How to Increase Leg Power with a Rower

How to Increase Leg Power with a Rower

There are good deals of fitness equipment that you can use to boost your health and fitness.

A rowing machine is a piece of underrated equipment that many forget to add to your workout routine. What we don’t know is how powerful it actually is!

Those who use it regularly will testify that rowing increases leg power and strength.

You are yet to experience how rowing is a complete exercise. Here are some tips from Fitness Expo just for you.

Rowing Machine Benefits You Should Know

You might be wondering about what sets the rowing machine apart from other equipment.

What exactly does it do for your body? Does rowing increase leg power? And why should you add it to your fitness routine?

  1. Rowing Workouts Improve Cardiovascular and Aerobic Conditioning

    The American College of Sports Medicine suggests that adults should be involved in at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every day for five days a week.

    If you are to do vigorous exercise, you can do it three times a week for about 20 to 60 minutes.

    Doing this will help improve your cardio and aerobic health. Doing rowing workouts is a good moderate or vigorous exercise that you can do.

    A benefit of a rowing machine is how it increases your heart rate as you do intensive rowing workouts.

  2. Rowing is a Low Impact Workout

    Weight bearing exercise like running, yoga, or walking can be hard for those who struggle with joint problems.

    Such activities can bring risks for accidents and injuries. A rowing machine is a great alternative for those looking for low impact workouts.

    The movements you do as do rowing workouts are natural and takes out stress from the joints. Just make sure to maintain good rowing posture as you go through rowing forms to lessen potential back pains.

  3. Body Results: Using the Rowing Machine Targets Muscles

    The less known fact about rowing machines is that you use about 84% of the muscles in your body every workout. You cannot achieve that much movement with other workout machines.

    There is no wonder how rowing does wonder for the body. Just look at how fit professionals rowers are!

    What muscles do you use when you go rowing? There are a lot of muscle groups that get a workout whenever you use your rowing machine.

    Different muscle groups are exercised depending on the rowing phase you are doing.

rowing fitness equipment - Fitness Expo

Body of a Rower: Rowing Machine Form

Rowing workouts start with continuous strokes that involve four phases to follow.

As we break down the phases, it will make sense why using the rowing machine targets many muscles. The phases of the rowing stroke are catch, drive, finish, and recovery.

All these forms add to how rowing increases leg power and other areas.

Form #1: The Catch

The catch form starts the rowing stroke with your body leaning forward and with the knees bent. The shins are vertical and the arms are laid straight.

Catch form targets muscles like triceps, deltoid, calves, traps, hamstring, abdominal, and lower back.

Form #2: The Drive

Your leg power powers the drive phase as you push off using your legs. Then, you swing your back through the vertical as you pull with your arms.

Drive form increases leg power by using deltoids, upper back, glutes, traps, hamstring, calves, and quads.

Whole body swing targets the quads, glutes, hamstring, abdominal, forearms, biceps, calves, and middle back.

The arm pulls through and targets your biceps, forearms, traps, lats, and quads.

Form #3: The Finish

In this form, your upper body is slightly leaned back with your legs extended all the way.

The handle should be pulled to your lower chest at this point.

Muscles targeted during the finish form are traps, biceps, deltoids, forearms, lats, quads, and glutes.

Form #4: The Recovery

As the name implies, you go back to the catch form in the recovery part. You extend your arms as you lean your hips forward so you can bend the knees back to the catch form.

During recovery, you engage your traps, hamstring, calves, deltoid, triceps, forearms, and abdominal.

man on rowing machine

What Are the Benefits of Rowing every day?

Harvard Health accounts for how many calories a 30-minute rowing exercise burns.

For a 125-pound person, you can burn a total of 30 minutes from a vigorous workout.

A 155-pound person can burn 316 calories and a 185-pound person can lose 377 calories. Just make sure that you add this to a balanced diet, so you can achieve results!

Rowing is a wonderful exercise that you can use to achieve your fitness goals. A rowing machine of your own can help you enjoy a whole-body workout at the comfort of your home. You are sure to witness just how rowing increases leg power in no time!

Call us now to get more tips about Rowing Machine!


More from Fitness Expo
10 Reasons To Make Rowers Your Next Go-To Fitness Buddy
Essential Points When Considering an Air or WaterRower Rental