Joel Naukkarinen: the king of the Indoor Rowing records

Joel Naukkarinen doesn’t do anything by halves. In between Rowing, being a medical doctor and a neuroscience researcher, the “Rowing Finn” goes after Indoor Rowing records. He wants to test the limits of the human race and contribute to science in the process.

Contacting Naukkarinen is timed around his latest pursuit and earlier this week he went after the 10000m indoor rowing record on slides.

“I had already attempted it on Wednesday, but I felt early on during the session that it wasn’t going to happen that day. Still, I did a solid preparatory performance then, and today I was able to achieve my goal with an average pace of 1:34.9/500m.”

Naukkarinen says his focus on Indoor Rowing comes from being a scientist with the indoor rower providing accurate data. It also allows understanding on how the body and brain works.

“Indoor Rowing in controlled conditions and the precise measurement of performance means I can dive deeply into understanding my performance and the physiology and psychology required for different efforts.”

The pursuit of records has been Naukkarinen’s motivation to stick to regular training and to push further.

“In pursuing records, I’ve achieved performances I probably wouldn’t have reached otherwise and have achieved a fitness level I wouldn’t have attained without this pursuit. I feel like the journey is still ongoing.”

Predictably, Naukkarinen approaches each record attempt with scientific precision.

“The first step is understanding the physiological demands and the physical attributes I need to build for the performance. Then, I need to understand the nature of the specific distance and what aspects of pacing and mental focus are needed. I look at what the optimal mental and emotional state for before and during the performance, when the toughest moments will come and how to get through them. Every distance is different and requires solving a unique equation.”

During the long record attempts Naukkarinen says he uses his thoughts as a way to keep the focus and keep going.

“During maximum effort, the body sends an overwhelming number of signals to the brain urging you to slow down or stop. Your lungs feel like they’re on fire, your muscles ache, you feel weak, the movement feels heavy, you’re on the verge of gasping or fainting. Harmful thoughts can create feelings of doubt. I’m skilled at excluding those messages. To me, that’s the only thing that matters in that moment.

“In a way, I switch my brain to a setting where I don’t care what happens. My task is to maintain the pace ‘even if it kills me’, and nothing else really matters.”

He quotes Hamish Bond: “”To go after a record, you must be bold, but at the same time, be humble.”

Naukkarinen does not use distractions like videos but does listen to music. He sometimes calls on supporters and for his 100,000m record he was at Kuopio market Square surrounded by hundreds of people. Sometimes just having his girlfriend, Iida Niemi (a 500m record holder) sitting next to his is enough motivation. Predominantly, Naukkarinen says, he simply stares at the display.

There are attempts – “plenty of them”! – that Naukkarinen says he doesn’t achieve his goal. He calls it part of the learning process and is proud that he doesn’t stay disappointed for long and moves on.

And how does this record-breaker train to go after his goals?

“I row indoors about nine times a week—two sessions are very short, done as a warm-up before gym workouts. Two days a week, I row both in the morning and evening, and I take two days off Rowing and do Indoor cycling and skiing instead. Altogether, I do 12 training sessions a week.”

Naukkarinen estimates that in the space of 15 years he’s done around 14 million metres on the indoor rower. He qualifies this with; “I’ve rowed much more on water.”

The Rowing Finn competes in both classic and coastal rowing. Most recently he competed at the 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals and World Rowing Coastal Championships. He competes for Finland in the men’s single sculls and has also raced in the double and pair.

Naukkarinen will be competing in the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships, presented by Concept 2 as part of Finland’s relay team.

You can follow Naukkarinen on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook @RowingFinn

Naukkarinen’s list of records (On slides unless stated)

30-39-year-old, 10,000m – 31:38.1 (2025)
30-39-year-old, marathon – 2:18:54.8 (1:38.7/500m) (2024)
30-39-year-old, marathon (static) – 2:20:06.9 (1:39.6/500m) (2024)
19-29-year-old, 1 minute – 417m (2023)
19-29-year-old, 1000m – 2:42.9 (2023)
19-29-year-old, half marathon – 1:10.11.0 (2023)
19-29-year-old, 30 minutes – 9,285m (2023)
19-29-year-old, 4 minutes – 1,375m (2023)
19-29-year-old, marathon – 2:21:24.3 (2023)
19-29-year-old, 5000m – 15:27.8 (2023)
19-29-year-old, 60 minutes – 18,362m (2023)
20-29-year-old, 100,000m (static) – 6:06:06.1 (1:49.8/500m) (2019)