6 Health Benefits of Rowing Machine Exercise
Picking the right workout can be tough. With a rowing machine workout, you don’t have to choose between focusing on cardio or strength benefits because you will get both, as well as a host of others. We explore 6 great health reasons to take up rowing.
Despite what many people believe, rowing machines provide much more than just a back and shoulder workout. In fact, few exercises are as efficient when it comes to burning calories and building strength simultaneously. So, get ready to flex those pulling muscles and check out some rowing machine reviews to scope out your new favorite piece of workout equipment!
6 Amazing Rowing Machine Exercise Benefits
1. Works Your Whole Body
Think using a rowing machine is just sliding up and down in your seat? Think again! With correct form, the rowing motion uses up to 86% of all muscles in the body. Your arms, shoulders, and back benefit from the pull motion itself, while the core is constantly crunched and challenged as you rock to gain momentum. Furthermore, when you push off with your feet, your lower body gets a great workout too.
2. It’s Low-Impact
One of the best things about using a rowing machine for home workouts is that it is low impact while also being high intensity. While many vigorous and aerobic forms of exercise, like running or HIIT, can be tough on the joints, rowing puts almost no pressure on the skeletal system. Plus, it’s great if you live in an upstairs apartment and want to work out quietly without annoying your neighbors!
3. Boosts Cardio-Vascular Performance
Rowing is a great cardio workout because it gets your whole body moving and gets your heart rate up. However, rowing also works all the muscles surrounding your lungs, chest, and diaphragm. This stimulates your cardiovascular system and promotes great heart health. You’ll be surprised how much fitter you feel after just a few workouts!
4. Builds Muscle
So, it’s great cardio – but will the rowing machines build muscle? The answer is a resounding, yes! Rowing machines provide built-in resistance, something you can increase over time in order to build muscle.
On top of this, rowing is a form of concentric rather than eccentric movement. This means your muscles are shortened rather than lengthened during the motion. Unlike eccentric movements, concentric exercises are associated with decreased muscle pain so you can work out more often and use your rowing machine to build muscle.
5. Promotes Weight Loss
Want bang for your buck in terms of calories? Rowing machine exercise provides a double whammy in terms of weight loss because it is both an aerobic and a muscle-building exercise. Aerobic exercise burns more calories per minute than strength training, but the increased muscle mass gained from rowing will help your body burn more calories overall. In fact, it is estimated that half an hour of rowing for an average weight adult can burn 300-400 calories!
6. Improves Posture
If you, like many of us, spend your day hunched at a desk, a rowing machine can provide you with some great remedial benefits, especially for women. Women tend to have weaker upper-body muscles than men and their posture can suffer because of this. A rowing machine targets and strengthens your back muscles, helping to support your spine and protect against common conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis. So, it’s a great option for women!
Conclusion
With its strength promoting and aerobic benefits, you can get amazing rowing machine results in a surprisingly short space of time. Everything from feeling leaner and stronger, to increased cardio fitness and better posture. It’s truly one of the best home workouts that we can recommend!
Final Call: Do you love to work up a sweat on your rowing machine? Have you tried installing one at home? What were your fitness results like after this? Let us know in the comments!
Author’s bio
A perfect cross-fit trainer Daniel Graves who tried hard from his early adulthood age to successfully pass the four hard levels of fitness activities under tough competency. For this cross-fit trainer, there is nothing more important than wearing proper sports clothes and shoes when he is there to performing fitness exercises.