What is Rowing?
Rowing is an aerobic exercise and full-body workout that uses a rowing machine or racing shell to simulate the action of rowing a boat on water. It is a low-impact exercise that works major muscle groups in the arms, legs, and core.
There are two main types of rowing:
- Indoor rowing uses specialized ergometers or rowing machines to simulate on-water rowing indoors. Indoor rowers have handles attached to cables and pulleys that provide resistance when pulling the handle. Rowing machines have adjustable resistance to increase the intensity of the workout. Indoor rowing is great for cardio, strength training, and technique practice.
- On-water rowing involves rowing a racing shell or boat on an open body of water. Rowers sit facing backwards and use oars to propel the boat forward. On-water rowing requires good technique and synchronization with other rowers. It provides an intense full-body workout while enjoying the outdoors.
Both indoor and on-water rowing deliver an effective, low-impact workout. Indoor rowing is more accessible for most people, while on-water rowing provides a more realistic rowing experience. The principles of good technique and form apply to both types of rowing.
Muscles Worked During Rowing
Rowing is a compound exercise that engages most of the major muscle groups in the body, providing a total-body workout. Here are the main muscles targeted during rowing:
- Back - The muscles along the back like the lats, trapezius, rhomboids, and erector spinae are heavily worked during the drive phase of the rowing stroke. Pulling the handle engages the back to propel the rower forward.
- Legs - The quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves provide power as rowers push off at the catch. Rowing works the legs through a large range of motion.
- Arms - The biceps and triceps are worked as rowers bend and straighten their arms during the rowing sequence. The forearms and grip muscles are also activated as rowers hold onto the handle.
- Shoulders - Rowing engages the deltoids, rotator cuff, and other shoulder muscles as the arms move through the full motion.
- Core - The abdominal and lower back muscles contract to stabilize the body position and transfer power during the stroke. A strong core is essential for efficient rowing.
By utilizing most major muscle groups at once, rowing provides an efficient, low-impact, full-body workout. The compound movement pattern is excellent for building overall strength and muscular endurance.
Proper Rowing Technique
Proper technique is crucial for maximizing the benefits of rowing while reducing injury risk. Here are some key aspects of rowing form:
Posture
Maintain good upright posture throughout the rowing stroke. Avoid rounding or arching your back. Keep your shoulders pulled down and relaxed, with your chest lifted. Engage your core to support your spine in a neutral position.
Hand Placement
Grip the handle with your palms facing each other and thumbs brushing along the sides. Hands should be spaced about shoulder-width apart. Keep wrists flat and straight, avoiding bending them.
Stroke Phases
The rowing stroke has two main phases:
- Drive phase: This is the power portion of the stroke where the legs drive back, the back swings open, and the arms pull the handle towards the torso. Lean slightly back from the hips and keep the core engaged.
- Recovery phase: Straighten the legs, swing the torso forward, extend the arms, and glide back up the slide to the starting position. Movements should be controlled.
Common Mistakes
Some common mistakes to avoid:
- Overreaching at the catch or finish of the stroke
- Rounding the back or collapsing the chest
- Pulling too early with the arms before the legs and back
- Rushing the slide on recovery
Tips for Beginners
- Focus on posture and body control before worrying about speed or power.
- Take long, smooth strokes emphasizing the drive and recovery phases.
- Start with low resistance to reinforce proper mechanics.
- Aim for consistency before increasing intensity or duration.
- Record yourself rowing and compare to proper technique guides.
Benefits of Rowing
Rowing provides numerous benefits that make it an excellent exercise for overall fitness. Here are some of the top benefits of incorporating rowing into your workout routine:
Cardiovascular Fitness
Rowing is considered an aerobic exercise, meaning it elevates your heart rate for an extended period of time. This helps strengthen your cardiovascular system, including your heart muscle. Rowing requires utilizing large muscle groups continuously, leading to increased heart and breathing rates. It improves cardiovascular endurance, allowing you to row longer distances over time.
Muscle Strength and Endurance
The rowing motion engages all major muscle groups in the upper and lower body. Rowing works the legs, glutes, back, arms, shoulders, and core. This total-body activation leads to improved muscular strength and endurance. Your body adapts to the resistance of the rowing stroke, building lean muscle mass.
Low-Impact Exercise
Unlike high-impact exercises like running, rowing is gentle on your joints. The smooth motion avoids the repeated impact on the knees and ankles. Rowing provides a great cardio workout for those with orthopedic conditions that prevent high-impact activities. The resistance comes from the water or rowing machine, not your body weight.
Calorie Burn
Rowing burns a high number of calories per hour, comparable to jogging or cycling. The large muscle groups engaged lead to increased calorie expenditure. Rowing at a moderate pace for one hour can burn around 300-600 calories for a 155-pound person. This makes rowing ideal for weight management and fat loss goals.
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Calories Burned Rowing
Rowing is an efficient total-body exercise that can help you burn a significant amount of calories. The exact amount of calories burned will vary based on several factors:
- Intensity - Rowing at a higher intensity where you are breathing hard and sweating will burn more calories per minute than rowing at a lower intensity. Sprinting intervals will burn the most calories.
- Duration - The longer you row, the more calories you'll burn overall. A 30-minute rowing workout will burn more calories than a 15-minute one.
- Weight - Heavier individuals burn more calories than lighter ones, since it takes more energy to move a larger body.
- Stroke rate - A faster stroke rate where you're rowing more strokes per minute will burn more calories than rowing slowly.
- Experience - Beginners burn fewer calories than experienced rowers who utilize better form and muscles.
On average, a 155 lbs person will burn about 260-420 calories rowing for 30 minutes at a moderate pace. More specifically:
- Rowing at 4 mph pace: ~260 calories in 30 minutes
- Rowing at 5 mph pace: ~310 calories in 30 minutes
- Rowing at 6 mph pace: ~370 calories in 30 minutes
- Rowing at 10 mph pace: ~420 calories in 30 minutes
Compared to other cardio machines, rowing burns more calories per hour. Here's how it stacks up:
- Rowing: ~600 calories per hour
- Cycling: ~400 calories per hour
- Running: ~475-600 calories per hour
- Elliptical: ~370 calories per hour
By recruiting all major muscle groups and providing a vigorous workout, rowing offers an efficient way to burn calories and lose weight through cardio exercise. Adjusting factors like intensity, duration, and stroke rate allows you to maximize the fat burning potential of each rowing session.
Rowing for Weight Loss
Rowing is an extremely effective exercise for weight loss and fat burning. The continuous, rhythmic motion of rowing engages all major muscle groups, significantly increasing calorie expenditure. Research shows rowing burns calories at a higher rate than most other cardio machines like ellipticals or stationary bikes.
Some of the factors that make rowing ideal for weight loss include:
- High calorie burn in a short time. A typical 30 minute rowing workout can burn over 300 calories for a 155 lb person. This adds up quickly over regular training.
- Full body engagement. Rowing works arms, legs, core, back, shoulders - over 80% of muscles are activated. This boosts metabolism and calorie expenditure.
- Low-impact nature. Rowing provides an intense cardio workout without the high impact stress on joints like running. This allows longer training durations.
- Anaerobic and aerobic benefits. Rowing combines endurance training with intervals of high intensity for maximum calorie burn.
- Mental engagement. Rowing requires focus and coordination, increasing calories burned.
Some sample rowing workout plans to maximize fat burning include:
- Beginner: 3-4x a week, 20-30 minutes at an easy to moderate pace. Focus on endurance.
- Intermediate: 4-5x a week, 30-45 minutes mixing steady state and intervals. Increase intensity.
- Advanced: 6x a week, 45-60 minutes of high intensity intervals and endurance work.
To get the most out of rowing for weight loss, combine exercise with a healthy calorie-controlled diet. Avoid overeating after workouts, stay hydrated, and focus on nutrient-dense whole foods. Keeping protein intake high aids muscle recovery and metabolism. A sustainable, moderate calorie deficit is recommended for long-term weight management.
Rowing Workout Plans
Rowing can be adapted for any fitness level, from beginners to advanced athletes. Here are sample workout plans:
Beginner Rowing Workout Plan
For beginners, focus on learning proper technique and building an aerobic base. Aim for 20-30 minutes of steady-state rowing 3 times per week.
- 5 minute warm-up at an easy pace
- 20 minutes of rowing at a moderate intensity where you can maintain a conversation
- 5 minutes cool down and stretching
Gradually increase your time rowing as your fitness improves. Don't worry about speed as a beginner.
Intermediate Rowing Workout Plan
At an intermediate level, start incorporating higher intensity interval sessions 1-2 times per week.
- 5 minute warm-up
- 5 rounds of:
- 2 minutes hard rowing at 80% max effort
- 1 minute easy pace active recovery
- 5 minute cool down
Build up to longer intervals like 4-5 minutes hard rowing with 2 minutes recovery.
Advanced Rowing Workouts
Advanced rowers can include more intense HIIT style workouts and longer endurance sessions.
- Pyramid intervals - Start with 1 minute hard rowing, 1 min recovery. Build up to 2 min hard/1 min recovery, up to 5 min hard/1 min recovery, then back down.
- 10-20 minute hard rows at race pace with full rest intervals
- Long steady state rows 45-60+ minutes at an aerobic pace
Focus on pushing your limits through intervals, distance, and endurance. Monitor your split times.
Rowing Variations
There are several styles and variations of rowing to add diversity to your workouts:
Indoor rowing machine exercises
- Regular rowing: Standard rowing motion targeting legs, core, arms, and back.
- Interval training: Alternating between high-intensity and rest intervals.
- Pyramid intervals: Gradually increasing then decreasing intensity over set time periods.
- Tabata: 20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times.
- Rowing sprints: All-out maximal effort rowing for 30-90 seconds.
On-water sculling and sweep rowing
- Sculling: Using two oars simultaneously, often in smaller boats like singles or doubles. Engages more muscles.
- Sweep rowing: One oar held with both hands, common in team boats with pairs, fours, or eights. Requires coordination.
- Coastal rowing: Rowing in wider, heavier boats designed for open water rather than rivers.
Alternative rowing styles
- Backwards rowing: Rowing stroke performed in reverse order, working muscles differently.
- Single arm rowing: Rowing while keeping one arm extended, increasing core activation.
- Jump switch rowing: Alternating explosive rowing strokes between left and right side.
- Crossover rowing: Perform rowing stroke with one arm bent across body, challenging stability.
Choosing the Right Rowing Machine
When it comes to choosing a rowing machine for your home gym, there are a few key features to consider:
Resistance Type
The two main types of rowing machine resistance are air and magnetic. Air rowers use fan blades and air resistance to mimic the feeling of rowing on water. Magnetic rowers use magnets and a metal flywheel for smooth, quiet resistance. Air rowers tend to feel more realistic and challenging. Magnetic rowers are quieter and easier to adjust the resistance.
Adjustable Resistance
Look for a machine with adjustable resistance so you can increase the difficulty as you get stronger. Higher resistance provides a more intense workout. Many rowers use a resistance knob or lever to change the level.
Monitor/Display Console
Having a console with metrics like time, distance, strokes per minute, calories burned etc. allows you to track your progress and performance. Additional features like games or workout programs also help provide variety.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Padding on the seat and handles prevents pressure on your tailbone and hands during long rows. A seat that glides smoothly along the rail optimizes each rowing stroke. You want a comfortable yet sturdy rowing position.
Foldability
If you have limited space, look for a rower that can stand upright for storage. Folding rowers are ideal for small homes and apartments. Just check that the folding mechanism is easy to use but still sturdy.
Weight Capacity and Size
Make sure the rower can accommodate your size and weight. Taller rowers need a longer rail to achieve a full range of motion. Heavier users need higher weight capacities and more durable frames. Measure your space to ensure the rower fits.
Budget
Expect to spend $300 - $1,500+ on a quality rowing machine. High-end rowers have more advanced performance monitors and smoother, sturdier builds. But you can find solid mid-range models with basic features to suit most home gym needs.
Top Rowers
Some top-rated home rowing machines are:
- Concept2 - air resistance, excellent build quality, advanced monitor
- WaterRower - realistic water flywheel, beautiful wood finish
- NordicTrack - magnetic resistance, incline training, interactive workouts
- Hydrow - live outdoor rowing classes, 22" touchscreen display
- Echelon - 32 levels of magnetic resistance, competition style handlebars
When assembled and adjusted properly, rowing machines provide an unparalleled full-body cardio and strength workout. Choosing a quality rower suited to your space, budget and fitness level lets you take advantage of this unique exercise anytime.
Safety and Injury Prevention
Rowing is generally considered a low-impact exercise, but you still need to take precautions to avoid injury. Here are some tips for rowing safely:
Warming Up and Proper Technique
- Always warm up for 5-10 minutes before rowing to prepare your muscles and increase blood flow. Do dynamic stretches for your arms, back, legs and core.
- Maintain proper rowing technique throughout your workout. Poor form such as overreaching at the catch or not engaging your legs can lead to back strain.
- Keep your posture tall, engage your core, and avoid rounding your shoulders or arching your back.
- Control your movement on both the drive and recovery. Row in a smooth, continuous motion.
Common Rowing Injuries
- Lower back pain is most common, often caused by improper technique that strains the lumbar spine.
- Wrist tendonitis can occur from gripping the handle too tightly. Keep a light grip.
- Blisters on the hands are also common if you grip too tightly or row with poor technique.
Precautions for Certain Populations
- Those with back injuries should get medical clearance before rowing and start cautiously.
- People with wrist injuries may need to avoid rowing depending on the severity.
- Those with high blood pressure should check with a doctor before intense rowing.
- Pregnant women can continue rowing with modifications but should get obstetrician approval.
Proper preparation, good technique, and medical guidance when needed can help you row safely for years to come. Gradually build up duration and intensity.
