Novices will scoot the seat on a stationary rower back and forth, tugging gingerly on the handle and not working up much of a sweat. Someone who knows what she's doing, on the other hand, will sit down in the rowing machine, scrunch up against the foot platform, then explode into a powerful leg drive followed by a strong pull on the handle. She's mimicking the motion of actual rowing; the ability to do so is just one of the benefits a rowing machine offers.
Muscles Worked
Like most cardio machines, the rowing machine works the lower body, particularly the hamstrings, quads and glutes. Unlike most other cardio machines, the rowing machine provides an intense upper body and arm workout, too, working almost every muscle in the back, including the erector spinae, along with the biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.
Cardiovascular Exercise
The American College of Sports Medicine defines moderate-intensity physical activity as working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat, but not so hard that you can't participate in a conversation. A rowing machine can easily bring you up to, and beyond, this exercise intensity. Regularly engaging in moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise brings with it a host of benefits, including increased stamina, weight loss, a stronger immune system and reduced anxiety, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Interval Training
Most rowing machines are easily adjustable. Flipping a lever, or on some machines simply pushing and pulling harder, increases the machine's resistance against each stroke. This makes rowing machines ideal for interval training, spiking your regular workout with short bursts of high-intensity rowing to boost both calorie burn and cardiovascular gains.
Calories Burned
According to Harvard Health Publications, stationary rowing can burn anywhere from 210 to 377 calories in half an hour, depending on body weight and how hard you row. If you weight 185 lbs. you can burn 3,500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of body fat, in four to six hours of rowing.
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