I've just taken up the gym and started to row as part of a good cardio work out.
Last week I managed 1000m in 5:25 with a 2:38/500m (30s/m). This week I decided to increase it to 2000m and gave myself 12 mins to complete it. I managed it in 10:32.7 with a 2:38/500m (26s/m). I'm very pleased with that for someone who is physically unfit at the age of 30.
Good going. I first took up rowing because I needed to get fit, and after a bit of research, rowing struck me as the best all-over body workout I had access to at the time. I think it makes an excellent feature of a fitness program.
Others on here are far more expert, and can no doubt help, but I'd say, for anyone new to rowing, attention to technique will have a massive effect on your performance.
Overall my advice would be to think of it as purely a workout for your legs, and the function of the rest of the body is to be as efficient as possible in helping transfer the power from your legs into the handle.
That, and remember that first your legs fire (with the seat moving back in unison with the handle)
Then your back rocks back
Then your arms help the bar come back a bit further, before then essentially doing all of that in reverse.