Row (Erg)

The indoor rowing machine, or erg, is a full-body conditioning exercise that uses a sliding seat, handle, and flywheel. It trains your legs, hips, back, and arms to work together in a repeating sequence, building stamina and power endurance while you stay seated.

Start by sitting on the seat and strapping your feet snugly into the foot pads. Slide forward so your shins are roughly vertical and your arms are fully extended, holding the handle with an overhand grip, hands about shoulder-width apart. Sit tall, relax your shoulders, and keep your hips slightly behind your shoulders.

Each stroke starts with the legs. Push hard through your heels to straighten your legs. When your legs are nearly straight, lean your torso back a few inches while keeping your core tight. Then pull the handle into the bottom of your ribs. To return, reverse the order: extend your arms first, hinge your torso forward, and then bend your knees as you glide forward.

Breathe out as you drive back and pull in; breathe in as you return forward. Keep your midsection braced but not rigid. To make it easier, slow your pace and focus on a smooth rhythm. To make it harder, add more power to each stroke or shorten your rest between rounds.

Fault: Pulling with the arms before the legs finish pushing. Fix: Think "legs, body, arms" on the way back; let your legs do most of the work and add the arm pull only after you lean back.

Fault: Rounding the lower back or collapsing forward at the catch. Fix: Sit tall with your chest up and shoulders relaxed; keep a neutral spine from the start of the stroke to the finish.

Fault: Bending the knees too early on the return, forcing the handle to lift over them. Fix: Extend your arms and hinge your torso forward before you let your knees bend.

Fault: Holding your breath or gasping through the strokes. Fix: Match your breathing to the movement; exhale on the drive and inhale on the recovery.