If you have access to a rower at your gym or you're lucky enough to have a rower at home, try this 30-minute HIIT workout created by NASM-certified trainer Caley Crawford [1], and director of education for Row House [2], that can help you lose weight.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) allows the body to burn more calories in less time [3], explained Crawford. She told POPSUGAR that when performed correctly, the workout will make you burn calories for hours after the workout due to EPOC [4] (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). The intensity of the intervals in your workout causes the body to have to work harder post-workout to recover, which in turn allows your body to continue burning calories one to two hours after, known as the afterburn effect.
HIIT gives a lot of the same benefits as other forms of more aerobic cardio; however, you get those results and benefits in less time worked. "It's a super efficient and highly effective style of training," Crawford said. To get the full HIIT effect, you'll want to pair a high-intensity exercise with full rest/recovery. One of the best ways to achieve this is with rowing, explained Crawford. "Rowing works 86 percent of your muscles in every stroke when done properly, which causes the heart and lungs to have to work harder to fuel the body," she said. It's also a low-impact exercise that allows you to find those high intensities without adding extra stress on your joints.
One of the myths is that HIIT workouts have to be high impact, and that's not true at all. They just need to be high intensity, Crawford explained. In fact, if you can find a high-intensity workout that's low-impact, you'll be able to do it more because it won't be as hard on your body and joints. If you can sustain a workout that won't cause you injury, that means more calories burned, more weight loss, and a lower resting heart rate. Crawford said, "Rowing is like the mecca of HIIT workouts and cardio workouts in general. It's the trifecta: high-cardio, full-body, and low-impact.
I did this workout four times and each time burned about 220 calories, which included the warmup at the beginning. That's pretty awesome for a quick workout! I loved pushing myself on the intervals, breathing hard, and dripping sweat — it felt amazing. Give it a try.
20-Minute HIIT Rowing Workout For Weight Loss
Equipment needed: rower
Directions: Complete the nine-minute warmup below before beginning the 20-minute rowing workout. For the rowing workout, you'll do four different timed intervals and do them each for two, four, six, and eight rounds (explained in the chart below). After the workout, cool down with a light three-minute row and then do these stretches: Low Lunge [5], Down Dog [6], Cobra [7], Pigeon [8], and Child's Pose [9].
Warmup:
| Warmup Exercises | Time |
|---|---|
| Good morning [10] | 60 seconds |
| Walkout [11] | 60 seconds |
| Down Dog [12] | 60 seconds |
| Plank hold [13] or Plank with shoulder tap [14] | 60 seconds |
| Row at 22 SPM (strokes per minute) | 60 seconds (at 70 percent intensity) |
| Row at 24 SPM | 60 seconds (at 75 percent intensity) |
| Row at 26 SPM | 60 seconds (at 80 percent intensity) |
| Row at 28 SPM | 60 seconds (at 85 percent intensity) |
| Row at 30 SPM | 60 seconds (at 90 percent intensity) |
20-Minute Rowing Workout:
| Rounds | Exercise |
|---|---|
| 2 | Sprint (above 90% effort): 60 seconds Recovery paddle (very light row): 60 seconds |
| 4 | Sprint (above 90% effort): 45 seconds Recovery paddle (very light row): 45 seconds |
| 6 | Sprint (above 90% effort): 30 seconds Recovery paddle (very light row): 30 seconds |
| 8 | Sprint (above 90% effort): 15 seconds Recovery paddle (very light row): 15 seconds |