Rowing Machine Technique

Rowing machines are excellent tools for building stamina and strength. However, compared to bikes or treadmills, there is some more technique involved that is important to have correct for safety and efficacy.

As another general tip, pace is key. You'll do much better if you slow down the movement and focus on these aspects instead of trying to go as fast as possible. Once your form is improved, you can speed up. Form should always come first!

Error 1: Too much back movement. Allowing the back to flex and extend throughout the movement creates extra pressure on the back. Along with having an uncontrolled motion, this can cause overuse or acute injuries in the back. 

Fix: Control your motion. Engage your core, stay tall, and keep your back at a slight lean backward. Let your arms and legs do the movement while keeping your torso stable. If needed, slow down your tempo.

Error 2: Incorrect bar height. Many times, we'll see people bring the bar up to their chest or shoulders when rowing. The main problem with this is that it creates a lot of wasted movement. Going from low to high in addition to back also works higher muscle groups and more arms than is preferred in the row. Overall, it will waste a lot of your energy and decrease performance.

Error 3: Sequence. The movement of a row should be "Legs out, arms in, arms out, legs in". This is both for muscle usage and efficiency. Moving in the arms too soon will force you to "hop" them over your knees, causing wasted movement and a non-fluid movement. Not pulling your arms back enough will also take away a lot of the upper body benefits that you receive from the row.