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Common misconceptions about rowing

This is an excerpt from Indoor Rowing by Caley Crawford & Michelle Parolini.

There are a lot of misconceptions about rowing. Here we discuss the most prominent misconceptions and briefly explain why they are, in fact, misconceptions. It’s important to understand what rowing is and is not, and why it’s such a great exercise option.

Misconception 1: Rowing is mainly an arm workout.

Rowing is a full-body exercise that engages multiple muscle groups and is mostly a leg-driven sport! During the stroke, your legs drive first, taking the brunt of the work. As you extend through your legs, your core muscles stabilize your body and help maintain proper posture. This transfers the force from the legs to the arms, and the arms finish the stroke. Using the larger muscles of the legs not only allows you to access more power on each stroke but also allows you to expend more energy and burn more calories. While rowing primarily targets your legs and core, you also get a great arm workout. Just remember that the stroke is 60% legs, 30% core, and only 10% arms!

Misconception 2: Indoor rowing is too hard or too easy.

Whether rowing is considered too hard or too easy depends on various factors, including an individual’s fitness level, technique, and experience. When done with proper technique, rowing can be a demanding cardiorespiratory exercise that engages multiple muscle groups. To get the most out of the workout, you must understand ratio and timing, as well as have a heightened level of body awareness to engage the right muscles at the right time.

The beauty of the rowing machine is that it is effort based. To make it hard, you must push hard! To make it easier, just push a little less. This makes it a great modality for all fitness levels. As you get stronger and more in tune with your technique, the machine and your workout grow with you, allowing you to increase your level of challenge.

Misconception 3: To go further, I must row faster.

In rowing, stroke rate refers to the number of strokes or rowing movements you take per minute. While stroke rate is an important factor in rowing, simply increasing your stroke rate alone may not necessarily make you go faster. There are several factors to consider when optimizing your rowing speed and efficiency. Finding a connection to the machine allows for the most efficient use of the machine to “go further” on each stroke.

Stroke rate, how quickly you move up and down the slide, affects the rhythm and pace of your rowing, and finding the right balance is crucial. A higher stroke rate generally allows you to take more strokes per minute, which may result in a lower split and more meters. However, if you increase your stroke rate without maintaining proper technique and power, it may lead to a less effective stroke and decreased efficiency.

Misconception 4: Rowing is bad for my back.

Concerns about rowing causing back injuries are common. However, when performed with proper technique and form, rowing is a low-impact exercise that can strengthen the back and improve posture. It is important to maintain good posture and engage the core muscles to support the back during the rowing motion. Immobility in the hips or inflexible hamstrings or glutes can cause lower back pain. Rowing takes your body through a full range of motion, from triple flexion to triple extension, working your hip mobility and stretching and strengthening your hamstrings and glutes with each stroke.

Misconception 5: A high damper setting will give you the best workout.

People often confuse damper setting with resistance or intensity. The damper setting is not a unit of measurement. It’s merely a control that will let more or less air into the flywheel. The only true measure of intensity is the drag factor, which uses the deceleration of the fan to determine how much work the rower is doing.

When completing a workout, it’s best to choose the drag factor that is suited for the goal of the workout. Longer distances might choose a lower drag factor (or a lower damper setting), while shorter sprint distances might adjust to a higher drag. It’s important to know that the best rowers in the world don’t row with their damper set at 10. It’s all about learning how to generate the intensity yourself, not relying on the machine to do it for you; that’s when the real work happens!

It is important to dispel misconceptions because they stand in the way of learning something new! Although the sport of rowing has been around for decades, rowing as a fitness modality is new and fresh. It’s time to move beyond what we think we know into a place of growth!

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