The rowing machine is particularly efficient for warming up before intense strength training, a comprehensive stand-alone workout or realistic rowing training during the winter months. As with rowing on the water itself, you work all the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. The workout on the rowing machine can be very sweaty. With regular training you will therefore see results quickly.

When rowing, the following main muscle groups are trained:

• Shoulder muscles
• back muscles (torso)
• arm muscles (biceps, triceps, finger muscles)
• abdominal muscles (upper, lateral and lower abdominal muscles, chest muscles)
• Gluteal muscles
• leg muscles (thigh, knee, lower leg, calf and foot muscles)

During the workout you strengthen especially the big back muscle (latissimus), the trapezius muscle and the lower back area. The thighs and calves are also heavily stressed during rowing due to the push-off with the legs.

In terms of how it works, a rowing ergometer is similar to a bicycle ergometer. By pulling on the rowing bar, you pull on a resistance system, comparable to pedalling on an exercise bike. The pull rope gives you the full physiological range that you would have if you were rowing on the lake.

Many fitness enthusiasts tend to set the resistance on the rowing machine straight to the highest setting. This is not a good idea, as setting the resistance too high can lead to unhealthy strains and also makes the execution of the workout worse. To prevent rapid wear and tear on the elbows, shoulders and lumbar spine, we recommend choosing a resistance in the lower or medium range on the machine. For effective endurance training (i.e. for longer periods between 10 and 90 minutes), low resistance levels are perfectly adequate. For sprints (i.e. short bursts of up to 2,000 metres), you can set a higher resistance level on the fitness machine than for continuous exercise. Keep in mind, however, that as fatigue sets in, it becomes increasingly difficult to fight against the high resistance. In general, you should only consider increasing the resistance on the rowing machine as your personal strength increases.

Beginners often extend their elbows outward while rowing and pull their shoulders up. This causes the body to tense up quickly. The correct way is to put your elbows in and bring your shoulder blades together behind your back with the pulling motion.

Falling into a slight hunchback is another common rowing ergometer mistake and causes back pain. As a beginner, you should make a conscious effort to keep your upper body straight. In order to be able to internalise the technique well, it helps to train with low resistances at first and to increase gradually later.

You should also avoid powerful snatches and sudden releases. Instead, perform the movements fluidly and move the rowing bar powerfully towards the body and back again without letting go completely.

These are the criteria you should consider when buying a rowing machine:

• Volume: rowing ergometers with air resistance braking systems can get a little noisy at high intensity. Quieter and also suitable for rented apartments are machines with water resistance or magnetic resistance braking systems.
• Your height: Especially if you are over 1.85 metres tall, you should pay attention to the maximum user height specified by the manufacturer for the rowing ergometer. This will prevent you from buying a device that does not allow you to fully perform the motion sequence.
• Training computer: Before buying a rowing machine, check which values the fitness machine measures during training and shows on the display. Most machines now record the following as standard: Time, distance, calories, total time of rowing strokes, rowing strokes per minute. Pulse measurement is another useful feature for targeted training of endurance, the cardiovascular system or fat burning. Many devices also offer various training programs, which can significantly increase motivation when training.
• Online mode: If you like to compete against other rowers, rowing machines with online mode are perfect for you. Features and benefits include competitions against others, rowing in a team, live overviews with many training statistics or additional training modes.
• Space requirements and storage: To make sure that your chosen rowing machine has enough space at home, you should take a close look at the dimensions in training and storage condition. Some rowing machines are up to 2.5 meters long and will not fit in every room. Many training machines can be folded up after the fitness workout and stored to save space.
• Comfort and ergonomics: Is the seat comfortable? Can the footrests be adjusted? Are the operating instructions easy to understand? You should also consider these criteria when buying a rowing machine for home use.

If you want to follow your increasing fitness directly on the screen while rowing, you can mount the appropriate holder for laptop, tablet or smartphone on your rowing machine. Other usefulaccessories for rowing machines are, for example, care sets, chlorine tablets (to keep the water in the tank clean), floor protection mats, seat cushions and pulse receivers to transmit the heart rate.