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The Pyramid Power: A Rowing Machine Exercise for Endurance and Strength

Many people may think that rowing mostly engages and creates strength for the upper body, but with this movement, it is all about the legs. Similar to a golf swing, the hips and the legs tend to do much of the work in creating power during a rowing move or stroke. It may be complex at times to understand the dynamics and techniques to row properly, therefore you may want to seek guidance from a Port Coquitlam personal trainer so that you learn the right techniques to allow you row properly.

The movement created by rowing is similar to the explosive power clean exercise in weightlifting which mostly uses the entire body. With rowing, it begins by driving the legs, then engaging the muscles in the back and core, then followed by engaging the arms. Prior to rowing, you may want to make sure you adjust the foot traps.

Check the damper setting usually located on right side of machine’s circular flywheel if you are using the Concept 2 machine. You also need to understand the monitor, which is the square display that gives you instant feedback about your workout.

The pyramid power is an intermediate challenge exercise which helps you improve endurance as well as consistency when you row. In each interval, you need to aim at keeping the same workout intensity as well as pace. You can examine this by looking at the watts. You can also check the pace or intensity by changing the units to for example time per every 500 meters which is shown on the display.

As a caution, you need to understand that just because you are doing both rowing and at the same time taking some rest for equally same amount of time, this does not necessarily mean that it will be easy for you. When you put effort and work hard, you can burn around 450 of calories from this exercise. You can consult with a Port Coquitlam personal trainer to teach and guide you on how you can use the rowing machine for your pyramid power or other exercises.