5 Rowing Workouts to Get You the Broad, Ripped Physique of a Rower

Burn fat and improve conditioning with these five rowing machine workouts.

Feb 2, 2025 - 12:56

5 Rowing Workouts to Get You the Broad, Ripped Physique of a Rower

The rowing machine—aka the “erg”—is one of the most effective pieces of fitness equipment for burning fat and improving conditioning, which makes rowing machine workouts some of the most effective full-body sweat sessions around. That's because indoor rowers use both your upper- and lower-body muscles, which puts massive demand on your cardiovascular system, increasing your overall conditioning.

According to the American Fitness Professionals Association, about 65–75% of the work comes from your legs and 25–35% from your upper body. Rowing machine workouts will hit your quadriceps, calves, and glutes the most because they are heavily engaged when you push off the foot stretcher during the "drive" part of the stroke. They'll also call on your pecs, arms, abs, and obliques, leaving no muscle group untouched.

Try these five unique rowing machine workouts designed by Eric Salvador, C.P.T. and head instructor of The Fhitting Room, to replace those tedious cardio sessions.

Workout 1: 20-Minute Intervals

How to Do It

This interval workout has a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio. The rowing should be completed in less than a minute. Rest one minute, then repeat for a total of 10 rounds.

10 x 250 meters
Rest 1 minute in between rounds
Total duration: 20 minutes

Rowing machine workouts challenge your entire body
Justin Steele

Workout 2: 1,000-Meter Burnout

How to Do It

You have 6 minutes to row 1,000 meters. If you finish early—which you should—perform a finisher of burpees as fast as you can until the clock runs out.