Rowing
Why rowing is a full-body workout that everyone should get into
National rowing champion Pratik Gupta explains the muscles that are engaged during each phase of rowing and how the sport can help you get fit.
Pratik Gupta is a national champion rower from Kolkata. He started rowing in 2017 when he began training at the Bengal Rowing Club and on indoor rowing machines.
“Rowing is a way to get into a meditative zone for me while training. I find peace in the movement of oars as they glide through the water,” says Pratik about the mental aspect of the sport.
But aside from the calming mental effect, Pratik also vouches for full-body physical fitness through rowing.
The 19-year-old has won two gold and four silver medals at the 2018 Junior National Rowing Championships, two gold and one silver at the 2019 Asian Indoor Rowing Championships, and placed 14th while representing India at the 2019 World Junior Rowing Championships.
Pratik says that rowing is basically a full-body workout since it involves the legs, core, arms and back. He says that to generate the force for one row, about 75% power is derived from the muscles in your lower body and 25% of the power comes from your upper body.
Pratik Gupta
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“My body has transformed a lot since the time I started to row. I had packed on a few pounds of lean muscle mass during my initial training months, which is quite impossible in any other form of training. As I went deeper into the sport and my training hours increased, I looked ripped, full of lean muscle mass and a decent fat percentage over my whole body,” says Pratik.
He adds that rowing involves many forms of fitness with strength, strength endurance, aerobic capacity, VO2 max and power all needed.
“It is a great workout for my whole body and helps in developing my strength, endurance, and increased ability to suffer. I train for six hours a day, and that includes hitting the gym and alternating days between indoor rowing sessions and on water,” says Pratik.
Pratik guides us through the four phases of a rowing stroke (catch, drive, finish and recovery) and the body parts worked out during each phase. Read on to know how you can get a symmetrical, full-body workout from rowing.
Phase 1: The Catch
Pratik demonstrates the catch on a rowing machine
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The catch position is where your knees are tucked into your chest and you are leaning forward from your waist. Your arms should be extended forward.
“The quicker your catch is the faster you go through the water. It is my strength in competitions,” says Pratik.
In the catch position, the muscles around your spine are relaxed while your calf muscles and the muscles in your shin are flexed. Your arms are mostly relaxed while you maintain a comfortable grip on the oars.
Phase 2: The Drive
Pratik in the drive position
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In the drive, you slide your seat backward by pushing through your feet. Your legs get a super workout in this phase as you thrust with your hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and calves. You generate power from the legs which helps drive your rowing stroke.
You also open up your torso, engaging your spinal muscles, shoulder muscles and the pectoral muscles of your chest. This phase of the stroke engages all the major muscle groups.
Pratik says the drive is the weakest phase of his rowing and he works on it consistently.
“My coach helps me train [the drive] by practicing the technique on the indoor machine, then we practice some rowing technique and drills on water. We take care of the basics very well and that has helped me a lot,” says Pratik.
Phase 3: The Finish
In this phase, you pull the handlebars towards your chest with your legs extended, but your knees should not be locked. You would be leaning far back in this position. To keep your body stabilized as you lean back, you would need to engage your ab muscles and your shoulder muscles.
Additionally, your biceps would be pulling at the handlebars and your leg muscles would be contracted.
Pratik trains at Bengal Rowing Club on Rabindra Sarobar Lake
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Phase 4: The Recovery
You finish the stroke in the recovery phase with your arms extended and knees tucking back into your chest to get into the catch position.
You use your ab muscles and upper back muscles to stabilize your body through the movement. Your hamstrings and calves contract as you slide the seat to the catch position. Your triceps are also engaged as your arms are fully extended.
Pratik vouches for rowing helping with improved cardiovascular fitness, strength and muscle endurance; a perfect workout if you are looking for a single exercise that can do it all for you. But he also adds that you get more out of rowing than what you see.
“It prepares you mentally to never give up, both in the sport and in life. In rowing, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, there will be a point at which your body gives up and that’s when you will discover your mental strength,” says Pratik about how rowing works on both your body and your mind.
