Athena Vale
Rowing machines offer a comprehensive full-body workout, engaging 86% of your muscles in as little as 15 minutes. The workout targets your upper body, lower body, and core muscles. During the drive phase, you use your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and spinal erectors. In the pull phase, you use your quads, forearms, biceps, and lats. The recovery phase works your arms, body, and legs. Rowing is a great way to build muscle, especially when combined with strength training.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of muscles targeted | 80% to 86% |
| Muscle groups targeted | Upper body, lower body, core |
| Muscle groups targeted in upper body | Shoulders, deltoids, biceps, triceps, lats, rhomboids, pecs, upper back |
| Muscle groups targeted in lower body | Calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes |
| Muscle groups targeted in core | Abs, obliques, rectus abdominis, internal abdominal oblique, external abdominal oblique, transverse abdominis |
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What You'll Learn
Upper body
Rowing machines are a great way to work out your upper body, as they engage several major muscle groups. The upper body is heavily involved in a rowing stroke, which consists of 65-75% leg work and 25-35% upper-body work.
The biceps are one of the most active muscle groups in the upper body during a rowing workout. As you pull the handle towards your chest and then away, your biceps are engaged. The latissimus muscles, or 'lats', also play a crucial role in the rowing stroke. These muscles, forming an upside-down V shape across your back, help in pulling the handle towards your body and contribute to good postural positioning.
Additionally, the triceps work to extend your arms during the rowing motion, and your back muscles are activated as you swing your torso open. As you finish the rowing stroke with the arm pull-through, nearly all the muscles of your upper body engage, including your shoulder muscles.
Rowing is an excellent way to strengthen and tone your upper body muscles while also improving your endurance and cardiovascular health. It is a full-body workout that targets 80-86% of your muscles, making it an efficient and effective exercise routine.
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Lower body
Rowing machines provide an excellent full-body workout, targeting 86% of your muscles, including your lower body, core, and upper body. Rowing is a low-impact exercise that combines resistance and cardio, making it a highly effective way to improve your endurance, build muscle, and burn calories.
The lower body muscles are primarily engaged during the drive part of the stroke, which involves pushing off the foot stretcher. The drive phase begins with your legs compressed and shins vertical. To initiate the drive, you apply force to extend your legs, pushing through your legs to hinge your torso backward. This movement is powered by the muscles in your legs, including the powerful muscles of your calves and the hamstrings at the back of your thighs.
As you continue the drive sequence, your glutes and hamstrings contract to extend your hip, and your quads contract to extend your legs. The drive phase concludes with the arm pull-through, where nearly all the muscles of your upper body engage.
The finish phase follows the drive, where your glutes and quads contract, and your legs are fully extended. Your hamstrings and calves are also engaged as they support the extended position of your legs.
Additional Lower Body Benefits
In addition to strengthening and toning your lower body muscles, rowing machines provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. This improves heart strength and cardiovascular fitness, benefiting those with or at risk of heart problems. Rowing is also a great way to crush calories, making it an effective exercise to include in your weekly workout routine.
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Back
Rowing is a full-body workout, with 80%- 86% of the body's muscles being utilised during a single stroke. The back muscles are heavily involved in the rowing stroke, and it is important to maintain muscle engagement through the back for good posture.
The latissimus dorsi, or lats, are the V-shaped muscles that span across the majority of the back, below the armpits and running down the upper half of the back. The lats help to pull the handle toward the body during the rowing stroke and support good postural positioning.
The back muscles also work to swing the torso open during the drive sequence, and contract to help keep the torso in the finish position and to internally rotate the upper arms.
The upper back is also engaged during the rowing stroke, along with the obliques, which stabilise the torso and help transfer power from the lower body to the upper body.
It is important to note that placing too much pressure on the back during rowing can result in serious injury. Low back pain is a common concern for rowers, and not engaging the abdominal muscles during each stroke can lead to excessive arching of the lower back and subsequent injury. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain proper form and posture during rowing to avoid placing excessive strain on the back muscles.
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Arms
Rowing is a full-body workout, but it is easy to assume that it is primarily an upper-body workout because of the pulling motion involved. However, the arms are still targeted during a rowing workout, alongside the back, legs, and core.
During the recovery phase, the arms are the first part of the body to be used, followed by the body and then the legs. The triceps are engaged to push the arms forward and away from the body. The triceps brachii are used when the elbow is straight out. The biceps are also engaged to pull the handle toward the abdomen. The biceps brachialis and brachioradialis help with the change in position of the shoulders and elbows. The elbow flexors are used when the elbows bend and come into the belly.
The rowing stroke should be driven by the back and leg muscles, rather than the arms, to avoid injury and maximize muscle engagement. During the drive phase, the arms should be kept extended.
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Core
Rowing is a full-body workout, with 86% of your muscles being targeted in a single stroke. Rowing machines are particularly beneficial for strengthening the core.
The core muscles targeted by a rowing machine include the rectus abdominis, commonly known as the abs, which are critical for core stability. The obliques, located on the sides of the abdomen, are also targeted. These muscles comprise the external and internal obliques.
Additionally, a deep muscle layer that stabilises the spine and pelvis is engaged during rowing. This layer includes the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, which aid in hip extension and stabilise the pelvis.
Rowing is often compared to a horizontal deadlift, engaging similar muscle groups. The recovery phase of a rowing stroke engages the hamstrings, glutes, calves, and triceps, further contributing to core stability.
By working these core muscles, rowing machines can help improve core strength, stability, and endurance. The intensity and duration of rowing workouts can be adjusted to suit different fitness levels, making it a versatile exercise for targeting the core muscles.
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Frequently asked questions
Rowing machines provide a full-body workout, targeting 86% of the body's muscles. This includes the back, arms, legs, and core.
During the "catch" phase, you work on your hamstrings, glutes, calves, lats, triceps, rhomboids, and traps.
In the "drive" phase, you'll use your quads and legs to push against the footpads, while also engaging your deltoids, biceps, lats, traps, erector spinae, rhomboids, abdominal muscles, hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps.
Rowing machines are excellent for improving cardiovascular health and building endurance. While they engage multiple muscle groups, they may not be the most efficient way to train specific muscles. For muscle gain, it is recommended to use rowing in conjunction with other strength training workouts.
