Rowing Machine
Trains the Quads.
- Equipment
- A machine
- Mechanic
- Not recorded
- Force
- Not recorded
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Sit on the rowing machine, strap your feet in with the strap across the ball of the foot, and take the handle with an overhand grip.
- Start at the catch: knees bent, shins vertical, arms straight, torso leaning slightly forward from the hips.
- Drive by pushing the legs first, keeping the arms straight and the back angle the same.
- As the legs finish, swing the torso back to a slight lean and then pull the handle to the lower ribs.
- Recover in reverse order: arms straighten, torso leans forward, then the knees bend to slide back to the catch.
- Keep the chain or strap level and the stroke smooth, with the recovery slower than the drive.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms first. The legs are the engine and the arms finish; a stroke that starts with the elbows is short and tires the arms in a minute.
- Bending the knees before the arms are straight on the recovery. The handle has to pass the knees on its way forward, and knees that come up early are in the way.
- Rounding the lower back at the catch. The forward lean comes from the hips with a flat back; a rounded back at the catch is loaded on every stroke.
- Leaning far back at the finish. A slight lean is the end of the stroke; lying back turns the row into a sit-up and slows the recovery.