Benefits of Rowing

Rowing is a full body workout designed to help with your strength and endurance. At Rowbust Fitness, we use Concept2 rowing machines during your 45-minute session to create unique workouts based on your needs and goals. Unlike several types of workouts and machines, using a rowing machine allows you to target nine different muscle groups and work out 86% percent of your muscles. In our session, we combine low impact rowing with movements off of the rower to diversify your workout and help you to achieve results.

These are a few benefits that a Rowbust Fitness class provides:

  • Low joint impact
  • Burns major calories
  • Great for all fitness levels
  • Good for your heart and lungs
  • Total body workout using 84% of the muscles
  • Strengthens your core
  • Reduces anxiety and stress
  • Improves athletic performance
Rowing Strokes
Strength Training - Full body workout

Animation Credit: Motion Story / Dribble

Four Phases Of A Rowing Stroke

There are four phases of a rowing stroke: Catch, Drive, Finish, and Recovery. Each phase is unique to your fitness journey and essential to the safe use of a rowing machine.

Catch: This position is sometimes called the “ready or start” position, with the name coming from the point at which on a boat, the blade or the oar would “catch” the water. You are at the front of the machine, ready to drive or produce force from the feet.

The muscles worked during the catch include the triceps, deltoids, trapezius, abdominals, lower back, hamstrings and calves.

Drive: The drive happens in 2 phases. First, extend at the knees to drive the seat back. Keep the arms extended and the back long. In the second part of the drive the legs come to full extension.

The muscles worked during the drive include: Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads, calves and Spinal Erectors.

The Finish: This is where the stroke comes to the end. The upper body leans back slightly and uses the core muscles. Back and biceps are also used.

Recovery: This occurs when you straighten your arms, lean in with your upper body hinging at the hips then bending the legs until the shins are vertical, back is straight and shoulders relaxed