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Rowing Machines
Have you ever been to a gym and heard the “WHOOSHING” noise coming from one side of the room? If you have, that’s a rowing machine. Rowing machines provide a full-body workout by pulling a handle toward your chest against the set resistance. When pulling this resistance, you power a fan on the machine's base that causes the wind sound. It sounds weird and complicated, but you pull the handle with your body and sweat a lot in the process.
How exactly do you do this workout? Break it into 4 phases. The first is the starting position or Phase 1. Start with your knees bent as much as possible while holding the handle firmly while seated comfortably. Phase 2 is the first motion, where you drive your legs and body back in the seat. Your legs should be straightening out, and your arms should be fully extended in front of you. Phase 3 continues Phase 2 by pulling through your arms, back, and legs as you row with your upper body as your legs extend. This is the phase where the fan in the machine's base becomes loud. The last phase is the recovery phase, where you return to the starting position. This means your arms will return to a relaxed position, and your knees bend to the starting position. This cycle is repeated until you reach your goal time or distance.
The rowing machine is an excellent addition to your cardio repertoire if you want something different besides treadmills or ellipticals. Rowing machines have been known to torch calories because they use the entire body through the movement. The athlete uses their legs, core, arms, back, and shoulders through the movement. It is an excellent machine for any fitness level because it is easy to change the resistance. You can just set the resistance to your comfort level and row.
There are different ways to use the rowing machine regarding goals for a specific workout. You can do it for time to see how far you can get in the time allotted. It can also be used for distance which is tracked in meters. Another way to challenge yourself is by calories burned. All three different measures are tracked throughout your exercise by the machine. With all these different measurements, it makes this a great machine to be used for intervals.
Rowing machines can be purchased for home use at the lower end of prices of home cardio equipment. You can also find them in any commercial or CrossFit gym. They are great machines to be utilized throughout a workout routine, whether daily or during days you want to do cardio. They are perfect for any level of fitness.
