What Are The Benefits Of Rowing? 5 Reasons to Row!Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Rowing is one of the most effective workouts that you can do at the gym, at home, or even as a sport. This type of workout can help you achieve your optimum physical fitness. A rowing machine allows you to build and tone your muscles, increase your stamina, and strengthen your cardiovascular function. Many, if not all, fitness enthusiasts appreciate this gym equipment as it does not place any strain on your joints and back.
What to Know About the Rowing Machine
The rowing machine is a fitness equipment designed to mimic the movement done when rowing a boat across the water. There are many different types of rowing machines and nearly all kinds of rowing machines come with a monitor to display your speed, distance covered, power, and calories burned so they’re fantastic for tracking your progress.
Many of them are also built with a long frame that sits low to the ground; a handle attached to the flywheel by a chain, rope, or strap; and a braked flywheel placed at the front of the frame. You need to pull the handle back toward your body during the movement, while the seat slides away from and to the flywheel for you to engage your lower body.
Rowing machines produce resistance through air, water, or magnets. The resistance is created at the flywheel, so it will be more or less difficult for you to pull on the handles and extend the chain, rope, or strap. Magnetic resistance, meanwhile, is set by you and is usually more quiet than the other types. It does, however, provide a constant resistance.
Resistance from a rower that use water or air is variable because of the fan-like paddles or fins. The harder you pull back, the greater the resistance as the paddles or fans must work against the water or air for a continuous rotation.
Benefits of Rowing
What is a rowing machine good for?
There are plenty of reasons why you should incorporate rowing into your fitness program, let’s take a looks at just 5!
Exercising, in general, can significantly help you de-stress. This is because of the hormones released by your body during exercise that cause you to feel great. The rowing machine provides a total body workout and can deliver a stress-busting routine. You can choose to do a rowing workout at home, or at the gym.
You can also place the rowing machine in front of your television for a more enjoyable workout. Studies show that regular physical activity will not only help reduce stress, but can also combat depression.
Promotes Weight Loss
A rowing workout helps you burn calories rapidly, which is why it is an ideal addition to your weight loss program. A vigorous workout on this fitness equipment allows you to burn as much as 377 calories in 30 minutes if you are around average body weight. Frequent rowing can help you achieve your weight loss goal in a shorter period of time that simply walking for example.
Can be Done with Friends
Like water-based rowing, you can do your rowing workout by yourself or with a group. Here at EFM, we love to incorporate some small group training into our daily fitness programs and rowing is a fantastic exercise to do in a group environment. Of course, it’s also perfectly suitable for when exercising alone and is thought by many to be a more enjoyable exercise than running.
Offers Cardiovascular and Muscular Benefits
The rowing machine allows you to experience an endurance workout that increases your heart function and requires carbohydrates as fuel. Keeping the tension at a low level will let you keep a high speed rate with minimal resistance to achieve an aerobic state. Aerobic exercises help improve heart, lung, and circulation systems for a healthier and better you.
Where does the rowing machine tone?
This type of workout also works every major muscle group in your body. It helps you strengthen and tone your muscles with minimal pressure on your joints. Each stroke triggers your hip, leg, and glute muscles. Using this machine will also require you to use your upper body muscles, especially your back, arms, and shoulders. Your core muscles are engaged throughout the exercise, as well.
Training with the Rower
Rowing through the water using paddles requires a motion that happens in four segments: catching, driving, finishing, and recovery. The positions and phases during the actual rowing are also applied when using a rowing machine. The only difference is that you are doing this movement on land, and not across the water so it is a very effective way to exercise.
Just a note of caution before enjoying the fitness benefits of rowing…
While rowing is an excellent form of physical activity, it does come with risks. It is important to maintain the proper form throughout the workout as poor form can result in injury or pain, particularly to your lower back. If you have never used a rowing machine, it is best to ask for the help of a fitness professional (that’s us!). You can always start slow, and eventually work your way up.
How to row properly
The video below is targeted towards individuals who row on the water, however it’s fantastic for teaching the correct rowing technique for indoor rowing! It also used a Concept2 rowing machine, the exact type of rowing machine we use here at EFM.
Benefits of using a rowing machine – summary
- 1. Helps reduce stress
- 2. Great for fitness
- 3. Excellent weight loss and toning
- 4. Perfect for exercising with friends
- 5. Closely mimics actual rowing movements