Rowing Machines vs Leg Press

Choose a rowing machine for stamina and heart and lung fitness, and a leg press for leg strength and size. They are not really rivals: the leg press loads your legs heavily for a few reps, and the rowing machine loads them lightly for hundreds of strokes.

If you can only do one and you want general fitness, row. If you already do plenty of cardio and your legs are the weak link, press.

The numbers that separate them

A typical session on each shows how different the work is.

	Rowing machine	Leg press
Main aim	Stamina and heart and lung fitness	Leg strength and size
Typical session	20 to 60 minutes, or intervals	3 to 4 sets of 6 to 15 reps
Leg movements	About 600 in 30 minutes at rate 20	36 in 3 sets of 12
Load per rep	Light to moderate	Heavy and adjustable
Muscles	Legs, back, core, arms	Quads, with glutes and hamstrings
Back	Works hard, so technique matters	Supported by the pad
Heart rate	Stays high	Rises in each set, then settles
Where	Home or gym	Mostly gyms

That sum, 600 leg movements against 36, is the whole comparison. Muscles get stronger when the load is high enough to challenge them. They build endurance when moderate work is repeated for a long time.

What the leg press does better

The leg press isolates the legs. Your back rests on a pad, so your trunk is not the limit and you can load the quads and glutes well beyond what a single rowing stroke asks. Adding weight in small steps gives you a simple way to measure strength. Most guides treat the quads as the main target, with the glutes and hamstrings helping.

It also has limits. It trains nothing above the hips, it does little for your aerobic fitness, and home versions take up a lot of room. For the upper-body side of the same question, see rowing machines vs cable row machines.

What the rowing machine does better

The rower trains your legs as the start of a chain: legs, then trunk, then arms. That order is a skill the leg press cannot teach. It works the upper back and core as well, and it counts towards your weekly cardio. The NHS suggests at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and 5 rows of 30 minutes gets you there. If you are choosing between gym cardio machines, rowing machines vs elliptical trainers compares muscles, calories and space.

The same NHS guidance asks for strength work on at least 2 days a week, and that is where a leg press earns its place. Our guide to the best rowing machine can help if you want to train at home. If you use a gym or studio instead, our rowing machine vs VersaClimber comparison looks at another full-body option.

Which should you use

Your situation	Choose
New to exercise, want to get fitter	Rowing machine
Want bigger, stronger legs	Leg press, or squats if you can
Training for a 2k or a long row	Rowing machine first, leg press as support
Rower whose legs give out before their lungs	Keep rowing, add leg press twice a week
No gym access	Rowing machine, plus bodyweight squats

For rowers, our guide on how to build strength in your legs for rowing explains which exercises carry over best.

How to use each safely

On the leg press:

1. Place your feet flat on the platform, about shoulder-width apart.
2. Lower until your knees are at around 90 degrees, as a common target. Go less deep if your hips or knees say so.
3. Stop before your lower back or hips lift off the pad. That is the point where the lumbar spine starts to round.
4. Press back up without locking your knees hard, which moves the load from the muscle to the joint.
5. Lower the weight slowly. Do not bounce at the bottom.

On the rower, keep the back neutral, start the drive with the legs and finish with the arms. If you have knee, hip or back problems, our page on rowing with bad knees covers the set-up changes worth discussing with a physio.

A sample leg-and-row session

This example is for someone who already trains and has no medical concern. Allow around 45 minutes.

Block	Work	Rest
Warm-up	5 minutes of easy rowing
Leg press	3 sets of 10 to 12 at a weight that leaves 2 reps in reserve	90 seconds
Rowing	4 x 4 minutes at a steady-firm pace	2 minutes easy
Cool-down	5 minutes of easy rowing, then gentle stretching

If your legs feel heavy after the press, hold the rowing steadier and think about technique. If your main aim is the rowing, row first and press afterwards.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake	Fix
Using leg press sessions instead of cardio	Keep at least 2 rows or other cardio sessions a week
Rowing flat out on tired legs	Drop to a steady pace or row on a different day
Loading so much that the range shrinks to a few inches	Take weight off until you can reach your normal depth
Forgetting the upper back	Add a pulling exercise, as the press works none of it
Adding weight every session	Add it only when you hit the top of your rep range on all sets

Our strength training for rowing guide shows how to plan this across a week, including how many sessions to do when you are also rowing hard.