Is rowing cardio? The question is important, because cardiovascular activity is one of the main things we are encouraged to do to stay fit. In the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (opens in a new tab), the US Department of Health and Human Services tells us that we should get between 150 minutes and 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, or between 75 and 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity. It’s fine to do a combination of both, but spread these activities out over the week if possible.
This advice doesn’t change much as we age. Seniors are encouraged to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (or as much as their abilities and physical condition allow), so even if you’re older, you should look for ways to incorporate cardio into your life.
So is rowing cardio? We will be seeing if the best rowing machine is a good way to satisfy these requirements, what kind of training can you do on a rowing machine and if you can use it to get fit and strong.
Rowing is cardio: what kind of exercise is rowing?
According to Cassi Niemann, chief rowing instructor for UCanRow2 (opens in a new tab)Rowing is certainly a form of cardio. “Paddling fits this definition well,” she says. “It can definitely be described as a cardio workout. It uses almost every muscle in your body and it’s a repetitive order of operations, continuously performed the same way every time.”
Sure enough, not long after you start taking your first strokes on the rowing machine (or in a boat), you’ll notice your heart beating faster, a sure sign that your cardiovascular system is kicking into gear. action.
Research seems to back up what we see in practice. A study of physical fitness in breast cancer survivors published in 2020 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (opens in a new tab) examined changes in fitness in 30 women who participated in a 12-week rowing training program (exercising three times a week for 60 to 90 minutes each time).
They found that in addition to other benefits, there was a significant improvement in the efficiency of the participants’ cardiovascular system.
One of the benefits of rowing is how flexible it is, and depending on the type of exercise you choose, you may find that you’re doing either an aerobic exercise (which increases blood flow and gets oxygenated blood circulating throughout your body) or a anaerobic exercise. (a more intense workout where your body produces energy in the absence of oxygen). You can even get both.
Niemann explains: “The longer, less strenuous effort is a more aerobic exercise. Alternatively, shorter durations at a higher intensity would start to go into the anaerobic system. So with a rowing machine, you can actually use both systems.” modifying your time on the machine and the intensity that is applied.
You may even find that you get both aerobic and anaerobic effects in a single workout, Niemann adds. “These systems aren’t necessarily binary as they just turn on or off. They work simultaneously and oftentimes when paddling you’ll find you can get a little bit of both. Which is great, because there are benefits to both and they give as different adaptations result”.
Rowing is cardio: how does rowing affect the body?
Rowing is sometimes thought to be all about your arms, but it’s actually a full-body exercise, targeting 86% of your muscles, including the largest muscles in your body. You’ll work your quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings, as well as your back, arms, and core. Oh, and don’t forget your heart, another muscle that gets a great workout on rowing.
As Niemann explains: “Rowing is an especially optimal tool for conditioning, as it uses a large amount of muscle mass in a coordinated system. This allows us to get a great response in our cardiovascular system, but it also has an extremely low impact” . in our joints and skeletal system.
If it all sounds a bit daunting, for example if you’re improving your fitness, don’t be put off by the number of muscles involved. “Both the rowing machine and rowing stroke are adjustable and scalable to all experience and skill levels, making them accessible to anyone, at any point in their training,” says Niemann. “Even if one starts with a limited range of motion, continuous effort and movement during exercise, with proper training and programming, there should be an increase in both flexibility and intensity.”
Rowing is cardio: can you use rowing to build strength?
Although rowing is generally considered primarily a cardiovascular exercise, people are often surprised to learn that it can also be used to build strength.
The reason, Niemann explains, is that it is primarily a leg-powered activity rather than an arm exercise, so we use the largest and strongest parts of our bodies while rowing.
“Through this full-body movement of pushing the legs down, opening the body, and finally pulling the arms in, we can finally start to increase our ability to produce force on an external object,” she says. “And this is the definition of strength. So ultimately what most people think of as simply a conditioning activity is also a strengthening movement pattern.”
However, that doesn’t mean that rowing is a substitute for something like weightlifting. As Niemann says, “There is a limit to strength gains on the rowing machine. It is always done with submaximal effort as there is no greater resistance than your ability to produce more force.”
If strength gains are your priority, Niemann advises a weight training program in addition to rowing. “Follow a program that has you pushing, pulling, twisting, squatting and lifting. Increase the weight as you go, forcing an adaptation to your system and avoiding staying at the same light weight forever and just increasing reps. This work is best done OFF the rowing machine, but it’s a wonderful adjunct to exercise and by doing both, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.”
