No products in the cart.
What are the benefits of a Rowing Machine?
Cardio | August 23, 2022
Rowing machines really are an all-in-one package, offering one of the most efficient uses of your time, ensuring you’re getting the most out of every second of exercise. While at first they may seem like a highly specialist device for serious rowers, many users are surprised by the many benefits that rowing machine exercises can impart to pretty much any type of trainer. They’re suitable to just about every fitness level, and their intensity can easily be modulated to suit the user. Below is a breakdown of the benefits of rowing machines to help you decide whether they’re right for you and how you can get the most out of them.
Muscles Worked
The leg and back muscles are the focus on the drive forward, as they’re engaged to stabilise the body throughout the movement. These include the hamstrings, glutes, calves and spinal erectors. On the pull back, the upper body muscles groups in the arms and torso are activated as you drive against the resistance of the machine. This includes the quads, biceps, forearms and lats. Throughout this, your core is working hard to maintain form, power and stability.
Total Body Workout
Rowing machines are probably the closest a single device can come to providing a full body workout, allowing access to most major muscle groups, and allowing the user to simultaneously improve cardiovascular health while maintaining muscle mass. The compound effect of working both the upper and lower body when utilising proper rowing technique means you expand a greater amount of overall energy in your workout. This makes them extremely effective at increasing intensity, and ensuring you’re always maximising the exertion of each exercise.
Accessible & Low Impact
One of the biggest advantages of rowing machines that will please many users is how easy they are on the joints. Rowing exercises minimise excess muscle tension, and allow you to get all the benefits with the comfort and security of reduced risk of injury. A rowing exercise is a type of horizontal pull exercise, which is commonly considered a safer and more effective alternative to vertical pull exercises such as pull ups. The fact that rowing exercises are seated also adds to their safety, as there is never any risk of falling or a piece of the machinery hitting or dropping on any part of the user’s body. This makes them a great option for users in rehabilitation or more generally recovering from an injury.
Appropriate for All Fitness Levels
The great thing about rowing is that you can really make it your own. Intensity can be adjusted to suit your level, especially when working with a dynamic resistance machine. While rowing technique is very important, it’s not as complicated as it may appear at first. For a more comprehensive breakdown on how to use a rowing machine, click here.
Cardio
Rowing is highly effective at increasing your heart rate and always allowing you to work at your own maximum intensity. This makes them great for improving cardiovascular health, while also maintaining muscle and building strength, giving them an edge over other cardio machines such as treadmills.
Power & Endurance
Probably one of most important advantages of rowing is its focus on power, rather than speed. Power refers to the ability to exert the maximum amount of energy in the shortest period of time. Proper rowing technique will involve constant power to move your body back and forth on the machine.
Space Saving / Portable
All of our rowing machines are easily foldable and can usually be stored upright, meaning they can be easily fitted into just about any home workout space. Rowing machines will also have wheels and are generally lightweight, meaning they can be easily transported or moved about a space with very little effort. They’re a great alternative to a treadmill or cross trainer, which are both machines that usually take up a greater amount of space. This makes a rowing machine an efficient option for those wanting to save on equipment.
Efficient for Reaching Goals
Rowing exercises work multiple training modalities at once, making them an incredibly efficient tool at reaching a number of fitness goals in a short amount of time. Rowing can absolutely be your go-to workout to target a variety of goals, and can be your central fitness tool without really missing out on any fitness areas.
Weight Loss
The compound effect of working both the upper and lower body when utilising proper rowing technique means you expand a greater amount of overall energy in your workout. This makes them extremely effective at increasing intensity, and ensuring you’re always maximising the exertion of each exercise.
This is great news for those looking to lose some weight, as weight loss is all about increasing the energy you exert.
While there are many fantastic tools out there to help with weight loss, such as treadmills or spin bikes, rowing machines will maximise your calorie-burning potential. The great thing about rowing is that you don’t necessarily need to increase speed to see maximum benefits. Rowing is more about the power and force that you can apply. It will be more focused on how hard your muscles are working to keep you moving and in a stable position.
Working the Core
One of the great advantages of rowing exercises is that you’re always working the core on both the drive forward and pull back. Your core and abdominal muscles will receive focused work as they are forced to stabilise your body throughout constant motion.
Conclusion
So is a rowing machine good exercise? Once you’ve nailed your technique and worked rowing into your regular workout, you’ll find that it will be hugely beneficial regardless of your fitness goals. Once relegated to the back of the gym and thought of as a boutique device for only a particular type of trainer, rowing machines are enjoying a surge in popularity as more users discover the benefits and advantages of rowing exercises.
Speak to our friendly staff today and we’ll get you started on your fitness journey.
Latest Posts
Cardio | June 22, 2026
EOFY Home Gym Upgrade Guide: Where to Invest in Treadmills, Bikes & Strength EquipmentThe end of financial year is coming up, which we believe is one of the best times to evaluate your long-term fitness...
Read more
Cardio | June 09, 2026
Low-Impact Cardio Machines for Home: Best Options for Joint-Friendly WorkoutsAre you someone who's avoided running because you're worried about your knees? Maybe you've taken a break from cardi...
Read more
gift | May 05, 2026
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas 2026This year, get your Mum a gift that's functional and life-enhancing. If you've got a Mum who likes early morning jog...
Read more
Training | May 01, 2026
Lifespan Fitness Customer Transformations: Bec ChristensenFor most people, a fitness journey starts with a simple goal. For Bec Christensen, her initial drive to get her fitn...
Read more
Exercise | April 24, 2026
How to Stay Consistent with Home Workouts Over Long Weekends & HolidaysMost people will say that they lose motivation over long weekends, but that's rarely the real issue. What actually d...
Read more
Cardio | April 15, 2026
Treadmill vs Exercise Bike vs Cross Trainer: Which Is Best for Your Home?Treadmills. Exercise Bikes. Cross Trainers. These are the big 3 when it comes to home cardio equipment. While most o...
Read more
Treadmill | April 02, 2026
Scott Clark’s 24-Hour Marathon JourneyOn the morning of 15th March, a battered Scotty Clark was lowered into an ice bath, feeling the cool sting calm his ...
Read more
Training | March 10, 2026
Meet the Man Who’s Running for 24-Hours StraightThis former AFL sports trainer is taking ultra-marathons to another level with his 24-hour treadmill challenge.
Read more
Ice baths | February 20, 2026
A Cold Plunge to HealthIn 2002, British long-distance runner Paula Radcliffe won the 10,000m gold medal at the European Athletics Champions...
Read more
Cardio | February 06, 2026
Effects of Exercise on Mental HealthDid you know that regular physical exercise can actually increase the volume of parts of your brain? Namely, the par...
Read more
Cardio | January 12, 2026
Belt Slipping: Cause and CureBelt slipping is what happens when the belt moves out of sync with the treadmill motor and rollers. This can happen ...
Read more
gift | December 19, 2025
Christmas Gifts for Gym Lovers: The Ultimate Holiday Fitness Gift GuideDo you have someone in your life who's a meal-prepping, gym-obsessed, endorphin-chasing fitness junkie? Then you hav...
Read more
Cardio | December 08, 2025
12 Days of Christmas Fitness: Unwrap Your Best Self with These Holiday WorkoutsThe 12 Days of Christmas Fitness is a simple, engaging way to stay motivated during the holidays. Each day introduce...
Read more
November 06, 2025
Your Questions Answered: Our Most Common Service & Product QueriesEvery day, we hear so many interesting and unexpected questions from customers in-store, online and over the phone. ...
Read more
November 05, 2025
Kettlebells vs Dumbbells - Which is Best for You?They may look the same (and have very similar names), but dumbbells and kettlebells can create very different workou...
Read more
October 20, 2025
The Different Types of Weight Plate (and How to Tell them Apart)If you're at all serious about building a solid home fitness setup, you can't skip on weight plates. They have a spe...
Read more
Exercise | October 02, 2025
Gym Rubber Flooring: How Good Is It for Home GymsTo build the home gym of your dreams, you've got to start from the ground up. Gym flooring often gets overlooked, as...
Read more
Treadmill | September 22, 2025
Lifespan Fitness WalkingPad M2 Featured on SunriseOur WalkingPad M2 treadmill was recently featured on Sunrise, where wellness expert Lizzie Williamson showed just h...
Read more
pilates | September 12, 2025
Lifespan Fitness Contour Pilates Reformers Featured on The BlockWeek 6 of The Block saw police-officer duo Britt & Taz take a bold leap: transforming their rumpus room into a P...
Read more
pilates | September 05, 2025
The Ultimate Guide to Reformer PilatesYou’ve probably heard all the buzz around Reformer Pilates. Post-COVID has seen a huge surge in interest in this near...
Read more
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Join our subscribers list to get the latest news, updates and special offers delivered directly in your inbox.
Connect with us
