Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Health and Recreation Department
ROWING MACHINE FULL BODY WORKOUTS OFFERING COUNTLESS BENEFITS
A rowing machine is a piece of cardio workout equipment that simulates the movement of rowing. Our machines come equipped with performance monitors to track distance, time, speed, stroke rate and calories burned. Why incorporate it into your fitness routine?
✔️ Offers a full-body workout – you’ll be using your upper body, lower body and core when exercising on the rower.
✔️ Boosts cardio fitness – it is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise as your heart rate elevates and you increase oxygen consumption
✔️ Low impact – offers an intense, high-energy workout but rowing puts far less stress on your joints than other cardio activities and thus reduces the risk of injury.
✔️ Calorie burning – rowing leads to high calorie expenditure and upports weight loss efforts when combined with a healthy, balanced diet.
✔️ Muscle toning – engages multiple muscle groups with one workout and develops strength and power in legs [quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes], back [lats, rhomboids, trapezius, erector spinae], abdominal muscles [rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis and obliques], arms [biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, forearm flexors and extensors and shoulder] and shoulder [deltoids] .
✔️ Joint mobility and flexibility – lays the foundation for better joint health in later life. The knees, hips, arms, and shoulders will each see 90 to 130 degrees of rotation in each rowing stroke.
5 HIIT ROWING MACHINE WORKOUTS TO TRY
-
500m sprint followed by 1 minute’s rest – repeat for 4 to 5 sets
-
2000m time trial
-
1-minute sprint followed by 1 min of active rowing recovery – repeat for 6 to 8 mins
-
Tabata row – 20 secs as hard as possible followed by 10 seconds of complete rest – repeat for 8 intervals
-
500m followed by 1 minute of rest, then 1000m followed by 2 minutes of rest, then 1500m followed by a 3-minute rest, then 1000m with a 2 min rest and finally 500m
Chat to a Fitness Advisor in your local getactiveabc gyms and get advice and guidance on how to best incorporate a rowing machine workout into your own fitness routine.
Remember to warm up before each session and cool down afterwards with some light stretching. Make sure to keep your back straight, core engaged and shoulders relaxed throughout.