How to Use a Rowing Machine (Correct Form)

The Four Phases of the Stroke

The catch — sit forward with shins vertical, arms straight, body tilted slightly from the hips. The drive — push with the legs first, keeping arms straight until the legs are nearly extended. Then swing the back from 1 o'clock to 11 o'clock. Finally, pull the handle to the lower ribs. The finish — legs straight, slight lean back, handle touching the lower ribs. The recovery — extend arms first, then rock the body forward, then bend the knees to slide back to the catch. The sequence is always legs-back-arms on the drive and arms-back-legs on the recovery.

Common Form Errors

Shooting the slide — the seat moves back but the handle stays still, meaning legs are pushing without transferring force. Fix: focus on pushing feet away while the handle moves at the same speed as the seat. Opening the back too early — swinging the torso back before the legs finish. Fix: keep the arms straight and body angle unchanged until the legs are 70% extended. Gripping too hard — a death grip on the handle causes forearm fatigue. Fix: use a hook grip with relaxed fingers.

Technique Drills

Legs-only rowing — row with arms straight and body fixed, using only leg drive. This isolates the leg push and builds correct sequencing. Arms-only rowing — with legs flat, row using only the arm pull to feel the handle path. Pause drills — pause for 2 seconds at the catch or finish to build awareness of body position. Row at rate 16 — deliberately slow stroke rates force you to execute each phase cleanly without rushing.

Breathing and Rhythm

At stroke rates below 24, breathe twice per stroke — exhale on the drive, inhale at the finish, exhale as you rock forward, inhale at the catch. At higher rates (28+), switch to one breath per stroke — exhale on the drive, inhale on the recovery. Rhythmic breathing helps maintain a consistent stroke pattern and prevents the gasping that leads to early fatigue.

Tips

• +Film yourself from the side and compare to a technique video. Visual feedback accelerates learning dramatically.
• +The drive-to-recovery ratio should be approximately 1:2. The recovery should take twice as long as the drive.
• +Keep your chin up and look straight ahead, not down at the monitor, to maintain a neutral spine.
• +Practise at low stroke rates (16-18 spm) when working on technique. Speed masks errors.
• +Check the force curve on the PM5 — a smooth, hill-shaped curve indicates good technique. Jagged curves suggest timing issues.

Further Reading

• Concept2 Training Resources — Official training guides and workout of the day from Concept2.
• British Rowing — Indoor Rowing — Training plans and resources from the national governing body.
• Concept2 Rankings — Global erg rankings by distance, age, and weight category.