How to Use a Rowing Machine (3 Workouts)

In the video above, Coach Staci explains the ins and outs of using a rowing machine.

What? Who’s Staci?

The rowing machine was originally invented for water rowers to train off-season.

You might hear the indoor rowing machine called an ergometer, or “erg” or “ergo.” They get this name since rowing machines often measure the energy produced from the workout in units of ergs.

They’ve grown in popularity, because this one stationary machine offers a lot of neat features.

For example, the benefits of the rowing machine include:

When it comes to the rowing machine, there’s some vocabulary that would be worth discussing quickly.

First, let’s chat about the rower itself.

Here Are the Parts of the Rowing Machine:

#1) Foot Plate – no matter the rower, there will be a place for you to strap your feet in.

You’ll want to set your feet so that the strap goes over the ball of your foot. This will allow you to have the most powerful stroke.

You should be able to lift your heel in this position.

#2) Handle – also called “the bar.” This replicates the handles of an oar.

Your hands should be approximately shoulder-width apart.

#3) Rail – the central beam of the rower, which allows the seat to roll forward and back.

#4) Display Monitor – while these will differ from model to model, the rower will normally have a screen to show some basic info:

• Strokes per minute (Stroke Rate)
• Split Time (more on this momentarily)
• Duration of workout

Etc.

For the Concept2 model – the rower Coach Staci demonstrates above – you can hit any button and select “Just Row.”

This will be the easiest way to get going.

#5) The Damper – The lever on the side of the flywheel housing (or fan cage) that controls airflow.

The difference in Damper settings:

• The higher the setting, the more air is allowed to flow. This requires more work to spin the flywheel.
• The lower the setting, the less air is allowed to flow. This requires less work to spin the flywheel.

Think of this sort of like bicycle gears – it affects how the rowing feels but does not necessarily reflect the resistance:

• A setting of one will feel fast and easier to pull, but you’ll need to move quickly to generate power.
• That said, cranking the damper up to ten doesn’t mean a better workout either. It just means a tougher pull – like trying to move a rowboat.

We recommended you aim for a Damper setting between 3 and 5 (which is also where most competitive rowers have it).

Note: some indoor rowers use a water tank to create resistance, so any similar Damper setting controls the amount of water moving through the system. You can still use the same recommendations for damper numbers.

More on that here:

Next, let’s talk about some terminology for the sport of rowing itself.

Rowing has been around for centuries and a lot of the vocabulary has carried over to the indoor sport.

Rowing Terms to Know:

#1) Split

Split time refers to the time it takes to row 500 meters, also known as the “split per 500.” This will likely be shown prominently on your Display Monitor.

If the number goes down, it means you’re going faster! Woot.

#2) Strokes Per Minute (SPM)

This is also called Stroke Rating and it’s exactly what it sounds like: the number of strokes you take per minute.

A higher SPM doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going faster – you can also go faster by putting more power into each stroke.

#3) Paddle (or Rest)

Normally in the sport of rowing, you never stop completely. You just row or “paddle” a little bit easier.

The rowing stroke is broken out into four parts:

1. The Catch
2. The Drive
3. The Finish
4. The Recovery

It’ll look like this:

Let’s cover each.

#1) The Catch

This is the start of the stroke:

• Our knees are bent and our shins are roughly vertical.
• Our body leans forward slightly to about a 1 o’clock position and our arms are straight.

Like so:

This puts us in the ideal position to generate power.

#2) The Drive

As the name would suggest, this is where we’ll be driving and generating power for the stroke.

The order in which we generate power is key:

• It should go legs first
• Then lean back with the body
• Then pull with the arms

It’ll look like this:

They should blend smoothly right into each other, so a good reminder is:

1. Legs
2. Body
3. Arms

A great drill to practice the Drive: 

Start with JUST the legs:

THEN the legs and a slight backward lean with the body:

FINALLY, the legs, body, and arm pull together:

This can be done with or without the rowing handle.

Common mistakes with the Drive:

A) Pulling hard with the arms first. We’ll see the elbows bend early. This greatly decreases the amount of power we can put into the stroke.

We want to keep the arms straight and wait until the handle passes the knees BEFORE we first bend the arms.

B) Letting the body pull forward while we’re driving with the legs.

Instead, we want to keep a strong and stable midsection so that we can go smoothly from the leg drive to the body lean.

#3) The Finish

This will be our position after the Drive:

• Our legs are extended and our body is leaning back slightly.
• The handle is about at our solar plexus.
• Our shoulders are down and our wrists are straight.

It’ll look like this:

A great drill to practice the Finish: just work on the arm motion. 

Keep the legs extended and lean back slightly. Then pull with just the arms.

Common mistakes with the Finish:

A) Shrug the shoulders up by the ears.

This is often accompanied by bent wrists and chicken wing arms.

Instead, we want the shoulders down and the elbows closer to the sides, with enough space between the arms and body for a grapefruit to fit.

B) Pulling the handle too high – to the neck or face.

We want the handle down at the solar plexus, not up orbiting in the solar system!

C) Leaning back too far – we’re not trying to perform the one-person luge here!

We only need to lean back slightly, at about an 11 o’clock position.

#4) The Recovery

This is how we return back to the starting position.

• Just as we had a proper order for the Drive – legs, body, arms – we’ll have a proper order for the recovery by reversing it – arms, body, legs.
• Straighten the arms, then lean the body forward slightly, and finally bend the legs to head back to the Catch.

Common mistakes with the Recovery: Bending the legs too early when recovering from the stroke. You’ll know you’re doing this when you have to lift the handle up and over the knees.

Instead, wait for the handle to PASS the knees before fully bending the legs.

There you have it, the four parts of the rowing stroke.

You’ll get better at this as you go, I promise.

Rowing is like golf: the relentless pursuit of the perfect stroke.

One way to check your form would be to record yourself doing a rowing stroke.

If it looks close to the gifs and videos found in this guide, you’re doing great!

Oh, and if you want an expert to review your form, you can do so in our snazzy Coaching app.

You can learn more here:

A rowing machine can fit into our workout in all sorts of ways.

We can row:

There you have it, my friend.

You now have everything you need to get started rowing.

Don’t overstress if you’re not doing anything 100% right as you start.

Like anything, you’ll get better at it as you go.

Plus, it’s not like you’ll be ejected into the water from an indoor rower.

But, if down the road you do want to take it outside, there are all sorts of leagues and clubs you can join.

It could be a great way to get out and make friends!

Granted, you’ll need SOME type of body of water around you, but if you live next to a lake or large river, there’s likely a team out there that would love to meet you.

Practice indoors for a bit, then take 20 seconds of courage to put yourself out there.

What’s 20 seconds of courage?

We explain it all to you in this video:

Oh, and if you want to continue having Nerd Fitness propel your journey, here are three ways we can help: