HUGH JACKMAN recently shared the results of a 5,000-metre row, clocking a hugely impressive 18:31.5 – at age 57. Posting the effort on his Instagram, Jackman admitted he felt nervous beforehand, and little wonder: the 5k row is serious aerobic challenge.
When compared with age matched rowing performance data, Jackman’s time places him comfortably within the top 2% of men in his age bracket – an impressive result for a distance that can typically take between 15 and 25 minutes to complete.
The average 5,000m rowing time for men
According to Rowing Level, the average 5,000m time for a man across all ages is 19:18.3. The fastest 5,000m time rowed by a man is 14:54.5. Using the following table, 57-year old Jackman sits in the ‘elite’ level.
Unlike the 2,000-metre row, the 5k sits in an uncomfortable middle ground. It’s too long to rely on power, yet too intense to cruise through at an easy pace. Indoor rowing has long been a foundation of Jackman’s conditioning, featuring heavily in his film prep for physically demanding roles.
His trainer Beth Lewis previously shared that Jackman’s VO2 max was very impressive. The trainer shared that for Deadpool 3 filming, “Not only did Hugh get jacked, he also got super strong, stayed healthy for performance, and achieved a VO2 max of 59 mL/min/kg.”
Jackman’s latest reading is 64.3 mL/min/kg – a dramatic increase resulting from his consistency and hard training effort.
Few people need to aim for Jackman’s numbers. But his latest rowing performance offers a useful reference point. You can try the 5k row test focusing on:
- Holding consistent splits
- Pacing evenly
- Finishing the distance strong
Jackman’s 5,000 metre row proves that serious aerobic performance doesn’t disappear with age, and can even improve with focused effort.
