How to Use Rowing Machine: The Movement That Changed My Fitness Life

I still remember the first time I stepped up to a rowing machine. It was tucked away in the corner of my gym, looking somewhat neglected compared to the shiny treadmills everyone was fighting over. Little did I know that this unassuming piece of equipment would become the cornerstone of my fitness routine for the next decade.

The rowing machine—or ergometer, as the purists call it—is perhaps the most misunderstood piece of equipment in any gym. Most people hop on, yank the handle a few times with their arms, wonder why their back hurts, and never return. But when you understand the biomechanics and rhythm of rowing, it becomes something almost meditative. A full-body symphony that burns calories like a furnace while being gentler on your joints than almost any other cardio exercise.

The Anatomy of a Proper Stroke

Let me paint you a picture of what proper rowing actually looks like, because chances are, what you've seen in your local gym isn't it. The rowing stroke is a dance of sequential muscle engagement, starting from your most powerful muscles and flowing through to the smallest.

Picture yourself sitting at the front of the machine, knees bent, shins vertical, arms extended. This is called the catch position. Your body should be leaning slightly forward from the hips—about an 11 o'clock position if you imagine your torso as the hand of a clock. Here's where most people go wrong immediately: they think rowing is about pulling with the arms. It's not. It's about pushing with the legs.

The drive phase begins with an explosive push through your heels. Your legs straighten while your arms stay extended and your core stays engaged. Only after your legs are about halfway extended do you begin to lean back, swinging your torso to about a 1 o'clock position. And only then—only after your legs are nearly straight and your torso has swung back—do your arms come into play, pulling the handle to your lower ribs.

The recovery is simply this sequence in reverse: arms away, body forward, then bend the knees. It should take about twice as long as your drive phase. This ratio—quick drive, slow recovery—is what gives rowing its distinctive rhythm.

Setting Up Your Machine (Because Nobody Ever Shows You This Part)

Every rowing machine has a damper setting, usually numbered 1-10. Here's something that might surprise you: higher isn't better. In fact, most Olympic rowers train with the damper set between 3 and 5. The damper doesn't control resistance—it controls how much air flows into the flywheel. Think of it like gears on a bike. A setting of 10 is like biking uphill in your highest gear: slow, grinding, and likely to hurt your back if you're not incredibly strong.

I learned this the hard way during my first month of rowing. I cranked that damper to 10, thinking I was being hardcore. Two weeks later, I could barely tie my shoes without wincing. A rowing coach at a local club finally set me straight: "You wouldn't do every workout with the heaviest weight in the gym, would you?"

For most people, a damper setting between 3-6 provides the sweet spot of resistance and speed. You want to feel like you're moving a boat through water, not dragging it through molasses.

The foot straps should be positioned so the strap goes over the widest part of your foot—usually right at the base of your toes. Too high and you'll struggle to get full compression at the catch. Too low and you'll feel unstable during the drive.

The Breathing Pattern Nobody Talks About

Here's something that took me years to figure out, and I've rarely seen it mentioned in rowing tutorials: your breathing pattern can make or break your rowing session. Unlike running, where breathing tends to be continuous, rowing has a natural rhythm that matches the stroke.

Exhale during the drive (when you're working), inhale during the recovery (when you're resting). Sounds simple, right? But when you're pulling hard, your instinct is to hold your breath during the drive phase. Fight this urge. That explosive exhale during the drive actually helps engage your core and provides more power.

Some rowers prefer a two-breath pattern on longer, steadier pieces: exhale on the drive, quick inhale at the finish, another inhale during the recovery. Play around with it. You'll know you've found your rhythm when you stop thinking about breathing altogether.

Common Mistakes That Will Sabotage Your Workout

I've spent countless hours watching people row, and the same mistakes pop up again and again. The most egregious? The "arm-pull-lean-back" sequence. People yank with their arms first, then lean back, then maybe push a little with their legs. It's backwards, inefficient, and a recipe for injury.

Another classic: the flying elbows. Your elbows should stay close to your body during the pull, not chicken-wing out to the sides. When your elbows flare, you're using your shoulders instead of your lats, and trust me, your shoulders will let you know about it the next day.

Then there's the overreach at the catch. In an effort to get a longer stroke, people contort themselves forward, rounding their backs like a question mark. Your back should stay flat and strong throughout the entire stroke. Think proud posture, not hunched scribe.

Speed is another trap. Rowing faster doesn't mean rowing better. I see people flying up and down the slide like they're trying to start a fire. Remember: power comes from the drive, not from how fast you can move back and forth. A good stroke rate for steady-state cardio is between 20-24 strokes per minute. For intervals, maybe 26-32. Anything above that and you're probably sacrificing form for the illusion of intensity.

Programming Your Workouts

The beauty of the rowing machine lies in its versatility. You can use it for long, meditative cardio sessions or brutal high-intensity intervals. But here's my controversial opinion: most people row too hard, too often.

When I first started, every session was a race against my previous times. I'd hammer away for 20-30 minutes, trying to maintain the fastest pace possible. It wasn't until I discovered the concept of steady-state training that my fitness really took off. These are longer, slower sessions—45-60 minutes at a conversational pace. Yes, it's less exciting than going all-out, but it builds an aerobic base that makes everything else easier.

My typical week now looks something like this: three steady-state sessions (45-60 minutes at about 65-75% effort), one interval session (maybe 8x500m with equal rest), and one medium-distance time trial (5k or 30 minutes). This variety keeps things interesting while building different energy systems.

For intervals, the rowing machine really shines. Try this workout that absolutely changed my conditioning: 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy, repeated 10 times. Simple, brutal, effective. Or if you're feeling particularly masochistic: 500m sprints with 1:1 rest (so if it takes you 1:45 to row 500m, rest for 1:45).

The Mental Game

Rowing is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Unlike running or cycling, where you can distract yourself with scenery, rowing means staring at the same wall (or if you're lucky, a TV) for the duration of your workout. This is where the rhythm becomes your friend.

I've found that counting strokes in sets of 10 helps pass the time. Ten strokes focusing on leg drive, ten on body swing, ten on the arm pull, ten on smooth recovery. Before you know it, you've done 40 strokes and can start the cycle again.

Some people swear by music with a strong beat that matches their stroke rate. Others prefer podcasts or audiobooks for longer sessions. I'm in the weird camp that actually enjoys the sound of the flywheel and my own breathing. There's something zen about it, especially during those long steady-state sessions.

The Unexpected Benefits

After a decade of rowing, I've noticed benefits that extend far beyond cardiovascular fitness. My posture improved dramatically—all that focus on sitting tall and engaging the core carries over into daily life. My grip strength went through the roof, which helped with everything from opening jars to improving my deadlift.

But perhaps the most unexpected benefit was mental. Rowing taught me to embrace discomfort in a controlled way. Those last few minutes of a 30-minute piece, when your legs are screaming and your lungs are burning, but you keep the rhythm steady—that translates to resilience in other areas of life.

Final Thoughts

The rowing machine remains one of the most efficient pieces of exercise equipment ever created. In 30 minutes, you can get a workout that torches calories, builds muscle, improves cardiovascular fitness, and does it all with minimal impact on your joints. But like any tool, its effectiveness depends entirely on how you use it.

Take the time to learn proper form. Start with shorter sessions and focus on technique over intensity. Film yourself from the side if possible—you might be surprised at what you see. And remember, every Olympic rower started exactly where you are now, probably making the same mistakes.

The rowing machine humbled me, challenged me, and ultimately transformed my approach to fitness. It might just do the same for you.

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 Faster. 2nd ed., Human Kinetics, 2011.

United States Rowing Association. USRowing Safety Manual. USRowing, 2019.