Rowing machine
Also called rowing ergometer, indoor rower, erg machine.
What does a rowing machine do?
A rowing machine, or rowing ergometer, is a cardio machine with a sliding seat, footplates and a handle connected to a flywheel or other braking system. Each stroke combines a leg press, a small hip hinge and an upper-body pull, then reverses that order to return to the start. It is a coordinated full-body movement rather than a seated row performed only with the back and arms.
How do you use a rowing machine?
Set up
- Sit on the sliding seat, place both feet on the footplates, and fasten the straps across the widest part of each foot.
- Hold the handle with both hands, arms long and shoulders relaxed, then slide forward until your knees are bent and your shins are close to vertical without lifting your heels.
Execution
- Press through the footplates to move the seat back, keeping your arms straight while your legs begin to extend.
- As your legs approach straight, swing your torso from slightly forward to just behind upright, then bend your elbows and draw the handle toward your lower ribs.
- Send the handle forward until your arms are long, hinge your torso slightly forward, then bend your knees and slide back to the starting position.
Common mistakes
Pulling with the arms before the legs move
Starting with the elbows makes the arms carry the beginning of the stroke while the seat moves without the handle. Keep the arms long until the leg drive is underway, then add the torso and arm pull.
Bending the knees before the handle passes them
Early knee bend puts the thighs in the handle's return path and forces it to rise over them. Move the hands away and hinge forward before sliding the seat toward the flywheel.
Rounding the back to reach farther forward
The catch comes from bending the knees and tipping the torso from the hips, not collapsing the chest toward the thighs. Stop the slide where you can keep a long, controlled trunk position.
Leaning far back at the finish
A large recline adds travel without improving the stroke sequence and makes the return harder to organise. Finish only just behind upright, with the legs long and the handle near the lower ribs.
Where it fits in a session
Use the rowing machine where it belongs in the session you already have planned; this movement guide does not choose that placement.
Keep the stroke sequence recognisable and controlled. Workout purpose, dosage and machine settings are deliberately left to the plan you are following.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
- None listed in this guide
Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Rowing on an ergometer is cardio rather than a resistance exercise aimed at one muscle. The legs, trunk, back, shoulders and arms contribute in different parts of each stroke, so the muscles are listed without ranking one as the target.
Scientific studies on rowing machines
Rowing involves the legs, trunk and arms, but that alone does not tell us how demanding a workout is. Studies comparing cardio machines show why the way effort is matched matters.
The same displayed watts or the same feeling of effort can produce different responses on different machines. Research comparisons do not provide a universal calorie ranking or a conversion between rowing and cycling settings.
Are rowing watts comparable with cycling watts?
Twenty international-level male rowers completed tests on a Concept2 rower and a WattBike. At the same displayed power below their maximum, rowing required more oxygen and produced a higher heart rate. Peak oxygen uptake did not clearly differ between machines.
That makes a watt-for-watt swap an unreliable way to reproduce the same physical demand. The comparison involved two particular machines and highly trained rowers; it does not supply a conversion factor for other equipment or beginners.
Sources
Does the same perceived effort mean the same demand?
In a separate study, ten recreationally active men ran on a treadmill and used a rowing machine at an effort they rated as hard. Running produced a higher heart rate and used a slightly greater share of their measured peak oxygen uptake.
Perceived effort describes how the work feels, but it does not guarantee an identical response across activities. This was an immediate comparison in a small group, not evidence that one activity produces better fitness gains.
Sources
Does rowing burn more energy than other machines?
A study of thirteen adults found that rowing used more energy than stationary cycling at matched ratings of effort, while treadmill exercise used more than rowing. Another study of nineteen adults placed rowing among the higher-energy options for women, but not among the highest for men.
Those findings depend on the participants, machines and effort levels tested. They are measurements during exercise, not proof of greater long-term weight loss or a calorie target that applies to every rower.
Variations
- Air-resistance rower — Uses a flywheel and air intake, matching the machine shown in the illustration.
- Water-resistance rower — Uses paddles inside a water tank while keeping the same sliding-seat stroke.
- Magnetic rower — Uses magnetic braking with the same handle, footplate and sliding-seat layout.
- Dynamic rowing ergometer — Lets the flywheel assembly move as the rower works, rather than fixing it at the end of the rail.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does a rowing machine work?
Rowing uses the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves as the legs extend, then the trunk, upper back, shoulders and arms as the body opens and the handle comes in. The abdominals and spinal muscles help control the trunk through the change of direction. Because it is a continuous cardio movement, none of those muscles is presented as the single target.
What are the four phases of a rowing stroke?
The catch is the compressed starting position. The drive moves the seat away from the flywheel and brings the handle to the body. The finish is the end of that pull with the legs long. The recovery sends the handle forward and slides the seat back to the next catch.
Should the legs or arms move first on a rowing machine?
The legs begin the drive while the arms stay long. The torso then opens and the arms complete the pull. On the return, straighten the arms and hinge forward before bending the knees, so the handle clears them.
Where should the rowing-machine handle finish?
Bring it toward the lower ribs with the wrists straight and elbows travelling behind you. The handle should follow a level path rather than climbing toward the neck or dropping into the lap.
How tight should the foot straps be?
Fasten each strap across the widest part of the foot so the foot stays connected to the plate without being pinched. If the heel lifts slightly as you approach the catch, the strap still keeps the foot secure.
Is a rowing machine the same as a seated cable row?
No. A seated cable row is a resistance exercise centred on pulling with the back and arms while the legs stay still. A rowing ergometer repeats a sliding, full-body stroke in which the legs begin each drive.
Sources
- Nowicky AV, Horne S, Burdett R. The Impact of Ergometer Design on Hip and Trunk Muscle Activity Patterns in Elite Rowers: An Electromyographic Assessment. J Sports Sci Med. 2005. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3880080/
- Czajkowska U, Swiatek-Najwer E, Jankowski L. Analysis of muscle activity during rowing stroke phases. Acta Bioeng Biomech. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38314566/
- Yamashita M, et al. Trunk Muscle Activities during Ergometer Rowing in Rowers with and without Low Back Pain. J Sports Sci Med. 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10245001/
- Lindenthaler JR, Rice AJ, Versey NG, McKune AJ, Welvaert M. Differences in Physiological Responses During Rowing and Cycle Ergometry in Elite Male Rowers. 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30104984/
- Edwards AM, Lander PJ.. Physiological responses to self-paced exercise: effort-matched comparisons across running and rowing modalities.. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22828455/
- Zeni AI, Hoffman MD, Clifford PS.. Energy expenditure with indoor exercise machines.. 1996. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8618368/
- Moyna NM, Robertson RJ, Meckes CL, Peoples JA, Millich NB, Thompson PD.. Intermodal comparison of energy expenditure at exercise intensities corresponding to the perceptual preference range.. 2001. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11474346/