Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
All live class attendees age 16+ must be fully vaccinated from COVID. All in-studio classes are simulcast virtually. Click here for COVID-19 policies/procedures.
2K Crew Training
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A four-week course designed to improve burgeoning rowers with their all-important 2K time.
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Typical rowers will improve from 10 - 30 seconds.
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Coaches will evaluate form, technique, and strategy to get the best possible times.
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Students are required to maintain the same protocol as Brookline Schools with regards to mask mandates and testing.
Our History
After 12 years in accounting, Bryan put down his laptop and found his calling by bringing the sport of rowing to the masses.
Bryan graduated with a degree in politics from UMass Amherst and then spent five years in the Army as a counterintelligence agent with training in interrogation. During his career in the US Army, he taught group exercises in a boot camp fashion, pushing his fellow soldiers to enhance their unit’s overall fitness. After the military, Bryan obtained his MBA from Boston University and later his CPA. Bryan began rowing in 2011, joining a new Veteran outreach team at Community Rowing, Inc. in Brighton. In 2012, he promoted the program by rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 34 days, 15 hours, and 39 minutes aboard an 8-man rowboat, the Titan. He became the fastest American to row across the Atlantic. Feel free to ask Bryan about his time at sea or read about it in his upcoming book, ‘Rowing the Atlantic Ocean, a Love Story’.
For Bryan, Power Rowing is more than just fitness. Rowing changed Bryan's life. It helped him transition from military to civilian life – that is the power of the sport. His personal experience has shaped the business as a community of people that are committed, driven, passionate, and good. They understand that healthy individuals form healthy communities. The vision for this studio has always been to build and support a healthier community, individual by individual, and family by family. The good of one is meant to strengthen and contribute to the whole. When we all pull together, we can row an ocean.
POSTURE
Rowing can enhance your posture: by targeting the posterior deltoids, middle trapezius, and rhomboids. These muscles counter the large pectoral muscles, and will keep you standing tall.
MUSCLE
Approximately 86% of your muscle groups are utilized in each stroke, while remaining very low impact. Rowers suffer fewer repetitive joint injuries than runners or cyclist due to the controlled nature of the movement and the far slower speeds of rotation.
CARDIO
Rowing is one of the top exercises to promote a strong cardiovascular system due to oxygen levels needed for so many muscle groups.
BONE DENSITY
Rowing is the second best exercise to promote bone density (after power lifting). Like swimming, rowing can be a lifetime exercise as rowers often compete into their 70’s, 80’s, and even 90’s.
Sign Up for After School Rowing
After School Fitness Program for Young Women
Taught by Raphi Tayvah
January 14, 2020 - March 10, 2020 (no class during Spring Break!)
Tuesdays 3:15PM - 4:00PM
After school fitness program for young women specializing in the use of indoor rowers and cross training.
After School Intro to Rowing
Taught by Raphi Tayvah
January 15, 2020 - March 11, 2020 (no class during Spring Break!)
Wednesdays 2:45PM - 3:30PM
An after school program for kids ages 10-13 focusing on form, technique, and fun! Classes are 45 minutes long and will have a variety of exercises on and off the erg. Students will have opportunities to compete against each other in a variety of races and challenges. These classes are specially designed for beginner youth rowers and are not as intense as adult classes offered at Power Rowing.
If you have been to Power Rowing, you might have noticed it is a little different than other studios that you have attended. First off, we talk a lot more. We don’t simply say ten repetitions of this and let you have at it. We explain why we are doing this particular workout, what it will do to your body, and why it is good for you. But, one of the most striking differences might be our overall view of working out in general. We at Power Rowing take the long view of your health. Our goal isn’t to get you sweaty and kick you out the door. Our goal is to make your healthier, make your heart, bones, and muscles stronger and to sustain that health over your lifetime. These may seem like lofty goals, but they should be the baseline goals of any fitness studio. The paradigm needs to change from working out today to sustainably fit forever.
Our workouts will even feel very different. We have a very long warm up, but we eventually bring it in the end. A lot of studios have HIIT workouts, but few actually take the time to give you a true “interval”. While we will get you to high intensity, we will also bring you back down to resting heart rate. There is an enormous amount of science that shows short HIIT workouts are as effective as running for an hour, but without the impact.
A big part of the sustainability of Power Rowing comes from understanding impact and what it means to your body. Impact is also something that separates us from many other studios. Impact is defined as the pressure or pounding your joints receive as you workout. A typical workout involving jogging has a lot of impact. Each step puts a lot of strain on your joints as the weight of your body is absorbed in your joints. Rowing, on the other hand, is among the lowest impact sports you can do. You are seated and the motions are very controlled. If you haven’t thought about impact before, consider if your knees or elbow hurts after taking a class. That is the effect of impact.
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Row A: Gentle Row
This medium intensity interval class will emphasize form and muscular and cardiovascular development. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three two-minute pieces. Each piece will have a cool down period before the next piece begins. This class will allow for extra time for development of form and the use of the erg. (30 minutes)
This is a full body workout that is suitable for those who haven’t worked out in a long time and would like to a more gradual return to fitness.
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Row 1.0: Entry Level Class
This high intensity interval class will emphasize form, power, and cardiovascular development. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three three-minute pieces. Each piece will have a cool down period before the next piece will begin. This class will allow for extra time for development of form and the use of the erg. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 1.1: Abs: Entry Level Class
This high intensity interval class will emphasize form, power, and cardiovascular development. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three two-minute pieces. Each piece will have a double abdominal set. Your abs will get a full workout in this class. This class will allow for extra time for development of form and the use of the erg. (50 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
Row 1.2: MetCon: Entry Level Class
This high-intensity class will facilitate total body fitness and a leaner composition through metabolic conditioning intervals. After an extended warm-up with bodyweight movements and drilling on the rowing machine, the workout really starts. Bodyweight or lightly weighted exercises are contrasted with intense intervals on the erg to maximize oxygen consumption, drive the heart-rate up and elevate the metabolism. The result is an intense, fun workout that simultaneously trains the aerobic and anaerobic systems, maximizing workout efficacy in 50 minutes. This is a full body workout and participants should be in good physical condition.
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 1.3: Full Body Burn
This class will target all of the major muscle groups as well as developing cardiovascular capacity. The class will begin with a warmup that includes short rowing pieces that increase in intensity, alternating with body weight and low weight exercises that target the abs, gluten, and shoulders. The second half of the class features a series of high-intensity pieces designed to maximize power and aerobic capacity. The result is a low-impact, total body workout that is suitable for all levels. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 1.4: Full Body Lift
Full Body Lift is a comprehensive workout that focuses on developing your cardiovascular fitness as well as toning your shoulders, quads, and glutes. In this workout, you will be taken through an escalating warmup that involves body movements as well as rowing. The lifts will focus on the upper back, pecs, shoulder muscles, and full leg strength. After warmup and lifting is complete, we will complete three 3-Minute pieces at maximum effort on the ergometer. This class is a great option for those looking to add more strength training to their normal Power Rowing workout. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 1.5: Endurance Row (Movie Night!)
This light intensity class will emphasize endurance and a self-moderated workout. After individual stretching and warm up, participants will be expected to row at a light to moderate pace for the entire class with periodic spikes in intensity. Power and speed will increase towards the middle of the workouts with slow downs near the beginning and end. For entertainment and motivation, participants watch a feature length film during class. Participants will generally burn between 700 - 1,000 calories, but likely will remain in the 120 -140 heart beats per minute zone. (45+ minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for those who have taken a couple classes.
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Row 1.6: Lower Body Blast
This workout is designed to increase cardiovascular development and strengthen the muscles of the lower body. The workout will begin with an extended warmup on and off the erg followed by full-pressure sets on the erg. Sets on the erg will be broken up with weighted exercises that focus primarily on strengthening the lower body while also working the arms and abs for a full body workout. (60 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 1.7: Rowing for Runners
This moderate intensity class will emphasize form, endurance, and control. After light stretching and a few warm up sets mitigated with abdominal exercises, participants will be put through two ten-minute pieces, with a short recovery period in between. Participants hone their control over pace and power, working at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 85% of their capacity in dedicated intervals throughout the ten-minute set. The class ends with a 500-meter "sprint to the finish," as one would do while running a race, followed by a relaxed cool down. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for those who have taken a couple classes.
Row 1.8: Core, Quads and Hammies
This is a medium intensity class that will emphasize form and efficiency in power per stroke. It will include sets of various weighted and body weight exercises with intervals of rowing throughout. The end of every class will be a chance to race yourself through short rowing pieces. This class is a fun environment that is perfect for every kind of athlete, from a beginner to an experienced rower. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels.
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Row 2.0: Power Row: Advanced Level Class
This advanced high intensity interval class will emphasize power and cardiovascular development. Class members should be experienced rowers or have taken several Row 1.0 classes prior to talking this class. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three four-minute pieces at full power. Each piece will have a cool down period before the next piece will begin. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, participants should be in good fitness condition.
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Row 2.1: Shoulders: Advanced Level Class
This advanced high intensity interval class will emphasize power and cardiovascular development. Class members should be experienced rowers or have taken several Row 1.0 classes prior to talking this class. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three four-minute pieces at full power. Each piece will have a cool down period before the next piece will begin. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, participants should be in good fitness condition.
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Row 2.2 Tabata
Tabata is an all-out extreme intensity form of HIIT where you row as hard as you can for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds for 8 rounds. Designed by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, tabata has been proven to improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness more effectively than long moderate intensity exercise. This is an advanced form of interval training and should be practiced carefully by those who are conditioned and have experience on the rowing machine. You will be taken through a gradual warm up of rowing, core, and body weight exercises to prepare for two 4 minute tabata sessions that will really test your body! (45 minutes)
Full body workout, participants should be in good fitness condition.
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Row 2.3 Abs Plus: Advanced Level Class
This high intensity interval class will emphasize form, power, and cardiovascular development. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with three long abdominal sets at each speed, participants will be put through three four-minute pieces at full power. Your cardio and abs will get a full workout in this class. This class will allow for extra time for development of form and the use of the erg. (54 minutes)
Full body workout, participants should be in good fitness condition.
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Row 3.0: Extreme Level Class
This extreme high intensity interval class will emphasize power and cardiovascular development. Class members should be excellent athletes and experienced rowers or have taken several Row 2.0 classes prior to talking this class. After a warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine mitigated with abdominal sets, participants will be put through three five-minute pieces at full power. Each piece will have a cool down period before the next piece will begin. This might be the hardest exercise class in Boston. This class is no joke and prepare for extra instructor motivation. Classes are usually the last class of the day and may include a class social after. (55 minutes)
Full body workout, participants should be in top fitness condition.
Row 3.1: Race: 2k and IPA
This high intensity race will emphasize power and cardiovascular strength. Class members should be excellent athletes and/or experienced rowers or have taken several classes prior to participating in this event. After an extended warm up with trials through various speeds on the rowing machine, participants will be put through a 2,000-meter race at full power. This class is for serious competitors and those taking it should prepare by hydrating and having a snack an hour before class. Participants are encouraged to bring their significant other to encourage them. Races are monthly and usually the last class of the day. Racing may include a beer/wine social after. (40 minutes)
This is an intense full body workout and participants should be in peak fitness condition. Top times in the 2,000-meter race will go on a leaderboard by age and gender.
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Flex 1.0: Entry Level Class
This is a medium intensity movement class will emphasize form, fun and flexibility. This class is not about a specific series of exercises or specific poses but about finding the proper progressions to get there. We recognize that everyone comes in at a different levels and abilities and this class will have everyone working at their own level. However, this does not mean that it will be easy. Be prepared to work hard and be pushed to your limits. Expect to sweat, crying is optional. (45 minutes)
Full body workout, suitable for all levels
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Spin – burns about a third fewer calories per hour than rowing. It is an excellent cardiovascular exercise; however, cycling promotes poor posture due to the nature of the equipment. Cyclists can also suffer from injuries caused by joint overuse due in part to the speed of the rotation of the flywheel, which leads to cumulative tissue micro-trauma and consequential symptoms. In overuse injuries, the problem is often not acute tissue inflammation, but chronic degeneration.
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Running – burns a close number of calories as rowing and is an excellent cardiovascular exercise; however, runners suffer from a variety of impact related injuries that include plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, IT band syndrome, runner’s knee, and shin splints due to the high impact nature of the activity, which can be 2 to 3 times ones body weight per step. Additionally, running doesn’t do as much to strengthen your core or upper body.
Boxing, CrossFit, Bootcamp, and other challenging sorts of classes – burn a similar amount of calories as rowing; however, the class participants often suffer from a wide variety of injuries related to the uncontrolled nature of the exercises. Often participants are run to exhaustion and then asked to use weights or perform a high impact exercise like burpees or power lifting with little supervision. Common injuries for these high intensity classes are back injuries, sore joints, pulled muscles, and strained tendons. Admittedly, these classes are fun, but they should be taken in moderation. These classes do promote good bone density, but if you are over 40 you’ll likely be sore for a week after taking them and they are not sustainable.
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Swimming – burns roughly the same amount of calories as rowing. Swimming is an extremely low impact exercise that promotes an extremely high cardiovascular system. There are few injuries related to swimming and it is activity that can be done for a lifetime; however, rowing does much more to promote bone density.
Power lifting – burns a very limited amount of calories per hour and doesn’t do much to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. Power lifting is an extremely high impact exercise, which will maximize muscular development and bone density more so than any other. Power lifters suffer from a variety of injuries primarily related to pushing themselves to lift just a little more to see continued results. The main risk is that these efforts eventually exceed the limitations of the joints and soft tissues and can result in some long-term or permanent damage.
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Yoga – burns about a third of the calories of rowing. Yoga is a very low impact exercise; despite this, performing yoga poses over and over again can lead to repetitive strain and predispose you to musculoskeletal conditions. The biggest risk factor is injuries related to trying to reach the full extent of the pose. However, yoga is a great complimentary exercise to rowing.