How to Interval on the Trainer

Almost every gym I’ve been to had one rowing machine, sometimes two, and no one ever used it. It’s a shame because it is a great tool for training your whole body when you are doing cardio, and especially for intervals like we are doing this month .

If you haven’t tried a rowing machine (or, as fashionable people call it, an ergometer ), this can be confusing. A handle is attached to the chain, and a chain to the fan. The rest of the car basically consists of a small seat that slides along the rails.

So, this is how you do it:

1. Bring the seat up to the footrests. Sit on the seat. Play with the controls as needed. (Many machines turn on automatically when you start paddling.)
2. Secure your feet in the footrests, nice and tidy.
3. Grasp the handle.
4. Engage your upper body muscles. You should sit relatively straight, with a strong body, shoulder blades lowered, arms extended in front of you. The buttocks should be as close to the heels as possible.

Ready? Here is the sequence for each stroke:

1. PUSH on the footpegs while straightening your legs.
2. When your legs are almost straight, tilt your torso back.
3. Pull with your hands so that the handle is pressed against your chest.
4. To return to the beginning, reverse the movement: arms, then torso, then legs.

Here’s a video showing how it all looks:

I love the interval rowing machine mainly because you can really get your body to work in it and you tire out pretty quickly. Thirty seconds is long for a rower; it would be possible to slow down and row beautifully and easily for half an hour, but why?

You can do any of the standard interval types on the rowing machine, or try rowing specials here . If you’re used to mixing running and walking, keep in mind that on the rower, you can go all out on all your intervals and then just sit and wait for the next one. A few seconds of rest is amazing. Just remember to count your intervals and rest on your phone if your rower is the type to stop his watch when you stop paddling. Give it a try and let us know how it works!

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