Contents
Rowing demands the use of all major muscle groups including the legs, chest, arms, back, and abdomen, and it burns fat in a more practical, powerful and direct way than other low impact cardio exercises. This full-body exercise that mainly involves pushing off with your legs and pulling the handle bar toward your lower chest has proven to be an incredible workout for both your lower and upper body.
This is one of the main reasons the rowing machine has gained immense popularity, especially in recent years. Rowing is also an intense workout for the core and you don’t have to focus on engaging your abs because your core is automatically engaged.
Does a Rowing Machine Benefit aAbs?
The answer to this question is definitely YES. Rowing machines benefit abs by being a full body workout and constantly engaging your core throughout the rowing stroke. It is particularly important to note that the best machine for toning your stomach is one that burns the most belly fat and builds stronger abdominal muscles.
2 Main Reasons a Rowing Machine will Benefit Your Abs:
- Performing a rowing stroke requires you to engage your core
- A rowing machine helps burn fat on your entire body
These two main reasons prove that a rowing machine hugely benefits your abs and you can use it to achieve your fitness goals especially when it comes to getting your ideal stomach.
-
Works the entire center section of your body
Your core wraps around the whole center section of your body and helps stabilize your waist. Therefore, strengthening your core is not simply about your abdominals. The rowing motions you perform on the rowing machine work your complete core and help strengthen and tone that entire mid section of your body.
At the beginning of each rowing stroke, when you’re pushing back, engages your lower back and at the end of the stroke as you slide back, that works your abs just like a sit-up. Moreover, you’re sitting on a small seat, so your lower back muscles and abs fire up to help you maintain stability as you slide back and forth. Therefore, just the basic rowing motion can help strengthen your core and give you the ideal stomach.
-
Burning fat
Rowing machines are great fat burners that can burn up to 700 calories in just an hour’s workout. The other key characteristic of rowing machines is that they engage most major muscles in the body; including abdominal muscles.
If you combine rowing with other exercises such as weight lifting on your days off, you will stimulate your body to keep building muscle and protein even when you’re not exercising on the rowing machine.
Muscle development is closely associated with cardiovascular exercise and fat reduction. However, if you’re working out specifically to reduce belly fat and develop abs, then you should focus on HIIT (high-intensity intermittent training) and not just cardio exercise. High-intensity exercise is high-impact and with a rowing machine, the number of strokes and the setting on the damper is less important than the impact of the strokes on your core muscles.
Are rowing machines good for seniors also? Find out HERE 🙂
