With a full motion incline rowing machine, there is a wide variety of exercises and techniques you can use to help you increase your cardiovascular capacity and strength. In this article, I’ll go over my three favorite forms of rowing with the SF-RW5720 Incline Full Motion Rowing Machine, as well as my top tips to make your workout more effective.
Rowing Variations with the SF-RW5720 Incline Rowing Machine
The SF-RW5720 is a dynamic rower that works with your body to incline as you row, all in one fluid motion. The incline presents an additional challenge on your body when rowing as you engage your legs, core, and arms harder to help pull yourself up the incline with each stroke. The handlebars can also complete full motion movement, moving in a variety of directions to target different muscles and mix up your workout.
In general, rowing engages 86% of the muscles in your body. With each stroke, you’ll use your back, shoulders, abs, obliques, chest, forearms, biceps, triceps, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. However, different variations to your grip and movement patterns can help target different muscles more specifically.
Below, I’ll cover my three favorite rowing variations to mix up your workout. Learn how to complete these rows with proper form and what to use each row for.
Neutral Grip Row
How To: Grab the handlebar about mid-way down the handlebar, palms facing each other (when you row your hands should be right between your belly button and chest). Begin by pushing off with power through your legs. Shift back through your core, and engage your arms, following all the way through with the arms, and pulling elbows down and back, keeping them close to your sides.
Key points:
- Maximize shoulder extension: pull elbows down and in
- Initiate with back rather than arms: a big mistake many people make is getting their biceps and forearms overinvolved. While they are used in the movement, these muscles are smaller than your back, so depending on them too much will waste a lot of energy.Focus on pulling through the back to complete the row.
Focus:
More focused on Mid Back (Latissimus Dorsi)
Wide Grip Row
How To:
Grab the handlebar a little higher this time, on the angled section if you’re able to comfortably reach. Palms facing down. Begin by pushing off with power through your legs. Shift back through your core, and engage your arms, following all the way through with the arms, and flaring elbows out, focusing on scapular retraction or pinching those shoulder blades in the back.
Key points:
- Maximize scapular retraction: flare elbows out to maximize shoulder abduction, squeezing between your shoulder blades
Focus:
More focused on Upper Back (Mid Trapezius, Rear Deltoid, Rhomboids)
Full Motion Row
How To: Begin with your hands in a wide grip position, row by pulling the handlebars straight back like in our neutral row, then go wide to flare the arms out as you lower back down to the starting position. Begin by pushing off with power through your legs. Shift back through your core, and engage your arms, following all the way through with the arms, and flaring them out as you recover and return to the starting position.
Key points:
- Wide Grip: Using a Wide Grip Row is going to help us flare those arms outward through the recovery phase of the stroke and be more comfortable on your wrists if you want to use the full motion feature on this rower.
- Move with Stability & Control: It’s great for increasing coordination, and it takes a whole lot of stability to execute this correctly. During this movement, everything is going to be contracted to help stabilize and control your descent. You should feel your back and shoulders light up, as well as your chest and abdominals, triceps, and biceps working together to stabilize your body and give you that control.
Focus:
Increase Stability & Coordination
Ready to give it a try? Watch this video to learn more about each row variation and join me for some practice and put it into action with a quick workout!
SF-RW5720 Incline Rowing Machine Workouts
Get started with these workouts, designed for beginners to help increase your fitness and strength and work up to harder and longer workouts using this machine. If you find these workouts challenging, don’t get discouraged.
Exercising with an incline rowing machine is incredibly challenging, and it will take time to build up your fitness using this machine, even if you’re used to regular rowing. Be patient with yourself and do what you can, each time try to push yourself a little harder and longer!
10 Minute Incline Rower HIIT
Get started on your incline rower with this 10 Minute Incline Rower HIIT workout. The incline on this machine presents an additional challenge for your muscles as you work to push and pull your way uphill. This short 10-minute session was designed to help you build intensity and strength on your rower to increase your fitness and work up to longer periods of exercise with this rowing machine.
15 Minute Lower Body Combo Incline Rowing Machine Workout
Target your lower body with 15 minutes of lower body focused work on your incline rower. Work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves as you row and press your way through this workout. Follow along with me as I cover everything from your form to how you can use this workout to get fitter and stronger throughout your fitness journey.
