About Rowing Machines

Since 1980, rowing machines have been excellent tools for both exercise and training purposes. The machines, as their names suggest, are designed to simulate rowing in water. The use of indoor rowing machines has become a sport in itself, but home-based rowing machines also offer anyone an easy way to get a full-body workout. Design Rowing machines are typically designed, with a flywheel-and-chain mechanism attached to handles. A user pushes back using pedals on the machine, then pivots and pulls a handle, causing the flywheel to spin. A breaking system creates resistance, simulating the feel of pushing an oar through water. Rowers can, depending on the machine, move back and forth or stay stationary during the process.

Exercise Benefits
Rowing machines offer a full-body cardiovascular workout. Sessions, usually 20 to 40 minutes, work many muscle groups anaerobically and can be high-calorie-burning. Proper technique is important, though, to avoid pulls or lower back injuries. Users must align breathing with the motion of the body, apply the most force with their legs, and keep the upper body from straying too far over the lower body.

In Sports
There are a number of rowing competitions throughout the world; two of the biggest are the CRASH-B Sprints world championships in Boston, Mass., and the British Indoor Rowing Championships in Birmingham, England. Competitions usually center on a 2,000-meter race. As of last year, the world records for the 2,000-meter were 5:36:6 for men and 6:28:4 for women.