How to Work Out on a Rowing Machine

How to Work Out on a Rowing Machine
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A rowing machine gives you the ability to do a full body cardio workout without feeling major impact on your joints. To operate this machine, you slide back and forth on a movable chair while pulling a handle toward your body. This is basically the same motion you would experience while in an actual boat. Rowing burns calories and helps tone the arms, back and legs.

Step 1

Dedicate five minutes to doing dynamic stretches before you start your workouts. Dynamic stretches move your body parts through a steady range of motion which adapts you to exercising movements and prevents muscle injury. Perform stretches like trunk rotations, leg swings, shoulder shrugs, side bends, walking lunges, high knees and arm crossovers.

Step 2

Sit on the seat of the machine and start rowing at a slow pace to warm up. Spend five to 10 minutes doing your warm-up and gradually increase your speed. This will further loosen up your joints and elevate your body's core temperature.

Step 3

Adjust your speed once again. Row at a pace where you are sweating and your heart rate is elevated, but you are still able to talk. Stay at this pace for the rest of your workout and finish with a light cooldown in similar fashion to your warm-up.

Step 4

Exercise long enough to achieve your personal goals. Thirty minutes of physical activity per day on most days of the week is necessary for maintaining health and 60 to 90 minutes is needed for weight loss. Base your exercise duration off of these guidelines and work out four or five days a week.

Step 5

Incorporate interval training into your workout for a variation. Do a regular warm-up, then increase your pace to a point that you are rowing at 75 to 80 percent maximum effort. Stay at this speed for 30 seconds then decrease your speed to about 50 percent maximum effort for 60 seconds. Bounce back and forth for 20 to 30 minutes and finish with a light cooldown. Interval training boosts fat burning potential and it also increases your aerobic fitness.

References

Article reviewed by David Fisher Last updated on: Feb 11, 2011

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