Benefits of a Rowing Machine

I always considered purchasing a rowing machine, however never got the opportunity to really try one, so I didn’t want to spend the money one something I never tried.  But I’m glad my husband took the chance and bought me a rowing machine for Christmas last year.  I’m realizing this machine provides a great workout.  I could go on the elliptical or walk on the treadmill for hours, but 5 minutes on the rowing machine and I find myself saying, “This is hard work…am I done yet?!”  There are many reasons why I feel a rowing machine is an effective workout.

Here are some of the many great benefits of a rowing machine.

1. Effective Fat Burning: The combination cardio and strength training workout of a rowing machine torches calories, speeds up your metabolism for continued fat-burning long after the workout is over, and builds lean muscle that burns more calories and fat overall.  There are many muscle groups involved that it elevates your heart rate and increases your oxygen uptake.   A rowing-machine workout is said to burn an average of 600 calories an hour (150 pound person), however, we all know that varies on intensity.
2. Conditioning for the upper body: The upper body muscles involved in rowing are the rhomboids, erector spinae, trapezius and lats as well as your biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, forearms, and abs.
3. Conditioning for the lower body: The main leg muscles involved in rowing are the quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes.
4. Double the workout: If you have a busy schedule and don’t have time for cardio and strength training, use the rower!  You can benefit from both in one workout session.
5. Low impact and low risk: The motion of rowing is natural and low impact, putting minimal stress on the joints.  For people with concerns about high impact exercises that are hard on their bodies, it can be a challenge to find cardio workouts that also give enough intensity for good fat-burning. Rowing machines uniquely provide both benefits.  While back strain is a concern, you can minimize the risk of back strain by using correct rowing form – let your legs do the work, taking the pressure off your back.
6. Easy Interval Training: Most rowing machines are easily adjustable.  On my machine, you easily flip a lever and the resistance with each stroke increases. This makes rowing machines ideal for interval training, spiking your regular workout with short bursts of high-intensity rowing to boost both calorie burn and cardiovascular gains.

So next time you go to the gym, consider choosing the lonesome rowing machine that has been around for years in your fitness center (that probably have dust on them from little use). Although they’ve lost popularity over the years, I feel they are one of the best forms of low-impact, high-intensity combo exercises.