Skip to content
The HIT MethodAn independent guide to high-intensity training

Rowing Machine Sprints: How to Do It, Muscles Worked and Easier Options

Last updated

Rowing Machine Sprints, also known as rowing hiit or rower intervals, provide a low impact way to train hard. This exercise heavily targets your quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and latissimus dorsi. Your hamstrings, biceps, and core act as supporting muscles to stabilize and power the movement.

You perform this exercise by alternating short hard efforts on a rowing machine with easy rowing in between. Because you control the pace and resistance, this movement adapts easily for anyone from a beginner to an advanced trainee.

Exercise data

Impact
Low
Level
Beginner to advanced
Equipment
Rowing machine
Main muscles
quadriceps, gluteus maximus, latissimus dorsi
Also working
hamstrings, biceps, core
Movement
Short hard efforts on a rowing machine with easy rowing between
Low-impact swap
steady rowing at a conversational pace

How to do a rowing machine sprints

Sit on the rowing machine seat with your feet strapped securely into the footrests. Grab the handle with an overhand grip, keeping your wrists straight and your shins vertical.

  1. Push hard against the footrests to extend your legs and engage your quadriceps and gluteus maximus.
  2. Lean your torso slightly back as your legs reach full extension.
  3. Pull the handle forcefully toward your lower chest using your latissimus dorsi and biceps.
  4. Extend your arms forward to begin the return phase.
  5. Hinge your torso forward slightly and bend your knees to slide the seat back to the starting position.
  6. Recover with a slow, easy stroke before starting your next hard sprint effort.

Form cues

  • Legs, core, arms on the pull.
  • Arms, core, legs on the return.
  • Keep your back straight.
  • Drive through your heels.

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with arms first. Always initiate the drive by pushing with your legs before bending your arms.
  • Rounding your back. Keep your chest up and maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire stroke.
  • Rushing the recovery. Take more time to return to the starting position than you did to pull the handle.
  • Shooting the hips. Ensure your seat and the handle move backward at the same speed during the leg drive.
  • Gripping too tightly. Hold the handle loosely to avoid fatiguing your forearms and biceps prematurely.

Easier and harder versions

Easier

  • steady rowing at a conversational pace
  • Shorter sprint intervals with longer recovery periods
  • Lowering the damper setting on the rowing machine to reduce drag

Harder

  • Increasing the duration of the hard sprint intervals
  • Performing standing starts to generate maximum power from a dead stop

Using it in intervals

When adding rowing machine sprints to your high-intensity interval training, focus on maximum power during the work phases. A common approach involves working hard for a short period, followed by an active recovery phase of easy rowing. As you fatigue, your form may start to slip. Pay close attention to the sequence of your stroke and ensure you drive with your legs rather than yanking with your arms. If your posture breaks down, slow your pace until you regain control.

Formats that suit this move: Rowing Machine HIIT Workout, 4×4 Interval Training.

Similar moves

Curious about energy use? See calories burned: rowing machine.

When to stop and see a doctor

  • Sharp pain in your lower back during the drive.
  • Sudden, severe shortness of breath that does not resolve with rest.
  • Joint pain in your knees or hips.
  • Numbness or tingling in your arms or legs.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, joint problems, are pregnant or have been inactive for a long time, talk to your doctor before starting vigorous exercise.

How this page was made. Exercise data (impact, level, equipment, muscles) was compiled by our editors as a general anatomy and coaching guide. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Training Desk; see how we write. Last checked October 2026.