Cardio · Cardio
Rowing machine
How to use the rowing machine (erg): the four phases of the stroke, foot and damper setup, common mistakes that load the back and sample workouts.
| Focus | Cardio · back, glutes, hamstrings, biceps |
| Movement | Low-impact cardio |
| Equipment | Machine |
| Suggested sets | 15-20 min |
| Estimated time | ≈ 18 min |
| Joints loaded |
The rowing machine is one of the cardio machines that involves the most muscles: each stroke starts with the legs, continues with the hips and finishes with the arms. Done well, it trains the whole body with little impact. Done poorly, it overloads the lower back.
What it works
It improves cardiovascular fitness. About 60% of the power comes from the legs (quads and glutes); the rest from the back and arms.
The four phases of the stroke
- Catch: sitting forward, shins vertical, arms straight and torso leaning slightly forward.
- Drive: push with your legs first; when they are almost straight, lean back and finally pull the handle to your lower ribs.
- Finish: legs straight, torso slightly back, handle close to your body.
- Recovery: return in reverse order: arms, torso, and only then bend your knees.
The recovery should take twice as long as the drive: power on the way out, calm on the way back.
Setup
- Straps across the ball of your foot.
- Damper between 3 and 5: higher is not better; it feels like rowing a heavy boat.
Sample workouts
- Steady: 15 to 20 minutes at a moderate pace.
- Intervals: 8 × 250 meters hard with 1 minute of rest.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms first, without using the legs.
- Rounding your back at the catch.
- Bending your knees too early, before the handle passes them on the recovery.
Precautions
It loads the ankle, knee and lower back. The catch position demands a lot of ankle bend, so it is not usually recommended with an ankle injury. With lower-back pain, prioritize technique or choose the stationary bike.
Alternatives with less joint load
They train the same muscle group. Highlighted joints are also loaded by the exercise on this page.
- Stationary bike · Low-impact cardio
- Recumbent bike · Low-impact cardio
- Elliptical · Low-impact cardio
- Incline treadmill walk · Low-impact cardio
- Stair climber · Low-impact cardio
Log your sets for this exercise and see your progress month by month.
Start for freeIf you have an injury, pain or a medical condition, check with a professional before doing this exercise.