Worldwide rowing studios have opened in recent years, numerous gyms now offer group rowing classes, and the number of rowing machines bought for home use by individuals has sharply increased. It should come as no surprise that the best rowing machines provide a highly effective workout that is appropriate for all fitness levels and age groups.
Rowing machines challenge your arms, core, legs, and many other muscles because they work a wide variety of muscles. Additionally, they have a low impact, making them advantageous for people with joint problems.
Here are the complete benefits of rowing machines, supported by professionals and academic research.
What Is A Rowing Machine?
According to Evan Tyrrell, owner of F45 Training in La Jolla, California, a rower is a device that essentially simulates the rowing of a shell (also known as a boat), like those you see in the Olympics. Sounds easy enough, but once you get on a rower, you’ll quickly realize how difficult the workout is.
The gym’s Swiss Army knife is the rowing machine. It can be used for a variety of things, such as low-impact exercises, high-intensity sprint intervals, low-intensity endurance training, full-body strength training, core training, heart health, and posture control. Due to their adaptability, rowing exercises are suitable for a wide range of people, including both experienced gym-goers and those who are recovering from an injury.
Benefits Of Rowing Machine
It’s A Full-body Workout
The rowing machine is unique in that it can target 85% of your body’s muscles in order to perform the full movement or stroke properly, according to Annie Mulgrew, vice president and founding instructor of City Row, despite the fact that it may seem as though it’s all in the arms and legs.
‘Your back, arms, legs, and core must all actively contract, giving you a full-body workout that will improve both your cardiovascular and physical fitness.’ You heard that right – the machine involves cardio and strength training at the same time
It’s Good For People Of All Fitness Levels To Try
You can include rowing in your exercise routine as long as you have access to an ergometer.
Additionally, it has been determined that this exercise is safe for those who are blind and have low vision.
In a 2015 study with 24 participants who had low vision, it was discovered that rowing five days a week for six weeks significantly reduced fat mass and total body fat percentage.
Further, the participants’ back strength and trunk flexion significantly improved, their cholesterol levels dropped, and they experienced a reduction in cholesterol.
It Can Be High-intensity Without The Impact
The founder and head trainer at The Engine Room, Chris Heron, says that using a rowing machine allows for the highest level of intensity while having the least negative effects on the body. ‘Running too far, too quickly causes a lot of people who work out on the treadmill at high intensity to develop ankle or knee pain.’
Additionally, rowing machine workouts for runners allow you to improve your cardiovascular health without putting additional strain on your joints.
It Doesn’t Exacerbate Sore Muscles
Rowing enables you to increase your heart rate more frequently throughout the week without feeling as sore, which is beneficial if you’re trying to lose body fat with consistent cardio and strength training but DOMS is the bane of your existence.
Concentric muscle movement, as opposed to eccentric muscle movement as in other exercises, is required for rowing. In layman’s terms, concentric movement is a type of muscle activation that shortens your muscle and puts tension on it. In contrast, eccentric movement lengthens muscles when they are under load, such as when you squat, which causes muscle tissue to break down and allows for the growth of new tissue.
It’s Great for Your Heart And Lungs
The cardiovascular system, which consists of your heart, blood vessels, and blood, is strengthened by rowing as a cardio exercise. This system is in charge of distributing vital substances like oxygen and nutrients all over your body.
Your heart has to work hard to pump more blood to your body because rowing is such a demanding exercise. This might strengthen your heart.
For those who already have heart issues or may be at risk for developing them, this may be helpful.
It Builds Power And Endurance
Power and endurance can be developed through rowing’s combination of cardio and strengthening exercises.
When you jump, sprint, or hit a punching bag or a baseball, you are using power, which is your capacity to exert the greatest amount of force in the shortest possible time.
If you row properly, you’ll use your leg muscles to push your body back and your arm muscles to row, both of which require power.
The capacity of your body to continue an activity, like rowing, for a prolonged period of time is known as endurance. The physical endurance required for rowing is both muscular and cardiovascular.
It’s Efficient
The rower can help you accomplish your objectives even if you’re short on time.
You’ll work for all the major muscle groups and get a cardio and strength workout because it’s a full-body workout.
Additionally, brief intense exercise sessions, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), are known to improve cardiac function and post-exercise oxygen consumption. In other words, after your workout, you’ll continue to burn calories.
According to a recent study, low-volume HIIT—defined as sessions lasting less than 15 minutes—can produce comparable or even greater improvements in fitness level, blood pressure, glucose control, and cardiac function than high-volume HIIT or moderate-intensity continuous training.
It’s A Great Alternative To The Treadmill Or Elliptical
The rowing machine might initially go unnoticed when it comes to the gym’s exercise equipment.
This might alter, though, if you contrast it with other exercise machines, like the elliptical and the treadmill.
For instance, the ergometer offers a full-body workout while the treadmill mainly targets your lower body.
Both the rowing machine and the elliptical exercise your upper and lower body, but the rowing machine puts more of a strain on your upper body and abs with each stroke.
A rowing machine is also a lot quieter than a treadmill if you live in a condo or apartment with neighbors below you. In general, rowing machines are less expensive than treadmills.
The Machine Is Home Workout-friendly
Particularly if your living room doubles as a workout area, a treadmill or weight rack setup can take up quite a bit of space in a home gym.
Many rowers fold up so you can store them away when not in use, which is a great benefit. Even more inventively, you can use the rower to perform strength training.
It’s A Great Calorie Burner
If weight loss is your goal, get on the rowing machine right away because it is an incredibly effective way to burn calories. A 180lb person can burn approximately 200 calories in 30 minutes of moderate effort rowing, according to the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities (using the formula MET x bodyweight in kg x 3.5). This number will be lower for those who weigh less and higher for those who weigh more. For the same individual performing a very intense 30-minute workout, this rises to an impressive 500 calories.
It’s Good For Your Bone Health
Rowing may be low-impact, but that doesn’t mean it won’t increase your bone density, which is necessary for preventing osteoporosis.
60 rowers, cross-country runners, swimmers, and sedentary individuals participated in a study that was published in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage that examined markers of cartilage stress and bone reabsorption. It demonstrated that the rowing machine offered the best of both worlds: significant benefits for bone development without the levels of cartilage stress caused by running.
It Can Improve Your Grip Strength
Every stroke you make while pulling while holding the handle helps to build stronger hands and forearm muscles. Grip strength is a helpful sign of good health in older people and is connected to overall strength, upper limb function, bone mineral density, the risk of falling, and good nutrition, according to an article in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging.
Nevertheless, Fuhrmann admonished, this is not the time to grip firmly as good rowing technique calls for a light grip.
It’s Useful For Cross-training For Other Sports
Cross-training has many known advantages. According to a review published in the journal Sports Medicine, cross-training could be very helpful for the general public in terms of overall fitness and could also be helpful in rehab and when experiencing overtraining or psychological exhaustion.
There is a rowing machine workout to suit any discipline. Focus on sprints to increase speed; long, low-intensity sessions to increase endurance; and a variety of exercises to increase overall fitness.
It’s Accessible For Those With Low Vision
A rowing machine can be used by people of all fitness levels as well as those with low vision, which is a difficult thing to find. In a 2015 study of a group of visually impaired individuals, it was discovered that rowing five days a week for six weeks reduced cholesterol and body fat percentage and increased back strength (it’s an excellent form of back exercise).
It Works The Large Muscles In Your Lower Body
You’re mistaken if you believe that rowing is primarily an upper-body workout. ‘You can really feel it here because it’s 60% legs, according to Heron. Only 20% of the movement relies on your arms; the remaining 80% is spread out over the rest of your body.
It Keeps Your Workout Beginner-friendly
According to Sosa, one of the additional advantages of rowing exercises is that they are simple for beginners to try. Beginners appreciate how quickly they can see and feel results. To effect this shift, however, you must persevere for a longer period of time. Due to boredom or confusion, gym goers frequently hop on and off a rower in less than five minutes, sacrificing the intended results. To see an improvement in your form and get your heart rate up, extend your rowing workouts by at least 10 to 20 minutes.
It Builds Better Posture
The rowing machine has lots of postural advantages and is a great tool to engage the posterior chain, or “backside,” of the body because it primarily works your legs, core, and back. Working your posterior chain is crucial for balancing your muscle strength, lowering your risk of injury, and assisting in the correction of the poor posture that’s prevalent in this sedentary society.
It Works Your Core And Your Glutes
More specifically, rowing can be compared to abdominal exercises and serve as both a tummy and a bum workout at the same time. ‘Carl van Heerden, the creator of Core Collective’s Lift + Row class, claims that as you move along the machine, your core crunches and relaxes, effectively performing a continuous mini sit-up. ‘Additionally, you exercise your lower body as you propel the seat backward.’
How Many Calories Can You Burn From Using The Rowing Machine?
Harvard Health estimates that a vigorous 30-minute rowing workout can burn 255 calories for a 125-pound person. A 155-pound person can expend 369 calories, while a 185-pound person can expend 440.
On an elliptical trainer, a 125-pound person can burn 270 calories in 30 minutes, a 155-pound person 324 calories, and a 185-pound person 378 calories.
A healthy, balanced diet and daily rowing are two excellent ways to stay active or in shape.
Tips On Use, Technique, And Form
To try this exercise, you don’t have to be a serious rower. You can maximize your use of the rowing machine by following these suggestions.
Consider This For Good Technique
Incorrect form or poor posture that results in rounded shoulders can cause strain or injury.
Many rowers worry frequently about low back pain. According to 2015 research, 25–81% of injuries suffered by male rowers were low back-related.
Not using your abdominal muscles during each stroke is a common cause of low back pain. When this occurs, your lower spine must overcompensate for weak abdominal muscles.
Leaning back while pushing with your legs is another error that is frequently made. It’s crucial to separate these movements: push with your legs first, lean back while maintaining a tight core, and pull your arms back toward you.
Don’t Overexert Yourself When You’re First Starting Out
If you’re too exhausted to maintain proper form during exercise, stop rowing to help create a habit. After exhausting your arms with another vigorous workout, experts advise against engaging in a strenuous rowing session.
Additionally, it is not advised to engage in heavy lifting before completing a high-intensity rowing machine workout.
Close Note
The advantages of a rowing workout can be obtained indoors using an ergometer. Rowing has many advantages, including enhancing your physical endurance and strength. It can even strengthen heart health, according to research.
The ergometer is a powerful workout tool when compared to other exercise equipment like a treadmill and elliptical. If you’re new to rowing or any fitness regimen, speak with a healthcare professional to get the go-ahead before you start.
FAQ
Does A Rowing Machine Help Lose Belly Fat?
If combined with a general caloric deficit, rowing can help you burn calories, which may result in weight loss. Burning belly fat, however, will depend on factors like genetics, not the kind of exercise you’re doing, since targeted fat loss is not under your control.
What Can A Rowing Machine Do For Your Body?
Rowing is a total-body workout that will strengthen your arms, legs, and core as well as improve your cardiovascular endurance.
In other words, you’ll notice that using the rowing machine regularly will make you stronger and less breathless. You might even experience muscle gain.
How Long Should I Row?
Due to the fact that exercising at all is preferable to doing nothing, even a quick 5-minute rowing session may have positive effects.
The American Heart Association, on the other hand, advises engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of the two, each week.
You could reach your aerobic activity goal more than halfway if you used the rower for a 20-minute HIIT workout twice a week.
What Do 30 Minutes Of Rowing Do?
Your upper body, lower body, and core muscles will all be strengthened during a 30-minute rowing workout, which will also improve your cardiovascular endurance.
A 125-pound person can burn 255 calories in 30 minutes of vigorous rowing exercise, according to Harvard Health. A 155-pound individual can expend 369 calories, while a 185-pound individual can expend 440.