
Rowing is a great way to get a full-body workout, targeting 85% of your body's muscles. It's a fantastic way to build muscle mass and increase your body strength. The major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core must all activate during the rowing stroke. The catch, drive, finish and recovery phases of the stroke all work different muscle groups, with the catch being the most important step.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscles worked | Back, arms, legs, core, calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, latissimus dorsi |
| Percentage of movement | 60% legs, 20% arms, 20% distributed across the rest of the body |
| Type of workout | Full-body |
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Rowing is a full-body workout
The major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core must all activate during each stroke. Rowing provides your upper and lower back, as well as your shoulder muscles, with an effective workout. The sliding seat of a rowing machine also provides a workout for your lower body, including your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
The correct sequence of movement is for your legs to drive first, then your body hinges back, and finally, your arms pull into position. The "catch" is the beginning of your stroke and is widely considered the most important step during rowing. During the catch, your core muscles are working hard. The "drive" is the part of the workout that mimics pulling the oars out of the water and propelling the boat forward. The "recovery" phase is a sequence of movements that are the reverse of the drive: your arms first, then your body, and then your legs.
Rowing is a low-impact exercise, which means you can work at a high intensity without as much wear and tear on your joints. This makes it a great option for those looking to improve their lower-body conditioning and build muscle mass without the risk of injury.
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The catch
Rowing is a full-body workout that targets 85% of your body's muscles. The catch is the most important step in rowing. It is when the oar blade is placed into the water, and it works the major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core. The correct sequence of movement is for your legs to drive first, then your body hinges back, and finally, your arms pull into position. This means that the muscles worked during the catch include the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, and latissimus dorsi.
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The drive
Rowing is considered a full-body workout, targeting 85% of the body's muscles. The drive is the part of the rowing movement that mimics pulling the oars out of the water and propelling the boat forward. During the drive, the legs drive first, then the body hinges back, and finally the arms pull into position. The major muscles in the legs, arms, back, and core are all activated during the drive. This includes the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, and latissimus dorsi. The drive is considered just as important as the recovery phase, which is a sequence of movements that are the reverse of the drive.
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The finish
Rowing is a full-body workout, targeting 85% of your body's muscles. The major muscles in your legs, arms, back and core must all activate. Rowing is particularly good for your back muscles, but your arms, legs and core also get a workout.
The recovery phase is the reverse of the drive phase: your arms first, then your body, and then your legs.
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The recovery
Rowing is a full-body workout, targeting 85% of your body's muscles. The major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core must all activate, providing a total body workout that will increase your body strength as well as your cardiovascular capacity.
By focusing on the recovery phase, you can improve your rowing technique and increase the effectiveness of your workout. It is important to pay attention to the timing and coordination of your movements during the recovery phase to ensure a smooth and efficient stroke.
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Frequently asked questions
Rowing is a full-body workout, targeting 85% of your body's muscles. The major muscles in your legs, arms, back, and core must all activate.
Rowing focuses primarily on the back muscles, but you’ll also notice the arms, legs, and core activate as well.
The "catch" is when the oar blade is placed into the water. The "drive" is when the oars are pulled out of the water and the boat is propelled forward. The "finish" and "recovery" are the reverse of the drive.
During the "catch", the muscles worked include the back, arms, legs, and core. During the "drive", the legs drive first, then the body hinges back, and finally, the arms pull into position.











































