3 Key Reasons Why a Rowing Machine is Good for Abs

3 Key Reasons Why a Rowing Machine is Good for Abs
While it's a well-known fact that rowing is one of the best forms of cardio, what many people don’t realize is that a rowing machine can also help you chisel great-looking abdominals. This article will tell you exactly how rowing helps you uncover your long-hidden 4 pack abs and then turn them into a 6-pack, if not even a full 8-pack. So let's get rowing!

Reason #1: Rowing Machine is one of the best forms of cardio

Rowing simultaneously engages your upper and lower body, which means it is an absolute caloric furnace. Simply because you will have to use your legs to drive and your whole back and biceps to pull, you will burn calories and tone upper and lower body muscles.

It is a well-known fact that to uncover your abdominal muscles, you need to trim the fat covering and hiding them. The only way to get rid of fat is to enter a caloric deficit, which means eating less and burning more calories than your body requires.

Because rowing burns up to 600 calories per hour, depending on your weight, it is an excellent supplement to a healthy diet and will help you reach your goals faster.

Activity, Exercise or Sport (1 hour) 130 lb 155 lb 180 lb 205 lb
Stationary cycling, very light 177 211 245 279
Stationary cycling, light 325 387 449 512
Stationary cycling, moderate 413 493 572 651
Stationary cycling, vigorous 620 739 858 977
Stationary cycling, very vigorous 738 880 1022 1163
Rowing machine, light 207 246 286 326
Rowing machine, moderate 413 493 572 651
Rowing machine, vigorous 502 598 695 791
Rowing machine, very vigorous 708 844 981 1117

Reason #2: Rowing trains abs directly

Because rowing requires you to move your upper and lower body in synergy, it engages your core muscles  to stabilize your movement. Plus, because you are reaching forward to retract the handle on a magnetic rowing machine and then extending fully backward under load to complete the row, you are essentially doing a mini weighted crunch with every row.

This makes rowing one of the best forms of cardio that indirectly trains the abs. Indoor cycling, for example, requires you only to move your legs while your upper body remains still. This not only limits core activation but also ignores your upper body muscles.

Rowing, on the other hand, strengthens the essential muscles of your back, improving your posture, and ensuring you look even better as you lose weight.

Does a rowing machine work your abs? 

Reason #3: Rowing Machine is intense, but low-impact cardio

Because rowing is low-impact and doesn't stress joints, it is an excellent choice for practically anyone. This means you can enjoy rowing even if you have injuries or other chronic issues with your joints or bones.

Many people who suffer from sports injuries or have bad joints due to age, weight, or other reasons, tend to find activities such as running problematic. And the only way to get rid of belly fat and uncover abdominal muscles is through regular exercise and a controlled diet. If you can't exercise regularly because the activity causes pain, it's not a good choice for you, no matter how many calories it burns per hour.

For that reason, a magnetic row machine is one of the best ways to exercise if you suffer from joint issues. You will hardly find another form of cardio that simultaneously burns this amount of calories, improves your posture, strengthens abs, and all that without causing joint pain.

Bottom line

As you can see, getting the best magnetic rowing machine will allow you to do so much more than cardio. Rowing machines are exceptionally versatile, letting you train your whole body, toning your muscles, while simultaneously furnacing fat.

Because of this, regularly exercising on a rowing machine will improve your cardiovascular health and help you with your posture, stability, and overall well-being – plus, uncovering that 6-pack won't hurt either!

Reading next

Is riding the best home workout way to lose weight?
Power Up Your Rowing: Strategies for Increasing the Difficulty and Intensity

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.