Rowing machine can have many benefits. These indoor machines can be good for overall health and they can help you in keeping you in good shape and posture. However rowers are more focused on back muscles so they are especially helpful to cyclists and runners.
You can get information on how rowing machines can benefit you as an office going person or even a housewife or a busy mom.
Some of the big muscle groups which get a good workout from rowing exercises are back muscles and arms. Traditionally, rowing came from rowing boats but it has transformed into a very good exercise has has many benefits.
Rowing machine benefits for weight loss
High Intensity Calorie burner
A 20- 30 workout session with rowing machine is a good calorie burner. It can burn the same amount of calories as any elliptical machine. You can also add this to your workouts for some variation in your daily exercises. These workouts can be a combination of strength training and aerobic exercises.
Effective aerobic exercise
You get all the benefits of a aerobic exercise like weight loss, increase in stamina and a better immune system. Rowing involves almost all the major muscle groups and increases your heart rate. Most of these modern machines have adjustable resistance so you can work up to your desired heart rate very easily.
Full body workout
If you are using a proper rowing technique you engage all muscle groups of your body including abs. This makes it an excellent choice for full body workouts. It also works on smaller muscles which are not used with other cardio exercises.
Help You build a better posture
Rowing exercises are very efficient to build a good posture especially if you have a long sitting or standing job. If you tend to slouch, back muscles will help you improve on your posture immensely
Low impact exercises with less injury risk
Just like an elliptical trainers, rowing machines will give you low impact exercises so you don’t really have to worry about injuries. It is easy on your joints and also don’t cause much wear and tear. People who are overweight cannot do exercises with high impact. Doing so can make them develop joint problems because of the excessive pressure on joints with extra weight. But rowing can be a good exercise for them to start up their workout routine.
These exercises are also great when recovering from injury or rehab. They help in gaining core strength for the body. They are also great for early pregnancy when you can do easy movements and are not restricted much. However in all such cases, it is better to get an advice from your physician first.
There are excellent machines like concept 2 and stamina rowers which give you an intense workout which is easy on your joints.
Easy to use for everyone in the family
Anyone can start with rowing, irrespective of their fitness levels. Some exercises are quite intensive for beginners and unfit people but rowing can be done by anyone. Once you know the right technique, you can easily follow up on these workouts. Right technique ensures that you are making the right movements and appropriate resistance levels.
If you are an athlete or a regular office going person, rowers should be used by all.
Good upper body strength
People who do regular rowing exercises have very good upper body strength especially with your arms and back. This because of the nature of this exercise. This also helps in doing your day to day work without feeling lack of strength and stamina.
If you are a housewife or mom, you need to have good strength in your back muscles to do your day to day activities efficiently. Regular rowing exercises at home will give you exactly that.
Endurance training
If you get consistent with your training and workouts, it will increase your endurance and stamina. You will feel more energetic and enthusiastic for any physical activity. Rowing exercises give you a combination of strength training and cardio workouts involving all major muscle groups. This also helps In boosting your metabolism.
Other Benefits
Easy availability in the gym
Not as busy as other machines in the gym – Not everyone in the gym uses rowing machine as their first choice of equipment. This is due to the fact that most people do not know about the benefits of rowing exercises or do not take them seriously. They prefer the treadmills and elliptical trainers. So your rowing machine is relatively less occupied in the gym when you compare them with other machines in the gym.
Perfect workout machine for home usage
Safe workout
These machines are quite safe to use. There is almost no impact involved. Moving parts can not cause any injury. The adjustable resistance levels allow everyone to use them. Also most of these machines don’t have much height so its easy for every one to get on to them.
Quiet machine
Fitness equipment like treadmills can be really noisy when they are in use. When you compare them to rowers, rowers are very quiet and smooth.
Affordable
Even the best professional models like Concept 2 rowers can cost you no more than a 1000$ where as a good premium treadmill or an elliptical trainer will cost you the double amount of money which make them affordable as well.
Rowing machine Vs elliptical – Which one should you choose?
Now the question is which machine should you choose for your home usage? You can buy any of them keeping all the above factors in mind.We have a guide on rowing machine to help you make your decision. Elliptical trainer will focus more on your lower body parts and muscle groups and a rowing machine focuses more on your upper body. Both have very different movements. It all depends on your fitness goals. Both are easy to use and easy to maintain machines for home use. You cannot go wrong with any of them.
Here is a video giving you a glimpse on movement, techniques and benefits of a rowing machine