Rowing machines burn calories and give you an aerobic workout while working your back, shoulder and arm muscles. Using a weight machine to perform rows strengthens the same muscles. Suspended cable rows and resistance cable rows also strengthen back muscles such as the traps, lats, erector spinae and rhomboids as well as the biceps and rear deltoid muscles of the shoulders. Using light weight and doing these exercises at a moderate tempo will burn calories, too.
Narrow Grip Seated Row
Using a lever machine to perform narrow grip seated rows trains a lot of muscles. These include the rear delts, lats, traps, rhomboids, teres major, teres minor, infraspinatus and pectoralis major muscles of the back, shoulders and chest. The triceps, biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis of the arms and forearms work, too. Place small exercise plates on the bar of the machine and sit on the seat. Place your feet on the floor or footrests with your knees bent. Sit forward so that your chest is flush against the chest pad. Grab the handles with your arms straight and your palms facing upward. Pull the bar toward your chest and bend your arms with your elbows down. Extend your arms forward to complete a narrow grip seated row.
Seated Row
This exercise primarily involves the lats, rhomboids and biceps, which are used to do all types of rowing. This exercise uses a resistance cable with handles. Rowing machines often use handles and cables for the arms to pull but instead of sitting on the machine, you sit on the floor to do a seated row. The standard seated row exercise is performed with your back in a fixed, upright posture. You use your abs as secondary muscles to maintain this position. On the other hand, you can mimic the motion of a rowing machine by bending forward with each arm extension and then sitting back up as you flex your arms. To perform a seated row, wrap the center of the cable to a sturdy object and sit down with your legs straight in front of you. The cable is at the same height as your feet. Hold your arms bent with the handles in each hand and sit up tall. Hinge forward at the waist and straighten your arms toward your feet. Extend your spine to sit back up and even lean back a little. Bend your arms to bring your elbows past your sides as you sit up.
Suspended Back Row
The back row works your back, abdominals and biceps. This exercise is done standing and holding the handles of a suspended body weight cable unit attached to the ceiling or point above your head. Since you partially hang with your body leaning backward, your core muscles of your abs and back must stabilize your trunk as they do during rowing machine workouts. To begin, grasp the handles with your palms facing inward and stand with your feet in a split stance so that your left foot is in front of your right foot with your right knee bent. Make your body into a straight line with your left leg. This is the starting position. Pull yourself forward and bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the handles. Straighten your arms to return your body to the starting position.
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