING! Thank you for the excellent nit picking, and for your encouragement. I feel I’ve come a long way with the help of your coaching.
Marlene takes serious masters rowers seriously, and knows about striving and excellence in masters rowing, and helps us achieve our goals through smart training and hard work.
We have taken Marlene’s coaching input on board and have been working hard on the ergs to ‘fix it’, videoing each other as well. We are definitely more together and sequencing better.
Early days as two of the crew are away but we actually get to go on the water today as the incessant rain has finally subsided.
We are enjoying working through this as a crew/group.
Thanks in advance for helping me help crews get to the finish lines faster.
Thanks, Rebecca. Best words of wisdom. [Podcast listener.]
Really enjoyed your February edition of Faster Masters Rowing Radio. I took away a lot.
I will state that the training plan most definitely works, and extremely well. While following the plan as closely as possible during my 78th to 79th year I improved my performance continuously, and actually somewhat to my surprise. So I wish much continuing success to FMR.
I am very glad I joined Faster Masters. It has helped me train more intelligently and I am making progress. I also am very appreciate of the Faster Masters Rowing Radio, I have learned so much, thank you.
You use good descriptive words to explain This gave me a bit more autonomy compared to a camp to figure it out on my own.
I joined Faster Masters Rowing during lockdown to help me to keep up with rowing. Your output has kept my interest and I have enjoyed what I have followed. My rowing club got back to full operation and I joined with the aim of winning in sculls. Last time I competed and won in 1x was 2002. This has been one of my best seasons. Not only did I win 1x in Masters I (I am 70) at Llandaff Regatta, but also at Hereford, 2x at Evesham, Landaff, Hereford and Stourport. 7 pots in total!
Faster Masters is fabulous. They helped Hanlan Boat Club (Toronto) with winter training a few years ago, and I have personally done their sculling intensive (self paced) program as well as some of their indoor workouts. As a 50-something woman, I particularly appreciate the work they are doing to champion Masters rowing worldwide. Rowing offers fitness, camaraderie and a reprieve from negative news cycles. The world needs more rowing and Faster Masters will make it happen.
I am grateful for all the advice and discussions regarding all thing Masters rowing. Oftentimes I am pleasantly surprised with the timing of subjects you share here. I find your resources lend clarity on so many concerns, from rigging to training to nutrition/hydration, boathouse etiquette, & otw safety. Thank you for creating a space for Masters rowers!
Faster Masters is a great way to be connected to rowing. There is something for everyone whether its sharing the ups and downs of training and racing , gathering information on learning to row, or joining the amazing webcasts topics such as nutrition and managing the ageing process. Many thanks to Rebecca for her great service to the sport.
30 years ago, I fell in love with rowing because it gave me a place where I belonged and a community of people I could connect with. Three Olympic medals later, that sense of belonging is still what keeps me coming back. And there are few people who can create community among masters rowers like Rebecca can at Faster Masters Rowing. Even if all you do is subscribe to the newsletter, your life will be better for it. You belong here.
Our club has excellent support for masters rowers. Nevertheless, I find Faster Masters to be an excellent supplement to the training programs and coaching available at the club. I row a single and having the extra drills and in depth analysis of the rowing stroke provided by Faster Masters, in mind while I am alone on the water to be a great supplement. Rebecca Caroe and Marlene Royle have overcome my early skepticism about the format and content.
Amazing thing – is that the Program is relevant – by which I mean it works to a plan and is very logical. And it actually has a lot of days each week on the program, not just two or three.
I took on board your comments before starting on today’s erg session and implemented the ideas.
The result was a transformation!
For myself as a sculler, I have found golden nuggets of training tips from you guys, as well as valuable philosophical/mental approaches to the sport that hopefully serve to keep all things competitive in realistic perspective. You guys are great!!
I rowed faster in 2024 and 2025 thanks to Faster Masters Rowing. I look forward to what I'll accomplish when the new indoor rowing season starts May 1st. All simply by following the monthly training plans for 1,000 and 2,000 meter goals.
This amazing group of rowing experts has been invaluable in my growth as a master sculler and sweep rower. They provide wonderful insight and bring together experts in all areas to ensure that their overall program is top-notch! I can't say enough about Faster Masters!
A diverse range of topics covered that is specific to Masters Rowing. Not only technical or fitness topics specific to matters rowers but other practical topics like club house management and other items of interest.
The paid items are well worth it, such as seasonal training plans, which I find extremely useful as a self coached master (a not uncommon situation for a masters rower) that builds me up to a racing season (regardless of hemisphere) and is varied to alleviate boredom.
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