Strength Training for Rowing – Introduction
What are the best strength training exercises for rowing?
Rowing is a great way to get fit and control your weight.
You can row indoors on a rowing machine or out on the water.
Regardless of your fitness level or the type of rowing you do, this superb activity will:
- Strengthen your entire body
- Improve your cardiovascular fitness
- Burn calories and fat
- Improve your coordination
- Increase your muscular endurance
- Improve your core strength and posture
Another big advantage among its many benefits is that rowing is a low impact workout, so it’s easier on your joints than running.
As such, it’s ideal for heavier exercisers, regardless of whether that extra weight is muscle or fat.
While simply rowing regularly will lead to improvements in your rowing performance, there are specific strength exercises that can help, too.
Some of these exercises will increase your power output so you travel further per rowing stroke, while others will bridge the weak links that could lead to injury.
This article explains the ten best strength training exercises for rowing and provides you with a rowing-specific strength workout to try.
The 10 Best Strength Training Exercises for Rowing
The exercises that make up this strength training workout for rowing are:
- Barbell deadlifts
- High pull from hang
- Chest supported rows
- Yoga push-ups
- Bulgarian split squats
- Stability ball mountain climbers
- Incline rows
- Squat jumps
- Pass the weight high plank
- Band pull-aparts
- Kettlebell swings
Build your workouts around these effective movements to row faster, longer, and with fewer aches and pains!
Strength Training for Rowing Exercises Descriptions
As always, you will get the maximum benefit from your workout by doing each movement correctly.
In contrast, improper form could lead to injury, thereby ruining your ability to work out.
You can protect yourself from this anguish by learning how to exercise with proper technique from the get-go!
#1. Barbell Deadlift
Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, erector spinae, core muscles, latissimus dorsi, trapezius.
The barbell deadlift mimics the lower body action of rowing and targets the same major muscle groups.
If you want to row faster, deadlifting will help.
Deadlifts also teach you how to initiate your rowing movement by using your legs, hips, and lower back muscles.
It is one of the all-time best exercises for rowing.
How to do it:
- Place your barbell on the floor and stand with your toes beneath it, feet about hip-width apart.
- Squat down and grab the bar using an overhand or mixed grip.
- Straighten your arms, drop your hips, brace your abs, and arch your lower back slightly.
- Ensuring that your hips and the bar come up at the same time, drive your feet into the floor to power your lift.
- Keep the bar against your shins and when it reaches your knees, drive your hips forward until you are in a standing position.
- Do not round your back or bend your arms.
- Do not lean back at the top of your rep, as doing so increases your injury risk.
- Hip hinge to push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower the bar back to the floor.
- Let it settle for 1-2 seconds (no bouncing!) and repeat.
Barbell Deadlift – Rich “Hashi Mashi” deadlifting at 64
#2. High pull from hang
Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, erector spinae, core, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, biceps, deltoids.
This is a very rowing-specific strength and power exercise.
In fact, it so closely replicates rowing that some CrossFitters actually do a variation of this exercise when they don’t have access to an indoor rower.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Stand with your feet around hip to shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly, brace your core, and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower the bar to just below your knees.
- This is the hang position.
- Stand up explosively and use this momentum to pull the bar up the front of your body to mid-chest height. Your elbows should be higher than your hands.
- Shrug your shoulders up to your ears as the bar reaches your chest.
- Extend your arms to lower the weight and then repeat.
Clean High Pull from Hang
#3. Chest supported row
Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, biceps, rear deltoids.
Every time you row, your lower back gets a workout.
As such, it’s essential to give it a break from time to time while still training the muscles used in rowing.
Chest supported rows are widely performed by competitive rowers.
How to do it:
- Set an adjustable bench to around 45-degrees.
- Lie face down on the bench with your head at the top.
- Hold a barbell with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip, or use a pair of dumbbells as preferred.
- Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders.
- Bend your elbows and row the weight(s) up to the underside of the bench at around sternum height.
- Keep your wrists straight and squeeze your shoulders down and back.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Chest-supported Row
#4. Yoga push-up
Target muscles: Pectoralis major, deltoids, triceps, core.
Rowing is a pulling exercise, so you may be wondering how push-ups can help make you a better rower.
Doing push-ups will help fix the muscle imbalances that could arise if you become too focused on your pulling muscles.
Think of this exercise as rowing pre-hab.
How to do it:
- Kneel down and place your hands on the floor, fingers pointing forward and hands about shoulder-width apart.
- With extended arms, walk your feet out and back until your body is straight.
- Engage your core.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest to within an inch of the floor.
- Next, push your body backward and simultaneously lift your hips up toward the ceiling.
- Push your head back between your arms to extend your shoulders.
- Move forward and descend into another rep.
Yoga Push-up
#5. Bulgarian split squat
Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus.
Rowing is a bilateral or two-limbed exercise.
As such, it’s easy to develop left-to-right strength imbalances.
While small imbalances are nothing to worry about, more significant ones will increase your risk of injury and lower your rowing performance.
Unilateral or single-limed exercises like Bulgarian split squats are a great way to avoid these kinds of problems.
How to do it:
- Stand with your back to a knee-high bench.
- Bend one leg and place it on the bench behind you.
- Hop forward and into a split-stance.
- Bend your legs and lower your rear knee down toward the floor.
- Descend as far as your flexibility allows.
- Stand back up, stopping just short of extending your front knee to keep the tension on the target muscles.
- Descend again and repeat.
- Make this great exercise harder by holding dumbbells.
#6. Stability ball mountain climber
Target muscles: Rectus abdominus, obliques, transverse abdominis, hip flexors.
Rowing requires good core strength.
You’ll need to use your core muscles to brace your lumbar spine and maintain good posture.
There are lots of core exercises to choose from, but this stability ball exercise is particularly effective because it works your midsection and hip flexors which work together during rowing.
How to do it:
- Place your forearms on a stability or medicine ball and walk your feet back until your body is straight.
- Brace your abs.
- Bend one leg and pull your knee up and into the ball.
- Extend your leg, swap sides, and repeat.
- No stability ball? No problem!
- You can also do this exercise with your forearms on a bench.
Stability Ball Mountain Climbers
#7. Incline row
Target muscles: Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, biceps, rear deltoids.
You don’t have to use barbells or dumbbells to build strength for rowing.
Body weight exercises can be every bit as effective.
This exercise works all your major upper-body pulling muscles, making it a valuable addition to your rowing workouts.
How to do it:
- Using a squat rack, power rack, or Smith machine, set the bar to around waist height.
- You can also use a suspension trainer, such as a TRX.
- Sit below the bar and hold it using an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Extend your legs in front of you, lean back, and lift your hips, so your body forms a straight line.
- Brace your abs.
- Bend your elbows and pull your chest up to the bar.
- Pull your shoulders down and back.
- Keep your body straight.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
#8. Squat jumps
Target muscles: Quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus.
While rowing is undeniably a pulling activity, each stroke starts with a powerful hip and leg extension.
Squat jumps, a plyometric exercise, are a low-tech but very effective way to increase lower body pushing power.
In fact, squat jumps are so effective that the US Army incorporates them into their Physical Readiness Training (PRT) Program as High Jumpers.
So, whether your fitness goal is to get fit or become a soldier, squat jumps are hard to beat!
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, arms by your sides.
- Bend your legs and squat down until your thighs are just above parallel to the floor.
- Swing your arms behind you as you descend.
- Using your arms for extra momentum, leap into the air as high as possible.
- Land on slightly bent knees and descend into another rep.
- Make this exercise harder by wearing a weighted vest or holding dumbbells in your hands.
NOTE: This is a high-impact exercise and could be hard on your joints. Wear cushioned, supportive shoes to maximize injury prevention. Avoid it entirely if you have a history of ankle, knee, hip, or lower back issues.
#9. Pass the weight high plank
Target muscles: Rectus abdominus, obliques, transverse abdominis.
Planks are an effective core exercise but tend to emphasize the muscles on the front of your abdomen.
This exercise increases oblique engagement, making them a more effective exercise.
They’re also a little harder than regular planks.
- Adopt the push-up position with straight arms and legs and core braced.
- Place a dumbbell or weight on the floor just outside and behind one hand.
- Keeping your body straight, reach under your body and grab the weight with your furthest hand.
- Move the weight to the same position on the opposite side.
- Swap sides and, using your other arm, move the weight back to its original position.
- Continue swapping sides for the duration of your set.
Plank Weight Pass
#10. Band pull aparts
Target muscles: Posterior deltoids, rhomboids, middle trapezius.
This exercise is ideal when you want to train your upper body rowing muscles but don’t have time to get to the gym.
All you need is a resistance band.
This is also an excellent posture exercise and ideal for breaking up long periods of sitting.
How to do it:
- Hold a resistance band with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Raise your arms in front of you so they’re parallel to the floor.
- Open your arms and stretch the band out across your chest.
- Pull your shoulders down and back.
- Return to the starting position and repeat.
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#11. Kettlebell Swings
Target muscles: glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs, and back
Kettlebell swings are another great strength training exercise to improve your rowing strength.
Swings also help to improve your cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
You can dramatically improve your body composition, strength, and power while getting a total-body workout with kettlebell swings.
As with all exercises, performing kettlebell swings with proper form is the key to getting the most out of this exercise.
How to do it:
- Start with a kettlebell in between your feet.
- Hinge at the hips and squat down to grab the kettlebell with both hands.
- Drive through your heels to stand up and swing the kettlebell up to eye level.
- Keep your core engaged and let the momentum of the swing carry the kettlebell back down between your legs.
- Return to the start position and repeat these steps for 10-12 reps.
Strength Training for Rowing Workout
While you could just pick a few of these exercises and add them to your workouts, you’ll get better results if you follow a more prescriptive program.
The following workout uses some of the exercises listed above to improve your rowing performance.
Do this workout on your non-rowing days or anytime you need an alternative to rowing, for example, when you can’t get out on the water because of bad weather.
Prepare your muscles and joints for your workout with a proper warm-up before you begin.
Do 5 to 10-minutes of easy aerobic exercise (e.g., treadmill, jump rope, or indoor rowing machine!) followed by dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises for all your major joints.
As rowing is a full-body exercise, this is a full-body workout.
To build strength and conditioning for rowing, do the exercises as a circuit.
That means you work down the list, doing one set of each, with little or no rest between each one.
Take a 1-2-minute break after the last movement and repeat the entire sequence 2-4 more times.
Strength Training for Rowing Workout – The Fit Apprentice® Program
Strength Training For Rowing Exercises – Wrapping Up
Rowing delivers a very comprehensive workout for virtually every muscle in your body.
It’s also a low-impact activity, which means it’s easy on your joints.
You can do long, slow-paced rows to build aerobic fitness or shorter, faster rows to build high-end cardiovascular conditioning.
Rowing is also ideal for interval training.
However, as complete a workout as rowing is, if you want to get better at it, a rowing-specific strength training program will help.
Complement your rowing with the ten best strength training exercises for rowing and our tried-and-tested workout!