What Muscles Does Rowing Work?

What Muscles Does Rowing Work?

Rowing has long been considered “the perfect” exercise because it provides a high-intensity, full-body workout. Furthermore, similar to cycling or swimming, rowing is low-impact, making it easy on the joints. Rowing also provides the versatility of both high-intensity sprints or slower-paced endurance cardio.

Not only does rowing provide an unmatched cardio workout, but it also trains dozens of muscles throughout the body. In fact, rowing works 85 percent of the body’s musculature––something that few other workouts can boast!

Proper rowing technique includes three strokes, each of which works its own group of muscles.

The Catch

The Catch is the starting position in which you are gripping the handles with your arms fully extended. The seat is all the way forward, and your knees are bent to your chest. With this stroke, you work your:

  • Upper back
  • Deltoids
  • Glutes
  • Quadriceps
  • Hamstrings
  • Calves

The Drive

This is the thrust of the rowing workout. As you extend your legs, driving yourself back, you pull your arms to your chest, creating a 90-degree angle. This stroke works your:

  • Upper Back
  • Triceps
  • Pectorals
  • Lats
  • Abs
  • Obliques
  • Glutes
  • Hamstrings
  • Quads
  • Calves

The Finish

This last stroke involves pulling your arms to your abominable region, past the 90-degree mark. This works your:

  • Deltoids
  • Triceps
  • Biceps
  • Pectorals
  • Lats
  • Abs
  • Obliques
  • Hamstrings
  • Quadriceps

What Kind of Muscle Does Rowing Build?

Rowing builds lean muscle throughout the body. If you’ve ever seen a competitive rower, they are long and lean with an incredible definition in their arms, legs, and abdominal areas. This physique is achieved due to dozens of muscles that rowing engages with each stroke. 

In addition to the holistic resistance training that rowing provides throughout your body, rowing also burns calories and can help you lose fat in any part of your body. This makes a rowing machine an excellent choice for anyone, no matter what your fitness goals are.

What Other Benefits Does Rowing Provide?

In addition to building lean muscle throughout the body and providing an excellent cardiovascular workout, rowing can support healthy cholesterol levels, improve heart health, and maintain healthy blood pressure. Rowing can further support healthy metabolic function, cognition and brain function, and bone and joint health.

One of the greatest benefits of rowing is the time commitment it requires. Due to its high-intensity nature, a rowing workout can be done in 15 minutes! If you’re a busy person, you don’t have time to spend hours in the gym. Nonetheless, you deserve a healthy body, and rowing is one of the most efficient ways to achieve that.

Another convenience of a rowing machine is its year-round usage. If you live in an area with unforgiving weather or drastic seasonal changes, you may not want to go for a run or drive to the gym. A rowing machine provides an excellent indoor option and a one-stop shop that eliminates the need for other workout equipment.

How Do Rowing Machines Compare to Other Machines?

There are hundreds of fitness machines on the market that can provide good workouts; however, none provide the full-body benefits of a rowing machine.

Treadmills and stair machines are accessible options that can provide great cardio and lower body workouts; however, they are high-impact exercises that put stress on the joints. This can lead to overuse and injury.

While ellipticals and stationary bikes can provide low-impact cardio workouts, they cannot provide the upper and lower body resistance training that rowing machines can.

Rowing machines are unique due to the array of muscles they work while also providing a high-intensity, low-impact cardiovascular workout. Nothing else quite compares.

What Sets the Ski-Row Air and Ski-Row Air + PWR Apart? 

The Ski-Row Air and Ski-Row Air + PWR by EnergyFit is a rower and ski trainer. With it’s dual-function high-intensity interval training potential, you can do a multitude of workouts. While they can be used solely for their rowing exercises or skiing exercises, these machines are best used for mixed-erg workouts. 

Both rowing machines come with a long list of features, including:

  • Heart-Pounding air-flywheel resistance will match your effort stroke for stroke
  • Gas-assist cylinder helps lift the beam and lowers it slowly to the ground
  • Rust-proof extruded-aluminum seat-slider beam
  • Front-mounted transport wheels
  • Bluetooth and ANT and heart rate connectivity 
  • Foot straps that are easily adjusted
  • Programs: time goal, distance goal, calorie goal, time interval, distance interval

What makes the Ski-Row Air and Ski-Row Air + PWR by EnergyFit unique is its versatility. Not only does it provide the separate and combined benefits of a rowing and skiing machine, but it can also be configured to fit your workout needs.

While a normal rowing machine only provides one option, the Ski-Row Air and Ski-Row Air + PWR by EnergyFit provide many. You can choose to do a full-body workout one day, focusing on only the upper or lower body. The versatility of these machines allows you to customize workouts to target specific muscles in a way that normal rowing machines cannot.

This customizability also allows you to share the machine with your family and friends, as it can be adjusted for each individual. If you want a full-body, high-intensity workout, but your significant other wants to focus on only the lower body, one machine can work for both of you!

Breaking It All Down

Rowing is truly an unmatched workout perfect for all fitness goals. Not only does rowing provide a high-intensity, fat-burning cardio workout, but it also works 85 percent of the muscles in your body––from your calves to your deltoids and almost everything in between.

The Ski-Row Air and Ski-Row Air + PWR by EnergyFit provide all of the benefits of a rowing machine, with the added versatility of a skiing machine. If your goal is to lose weight or build lean muscle throughout the body, an EnergyFit machine will get you the results you desire!

 

Sources:

Which Muscles You Work With a Rowing Machine | Men’s Health

4 Rowing Machine Benefits for Cardiovascular Fitness | LifeSpan

What Muscles Does a Rowing Machine Work? | All Rowers

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