How to Use a Rowing Machine Properly

The rowing machine looks simple. You sit down, grab the handle and pull. Yet it is one of the most misused pieces of kit in the gym, with members yanking with their arms, cranking the damper to 10 and racing up and down the slide at 35 strokes a minute. The result is a sore lower back, burning forearms and a score that barely moves. Learn to row properly and the rower (often called an erg, short for ergometer) becomes one of the best low-impact HIIT and conditioning tools you can use. This guide covers setup, the stroke, the damper, stroke rate and the mistakes to avoid, then gives you three beginner sessions to try.

What muscles does a rowing machine work?

Rowing is a full-body movement. Your legs (quads, glutes and hamstrings) start each stroke, your core and back (including your lats and the muscles between your shoulder blades) transfer that force, and your arms and shoulders finish it. Most of the power should come from your legs, which is why coaches describe a good stroke as a push with the legs rather than a pull with the arms.

Because your feet stay strapped in and there is no landing, rowing is also low impact. That makes it a handy way to add hard cardio on days when your legs or joints need a break from running. Low impact is not the same as risk free, though. Sloppy technique can still upset your lower back, so it pays to learn the stroke before you chase a fast time.

How do you set up a rowing machine before you start?

Thirty seconds of setup makes every stroke feel better. Before you row, run through this quick checklist:

• Footplate and straps. Adjust the footplate so the strap sits across the widest part of your foot, roughly where your shoe creases at the toes. Pull it snug so your feet do not slide, but not so tight that it pinches.
• Damper. Find the lever on the side of the fan housing and set it between 3 and 5. There is more on why below.
• Grip. Wrap your fingers around the handle with your thumbs underneath, like hooks. Keep your wrists flat and your grip relaxed.
• Monitor. Reset it so you start from zero, and choose one number to pace from. The split, your time per 500m, is usually the most useful.
• Posture. Sit tall on your sit bones with your shoulders relaxed and down, not hunched up by your ears.

What is the correct rowing stroke sequence?

Every stroke has four parts: the catch, the drive, the finish and the recovery. The order you move your body in is the whole secret. On the drive it is legs, body, arms. On the recovery it is arms, body, legs.

• The catch. This is your start position. Knees bent with your shins roughly vertical, arms long and straight, and your body leaning slightly forward from the hips. Keep your back long rather than rounded.
• The drive. Push the footplate away with your legs while your arms stay straight and your body angle stays the same. As your legs near straight, swing your body back slightly from the hips, then draw the handle in with your arms.
• The finish. Legs flat, body leaning slightly back, and the handle drawn in to your lower ribs with your elbows sliding past your sides. Shoulders stay relaxed, not shrugged.
• The recovery. Reverse it. Your arms extend first, then your body pivots forward from the hips, and only once the handle has passed your knees do you bend them and slide back to the catch. Take your time here.

A simple cue to remember: on the drive, think push, swing, pull. On the way back, think hands, body, slide. The handle should travel in a straight, level line throughout, so you never have to lift it over your knees.

What damper setting should you use on a rowing machine?

The damper is the lever on the side of the fan cage, and it controls how much air flows in. Higher numbers let in more air, so the flywheel feels heavier and slows down faster between strokes. Lower numbers feel lighter and quicker.

Here is the part most beginners miss: the damper is not a resistance setting in the way a weight stack is. It works more like the gears on a bike, changing how each stroke feels rather than how hard the session is. The intensity comes from how hard you push. The leading maker of gym air rowers suggests starting on a setting of around 3 to 5, which usually gives a drag factor (the monitor's measure of how heavy the fan feels) of roughly 100 to 140, depending on the machine and the room.

Cranking it to 10 feels tougher, but it tends to tire your legs and back before your heart and lungs get a proper workout, a bit like cycling up a hill in your hardest gear. Use the lower end of the range for longer, steady rows and the higher end for short, sharp efforts.

What stroke rate should beginners row at?

Stroke rate is the number of strokes you take per minute (spm), and it is shown on the monitor. Beginners often row far too fast, rushing up the slide in the belief that more strokes means more speed. In reality, speed comes from a strong push with the legs followed by a calm, controlled recovery. As a rough guide:

• 18 to 20 spm: technique work and easy rowing.
• 20 to 24 spm: steady rows where you could still talk in short sentences.
• 24 to 28 spm: harder intervals, once your technique holds together.

Within each stroke, aim for a rhythm where the recovery takes about twice as long as the drive, a ratio of roughly 1:2. Count one on the drive and two, three on the way forward. If your split gets faster while your stroke rate stays the same, that is a good sign your technique and power are improving.

What are the most common rowing mistakes, and how do you fix them?

• Pulling with the arms first. Your arms bend before your legs have done any work. Fix: keep your arms long until your legs are nearly straight. The arm pull is the last, smallest part of the drive.
• Shooting the slide. The seat flies backwards before the handle moves, leaving your back to do a late, jerky pull. Fix: feel the handle and seat move together as you push off the footplate.
• Bending the knees too early. If your knees come up before your hands pass them on the recovery, you have to lift the handle over them. Fix: hands, then body, then knees.
• Lunging at the catch. Reaching too far or rounding your back to grab extra length puts you in a weak position. Fix: come forward until your shins are about vertical, with a long, neutral back.
• Leaning too far back at the finish. A big layback adds little power and can strain your lower back. Fix: a slight lean back, roughly matching your forward lean at the catch.
• A death grip. Squeezing the handle tires your forearms fast. Fix: loose, hooked fingers, thumbs underneath and flat wrists.
• Rushing the recovery. Racing back to the catch makes you tired and sloppy. Fix: slow the slide forward so it takes about twice as long as the drive.

What are good beginner rowing machine sessions?

Start every session with 3 to 5 minutes of easy rowing at 18 to 20 spm, and finish with 3 minutes easy. Then pick one of these. Two or three sessions a week is plenty to begin with, and it is worth writing down your average split each time.

The technique builder uses a classic progression often called the pick drill, which adds one body part at a time so the sequence becomes automatic. If the stroke still feels clunky, stay on that session for the first couple of weeks. When the HIIT session starts to feel comfortable, add two more intervals before you try to push the pace.

How does rowing fit into a hybrid training week?

If you run and lift, the rower is a useful bridge between the two. Use the steady and rate ladder sessions as low-impact cardio on a day when your legs need a break from running, or add the HIIT session as a conditioning finisher after an upper-body strength day. As a rule of thumb, keep your hardest rowing away from your hardest running and your heavy leg days, because the rower leans on the same leg muscles.

That balancing act is what Edge is built for. Edge treats running, strength and HIIT as one plan rather than three separate apps, so a rowing session lands where it helps instead of clashing with your long run or squat day. Edge is free to start, and Edge Pro (from £19.99 a month, with a free 7-day trial) gives you a fully personalised plan, ready in 15 minutes, plus a real coach you can message anytime about your technique or your week.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.