Victor Forge
Rowing machines have become increasingly popular for home and gym use, and for good reason. They provide a comprehensive, low-impact, full-body workout, targeting 80-86% of the muscles in your body. This includes your upper and lower back, shoulder muscles, calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius, forearms, and spinal erectors. Rowing is also a great way to strengthen your heart and lungs, improve heart health, build endurance, and burn calories.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of muscles targeted | 80%-86% |
| Muscle groups targeted | Upper body, lower body, core |
| Muscle groups targeted (specific) | Calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, scapular muscles |
| Other benefits | High-intensity, low-impact, improves heart health, improves cardiovascular fitness, improves endurance, strengthens body |
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What You'll Learn
Rowing machines work 80-86% of muscles
Rowing machines are a highly effective way to work out 80-86% of the muscles in your body. They provide a full-body workout, targeting your upper body, lower body, and core muscles.
The sliding seat of a rowing machine provides a workout for your lower body, including your calves, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and shins. The machine also engages your core muscles, including your abs, obliques, and the five major muscles that make up your core: the rectus abdominis, internal and external abdominal obliques, and transverse abdominis.
The upper-body workout is just as comprehensive. Rowing machines target your biceps, triceps, deltoids, rhomboids, trapezius, and forearm muscles. The lats, or latissimus dorsi—the V-shaped muscles on either side of your spine—are also engaged, as are your pecs and chest.
Rowing is a low-impact form of cardio that strengthens your heart and lungs, making it an excellent choice for improving cardiovascular fitness and overall health. It is a highly efficient workout, providing impressive physical results and health benefits in as little as 5 to 15 minutes per day.
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Upper body workout
Rowing is a full-body workout, but it is a common misconception that it primarily targets the upper body. Rowing machines can strengthen and tone muscles in your upper body, lower body, and core.
During the "catch" phase, your legs are compressed, and your shins are vertical. Your triceps extend your arms, and the flexor muscles of your fingers and thumbs grip the handle. Your back muscles are relaxed, and your abdominals flex your torso forward.
In the "drive" phase, the powerful muscles of your legs initiate the movement, and all your shoulder muscles contract. As you continue, your biceps engage to pull the handle toward your abdomen, and your back muscles work harder as you swing your torso open. Your glutes and hamstrings contract to extend the hip.
In the "finish" phase, your abdominals stabilise your body, and your glutes and quads contract. Your biceps and back muscles contract to keep your torso in position and rotate your upper arms internally. Your triceps push your arms forward and away from your body.
Finally, in the "recovery" phase, you reverse the motion. This phase is about eccentric control, so take your time to focus your energy on the next drive. Use your triceps to extend your arms away from your torso. Hinge your hips forward, and as the handle passes over your knees, engage your hamstrings, glutes, and calves to guide you back into the catch position.
To get the most out of your rowing workout, it is important to use proper form and technique. Before rowing, consider a warm-up of light aerobics to increase your heart rate and circulation and help lubricate your joints. This will increase blood flow to your muscles, reducing your risk of injury and improving your performance.
During the exercise, sit tall in a stacked position. Focus on engaging your abdominal muscles or core. Relax your shoulders and pull them back and down, and keep your spine straight. Avoid stroking too quickly, or your body won't get the full range of motion in the pull. Adjust your pace if your set keeps slamming into the front of the rower, causing your body to jerk forward. Instead, time your strokes with a 1:2 count ratio. Use lots of energy in the drive phase, and then relax and control the stroke during recovery.
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Lower body workout
Rowing machines offer a comprehensive full-body workout, targeting 86% of your muscles, including your lower body, core, and upper body. The leg muscles are primarily engaged during the drive part of the stroke, or when pushing off the foot stretcher.
The lower body muscles targeted during a rowing machine workout include:
- Glutes: These muscles provide the push you need to drive your rower seat backward.
- Quadriceps: The four muscles that make up the front of your thigh serve as stabilizers and shock absorbers for your hips and knees. They are key to supporting the coordination of your glutes during the drive phase.
- Calves: These leg muscles provide support for power application and ankle mobility, strength, and function when moving your body forward to the catch position.
- Hamstrings: These muscles work as partners to the glutes, supporting the powerful push and extension of the hips. They also contract as you slide up to the catch position.
To ensure a proper lower-body workout on a rowing machine, it is important to maintain good form and technique. The correct sequence of movement is to first push with your legs, then lean back with your abs tight, and finally pull with your arms. Keeping these movements separate is crucial to avoiding injury and strain.
Additionally, the sliding seat of the rowing machine provides an effective workout for your lower body, engaging and strengthening your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and more.
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Core workout
Rowing machines offer a full-body workout, with 85%-86% of the body's musculature utilised in a single stroke. This includes the upper body, lower body, and core muscles.
Core muscles are activated in the starting position, or the 'Catch' phase, where you use your abdominal muscles to flex your torso forward, while also engaging your obliques to stabilise your torso and maintain a straight posture. The abdominal muscles are essential stabilisers throughout the stroke, helping to transfer power from your legs to your arms and preventing excessive arching of the lower back.
The rectus abdominis muscles, obliques, and lumbar muscles (or torso) all play a key role in stabilising the torso and maintaining balance during the rowing stroke. Additionally, the erector spinae muscles along the back and the latissimus dorsi (or 'lats') are engaged during the Catch phase, further contributing to core stability.
By targeting these core muscle groups, rowing machines provide an effective workout for the abdominal region and help improve overall stability and posture.
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Improves cardiovascular fitness
Rowing machines provide an excellent way to improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance. This is because rowing is a full-body workout that activates 86% of your muscles in as little as 15 minutes. It is a high-intensity, low-impact cardio exercise that gets your heart rate pumping fast and strengthens the muscles in your back, arms, abs, and legs.
The rowing stroke consists of 65-75% leg work and 25-35% upper-body work, according to the American Fitness Professionals Association. This means that the major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core are all activated, providing a total-body workout that increases your body strength and cardiovascular capacity. Rowing is also a great way to strengthen your heart and lungs, and it has been shown to improve heart health.
The high-intensity, low-impact nature of rowing means that you can work at the highest intensity with the lowest impact on your body. This makes it a great option for people who are unable to do high-impact exercises such as running or plyometrics. Rowing is also a good option for people with low vision or who are blind, as it can be done indoors on a rowing machine with minimal risk of injury.
The repetitive, smooth, and gliding motions of rowing allow your mind to go on autopilot, providing a mind-body connection that can be calming and reduce stress. The release of endorphins during rowing also contributes to stress reduction.
To get the most out of a rowing machine for improving cardiovascular fitness, it is important to use proper form and technique. This includes monitoring metrics such as stroke rate, strokes, output, pace, distance, and split time. By tracking these metrics, you can work at a consistent intensity and aim to improve your performance over time.
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Frequently asked questions
Rowing machines provide a full-body workout, targeting 86% of your muscles, including your upper body, lower body, and core muscles.
Rowing machines work different muscles at each part of the stroke. The muscles targeted include calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, and latissimus dorsi.
Rowing is a high-intensity, low-impact form of cardio that improves cardiovascular fitness, increases heart rate, and strengthens the heart and lungs. It also helps build endurance and improves overall health and well-being.
