Rowing Machine

How to Perform the Rowing Machine

1. Sit on the rowing machine seat and secure your feet in the foot straps, adjusting them so the strap crosses the ball of your foot.
2. Grasp the handle with an overhand grip, arms fully extended, knees bent, and shins approximately vertical in the catch position.
3. Initiate the drive phase by pushing through your legs first, extending your knees and hips powerfully.
4. As your legs approach full extension, lean back slightly and pull the handle toward your lower chest by driving your elbows back.
5. At the finish position, your legs should be straight, torso leaning back slightly past vertical, and the handle touching your lower ribs.
6. Begin the recovery by extending your arms forward first, then hinging at the hips to lean forward, and finally bending your knees to slide back to the catch position.
7. Maintain a smooth, continuous rhythm and repeat for the desired duration or distance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Muscles Worked

Benefits

• ✓Provides a full-body workout engaging both upper and lower body simultaneously.
• ✓Low-impact exercise that is gentle on joints while providing excellent cardiovascular training.
• ✓Highly efficient calorie burner due to the large number of muscles engaged per stroke.

Pro Tips

• ●Focus on the ratio of drive to recovery, spending more time on the recovery to maintain efficient technique.
• ●Keep your grip relaxed on the handle to avoid premature forearm fatigue.
• ●Think of the power as coming primarily from your legs, which should contribute about 60% of the total force.

Recommended Sets & Reps