Cardio exercise
Rowing MachineHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Cardio, Upper back
- Also works
- Quads, Lats, Biceps
- Equipment
- Cardio machine
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Rowing Machine?
- Strap your feet in, set the damper to 3–5 and hold the handle with straight arms.
- Slide forward until your shins are upright and lean slightly forward from your hips.
- Push with your legs, then lean back a little, then pull the handle to just below your ribs.
- Return in reverse: arms out, lean forward, then bend your knees and slide forward.
Cues
- Legs, body, arms; arms, body, legs.
- Push hard, return slowly.
- Handle moves in a straight line.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with your arms first: push with your legs before the arms bend.
- Rushing forward: take about twice as long on the way forward as on the push.
- Hunching over: sit tall with your shoulders relaxed and your chest up.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
A steady stroke on an air rower at 24 strokes a minute: legs, then body, then arms on the drive; arms, then body, then legs on the recovery. This is the stroke ACE and Concept2 both teach.
Starting position
Set-up: damper (resistance lever) at 3–5, not higher. Hold the handle with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder width, wrists flat, thumbs under the handle. Body: seat slid forward, shins vertical (never past vertical), arms straight, torso leaning forward from the hips about 30° (the "1 o'clock" position), shoulders level and relaxed, head neutral, eyes forward. Chest close to but not on the thighs.
The movement
1. Drive: push through the feet so the legs straighten first while the torso holds its angle and the arms stay straight; once the legs are mostly straight, swing the torso back through vertical; finally pull the handle in with the arms. The handle travels in a straight, level line. 2. Finish: legs straight (not locked), torso leaning back about 30° (the "11 o'clock" position), handle just below the ribs, elbows bent past the body, core braced. 3. Recovery: in reverse order and slower: straighten the arms, pivot the torso forward to 1 o'clock, and only once the hands pass the knees, bend the knees and slide the seat forward to the catch.
Breathing
Breathe out during the drive; breathe in during the recovery.
Tempo
One stroke at 24 a minute, 2.5 s: drive 0.8 s, recovery 1.7 s (drive to recovery about 1:2, Concept2).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Handle path level and straight, passing just over the knees; the handle never dips or rises in an arc.
- Elbows at the finish bent about 90–110°, just behind the torso, close to the sides; forearms level.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Rowing Machine is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
