Did you know that virtual reality can help you maximize your rowing workouts? Yep, the indoor rowing benefits list becomes even longer with VR rowing.
Rowing machines can strengthen your muscles, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and improve your flexibility—among a ton of other major health benefits.
Did you know that you can work 86% of the muscles in your body with a single rowing stroke? This makes indoor rowing machines an excellent choice if you want to target more than one major muscle group as you exercise.
Rowing engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making it an incredibly efficient workout. This means you can burn more calories in less time compared to traditional cardio exercises, allowing you to achieve your fitness goals without spending hours on your routine.
Even a quick 20-minute session on a rowing machine can deliver impressive results and contribute significantly to your overall health and fitness.
One standout advantage of rowing machines is their ability to provide a low-impact workout. This is a key reason many people choose indoor rowers over other fitness equipment.
Since rowing is performed while seated, it spares your joints from the repetitive, high-impact strain often associated with activities like running. The smooth, rhythmic motion of rowing also minimizes the risk of injury compared to more jarring exercises. Plus, workouts that feel good on your body are much easier to stick with!
This low-impact nature makes rowing an ideal option for individuals with joint concerns, including older adults or athletes recovering from injuries.
A regular rowing routine supports both your cardio and strength goals, giving you a great bang for your buck as you incorporate these two important types of exercise into your fitness routine.
You’ll burn major calories while taxing the majority of your muscles, making rowing an effective exercise for delivering both strength and cardio benefits.
But none of this works if you only row a few times, and then quit. Or if you row only once in a long while, without any regularity.
Yes, we know that rowing can easily get boring, especially if your motivation is not your strong point.
You might have tried to encourage and entertain yourself by watching a movie or listening to a podcast while rowing, and that might have helped a bit. But not a lot – you still need external motivation to keep regular, long-enough cardio rowing sessions a part of your fitness routine.
How do you get the best out of your rowing workouts?
It’s not easy, but it’s doable. And once you form a habit around it the results will follow. And then you will start loving rowing and have better fitness and health altogether.
We’ll give you 3 tips and techniques below on how to maximize your cardio with VR rowing.
Keep your workouts fun!
Even if you are a pro athlete you must admit that cardio workouts can get boring. And it becomes even more important for all the rest of us, that are simply doing fitness for better health because boredom with your workouts is the most likely reason you will quit doing your exercises.
How do you do this: make rowing fun? That’s where VR rowing comes in!
Imagine sitting in your scullboat, rowing through a tropical forest. The sun is shining, palms are full of exotic birds, and everything is simply wonderful. And just as you have relaxed in your rhythmic rowing movements, you see a crocodile jumping at you, speed up your rhythm and get away from it fast!!
30 minutes and 400 calories later, you’ve finished your workout with a smile on your face. And you are immediately putting another session in your calendar: who wouldn’t want to do that again?!
2. Remember the technique!
Good technique on the indoor rower will maximize the benefit of your training and ensure that you do not injure yourself.
The rowing stroke consists of a powerful drive phase followed by a smooth, controlled recovery. Maintaining proper posture and using the correct rowing technique not only conserves your energy but also enhances the efficiency of your movements. While it might seem like your arms are doing most of the work, the majority of the power actually comes from your legs. To maximize your performance, avoid gripping the handle too tightly—relax your hands instead. The handle is designed to stay secure, so there’s no need to overexert your grip.
The 4 phases of your row stroke sequence are called catch, drive, finish, and recovery. It’s important to remember all movements and put them together into fluid motions. This way, you get the most from every stroke and eventually, you’ll row faster and harder.
Newbies to indoor rowing should especially concentrate on executing the motions of these phases cleanly. Once you move at ease, you can speed it up.
Finally, when training on your indoor rowing machine, breathe out during the drive and breathe in during the recovery.
3. Mix your workouts for the best results!
Varying between low and high-intensity sessions will give you better results both in terms of improved cardiovascular and muscle endurance.
Steady-state cardio — plodding along at a consistent pace for the duration of a session – is very important as it can be your time to practice your rowing technique, focus on your breathing, and simply the time to enjoy your VR rowing experience. And this is the main purpose of HOLOFIT VR rowing Explore mode: to give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the amazing HOLOFIT worlds and travel away to new destinations while working out.
However, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can actually be a more efficient means to reach your fitness goals, if those goals are to burn fat or improve your cardio endurance.
A successful fat loss plan focuses on two factors: how you fuel up and how you put those resources to work.
If your main objective is to shed a few extra pounds, combining interval training with a diet focused on high-protein foods and minimally processed options can be a powerful approach to achieving your goal.
While this rowing workout might appear simple at first glance, you’ll soon discover just how demanding—and effective—time-based training can be. Choose HOLOFIT Train/Fat Burn or HIIT workouts if this is your primary workout goal.
What about muscle building with VR rowing?
Metabolic conditioning not only supports fat loss but also offers muscle-building advantages. Among home gym equipment, a rowing machine stands out as a versatile tool that can help you achieve your fitness goals in multiple ways.
This comprehensive workout pairs high-intensity rowing intervals with targeted strength exercises, delivering the ultimate conditioning experience.
How can you do this with HOLOFIT? By combining HOLOFIT Train/Cardio workouts with HOLOFIT Freestyle workouts, especially squats and boxing exercises.
If you want a more advanced workout simply add small wrist and/or ankle weights for your Freestyle session.
No matter if you decide to apply all of the indoor rowing advice we gave you, or just some of them, you will for sure see results with your consistent VR rowing workouts.
And we’ll give you one extra (not-so-secret) tip: enjoy! Remembering to enjoy your workouts is the safest way to ensure you will make them into a habit, and then the results will follow.
We are here to help you: HOLOFIT makes fitness fun, and our community is ready to welcome and support you.
Come and join us! Start your free trial today!
