Indoor Rowing: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Welcome to Hydrow and to Indoor Rowing: The Complete Beginner’s Guide! In this blog series, we’ll be taking you through everything you need to know to get started with a successful indoor rowing routine. 

Whether it’s your first time exercising in years (or ever), or you already have an established workout regimen, rowing is a full-body experience that will help you tone up, get strong, and have more energy throughout your day.

Indoor rowing is more popular than ever

As interval training workouts and at-home fitness solutions continue to increase in popularity, consumers are looking for a way to stay in shape that is convenient, engaging, and low-impact. Enter indoor rowing!

Here are a few reasons the buzz about indoor rowing has steadily risen in recent years:

- A small household footprint. Rather than lug around a dozen different sets of weights or machines, a rowing machine can be stored upright and is easy to move around in your home to fit your space needs. Hydrow’s Upright Storage Kit reduces footprint to just 24” x 33” when not in use. - A full-body workout. The challenge with many other fitness programs is that they only work some muscle groups, limiting your body’s ability to reach its maximum potential. Indoor rowing engages twice the muscle mass as alternative cardio movements like cycling or running and truly is a full-body experience.  - Efficient exercise. We get it: You’re busy. With rowing, you can get your workout for the day done in minutes, not hours. What will you do with the extra time added back into your week?

Related: Twenty-Minute Workouts: Putting together workouts that are right for you

Who this guide is for?

We wrote Indoor Rowing: The Complete Beginner’s Guide in a way that appeals to all ages and fitness levels. Get all the information you need and none of the information you don’t need when you’re just trying to get started. 

Here’s who this guide is for: 

Completely new to exercise

Haven’t exercised in years, or… ever? This guide is for you. We’ve broken down how indoor rowing benefits your body and how to adjust your workouts based on your current fitness level and goals. We also have an entire blog dedicated to form to help you get a quality workout from day one.

New to indoor rowing

Exercise regularly, but new or new-ish to indoor rowing? This guide is for you. Rowing can be a shock at first for athletes who are used to other forms of exercise because it truly is a full-body cardio experience. 

Indoor rowing can complement and even replace your current workout routine if you want it to, and in this guide we’ll cover the different types of programs to explore based on your desired end results, as well as the different types of programs we offer here at Hydrow.

Familiar with indoor rowing but want a refresher

Already comfortable on an indoor rowing machine? Awesome – this guide is for you. Use the information in subsequent chapters as a refresher on good form, how to adjust your workout frequency and intensity based on your goals, and how to improve post-workout recovery to ensure you’re able to hop back on the rower sooner rather than later.

So with that, let’s get started! 

The complete beginner’s guide to indoor rowing: Table of contents

Part 1: Why rowing is the best at-home workout you can get

Want to switch up your at-home workout routine? Here are some stats that show why rowing is the best at-home workout.

Begin Reading Part 1

Part 2: Rowing machine benefits: What actually happens during your rowing workout

Curious how a workout on a rowing machine benefits you? Wondering if rowing can help you achieve your unique fitness goals? This post breaks down what actually happens in an indoor rowing workout.

Begin Reading Part 2

Part 3: How To Row Correctly On A Rowing Machine

Not sure if you’re rowing correctly? Want to get the most out of your rowing workout? In this article, we’ll review how to properly use a rowing machine.

Begin Reading Part 3

Part 4: How long should you work out on a rowing machine?

How long should you work out on a rowing machine? It depends on your goals. In this article, we’ll break down some of the most popular indoor rowing workouts.

Begin Reading Part 4

Part 5: Types of indoor rowing workouts for all fitness levels

Ready to make rowing machine workouts a regular thing? This blog will help you identify which workouts to try based on your unique fitness level.

Begin Reading Part 5

Part 6: Post-workout recovery: What to do after your indoor rowing workout

You just finished a great rowing workout. Now what? Learn the best post-workout recovery steps to take to keep you strong and minimize soreness.

Begin Reading Part 6

Let’s do this. Head on over to part 1 of this guide now by clicking here.