Indoor Rowing – the all-round form of exercise

If you’ve not yet tried an indoor rowing machine, or you’ve given it up after a quick session at the gym, then you’re missing out on a method of exercise that, when done correctly, provides an all-round form of exercising.

Rowing combines both cardiovascular and resistance training, making it an ideal form of fitness or training for people of all ages and abilities, and with a wide range of fitness goals.

Benefits include:

• Rowing provides a great aerobic work-out.
• Rowing exercises all major muscle groups.
• Rowing takes place in a seated position and is thus weight-supporting and non-jarring.
• Rowing can be a very effective fat burning and weight loss exercise.

A proper rowing technique, as described below, will ensure that all major muscle groups are involved, i.e. legs, hips/stomach and arms, rather than one or more being missed out.

The rowing stroke consists of two phases, the drive and the recovery.

• At the start of the drive, the rower is forward, with the arms are straight and relaxed, while the legs are bent with the shins vertical shins, and the stomach is pressed against the thighs.
• To start the drive, the legs push first, then the rower sits up and slightly back, and lastly the handle is pulled straight back to the body.
• This position is called the finish.  At the finish the legs are flat, the body is inclined slightly back, and the shoulders relaxed. The handle is held lightly with flat wrists.
• The recovery sequence follows, where the rower extends their arms, rocks the body forward from the hips and slide forward back to the start position.

The complete stroke should be smooth and fluid, trying to focus on being strong and quick during the drive while remaining smooth and relaxed during the recovery.

A stroke rate of 20 - 24 strokes per minute is a good one to aim for when starting, although this is not a rigid rule – feel free to experiment as you gain experience.

There are a number of common faults that may occur – it’s easy to pick up some form of incorrect technique without realizing it, so a periodic review of these might help.

• Rowing with bent arms

  • The drive starts with the rower pulling with the arms rather than pushing with the legs.

  • Fix: Starts by pushing the legs while bracing the back with the arms fully extended.

• Flying elbows

  • The rower's elbows are stuck out sideway at the finish.

  • Fix: When drawing the handle to the body, keep the wrists flat and draw the elbows past the body.

• Bent wrists

  • Rowers can be seen at various stages of the stroke with bent wrists.

  • Fix: Focus on keeping the wrist flat and relaxed

• Over reaching

  • The body stretches too far forward. The shins may be past the vertical.

  • Fix: Stop when the shins are vertical and the body is pressed up to the legs.

• Pulling the body to the handle

  • At the Finish, the rower pulls himself or herself forward to the handle instead of pulling the handle to the body.

  • Fix: At the finish the rower should lean back slightly, holding the legs down and draw the handle to the body.

• Grip on handle too tight

  • The rower is gripping the handle too tightly – often related to the whole body being too tense.

  • Fix: Relax! Keep a light hold on the handle.

• Pulling up too far and leaning back too much

  • At the finish, the rower pulls the handle up too high and leans back too far.

  • Fix: Draw the handle to the body. The wrists should be flat and the elbows drawn past the body with the forearms horizontal.

• Knees up too early

  • On the Recovery the rower slides forward before the handle has passed the knees. The hands either hit the knees or the rower lifts the hands to clear the knees.

  • Fix: Focus on the sequence - hands, body, slide. Once the arms are fully extended and the body rocked forward, then slide forward, maintaining the arm and body position.

• Using the back too early

  • The rower starts by swinging the body back rather than pushing the legs.

  • Fix: Focus on starting with the legs before the body levers back with the arms fully extended and relaxed.

• Slide shooting

  • The legs push away too early, the back is not braced and so the power is not transferred onto the handle.

  • Fix: Keep the back braced with straight arms, allowing the leg power to transfer to the handle.