Equipment
The rowing machine is full-body, low-impact cardio: each stroke is driven mostly by the legs, then the hips and finally the arms.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
01
An indoor rower has a sliding seat, a foot stretcher and a handle attached to a flywheel. The damper setting changes how the stroke feels, not simply how hard it is; a moderate setting suits most people. Rowing trains the heart and lungs while working the legs, back and arms.
02
Each stroke has four parts: the catch (shins vertical, arms long), the drive (push with the legs, then swing the torso back, then pull the handle to the lower ribs), the finish, and the recovery (arms, then body, then legs, in reverse). A common mistake is pulling with the arms first. Aim for smooth, powerful strokes rather than a high stroke rate.
03
Row steadily for 10 to 20 minutes to learn the stroke, then add intervals. Count your rowing toward weekly cardio guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity.
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Free GymStreak calculators that go with rowing machine training.
Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
GymStreak's AI personal trainer builds a workout plan from your goal, schedule and equipment, shows every exercise with an animated demo and logs your sets.
