How to Use a Rowing Machine: The Movement That Changed My Fitness Life
I'll never forget the first time I stepped onto a rowing machine. It was 2018, middle of January, and I'd just signed up for a gym membership with all the typical New Year's resolution energy. The rower sat there in the corner, looking deceptively simple—just a seat on rails, a handle, and a screen. Twenty minutes later, I was gasping for air, my form was atrocious, and I'd probably done more harm than good. But something about that machine kept calling me back.
Now, after thousands of hours on various rowing machines and even some time on actual water, I've come to appreciate the rower as perhaps the most misunderstood piece of equipment in any gym. Most people hop on, yank the handle like they're starting a lawnmower, and wonder why their back hurts the next day. The truth is, rowing is a symphony of movement that, when done correctly, engages 86% of your muscles while being gentler on your joints than almost any other cardio exercise.
The Machine Itself: More Than Meets the Eye
Before we dive into technique, let's talk about what you're actually dealing with. Modern rowing machines come in four main flavors: air resistance (like the ubiquitous Concept2), water resistance (those beautiful WaterRowers you see in boutique gyms), magnetic resistance, and hydraulic piston rowers. Each has its personality, but the fundamental movement remains the same.
The Concept2 Model D—that gray workhorse you'll find in most gyms—became the industry standard for good reason. Its air resistance mechanism means the harder you pull, the more resistance you get. It's honest in a way that other machines aren't. You can't cheat physics on a Concept2.
Water rowers, on the other hand, offer a more meditative experience. The swoosh of water in the tank creates a rhythm that's almost hypnotic. I've found myself rowing longer on water machines simply because the sound is so satisfying. But they're also more forgiving of poor technique, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Setting Up: The Foundation Nobody Talks About
Here's something that took me embarrassingly long to figure out: proper setup is half the battle. Most people just plop down and start pulling, but those first thirty seconds of adjustment can make or break your entire workout.
Start with the foot straps. The strap should cross over the widest part of your foot—roughly where your toes meet the rest of your foot. Too high, and you'll struggle to get full compression at the catch. Too low, and you'll feel like you're about to slip out. I spent months with the straps too high, wondering why my shins always felt tight.
The damper setting is where things get interesting—and controversial. That lever on the side of most air rowers? It's not a resistance setting, despite what everyone at your gym thinks. It's more like the gearing on a bike. A setting of 10 doesn't mean a harder workout; it means more air flow, which creates a different feel. Most experienced rowers keep it between 3 and 5. I learned this the hard way after spending my first year at setting 10, wondering why every workout felt like rowing through peanut butter.
Your grip matters more than you'd think. Hold the handle with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Your grip should be firm but not death-grip tight. Think of holding a small bird—secure enough that it won't fly away, but gentle enough that you won't hurt it. Corny? Maybe. But it works.
The Stroke: Where Magic Meets Mechanics
The rowing stroke breaks down into four phases, and understanding each one transformed my entire approach to the machine. But here's the thing—don't think of them as separate movements. They flow into each other like a wave.
The Catch This is your starting position, and it's where most people go wrong immediately. You're compressed at the front of the slide, shins vertical (or as close as your flexibility allows), arms straight, shoulders relaxed but engaged. Your body should be leaning forward slightly from the hips—about 11 o'clock if you imagine a clock face.
The biggest mistake I see? People reaching too far forward, rounding their backs like a question mark. Your back should stay strong and straight. Think proud posture, not aggressive reaching.
The Drive This is where the power comes from, and the sequence is everything: legs, body, arms. Not all at once, not arms first, but a rolling wave of power that starts from your feet.
Push through your heels—not your toes—like you're doing a leg press. As your legs extend to about halfway, start opening your body angle by pivoting from the hips. Only when your legs are nearly straight and your body is at about 1 o'clock do your arms come into play.
I used to pull with my arms way too early, turning the whole movement into an upper body exercise. No wonder my forearms would burn out after five minutes. The arms are just the final link in the chain, adding maybe 10% of the total power.
The Finish At the finish, your legs are straight but not locked, body leaning back slightly past vertical (think 1 o'clock again), handle drawn to your lower ribs—not your chest, not your belly button, but right to the bottom of your ribcage. Your elbows should be tucked close to your body, not flaring out like chicken wings.
This position should feel strong and controlled. If you're leaning back so far you feel like you might tip over, you've gone too far.
The Recovery The recovery is just the drive in reverse: arms away, body forward, then bend the knees. This should take about twice as long as your drive phase. Think of it as the rowing machine's gift to you—a moment to breathe, to reset, to prepare for the next stroke.
The recovery is where rhythm lives. Rush it, and your whole piece falls apart. I like to count it out when I'm getting tired: "One-two-three" on the recovery, "Push!" on the drive.
Common Mistakes That Everyone Makes (Including Me)
Let me share the mistakes that plagued my first year of rowing, because chances are, you're making at least one of them right now.
The Arm Puller This was me. All arms, no legs. Your arms should contribute the least amount of power in the stroke. If your biceps are burning before your legs, you're doing it wrong. The fix? Practice rowing with straight arms for a few minutes. Legs only. It feels weird, but it teaches you where the real power comes from.
The Shooter Your butt shoots back, but your handle barely moves. This happens when you push with your legs without connecting that power through your body to the handle. The fix is thinking about suspending your body weight off the handle as you drive. Everything moves together.
The Lunger At the catch, you reach so far forward you could practically touch the screen. This puts enormous stress on your lower back and actually reduces your power. Flexibility is good, but not at the expense of a strong body position.
The Chicken Wing Elbows flaring out at the finish like you're trying to fly. This puts unnecessary stress on your shoulders and reduces your power transfer. Keep those elbows tucked.
Programming Your Workouts: Beyond Random Rowing
Here's where most people get stuck. They hop on, row at a moderate pace for 20-30 minutes, and call it a day. That's fine if you're just looking to move, but you're leaving so much on the table.
The beauty of rowing is its versatility. You can build endurance, power, or anything in between. But you need a plan.
Steady State This is your bread and butter. Row at a pace where you can maintain a conversation (barely). For most people, this means keeping your split time (that big number in the middle of the screen showing your pace per 500 meters) relatively constant. Start with 20 minutes and build from there. This is where you build your aerobic engine.
I do most of my steady state work at what rowers call "UT2" pace—about 55-70% of your maximum heart rate. It feels almost too easy when you start, but that's the point. You're building efficiency, not testing your limits.
Intervals This is where things get spicy. My favorite workout when I'm short on time: 8 x 500m with 1:30 rest between pieces. Row each 500m hard—not quite all-out, but close. Your split time should be significantly faster than your steady state pace.
Another killer: pyramid intervals. 250m, 500m, 750m, 1000m, 750m, 500m, 250m with equal rest. The middle thousand meters feels like it lasts forever.
Power Pieces Short, explosive efforts to build your top-end power. 10 x 10 strokes as hard as you can with plenty of rest between. Focus on perfect technique even when going all-out. This is where bad habits get exposed and magnified.
The Mental Game Nobody Mentions
Rowing is as much mental as physical, maybe more so. There's nowhere to hide on a rowing machine. No scenery to distract you, no playlist that can completely take your mind off the work. It's just you, the machine, and the numbers on the screen.
I've found that rowing teaches you about yourself in uncomfortable ways. That moment at 750m into a 2000m test piece when your body screams at you to stop? That's where you meet yourself. The negative split workout where you have to row each 500m faster than the last? That's a lesson in pacing and trust.
Some days, I use rowing as meditation. Long, steady pieces where I focus only on my breathing and the rhythm of the stroke. One breath per stroke at low rates, finding that perfect sync between breath and movement. Other days, it's war—me against the machine, against yesterday's times, against the voice in my head that says "enough."
The Technical Details That Make the Difference
Let's get nerdy for a minute. Understanding a few key metrics will transform how you approach the machine.
Split Time This is your pace per 500 meters, and it's the most important number on your screen. For context, a 2:00 split means you'd row 500 meters in 2 minutes. Elite male rowers can hold sub-1:30 for a 2000m piece. Most recreational rowers will be somewhere between 1:50 and 2:30 depending on the workout.
Stroke Rate How many strokes per minute you're taking. This is not directly related to how fast you're going—you can row a very fast split at a low stroke rate if you're powerful enough. Most steady state work happens between 18-24 strokes per minute. Racing pace might be 28-36.
Drag Factor This is what the damper setting actually controls. It's a measure of how quickly the flywheel slows down. You can display this on most machines, and once you find your preferred drag factor (usually between 110-140), you can replicate it on any machine regardless of damper setting.
Recovery and the Long Game
Something I learned the hard way: rowing is addictive, and it's easy to overdo it. The full-body nature of the exercise means you need to respect recovery more than you might with other cardio.
Your lower back takes a beating if your form isn't perfect. Your hands will develop calluses in places you didn't know could get calluses. Your hip flexors might revolt after particularly intense sessions.
Listen to your body. Take easy days. Work on flexibility—especially hip and hamstring mobility. I started doing 10 minutes of targeted stretching after each rowing session, and it made an enormous difference in both my performance and how I felt the next day.
The Community You Didn't Know Existed
One of the unexpected joys of getting serious about indoor rowing has been discovering the community. There's a whole world of people who get genuinely excited about 2k times and drag factor settings. The Concept2 online logbook lets you track your meters and compare times with rowers around the world. Local rowing clubs often have indoor racing leagues during winter months.
I've made friends through rowing challenges, people I've never met in person but who I know will understand the particular agony of a 5k test piece or the satisfaction of finally breaking a split barrier you've been chasing for months.
Final Thoughts From Thousands of Meters
The rowing machine humbled me, challenged me, and ultimately changed how I think about fitness. It's not just a cardio machine—it's a skill to develop, a practice to refine, a teacher that never stops providing lessons.
Start slow. Focus on technique over intensity. Film yourself from the side if possible—you'll be shocked at what you see. Be patient with the process. The rowing stroke is simple in concept but endlessly complex in execution.
And remember: every Olympic rower started exactly where you are, staring at this machine, wondering how something so simple could be so hard. The difference is they kept coming back, stroke after stroke, day after day, until the movement became part of them.
The rowing machine is waiting. It doesn't care about your excuses, your bad day, or your good intentions. It only cares about the work you put in. But if you show up, if you respect the movement, if you're willing to learn—it will reward you with fitness, mental toughness, and maybe even a little wisdom about yourself.
Now stop reading and go row.
Authoritative Sources:
Concept2. Indoor Rowing Training Guide, Version 2. Concept2, Inc., 2020.
Flood, Jim, and Charles Simpson. The Complete Guide to Indoor Rowing. Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2012.
Kiesling, Stephen. The Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence. William Morrow & Company, 1982.
McArthur, John. High Performance Rowing. The Crowood Press, 1997.
Nolte, Volker, editor. Rowing Science. Human Kinetics, 2011.
United States Rowing Association. USRowing Safety Manual. USRowing, 2019.