Rowing

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Whether you're actually rowing or using an indoor rower, rowing is arguably the best conditioning exercise. It just has so much to offer. It involves almost your entire body, has a large range of motion, works your possibly neglected pulling muscles, and can be done comfortably on an erg.

The Basics

Rowing is primarily used to improve your cardio. By changing the level of intensity, duration, and/or intervals, you can target different adaptations. Longer, less intense sessions improve your aerobic capacity while shorter, more intense sessions (often done as intervals) improve your power and anaerobic capacity.

Form

Starting Position

• Strap your feet in and grasp the bar with an overhand grip
• Keep your arms straight
• Your upper body should be leaning forward so that your shoulders are in front of your hips
• Your shins should be vertical or nearly vertical with your heels lifting up as needed

The Row

• Begin by pressing with your legs
• As your hands clear your knees, begin to lean back and pull the handle with your arms to just under your sternum
• Your hands should move in a straight line
• Shoulders should be relaxed until the pull at the end

Finishing Position

• Your upper body should be leaning back slightly with your core engaged
• Your legs should be fully extended
• The handle should be held just below your sternum

Recovery

• Straighten your arms, then lean forward
• Once your hands clear your knees, let your knees bend and slide the seat forward
• Return to the starting position gradually

Common Mistakes

Pulling Too Early

By far the most common mistake is pulling too early and too much with your arms. Most of your power should be generated by your legs and hips, when you push off and lean back. Pulling with your arms should come at the end, using the momentum of your leg drive.

Leaning Back Too Far

While it's good to lean back slightly, leaning back too far puts unnecessary stress on your hip flexors and abs. Try to lean back about 15 to 20 degrees at most.

Rushing the Recovery

The recovery is just as important as the actual row. It gives you a moment to recover and lets the resistance build back up so that your next row can be more powerful and effective.

Related Exercises

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Cardio Standards By Distance

The table shows the maximum time needed to reach each of the cardio ranks at different distances. The times on the table are based on competition data, world records, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized cardio standards for multiple exercises, check out the Cardio Standards page. You can also find your Cardio Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.