Perhaps you’re an experienced rower looking to bring the benefits of rowing into the convenience of your home. Or maybe you’re a beginner who has been reading up on the advantages of a rowing machine over other fitness equipment, and looking to add a machine to your home gym that gives you a full body workout, cardio, and strength training all in one.
No matter your motivation, we think that a rowing machine is an excellent addition to any home. Even if you don’t have a dedicated home gym, most rowing machines are portable enough to fit into your home without taking up too much space or becoming an eyesore. If you’re looking into rowing at home, here are a few tips to consider before you begin:
Make Sure Your Practice the Proper Technique
This tip is more for the beginning rower than someone with lots of experience. When you use a rowing machine in a gym, chances are there are personal trainers or even helpful gym-goers there who may tip you off if they see you using the wrong form. However, when rowing at home, you’re on your own to make sure your posture and technique are on point. If you’re new to rowing, you may not be aware that to get the full benefits of a rowing workout, your technique is very important.
- Engage your core
- Straighten your spine
- Use your legs to propel you
- Make sure your muscles are fluid – don’t hang on to the handles for dear life or hunch your shoulders
If you’re just starting out, it may be helpful to watch a few videos online that go over the proper posture and technique for rowing, so that you can ensure you’re getting the most out of your workout when rowing at home.
Learn About Your Machine
This is important no matter your experience level. You’ll of course want to research your machine before you purchase it, and decide which type of rowing machine (hydraulic piston, magnetic resistance, water resistance, air resistance) is best for you. (Hint: it’s probably not going to be water resistance, unless you’re an avid outdoor rower looking to mimic the water-rowing experience at home.)
Once you decide on your ideal rowing machine, you should become familiar with it before you begin rowing at home. Learn how to increase or decrease the resistance of the machine to get the most out of your workout. Adjust the feet of the rowing machine to make sure you’re in the correct position, because this will in turn assist you in achieving proper form.
Be Consistent
To get the most out of your machine when rowing at home, make sure you use it. Rowing is one of the best low-impact, full body workouts you can get from a machine, but like anything else, to achieve the full benefit, you have to make rowing at home a routine. We suggest starting with about 3 times a week if you’re a beginner, working your way up to at least 5 times a week as you become more experienced and comfortable on your machine.
Switch Up Your Routine
To get the full benefit of your machine when rowing at home, try out different workouts each time you row. Vary up your resistance, going back and forth between lower and higher resistance if you’re looking to get a great aerobic workout, or begin with a low resistance to warm up, and increase to a high resistance for a vigorous workout if you’re a more experienced rower. Read up on some rowing machine workouts – you can even search based on what you’re looking to achieve from your workout – and choose a few to rotate each week to keep you from getting into a rut, and to mix up your cardio and strength training benefits from each row.