Rowing machines, also known as ergometers or ergs, simulate the motion of rowing a boat and have different benefits for different users. They engage many muscles without impact, making them attractive for people with joint injuries, burn calories, and provide numerical data for athletes. They are used by crew teams for winter training and on rainy days.
A rowing machine, also called an ergometer or erg for short, is an exercise machine that simulates the rowing motions in a racing boat. They have different benefits for different types of users. For those who compete on crew teams competitively, some of the most common benefits of the rowing machine are the ability to see the force of the stroke in numbers, as well as the ability to stay trained even on stormy days and during the winter months. Others see the main benefits of the rowing machine in relation to more general fitness. Rowing machines engage many of the body’s muscles without impact, making them an attractive training tool for people with joint injuries or tenderness, and they also burn a lot of calories in a relatively short window.
Exercising on a rowing machine typically involves a series of coordinated muscle movements performed while seated on the sliding chair of the ergometer. The legs move inward, from the quadriceps to the thighs, and then push back, usually with some degree of force. The arms and back pull the torso together with the legs in a movement that mimics a rowing stroke. The movement is then repeated.
Most of the time, a small computer screen is attached to the top of the rowing machine that displays different elements of rowing machine fitness. Hits taken, force of the hit, and average speed are usually displayed, as well as calories burned and elapsed time. On some models, users can set challenges to beat or timed drills using the display options. In this way, an exercise regimen on a rowing machine can be highly customized.
Many rowers work on ergometers to keep their bodies in top rowing condition when the water conditions are less than ideal. Winter training for crew teams is usually done on rowing machines, for example, and practice is often done on rowing machines on rainy or stormy days, even in season. The rowing machine benefits of strength training and muscle conditioning keep athletes strong all year long.
Crew boats rarely have the measurement capabilities that ergometers have, making numerical data another top rowing machine benefit for athletes. Rowing machine upper body strength and leg strength can be quantifiably measured in most ergs. Coaches use this data to assess the abilities of individual rowers. Rowers also often find the data beneficial for their own personal training.
Rowing machines also impart benefits to the general public. Proper use of a rowing machine works more muscles in a zero-impact environment than everyday activities like walking or running, and it tones those muscles. Unlike running, which can be hard on your knee joints, exercising on a rowing machine is a tension-and-release exercise that doesn’t put stress on your joints.
The calorie burning potential of a rowing machine is another great benefit of the rowing machine. Because so many muscles are used and so much of the body is moved to complete a stroke, the body expends a number of calories to complete the routine. If used vigorously over a period of time, a rowing machine can dramatically help tone the body, often leading to rowing machine weight loss.
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