We all know diet, exercise, and sleep are the keys to better fitness. However, there are a lot of variables involved when it comes to this fitness formula. One is the form of exercise you choose. Water-based workouts like swimming and floating are popular choices among people who want to improve their overall fitness.
Rowing is another great option for those who enjoy water-based exercise. For those without access to large bodies of water, rowing machines are perfect for at-home or in-gym workouts. In addition to its flexibility, here are seven more reasons why you should add rowing to your fitness routine.
1. It provides full-body strength training
One physiology expert interviewed by the Cleveland Clinic explained that rowing involves several muscle groups: the arms as they contract the oars (or the pulley if using an indoor rowing machine), the legs as they push your body back in the seat, the core muscles as they keep your body erect, and the upper back muscles as they maintain your posture. Altogether, this makes for a great total body workout. Plus, if you’re exercising on the water, you use additional muscles to maintain your balance in the boat.
2. It improves cardiovascular health
A study published by the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine indicated that after six weeks of rowing five days a week, which included a 10-minute warmup followed by 20 minutes of rowing and another 10 minutes of cool-down, participants decreased their LDL cholesterol levels significantly. This occurred even though the participants changed nothing else about their daily routines, including what or how much they ate. This means that rowing can be beneficial even if you are unable to change your diet.
3. It reduces body fat
The same Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine study showed that rowing resulted in measurable decreases in body fat. As a result of rowing, the participants in the study reduced their fat mass and body fat percentages significantly. This is particularly meaningful given that about half of those who participated were considered obese at the start of the study. Obesity is known to cause potentially serious limitations to both the quality and length of life, so rowing can be a way to help manage body fat.
4. It’s great for burning calories
Harvard Medical School reported that moderately strenuous rowing can burn anywhere from 210 to 294 calories over 30 minutes, depending on your weight. If you increase the rowing intensity to vigorous, you can increase the calories burned to between 255 and 440 over 30 minutes, again depending on your weight. Among the forms of exercise studied, rowing was at the top of the list in terms of the highest number of calories burned.
5. It’s easy on your joints.
Other common workout options, like running, hiking, or walking, require you to put weight on your lower-body joints. However, because you row in a seated position, rowing doesn’t require your legs to bear your body weight. As a result, rowing has a lower impact on your leg joints than other activities. In fact, one research study found in the National Library of Medicine showed that every joint used in rowing improved by over 30 percent.
6. It helps strengthen your bones
Low bone density can result in fractures, so improving bone density is an important tool for reducing this risk. Researchers at the University of Washington found that bone density measurements were highest among rowers as compared to runners, swimmers, or people doing no exercise. Therefore, we can reasonably say that rowing can not only improve your fitness but can also contribute to overall health safety by strengthening your bones.
7. It’s good for your mental health
As one certified rowing instructor explained in an interview with Live Science, the rhythmic properties of rowing can be relaxing. Plus, those who choose to row on the water can benefit their mental health even more. A study published in the journal Health & Place showed that those who simply look at water experience lower stress levels than others. By not only looking at but also being on the water, those rowing boats are likely to reap the benefit of even lower stress levels.