BIP.

Exercise library · Cardio

Rowing machine

Cardio on a machine.

How to do it

  1. Starting position

    Sit with your feet strapped in, knees bent, arms straight, and both hands gripping the handle.

  2. The movement

    Push with your legs, lean back slightly, pull the handle to your lower ribs, then return in reverse order.

Most common mistake

Don't pull with your arms first, start with your legs and keep your arms straight until your legs are nearly extended.

Muscle group
Cardio
Equipment
Machine
Where
Gym
Logged as
Time and distance

What it trains

The rowing machine trains your whole body, and your legs supply most of the power. Your quads and glutes drive you back, your glutes and hamstrings open your hips at the end of the stroke, and your back, rear shoulders and biceps finish the pull. With so many muscles working at once, your heart rate rises quickly, and you can work hard with no impact on your joints.

Common mistakes

  • The damper set to maximum. The damper on the fan changes how heavy each stroke feels, not how good the session is, and a high setting soon tires your back and arms. A middle setting suits most people.
  • The same tempo both ways. Drive quickly and powerfully, and return calmly. Rushing forward leaves no time to recover before the next stroke. Take roughly twice as long going forward as going back.
  • Bending your knees too early on the return. Your knees then get in the way and you have to lift the handle over them. Send your arms forward first, then lean your body forward and bend your knees last.

Variations and alternatives

  • The SkiErg is rowing standing up, with more work for your arms and trunk and less for your legs.
  • The assault bike gives full-body intervals in a similar way, but with simpler technique.
  • The close grip seated cable row when you want to build strength in your back rather than fitness.

How to plan your sessions

The screen shows your pace per 500 metres, the split you work with. A steady session can be 15 to 30 minutes at a pace you hold evenly throughout. For intervals, 4 to 8 rounds of 250 or 500 metres are common, resting roughly as long as each interval took. A few minutes of easy rowing is also a popular way to warm up before strength training. How rowing fits into the rest of your week is covered in the guide on how often to train.

If you can hold a couple of seconds faster per 500 metres over the same distance, or row further at the same pace, you have improved. The idea behind this has its own guide, progressive overload. If your back hurts when rowing, stop and ask a doctor or physiotherapist to examine it.

Also called

  • rowing erg
  • row erg
  • concept2

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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