Rowing Machine Workouts to Get You Started

Rowing machine workouts are, in fact, one of the best all-round workouts you can do. They provide a great cardiovascular workout without the harmful effects of pounding on the joints again and again.

Rowing is an effective, low-impact workout that can be picked up quickly. It's useful for both high intensity training and low intensity recovery workouts, making it a versatile tool for improving overall fitness.

To get the most out of your rowing machine, it's important to master not only the correct way to set it up and use it but also a variety of different exercises.

Rowing Machine Workouts for All Fitness Levels

Using a rowing machine is not difficult if you know how. Check out the following rowing workouts to improve your fitness:

1) Standard Seated Row

Rowing workouts target muscles in the entire body, strengthening the legs and back muscles (Image via Unsplash/Kyle Kranz)

The classic rowing exercise for muscle gain and fat loss is the seated row. The benefits extend to the upper body, lower body, and core.

Instructions:

Knees should be bent to a 90-degree angle as you sit facing the rig (or as close as possible).
Put both feet on the floor or, if necessary, footrests.
Sit on some rubber mats or yoga blocks if you don't have access to proper footrests. That will give you the height you need to comfortably bend your legs without putting undue stress on them.
When sitting, lean back slightly so that you're not completely straight up and down but are still in a relaxed position.
In this position, the arms should be outstretched in front of you at shoulder height, with the palms facing up.

2) Cable Upright Row

If you want a strong back and defined rear delts, you should do this rowing machine exercise. This is how it's done:

Face the cable machine while holding handles of similar length in your hands.
Keep your arms at your sides, and raise them till they're parallel to your torso (an underhand grip).
Hold the top position for two seconds before lowering to the starting position to complete one rep.
This exercise can be done standing up or sitting on a bench or chair, depending on the facilities at your gym.
For your own safety, if you prefer to perform these rows while standing, clear the area in front of you of anything that could cause you to lose your balance and fall.

3) HIIT Row

Rowing machines are of different types. (Image via Pexels/Cottonbro Studio)

If you want to get better at rowing, HIIT rows are an excellent rowing machine exercise. Cardiovascular health is improved in addition to upper and lower body strength and development through this type of training.

You will want to use a rowing machine for this workout. Cutting down on your recovery time between sets is the quickest way to introduce HIIT into your rowing routines. That means you will have to work hard for the duration of a set till you reach muscular failure. Rest for only a minute or two before moving on to the next set.

4) EMOM (Every Minute on Minute)

Rowing is an effective, low-impact workout that can be quite fun to do. (Image via Pexels/Andres Ayrton)

Combining rowing intervals with other exercises like lunges and bent-over rows is at the heart of the EMOM programme. Perform sets of one minute with a 30-60 second break. The goal should be three or four complete loops. This is a challenging workout that will have you dripping sweat in no time.

More important than not burning out after a few weeks of working out every day, it's committing to consistency over a longer period. Rowing machine workouts can range from light cardio to intense muscle building or even full body fat burning, depending on your specific goals. Doing this exercise routine may be your best bet if you want to slim down.

5) Row and Burpee

One of the most effective ways to push oneself to row faster is to punish yourself with a burpee penalty. If you fall behind schedule while rowing, you will have to do some burpees as a punishment.

Instructions:

To succeed, you must row 500 meters five times.
Do as many rows as you can in under one minute and 40 seconds.
Wait five minutes in between each round.
Assuming you complete the race in under 1:40, you can kick back and enjoy yourself.
Record the additional time in seconds if you finish in over 1:40. That many burpees will be required of you.
If you complete the race in 1:50, for instance, you will have to perform ten burpees.
If you can complete the exercise in under 1:42, you must perform two burpees.

Rowing machine exercises are a low-impact full body workout that works in a wide variety of muscle groups with each stroke. They're excellent for fat loss and boosting cardiovascular fitness and stamina.

When compared to other full body cardio activities like swimming and cross-country skiing, rowing is superior in terms of strength and power development. You can work up a sweat and shed pounds by doing some rowing exercises.