How to Use a Rowing Machine

To use a rowing machine, strap your feet in, set the damper to 3 to 5 on an air rower, and repeat one sequence: legs, body, arms on the way back, then arms, body, legs on the way forward. Row at a rate of 18 to 22 strokes a minute at first, with a pace at which you can still talk.

If you have a medical condition or injury, check with a GP or physio first.

Know the parts

Whatever the type, you’ll find the same parts: a sliding seat on a rail, footplates with straps, a handle on a chain or strap, a resistance unit (air fan, water tank, magnets or a piston) and a monitor. Check that the seat slides smoothly, the straps are intact and the handle moves freely. Our guide to how rowing machines work explains the resistance types.

Set up in four steps

1. Strap your feet in. The strap goes across the widest part of the foot. Set the footplate height so that your heels can lift slightly at the catch.
2. Set the resistance. On an air rower, Concept2 suggests starting at 3 to 5. Higher isn’t automatically better, because the damper changes the feel, much like gears on a bike. See drag factor explained.
3. Hold the handle with a relaxed overhand grip and flat wrists.
4. Sit tall with a neutral back, not slumped or arched.

The stroke

Phase	Legs	Body	Arms
Catch	Bent, shins near vertical, not past it	Leaning slightly forward from the hips	Straight, shoulders relaxed
Drive	Push first	Swings back through vertical	Pull last
Finish	Flat	Leaning back a touch, supported by the core	Handle lightly below the ribs, wrists flat
Recovery	Bend last, once hands clear the knees	Tips forward second	Extend first

Your hands travel in a straight line to and from the flywheel. Most of the power comes from the legs, with the trunk and arms adding to it. If your arms bend at the start of the drive, you are pulling too early.

Take about twice as long on the recovery as on the drive. At 20 strokes a minute, each stroke lasts 3 seconds, so that’s roughly 1 second to drive and 2 to return. Practise with a metronome set to 60 beats a minute: drive on one beat, recover for two.

How to read the monitor

Pace is shown as a split, the time for 500 m. Stroke rate is strokes per minute. For general fitness, 18 to 24 is a common range.

Splits make easy sums. Twenty minutes at a 2:30 split covers 4,000 m, because 20 minutes is 1,200 seconds and 1,200 / 150 = 8 lots of 500 m. Read the stroke rate guide to go further.

If you wear a heart rate strap, you can keep easy sessions easy. The “220 minus age” estimate of maximum heart rate can be well out for an individual, so use how you feel as a check. For easy cardio, aim for 3 to 5 out of 10, where you can speak in short sentences.

Common faults and fixes

Fault	How you’d know	Fix
Pulling with the arms first	Elbows bend as the legs start	Row with legs only for 10 strokes, arms straight
Rounding the lower back	Slumped at the catch	Sit tall and pivot from the hips
Rushing the slide	Seat shoots forward, rate jumps	Count 1 on the drive, 1-2 on the recovery
Hips before shoulders	Seat moves, handle doesn’t	Push with the back firm and arms long
Gripping too hard	Sore forearms, blisters	Hook your fingers and relax the thumbs
Leaning too far back	Stomach strains at the finish	Stop at a slight lean, supported by the core
Damper too high	Slow, heavy, grinding strokes	Drop to 3 to 5

Our common technique faults guide goes deeper.

Breathing

A simple pattern is out on the drive and in on the recovery. At harder efforts you’ll breathe more often, so don’t force it. Proper breathing on a rowing machine sets out the options.

Your first 4 weeks

Warm up with 5 easy minutes in the first part of each session, and stop if you feel pain.

Week	Sessions	Length	Focus
1	2	10 to 15 minutes	Easy, order of movement. Pause for 1 minute every 5 minutes if needed
2	3	15 to 20 minutes	Easy, rate around 20
3	3	20 minutes	One session with 1-minute firm intervals
4	3	20 to 25 minutes	Steady pace, one session with 6 x 1 minute firm, 1 minute easy

Leave a rest day between sessions at first. After that, add a couple of minutes a week, and raise your effort only when the movement feels natural. For a day-by-day version, follow your first month on the erg.