Is Rowing the Ultimate Cardio? What It Does to Your Heart That Running Doesn’t

When it comes to cardio workouts, running has long been celebrated as one of the most popular and effective ways to get your heart pumping and your body in shape. But could there be another, more powerful alternative? According to a recently published article in Life Science, evidence suggests that elite rowers tend to have notably bigger hearts than elite runners, representing greater cardiovascular efficiency, improved endurance, and a stronger, more adaptable heart that can handle increased demands. 

The question is: Why? 

The science behind a bigger heart from rowing

According to a 1994 American Journal of Cardiology study comparing the cardiovascular effects of rowing and running, rowers had the thickest left ventricular wall, the layer of muscle and connecting tissue surrounding the largest chamber of the heart. Runners, on the other hand, did not see the same far-reaching changes in their heart’s structure. 

So, what’s going on here? According to Life Science, while rowing and running are both stellar forms of cardiovascular exercise, the difference in how they target your muscles is what sets them apart when it comes to heart health. Running primarily engages your lower-body muscles, particularly your legs. It’s a great workout for building endurance, but it doesn’t involve as much upper-body or core engagement as rowing does. 

Rowing, on the other hand, is a full-body workout. Every stroke engages the legs, core, and upper body, working a whopping 86% of your body’s muscles. Because of this, rowing demands more oxygen, promoting your heart to pump more blood to deliver it to your muscles. This heightened cardiovascular demand results in several significant heart health benefits.

The heart health benefits of rowing

By engaging multiple muscle groups and demanding more oxygen than running, rowing leads to improvements in heart function and overall cardiovascular health. According to Life Science, here are the key heart health benefits of rowing:

1. Lower resting heart rate

Rowing is a full-body workout that demands a high oxygen supply, requiring the heart to pump more blood per beat. Over time, this results in a significantly lower resting heart rate. The heart becomes more efficient at delivering oxygen, meaning it works less while accomplishing more. This leads to improved cardiovascular efficiency, a hallmark of elite rowers, who often boast some of the lowest resting heart rates among athletes.

2. Higher stroke volume 

As rowing increases the demand for oxygen, it also boosts stroke volume, which is the volume of blood pumped from the ventricle per beat. With regular rowing, your heart gets stronger, allowing it to pump more blood with each contraction, which is a key factor in improving cardiovascular fitness. This allows the heart to work less while delivering more oxygen to the working body.

3. More oxygen with less effort

The efficient blood flow during rowing helps deliver more oxygen to muscles with each beat. Rowing's full-body engagement promotes better circulation and heart function, while requiring less effort from the heart to achieve the same outcome. As a result, your heart becomes more efficient, contributing to an overall increase in stamina and aerobic capacity.

4. Increased VO2 max

Rowing is an excellent way to enhance your cardiovascular endurance, largely due to its impact on VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during exercise). VO2 max is a key marker of cardiovascular performance, and rowers are known for having both lower resting heart rates and higher VO2 max levels. In fact, a 2003 study from the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports found that VO2 max was higher during rowing than during running, highlighting the sport’s exceptional ability to enhance cardiovascular endurance. 

Invest in your heart health with a Hydrow rowing machine

Rowing offers several heart health benefits that go beyond what running alone can provide. With its full-body engagement and emphasis on oxygen delivery, rowing leads to a stronger, more efficient heart, improving endurance, cardiovascular health, and overall fitness.

If you are looking for a highly effective workout to add to your fitness routine, consider investing in a rowing machine like Hydrow. Indoor rowers offer an immersive and efficient total-body workout, targeting 86% of your muscle groups in each rowing stroke. And, because rowing is both a cardio and strength workout, all you need is just 20 minutes to torch calories and build strength. 

Hydrow also offers an extensive library of workout content led by our team of world-class Athletes and filmed in gorgeous locations around the world. Our rowing, yoga, Pilates, strength training, mobility training, and circuit training workouts will transport you to stunning global destinations and keep you motivated to come back again and again. 

Learn more about the benefits of rowing and a Hydrow rowing machine today!