How to Use a Rowing Machine

The rowing stroke has four parts: catch, drive, finish and recovery. According to Concept2, the drive starts by pressing with your legs, and you should not pull hard until you are comfortable. This page sets out each part, the damper guidance Concept2 gives, and where coaching can help. Ask a clinician first if you have pain or an injury.

This page is general information drawn from named sources, not coaching or medical advice, and the site did not try any machine. The sources are Concept2's technique and damper pages, Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Health, and each is credited where its wording is used. If you are still choosing a machine, start with the guide to best rowing machines for home. MudderElla explains how its pages are built and dated.

Before you start: ask a clinician if needed

Harvard Health's page on choosing a home exercise machine (dated 2021-03-01) says rowing machines "aren't advisable for people prone to back pain." Cleveland Clinic's page on rowing machine benefits (dated 2024-06-27) names back spasms as a risk when form is poor. If you have pain, a past injury, a heart condition or are pregnant, talk to a doctor or other qualified clinician before your first session. The CDC's page on adding physical activity as an adult tells people with chronic conditions to talk with their doctor about the types and amounts of activity. This page cannot replace that advice, and a coaching video cannot either.

The four parts of the stroke

Concept2, which makes the RowErg, describes the stroke on its technique videos page. The wording below follows that page. It gives no date, and this site read it on 2026-11-02 as a summary of the page, so the steps are paraphrased.

1. Catch. This is the starting position at the front of the stroke. Concept2 describes arms straight, shoulders level and a lean forward from the hips. Its cue for the legs is "Shins should not move beyond perpendicular," meaning your shins stay upright rather than leaning past vertical.
2. Drive. Concept2 says to start the drive by pressing with your legs. The order it describes is legs first, then the back, then the arms, with the hands moving in a straight line.
3. Finish. Concept2 describes a slight lean back, the legs extended, and the handle held lightly below your ribs, with the wrists flat.
4. Recovery. The reverse of the drive. Concept2 describes the arms extending first, then the lean forward from the hips, and then the knees bending once your hands have cleared your knees.

The order matters in both directions. On the way back, the sequence is legs, back, arms. On the way forward it is arms, body, legs.

Setting the resistance: the damper

Concept2's blog post on damper settings for the RowErg (published 2025-01-03, modified 2025-04-02) recommends starting with a damper setting between 3 and 5. The same post says the damper controls airflow, and that resistance comes from the users themselves, meaning that the harder you pull, the more resistance you feel. It says drag factor is a better basis for comparing rowers than the damper number.

Two limits are worth stating. First, this is Concept2's guidance for its own RowErg. The pages read for this site do not say how the number applies to other air, magnetic or water machines, so check the maker's own instructions for the machine you buy. Second, British Rowing is reported by a search snippet to recommend a damper at 4 or below, but its page returned an error when read, so that figure cannot be checked and is not relied on here.

Foot straps

Foot-strap setup is the part of form this site could not source. A search snippet of British Rowing's page suggested the heels sit in the footrest with the strap across the ball of the foot, but British Rowing's site refused the read on 2026-11-02, so this is can't be checked and is not given as guidance. Concept2's technique page, as read, says nothing about foot straps. Look for the instructions that come with your machine, or ask a coach, and check the setup against the maker's own manual.

Common mistakes, as named sources state them

Only a few mistakes are stated outright by a named source.

• Pulling too hard too early. Concept2's technique page says not to pull too hard until you are comfortable.
• Poor form and the back. Cleveland Clinic says poor form can bring on back spasms.
• Pulling the handle to the chin. Cleveland Clinic names a risk to the shoulders if you pull the handle up to the chin. The Concept2 cue of holding the handle lightly below the ribs points the other way.
• Locking the knees. Cleveland Clinic says the knees should not be locked.

Other faults, such as hunched shoulders, shins past vertical, starting with the arms or a tight grip, are not listed as a faults section on Concept2's page. Its cues imply them, but this page does not present them as named mistakes.

Where coaching can help

Two of the makers this site covers describe guided or tutorial content on their own pages. According to Hydrow's FAQ, without a membership its rower runs in Just Row mode with very limited functionality, and that mode includes Hydrow 101 tutorials. Hydrow's Wave page describes "6,000+" workouts in Hydrow's own words, and Hydrow says membership is $50 a month for the whole household, with membership described as an integral part of the experience. According to Ergatta's FAQ (read as a summary on 2026-11-02), access to introductory training and tutorial videos is among what works without a membership.

These are the makers' descriptions of their own content, not a judgment of its quality. Neither page was read as a coaching course. A coach in person, or a clinician such as a physical therapist, is the option for form problems or pain. For how much to row in a week, see rowing machine workouts for beginners. The rowing machine for beginners guide covers machines suited to a first purchase, and the how to choose a rowing machine page covers space, noise, coaching and cost.

What the muscles and the goal have to do with form

If you are rowing for a particular goal, form is part of it. The rowing machine benefits page sets out which muscles Harvard and Cleveland Clinic say rowing works and the limits of that evidence. The rowing machine for weight loss page covers what the CDC and Harvard say about calories and weight.

A short checklist before your first session

Each item below comes from a source credited above.

• Ask a clinician first if you have pain, an injury, a heart condition, are pregnant or have been inactive for a long time (CDC, Harvard Health).
• Read the maker's instructions for your machine, including foot straps and resistance.
• Start at a low effort. Concept2 says not to pull too hard until you are comfortable, and it suggests a damper between 3 and 5 on the RowErg.
• Keep the order of the stroke in mind: legs, back, arms on the drive, and the reverse on the recovery (Concept2).
• Keep the handle lightly below the ribs at the finish and keep the knees unlocked (Concept2, Cleveland Clinic).
• Stop and talk to a clinician if you feel pain.

FAQ

What are the four parts of the rowing stroke?

According to Concept2, they are the catch, the drive, the finish and the recovery. The drive starts by pressing with the legs, then the back, then the arms. The recovery reverses that order.

What damper setting should a beginner use?

Concept2 recommends starting between 3 and 5 on its RowErg and says the damper controls airflow, not resistance. That guidance is for the RowErg. The sources read here do not say how it applies to other machines.

How should I set the foot straps?

This could not be checked. British Rowing's page was blocked on the read date, and Concept2's technique page, as read, says nothing on straps. Use your machine's manual or ask a coach.

Is a rowing machine bad for your back?

Harvard Health says rowing machines are not advisable for people prone to back pain, and Cleveland Clinic says poor form can cause back spasms. Ask a clinician before rowing if you have back pain.

Can I get coaching at home?

Hydrow and Ergatta each describe guided or tutorial content on their own pages. Hydrow lists Hydrow 101 tutorials in its limited Just Row mode, and Ergatta lists introductory tutorial videos as available without a membership. A coach or clinician is the right person for form or pain concerns.