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Can You Lose Belly Fat On A Rowing Machine?

 Written by 

Julien Raby

 Last updated on 

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Has the current popularity increase of rowing machines caught your attention? Are you curious as to whether they offer comparable exercise to treadmills? We got you covered.

While a ton of fitness equipment can aid in your quest for fat loss, one has gained popularity because of all the great health benefits it can offer, with weight loss being just one of them. Belly fat is a worry for many people.

a woman losing belly fat on a rowing machine
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If you have unwanted belly fat that will not go away, you are looking for an effective workout machine that can properly target it. The advantages and drawbacks of treadmills are known. They have a lengthy history of use and mimic jogging, a well-known cardiac workout.

Not everyone engages in rowing throughout their lifetime. As a result, you could not be completely aware of all the advantages it can provide. Many folks have a pressing question like this. People’s desire to maintain their physical fitness or burn extra calories is typically what drives them to remain with a fitness routine. Without question, rowing can aid you in burning calories, but can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine? We know how challenging it can be to lose belly fat; therefore, we share your worry.

A rowing machine indoors is an excellent option if you want to get in shape and reduce weight. This essay will explain what makes rowing unique and why it can be the solution to your problem of targeting persistent belly fat.

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Sunny Water Rowing Machine
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Based on our testing, this is the best rower for beginners. For less than 500$, this silent water rower will last you for years. It also comes with a 12-year warranty.

Pros:
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What Is a Rowing Machine, exactly?

A rowing machine is a piece of exercise gear that replicates your body’s whole motion when you row on the water. You may imitate this movement with a variety of various rowing equipment that is readily available. Some may slightly limit your range of motion, while others permit full motion. Due to the difficulties in achieving appropriate form, rowing machines can initially be more challenging to use than treadmills. Given that walking does not require any previous training, this is one of the key differences between a rowing machine and a treadmill.

The damper adjustment allows you to adjust the level of difficulty of the rowing machine session. A bigger damper makes the exercise more difficult and simulates a slower, heavy boat, whereas a smaller damper makes it easier to complete. Every muscle within the body is used when rowing. If the proper form is kept, a rowing machine could be utilized to condition your entire body thanks to the sliding chair and hand-held bar.

How Would Using a Rowing Machine Help You Lose Weight?

Can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine
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It is difficult to lose abdominal fat, as you undoubtedly already realize. Typically, the face, arms, thighs, and shoulders are where people lose fat initially. You could even believe that stomach flattening is impossible at one point. It will not happen if you give up and become disheartened.

Persistence is essential for abdominal fat reduction. It is also crucial to remember that body fats in the hips, back, shoulders, thighs, and belly typically require more time to remove than other body fats. They are known as “stiff fats” for this primary reason. You must first lose body fat to reach the abdominal fats that are particularly difficult to remove. Here are several justifications for using a rowing machine to lose tummy fat:

It Provides a Complete Workout

The English Institute for Sport conducted a study that revealed that rowing machines might target up to 86% of the body’s muscles [1]. It is a workout machine with a broad range of potential effects. A full-body workout can be obtained with any machine that can engage 86% of the body’s muscles.

You may be sure your efforts are not wasted by getting full-body cardio exercise. Since a treadmill will only work your lower body, it has a limited ability to enhance your body. You do not need to move or exercise your arms and shoulders during your runs. Your upper body and lower body must cooperate well when rowing. You receive the most comprehensive workout possible when rowing because it works both your upper and lower body.

To improve physical fitness

Most of the muscle groups are used during the aerobic exercise of rowing. A significant aspect of getting a flat tummy is burning excess fat covering your abdominal muscle layer. Your abdominal muscles look even more toned when you have less fat. Resistance training exercises like rowing also help to build stronger muscle mass. The abdominal muscles look more defined and toned because of both this and fat loss and muscle building.

Although most individuals find it challenging to remove abdominal fat, it is attainable. This aim is reasonable and doable if you row consistently and frequently and maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

It strengthens the lungs and revs up the heart

Unlike strength-focused exercises (like weightlifting), rowing regimens are intense enough to pump the heartbeat and fill the lungs with fresh oxygen. It will strengthen your lung capacity and blood circulation if you perform it frequently.

Professional rowers, according to studies, have larger and more powerful cardiac muscles than control people who do not row. This serves further to demonstrate rowing’s superiority as a cardiac exercise. It activates your lungs and heart to maintain healthy blood flow and increases your oxygen intake.

Enhancing the make-up of muscle

Can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine man training
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One of the main advantages of purchasing a rowing machine and employing it to lose the stubborn belly fat is how well it can change the composition of your core muscles. A rowing machine, as already said, is a terrific approach for working for other muscle groups.

It is an effective approach to getting your muscles to cooperate. You may gain more muscle and become stronger overall because of this. Few exercises will work your back muscles in the same way that they do your arm muscles. Few people will also focus on the muscles in your legs and core.

You will naturally accelerate the rate of fat reduction in your midsection, where your obstinate belly fat is located, by boosting your muscle composition.

The effect on your joints is negligible

A rowing machine provides a total-body workout while being low-impact and weight-bearing, distinguishing it from other exercise equipment. Rowing is the opposite of high-impact activities that stress your joints from sitting down, which means there is less weight to support.

Therefore, rowing is absolutely for you if you have knee problems or ankles, are going through rehabilitation, are regaining strength, or just wish to avoid any of these conditions.

How Does Rowing Help You Lose Weight?

If you have a regular, consistent routine and the willpower to stick with it, you can burn calories and healthily lose weight without depriving yourself of logging many miles on a treadmill. Here are some pointers to help you get the most out of your use of rowing cardio machines for weight loss:

Maintain Appropriate Posture

Maintaining good form and correct posture throughout exercise is crucial, and rowing is no exception. Maintaining proper posture will lower your chances of injury and post-workout muscle tightness.

Sit as straight as you can. Keep your chin up, keep your head up, keep your shoulders back, and look straight ahead. Additionally, try not to arch your neck while rowing. Take slow, even breaths throughout your regimen. Lean back in the seat and draw the bar with both arms toward your chest just below the sternum, keeping your abdominal muscles and your posture as straight as possible.

Keep your attention on your legs

By pressing your thighs into the heel-rest for each stroke, you will train more of the large and major muscles in your lower body, such as the glutes, that will aid in increasing your calorie expenditure. Many individuals use their arms and shoulders as the primary driver during a rowing workout, but to maximize your results, engage your strong leg muscles and feel the pain. As a rule, you should put 20% of your work into your arms, 30% into your core, and 50% into your legs.

After stretching and finishing your warm-up, mix in 3 pairs of power strokes to create a high-intensity interval training. These are effective strokes for burning many calories since they are quick and explosive. You will pull harder with the core and arms while pushing hard with your feet; you row at a faster rate during the interval, yet your rhythm should remain constant.

Best Rower for Beginner
Sunny Water Rowing Machine
4.5

Based on our testing, this is the best rower for beginners. For less than 500$, this silent water rower will last you for years. It also comes with a 12-year warranty.

Pros:
  • Affordable
  • Quiet
  • Amazing warranty
See latest price See all Rowers below 500$

Engage in endurance training

While HIIT-style exercises are effective for weight loss, slow and consistent endurance exercises, such as steady-state rowing, can also significantly increase calorie burn. You can burn many calories by exercising for a longer time at 85 percentage points of your maximum heart rate. Use steady-state, medium rowing intensity for 8 to 10 minutes of 26 strokes per minute.

Keep your body guessing your next move by varying your rowing exercise to maintain your body’s maximum capacity for fat burning. Your body gets better at a certain exercise routine the more you practice it; as a result, you burn fewer calories because your body does not have to exert as much energy. Avoid this by alternating between shorter HIIT-style cardio workouts and longer maximal aerobic rows on different weekdays.

Flex Your Abs

Maintaining a tight core is known as flexing. While rowing, you can utilize this straightforward yet powerful technique. Your goal is to get your body used to constantly flexing the stomach muscles, not while only working out.

Flexing your abdominal muscles increases your body’s calorie burn rate, which will help you lose excess belly fat because it will allow your body to consume unwanted calories more quickly than usual.

Summary

Can you lose belly fat on a rowing machine alimentation
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  1. Spending 30 to 45 minutes rowing twice a week helps lose tummy fat. Regular physical activity aids in calorie level and fat burning and lowers stress, a major contributor to the buildup of belly fat.
  2. Set short-term goals and repeat the process the following day or two with a new challenge. Likewise with food! This approach works wonders for boosting motivation.
  3. Maintain consistent diet: avoid eating crisps, French fries, fried foods, commercial cakes, and muffins, and limit your consumption of ham and cheese to reduce your fat intake.
  4. Stop adding sugar! Consider consuming coffee or tea with no added sugar. Break the habit; it typically only takes a couple of weeks. Avoid sugar-laden beverages and sodas with a lot of added sugar.
  5. Swap out chocolate bars with apples or oranges. A 250-kcal chocolate bar has 12 g of fat, which is 60 times greater than an apple or an orange (each of which has 90 or 60 kcal)!
  6. Intake fresh produce. As an illustration, have one orange or one banana for breakfast and boil water with thyme or green tea.
  7. Get at least 6 – 8 hours of sleep each night because sleep deprivation affects your mood and increases hunger and appetite.
  8. Keep doing it consistently!

About

Julien Raby is the owner of BoxLife. He owns a bachelor in literature and a certificate in marketing from Concordia. He's Crossfit Level 1 certified and has been involved in Crossfit since 2010. In 2023 he finally made it to Crossfit Open Quarterfinals for the first time. LinkedIn Instagram Facebook

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