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Rowing machines are among the most popular home exercise equipment. For good reason, too, as they provide benefits that few machines are able to deliver. While any form of exercise will yield results when coupled with consistent training, workouts on a rowing machine benefits more areas of your overall fitness than you could ever imagine.

What kinds of benefits can you expect when you train on a rowing machine?

Core Strength Conditioning

While a rowing machine benefits most of the major muscle groups, it’s effects are especially pronounced in the body’s core – particularly the back, shoulders, arms, chest and abdominals. The core of the body is where the majority of our functional strength lies and rowing exercises aid greatly in its further development.

When you make those rowing movements, you place serious resistance on upper body muscles, effectively increasing their core strength. It creates a more stable and functionally powerful upper strength that is usually only available through serious weights training.

Additionally, the rowing machine benefits leg muscles too, as you push off with your lower extremities to perform rowing motions. While the upper body is what the rowing machine benefits the most, it’s effects on lower body strength will also be noticeable in time.

Burn More Calories

With the rowing machine, benefits in calorie burning are easily realized, facilitated by the compound movement and wide range of motion it requires. Because the whole body works together to perform the exercise, rowing machines actually tend to burn more calories in less time, compared to other cardio-focused equipment.

Since the rowing machine benefits your muscle-building efforts apart from the aerobic workout it provides, it helps develop additional calorie-burning effects in your body. Muscles burn stored calories at high rates so the more lean muscles you develop, the higher your metabolism will be.

Stress Reduction

While it is rarely emphasized as a component of general exercise and rowing machine benefits, stress reduction stands as one of its most important results. With a regular workout program, stress and anxiety are often rendered easier to manage. Individuals suffering from depression, in fact, can do well by using exercise as a way to get out of the rut.

The effect of regular exercise on our mental and emotional health is often underappreciated. Exercise is one of the few natural outlets that allow us to expend pent-up stress that could lead to serious consequences down the road when left unchecked.

Other Rowing Machine Benefits

The further you go with an exercise program, the more varied and pronounced are the benefits you will begin to realize. While the rowing machine benefits your physique directly, it’s resultant effects in terms of being a happier and more confident individual can never be discounted.