• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Workouts

Connect Your Lifting and Rowing For Better Performance

The basic mechanics of rowing are not fundamentally different than those of lifting weights.

Written by Ellen Tomek Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

If you know how to lift weights properly, you know how to row. It might not be quite that simple, but the basic mechanics are very similar.

Traditional Barbell Deadlift

Take the deadlift, for example. The body position at the bottom of the deadlift is much the same as the catch position of the rowing stroke (when your body is closest to the flywheel, just before the handle changes direction).

If you know how to lift weights properly, you know how to row. It might not be quite that simple, but the basic mechanics are very similar.

Traditional Barbell Deadlift

Take the deadlift, for example. The body position at the bottom of the deadlift is much the same as the catch position of the rowing stroke (when your body is closest to the flywheel, just before the handle changes direction).

The legs, hips, and body are compressed, with an engaged core, flat back, neutral neck and head position, the shoulder blades squeezing down and back, and the arms outstretched with a firm grip on the bar.

To move the bar, the motion is the same as the beginning of a pull on the rower. The core holds firm while the glutes squeeze, and the bar is lifted from the ground. As the bar moves higher along the body, the work shifts to the quads and hamstrings. The firing of the hips guides the bar further up the legs and brings you to a fully upright position. A deadlift has been executed.

Barbell High Pull

Now, with a bit less weight on the bar and therefore a bit more momentum, add in a follow-through of the arms at the end of the body leverage.

The arms are not moving the bar. Instead, it is the force created by the strength of the core and the firing of the glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips and back that allows the bar to move further in the air with the arms as its guide. You have moved from a deadlift to a high pull.

Rowing Pull Technique

To transfer these lifts to the rower, you simply turn them into a horizontal motion instead of vertical (with slightly less hip extension, or else you would be laying down on the erg). Just like the above two lifts, the core holds firm while the glutes that initiate the movement of the handle away from the flywheel.

The quads and hamstrings take over mid-stroke. The hips and back help to accelerate that movement. The arms are but a follow through and guide for the handle as you slow down and change direction, heading into the next stroke. Pay attention to the position at the catch. Look familiar?

You might also like:

  • An 8-Week Training Plan for the Beginner Rower
  • The Comprehensive Rowing Warm Up and Cool Down

About Ellen Tomek

Ellen is a 2x Olympian, 8x National Team Member, and 5x World Cup Medalist in the sport of Rowing. After making the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team, she was a member of the 2009 USA Women’s Double (W2x), the only American crew to ever win this event at a major World Rowing Regatta. She missed out on the 2010-2011 World Championship Teams and the 2012 London Olympic Team due to injury. However, she was able to rehab herself back to health and was a member of the 2013-2016 USA W2x, representing her country again in the 2016 Rio Olympics. She plans to continue training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

She was a two sport athlete in high school (basketball, softball) and began rowing her first year of college at the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a degree in Economics. She has been rowing for over 14 years: 10 years as an elite rower. During her career as an elite rower, she has worked as a personal trainer at New York Sports Club 2007-2008, as a coach at the Junior B National Sculling Camp 2011-2012, as the Varsity Boys’ Assistant Rowing Coach at the Mercer Junior Rowing Club 2012-2013, and as a personal rowing coach for Masters’ rowers since 2012. When she is not rowing, Ellen enjoys running, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming. She plans to continue working in the fields of sport and health and wellness after she is done training for the Olympics as a rowing coach and personal trainer.

View All Articles

Related Posts

Person in gym performing chest press on machine
The Ultimate Chest and Back Workout for Upper Body Muscle
Long-haired person in gym running on treadmill
Try These HIIT Treadmill Workouts for Different Goals
Muscular person in gym doing dumbbell curls
The Ultimate Back and Biceps Workout for Every Lifter From Beginner to Advanced
A person doing a barbell bench press.
The Ultimate Bench Press Workout to Increase Strength and Muscle

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About