Of all the workout equipment available these days that help you shape your body just the way you want, it seems that the rowing machine is the most misunderstood. Is it for your chest? For your arms? Or solely for your stamina? Well, the truth is, all of them.
If you want the short answer, a rowing machine does, in fact, work your legs. But that is not all it works. It is a low-impact full-body workout that impacts your pecs, abdominal muscles, arms, pecs, and other major regions of your body.
In addition, it also works on your endurance and overall stamina. But let’s take things a bit slower. In this article, we will focus on whether a rowing machine works your legs and exactly how much it can help in toning the lower part of your body.
Does A Rowing Machine Work Your Legs?
Since a rowing machine offers a full-body workout, it obviously also involves your legs. However, you need to understand the exact moment when it uses your leg muscles and impacts them.
Typically, a rowing machine workout has three steps: the catch, the drive, and the finish.
- The catch is what you would call the beginning of the stroke. This step involves you sitting upright and holding on to the handle with your knees bent. At this step, your legs are not involved at all.
- The drive is when your legs come into play. This is when you pull on the handle or the rower with full force. During this step, you want to start the pull from your legs rather than your arms. In fact, this is one of the most common mistakes that beginners make.
- As the name implies, the finish is the last step of the stroke. At this step, you have the rower pulled towards you with your legs straight and your wrists near to your chests.
As you can see, a rowing machine does indeed work your legs at the drive part of the rowing sequence.
Does A Rowing Machine Work Your Inner Thighs?
Typically, the answer would be no. However, the rowing machine is such a versatile piece of equipment that you can do many different exercises on it. If you are planning to work on your inner thigh, try making lateral lunges on the machine. Here are the steps to this workout:
- Start off by standing behind your erg machine. You want to stand parallel to the machine with the seat directly beside you.
- Place one foot on the seat of the rower while the other one remains planted on the ground.
- While standing still with your torso upright, slide the seat of the rower with your feet. Make sure your other feet on the ground remain stable.
- After sliding out, slide the seat back in with your leg. You want to maintain your stable posture.
That is all there is to it. This simple workout works your inner thigh muscles quite effectively.
Are Rowing Machines Good For Legs?
Yes, a rowing machine is an extremely helpful tool to work your legs. Even if you do not do other non-rowing exercises, it can keep the muscular system in your legs strong and sturdy. Regularly rowing on a rowing machine can help prevent any leg injury by strengthening your muscles.
Does Rowing Tone Legs?
To some degree, yes. But remember, rowing does not solely focus on your legs. It also works other parts of your body and accelerates muscle growth and endurance in unison. If you want a toned leg, then you need to take part in other forms of exercises like running or lunges.
Do Rowing Machines Make Your Legs Bigger?
You may have noticed that Olympic rowers have large and muscular thighs, so it is a question that comes quite naturally. However, a rowing machine is not the only equipment responsible for making their legs bigger.
Olympic rowers take part in other training and exercises to achieve that bulky thighs and legs. With frequent rowing, you will see your legs take a toned shape rather than a bulky one. So, if you want to avoid having a bigger leg, it should never be an issue when working out on a rowing machine.
And if you do want a bigger leg, there are many non-rowing exercises that focus solely on your legs that you can do with your machine. They can be extremely helpful at getting your legs in the perfect shape that you want.
Should My Legs Hurt After Rowing?
Most new rowers will find that after an intense workout session on their rowing machine, their legs start to hurt. That is entirely normal, and unless you cannot feel your legs at all, it is nothing to worry about.
At the drive phase of rowing, most of the force comes from your legs. So naturally, after a rowing session, your legs should ache more than your arms. If it does not, there might be something wrong with your technique.
However, if the pain is too intense, you should not overexert yourself. Take a break and see if the aching stops. If it does, you can start again. On the other hand, if the pain persists, consult a physician or personal trainer.
Final Thoughts
A rowing machine is a useful tool not only for athletes but also for people who are planning to get into a toned shape. It improves your endurance and can help you release the stress of the day in a productive way. As a bonus, it will help you get closer to the body shape you desire. We hope our article could answer the question of whether a rowing machine works your legs. With that said, we wish you a productive workout session with your rowing machine. Good luck.
