New to using a rowing machine... tips/workout suggestions please

[NotTheOtherMother]

What resistance should I be using?
How long/how far should I be rowing for?

Plus any other tips are welcome!

The Pete Plan is generally regarded to be very good.

https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/

It’s free, I’m not sure why the link comes up like that.

Be very careful of technique. You should pull your hands into your chest, tap down, and THEN slide forward. Don't slide down before your hands have tapped down (think of it as a semi-circular movement of your hands if you were watching from the side, if that makes sense).

Maybe watch some YouTube videos on technique or you could end up injuring your back.

I like Dark Horse Rowing on YouTube he's got some good technique/form stuff too.

As PP says technique is really important in rowing, try to think of it like a squat rotated 90 degrees! At the catch/front you are pushing with your legs arms & back are locked, then once legs flat/straight you swing body back then the arms move - up to chest.
Recovery is in reverse, arms forward then body swing - do not break your knees until hands have gone past them.

the momentum of your hands /body swing should bring really you back without you pulling up on the strap over your feet

Enjoy - it's totally addictive!

I came here to say Dark Horse on YouTube too!!

Applefitness do rowing workouts too which I enjoy!!

Definitely get the technique right! The concept2 website is good or search for British Rowing technique.

The resistance is like bicycle gears rather than a simple 1 = easy, 10 = hard, or as I once heard an instructor say in the gym ‘do you want to go in a one man boat or a 10 man boat?’ 🙄
So, if you put it on a high resistance it is like pedalling up a steep hill - you have to put a lot of effort in at the start of each stroke, and you don’t go very far (and if your technique isn’t great you are likely to hurt your back.) A lower resistance is like a gentle uphill or flat road.
With a lower resistance you need to get the ‘catch’ right and have a quick but powerful push with your legs but you go further with each stroke
Probably no more than 5 or 6 is fine.

Also, don’t assume that the faster you are whizzing up and down, the harder you are working! 20-24 strokes per minute is good for steady workouts for up to about half an hour. Put the display on the /500m reading - a lower number means you are working harder.