Rowing Level is an indoor rowing standards platform created by Michael Clark and launched in 2021. It helps rowers compare erg performances across distance, age and gender using a consistent percentile scale.
Enter your distance, time, age, gender and bodyweight in the Rowing Level Calculator. The result reports your 500m split, power, calories per hour and estimated VO2 max, then compares the performance with rowers of the same gender and age.
The original standards were developed from distributions of indoor-rowing performances, fitted separately for male and female rowers, age groups and established erg distances. Distance models connect those reference events so the calculator and public rowing times can cover both fixed-distance and fixed-duration performances.
Beginner means faster than 5% of rowers, Novice 20%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 80%, and Elite 95%. These are population-percentile thresholds. Rowing Level is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Concept2.
This timeline is based on the original implementation and analysis records, launch references and public web archives.
Strength Level defined five ability thresholds at the 5th, 20th, 50th, 80th and 95th percentiles. Rowing Level later reused that exact Beginner-to-Elite framework, letting rowers interpret an erg result with the same scale already used for strength and running. See the Strength Level standards timeline.
Work on the Rowing Level prototype began in October. Analysis of historical indoor-rowing performances produced separate distributions for men and women, age groups and standard distances. On , those distributions powered the first age-aware Rowing Level percentiles.
Strength Level introduced Rowing Level publicly on . Bodyweight adjustment factors followed later that month, including separate estimates for a Concept2 erg and an on-water eight. Compare the current calculator with the earliest useful public archive.
Rowing Level added dedicated standards for the distance covered in one to 90 minutes. These pages made common tests such as 20, 30 and 60 minutes comparable by age, gender and ability alongside the original fixed-distance standards.
Michael Clark created Rowing Level and is its lead developer. He holds a master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge and previously worked as a Technical Lead at Redgate Software. Michael designed the site's performance model and leads its software development and operation. Read more about Michael Clark's work.
Strength Level Limited (company number 14076102) was incorporated in England and Wales on 28 April 2022. It operates Rowing Level and the wider Strength Level family of fitness standards websites.
We improve Rowing Level using feedback from rowers, coaches and researchers. Report a problem or suggest an improvement through our feedback form, email support@strengthlevel.com, or contact us on Facebook.