Can You Lose Belly Fat By Only Using A Rowing Machine – A Complete Guide

The most common goal when you decide to play sports to lose weight is undoubtedly to reduce the waistline by burning abdominal fat.

The rowing machine is certainly one of the most complete tools that, with just one exercise, helps you lose weight and tone your arms, legs, and shoulders.

But what about abdominal fat which is apparently the hardest to get rid of?

Can you lose belly fat by only using a rowing machine? How to use the best rowing to reduce the fat?

Let’s find out in this article!

The Myth of Local Reduction

Did you know those much-envied tortoiseshell abs you see on television orin fitness commercials, do you actually own them already?

You obviously can’t see them, because they’re wrapped in that layer of fat that you so badly want to get rid of.

But if you could take off that annoying belt now, then you would instantly have the abs you want.

Of course, it is not possible to do this and that layer of fat that hides your abdominals must be eliminated with a lot of patience and great constancy.

First of all, because it tends to be the one that was formed before and therefore is more difficult to burn.

The only way to get those six-pack abs you want is to be consistent with exercise and try to burn as many calories, and therefore fat, as possible.

You can work out, do aerobics, run, cycle or even just walk, but if you want to get results faster then you need to know that the rowing machine allows you to burn a lot more calories in less time than any of these sports.

Calories Burned: Thanks to the Rowing Machine

In fact, did you know that 1 hour of rowing exercise burns up to 800 calories?

This amount is greater than that of any other gymnastic activity or machine you use to burn fat.

In comparison, with 1 hour of walking, you burn only 315 calories. If you prefer jogging, the number of calories burned rises to about 370, depending on your weight.

Obviously the more the intensity of the exercise increases the more calories you can burn in an hour, but there are not as many activities that can make you lose as many calories as the rowing machine. For this reason, it is one of the most effective tools for burning fat and toning muscles.

How to Achieve More with the Rowing Machine?

You can get the most benefits by training with the rowing machine, alone if you use it correctly during each stage. In particular, you need to feel your abs work constantly.

Here is the function performed by the abdominals, phase by phase, during the exercise with the rowing machine:

1. Attack

During the initial phase, which precedes the push with the legs, you have to bring your back forward and this already involves the abdominals.

2. Thrust

You have to push on the footplates with your legs and feet while pulling the handlebars with your arms. The abdominal muscles always remain in tension to keep the torso upright.

3. Closure

The legs are fully extended. The arms pull the dumbbell or oars towards the chest, the abs continue to keep the torso erect.

4. Recovery

You have to flex your torso forward to return to the starting position. The abdominals are also actively involved in this phase.

So let’s see how the abdominals, while simply carrying out a work that we can consider “supportive” for the body, therefore of a lower intensity than the legs, arms and shoulders, are actually constantly involved in the exercise and, if you want to ensure the maximum from this tool, you need to pay special attention to this.

According to some studies, interval training helps burn more calories. What you should do to speed up the results is to alternate between 20/30 seconds of intense rowing and 90/120 seconds of more moderate-paced exercise for 20 minutes.

More Considerations

The rowing machine will not help you burn more abdominal fat than other physical activities, however, as it is a high-intensity exercise, it helps you burn more calories and therefore lose more fat throughout your body, even in the abdominal area.

You don’t need to spend hours and hours on this tool every day to get the results you want faster. In fact, always remember that the recovery time for the muscles is as important as the training itself because it allows them to rebuild themselves by increasing mass.

Training for 30 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week, is already enough. On days when you are not using the rowing machine, you can practice another type of lower impact activity, such as walking or cycling.

Another fundamental rule, then, is to combine your training with a balanced diet, low in fat.

You will see that by doing this, you will soon, and to your great satisfaction, get the results you want.