How To Get Maximum Benefit By Using Row Machines?

In the modern era, people have become more aware of the importance of staying healthy and focus on their fitness. Most opt to lead a healthy lifestyle and are in search of the best exercise routines so that they can avoid going to the gym in their busy schedule.

Rowing machines have a wide range of benefits and are extremely useful to have at home. The best rowing machines help in strengthening and toning the body muscles as they use upto 86% of the muscles. They even have a positive impact on the condition of the hearts and the lungs.

According to reports published by Harvard Health, a person weighing 125 pounds can lose 225 calories inside 30 minutes while one weighing 155 pounds can lose 316 calories at the same time through a workout with rowing machines. Thus exercising regularly, along with a balanced and healthy diet can work wonders regarding maintaining the body shape.

Irrespective of age, rowing machines offer all the benefits of aerobic exercises by working for the various muscle groups in the body. Rowing machines give a welcome respite from mindless running on treadmills, but they are not as simple to use as they look. One needs to know the proper forms in order to reduce the risks of obtaining injuries and reap maximum benefits.

Those who are new to rowing machines need to understand the techniques, learn the right positions and change the speed.

Drive Phase

Pulling back the rower is popularly known as a driver. This phase consists of three stages where the power gets transmitted from the lower part to the upper part of the body. The three steps are:

• One has to sit with an upright posture on the rowing machine with their knees bent, shins vertical and arms ahead, grabbing the handlebar.
• Then one has to extend their legs without locking their knees and keeping their arms and back upright.

After the legs have become straight, the torso must be bent about 45 degrees. The elbows must be angled so that the handlebar can be brought to the base of the sternum.

Recovery phase

Following the completion of the drive phase, the recovery phase begins, which follows oppositely. First one needs to move the arms, followed by the torso and then the legs. It is carried out through the following stages:

• The arms are required to be stretched to reach the front of the machine.
• Once the arms are straight, the torso must follow in order to keep the body upright.
• Next, the knees should be bent, and one must return to their initial catch position.

For beginners, it is important to reduce the risks of injuries. They should begin their workout in a steady-state where one can work out with their maximum effort for a fixed time period. Gradually they can master the perfect rowing technique and construct a solid foundation for themselves. They can then opt for working out in intervals where one can opt for the maximum effort at certain intervals and active rest in others.

Avoiding mistakes:

All rowers, irrespective of their experience tend to commit a few mistakes, which must be avoided.

• Sooner pulling out: One must not yank back on the handlebar before they have fully extended their legs as it could result in significant loss of power and unnecessary tension in the upper part of the body. Thus one needs to ensure that they have extended their legs and hips entirely before pulling the handle to the chest. The idea must be to perform the majority of the work through the legs and hips.
• Hunching the back: If one hunches their back, they must have failed to engage the core of their body. This leads to a reduction in stability and power and boosts the risks of suffering an injury. This can be rectified by maintaining a stable position throughout the workout and engaging the core of the body.
• Rushing slide: This is a common mistake where one tends to pull themselves back to their starting position quicker. This disturbs the entire sequence of events, causing a lesser efficiency in their exercise and increasing the chances of an injury. One can rectify these by practising without locking the feet in stirrups or by letting the knees come back more naturally.

Conclusion

The best rowing machines offer the benefits of working out in a gym at their own house. They have their wide share of services, which help in boosting the strength of the muscles and the condition of vital organs like the heart and lungs.