A rowing machine is also called a rower or a rowing ergometer. It’s an excellent trainer for muscle strength and conditioning. Using rowing machines brings a variety of health benefits. Let’s plunge into the nuts and bolts of such an efficient cardio machine.
What Does the Rowing Machine Do?
Indoor rowing machines mimic rowing motion on the water. A rowing machine workout activates 86% of muscles all over the body. That makes the gear highly efficient as it amps up most muscle groups.
Rowing machine benefits (weight loss, muscle strength, full-body workout) make the gear a fascinating home gym piece of equipment. The rower provides low-impact workouts, high-intensity sprints, body strength training, and endurance improvement. The range of rowing exercise benefits is quite wide. Here, we outlined the main reasons why you should consider a home rowing machine to hit your fitness goals.
How to Do Rowing Machine Exercises
Once you hop on the rower, you’ll intuitively get how to use it. As the equipment is highly user-friendly. Sit down on the seat and place your feet on the footrest. Here’s the handlebar in front of you that you’re going to pull.
Here’s a proper way to use a rowing machine. To perform a rowing stroke you need to know it consists of four stages. These are the catch, the drive, the finish, the recovery. First, extend your legs and squeeze your core. Grab the handlebar with your hands. Pull the bar toward your chest.
To get back to the starting position, do the opposite. Extend your arms, slightly hinge forward, and bend your legs. Keep your core tight while pushing back.
Such a fitness machine provides a total body cardio workout. Where the arms, abs, and legs are engaged. It helps to tone all the muscle groups and burn fat.
10 Main Benefits of Rowing Machine Workouts
A rowing exercise is advantageous for the full-body. Some people think it’s good only for toning your upper body muscles. But there’s even more. Let’s check out the following rowing machine exercise benefits to get the hang of it.
1. Full-Body Workout
Rowing workouts are loved by many people as they target more than 80% of muscles. To perform the stroke properly, you have to engage your arms, core, and legs. This will increase body strength and improve your cardiovascular health. Using a rowing machine at home is beneficial for strength-building and cardio.
2. Low-Impact Training
One of the most essential benefits of rowing machines is low-impact workouts. That’s great news for beginners or a person recovering from injury. You’re able to do high-intensity training with less stress on your body.
An indoor rowing machine doesn’t require lifting heavy weights or dumbbells. Many people prefer a rowing workout more than workouts like jogging or exercising on an elliptical. Sportsmen with weak knees, ankles, or lower back find indoor rowing machines safe. Such exercise equipment is friendly to beginner users and seniors too. It will help you to get started and reach impressive fitness goals with little injury risk.
3. Body Fat Losing
Consider an indoor rower if you crave to burn calories. Using a rowing machine promotes activating muscles. As well as raising the heart rate to activate the fat-burning zone. The rower provides a range of resistance levels and your muscles are contracted while exercising.
A rowing machine workout can help you burn up to 500 calories per 30 minutes. The numbers depend on your age, body weight, resistance levels, etc. Such a machine will definitely get you sweaty.
4. Train Your Abs and Glutes
A rowing machine is beneficial not only for the upper body but for the lower body too. Your abs and glutes are working hard when row.
The core is braced and relaxed all the way when you glide. Your moves are similar to the ones when you’re doing sit-ups. Your lower body is involved when you move the seat back. Make sure you don’t slouch, keep your back upright.
5. Tone Your Leg Muscles
In fact, when using a rowing machine, 60% of the workout is performed by the legs. The rest is spread evenly between the arms and core (20% and 20%). With high-intensity training, you’ll feel your leg muscles are fired up for sure.
6. Add Diversity to Your Exercise Regimen
HIIT fans will like the indoor rowing machine exercise, no doubt. As the gear can be used in both state cardio and high-intensity intervals. Such a full-body workout is great for professional runners. As it could improve your aerobic capacity immensely.
Besides, having a rower at home in the living room or garage is a plus. You may add more fun and versatility to your exercise program. People of all fitness levels are welcome to try such a piece.
7. Get Fast Results
The rowing exercise is challenging for the body. That’s why if performed aptly, you’ll see the results quite soon. Rowing machines are great for those who are short on time. Doing a row is more efficient than cycling or using a treadmill. You can burn more calories with less time spent. Great news for athletes who need to see the quick results to get motivated.
8. Time Saver
Rowing machines are great for time-limited workouts. 15 minutes are enough to tone your muscles and burn lots of calories. If you’re looking for fat-burning results, perform 80% of your maximum intensity. Or you can try Tabata that requires 20 seconds of your maximum effort with a 10-second rest after. Follow this pace for 15 minutes.
9. Improve Your Posture
As the row involves the upper body muscles as well as core and legs, it’s efficient for your posture. Rowing engages the upper back and lumbar muscles to sit upright. Such a workout helps to fix the posture and spread the workload evenly.
To achieve efficient fitness outcomes, watch your pose. Squeeze your core while rowing. Otherwise, you may end up with a compromised low back. That’s why people with a low back injury has to know how to do the row duly. Ask a professional trainer if needed to avoid back pain.
10. Mental Health Benefits
The mental state is also important for the overall well-being. Lots of users find the stroke motion extremely soothing. Repetitive moves clear the mind and help to unwind. If the rower comes with the screen to watch movies and listen to music, the workout turns into real zen.
Rowing releases hormones called endorphins. They are responsible for a good mood and reducing stress. What a great option to rest after a tough day.
Rowing Machine Versus Treadmill
Rowing vs running – who wins? A rower and a treadmill are both effective machines. The choice depends on your own preferences. Look for comfy equipment that you enjoy working out on. Both of the gear provides a range of resistance to activate your muscles.
Speaking of fat burning, such a type of cardio can help you lose weight. You may burn up to 1000 calories during a 60-min session. The same result you may get if running on a treadmill at the speed of 10 mph. The numbers are approximate as a range of aspects should be considered. These are age, current weight, health status, workout intensity, and others.
Proper Way to Use a Rowing Machine Revealed
A rowing machine is a go-to piece for a home gym. It’s highly efficient to lose weight and strengthen your body. The gear provides a range of resistance levels on the like of resistance band workouts. As the rower is low-impact, it’s great for users of all levels and health conditions.
Using a rowing machine is advantageous for overall well-being. It helps to get rid of excessive calories and get in shape. A rowing machine is friendly to the full-body workout. You can get faster fitness results by spending less time on the machine. Just make sure you set the desired level and you’re ready to go!