Using a rowing machine is a type of aerobic exercise that can help you to burn calories, improve your cardiovascular fitness and boost your overall health. Rowing machines are high-ranking pieces of exercise equipment in terms of providing a good workout, second only to treadmills and stair climbers. You can use a rowing machine at your local gym or health club, or you might purchase a rowing machine for use at home.
Calories Burned
One hour of stationary rowing can burn about 511 calories if you're around 160 pounds, 637 calories if you're around 200 pounds, or 763 calories if you're around 240 pounds, according to MayoClinic.com. The number of calories that you burn using a rowing machine is about the same as cross-country skiing, high-impact aerobics, backpacking, ice skating or swimming laps. Unlike a treadmill, a rowing machine typically provides an upper-body workout along with lower-body exercise, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Like other types of aerobic exercise, stationary rowing helps you to burn calories and lose weight, as well as strengthen your heart and lungs. Aerobic exercises like rowing can help reduce your risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, reports the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In a basic sense, rowing helps your body's cardiovascular system to work more efficiently. By burning calories, using a rowing machine can help prevent and treat obesity, which is another serious risk factor for heart disease and many other chronic health problems, MayoClinic.com reports.
Other Benefits
Using a rowing machine can improve your self-esteem, physical appearance and energy levels, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. By burning calories, stationary rowing can help you to lose weight and maintain weight loss, all while toning your muscles. If you have your own rowing machine, you can use it any time, which can help you to stick to your exercise plan and actually get more aerobic exercise.
Another major benefit of rowing machines is that they're relatively low-impact, meaning that they don't place excessive stress on your joints and back as you're working out. If you have arthritis or injuries, you can usually use a rowing machine as a lower-impact alternative to running or other high-impact exercises. In fact, rowing machines are often recommended as alternative workouts for people who have Achilles tendon pain.
Considerations
Using a rowing machine is a great total-body workout, but you should talk with your doctor before starting any new exercise, especially if you have any chronic health issues, advises the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You should also incorporate into your fitness plan strength-training and flexibility exercises, in addition to aerobic exercises like stationary rowing. If you're trying to lose weight, keep in mind that you'll need to balance the amount of calories that you consume with the amount that you burn, ensuring that you're burning more calories than you're taking in through your diet, MayoClinic.com notes.
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