How to Set Up a Rowing Machine for Exercise

Video Transcript

" Hi there! I’m Anna-Marie; I’m a Canadian Olympic Rower. I’m here on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip, we’ll learn a little about how to set up the rowing machine so it’s ready for you own use. There’s a few things you need to know about setting up a rowing machine. First of all, the first thing to adjust would be the foot height. As you can see, I can just pull this forward and slide the foot height up or down; depending basically, on the size of my feet. I know for me that I need to have one hole showing at the top. So I would slide that up or down to have that one hole showing, make sure it’s clipped in place, at which point I can put my foot into the foot plate and tighten up the strap. Another good way to eyeball this is if the strap is just at or above the ball of your foot. This way, when you come up to start a stroke, you’re able to get up onto the toes of your feet so your heel is off the footplate. This will allow you to be able to push your legs down effectively. To loosen up the straps just press out and come off. Another part you can set up is the damper of the machine. This is the drag factor. You can change this to make it a little bit more difficult or a little bit easier, a little heavier for you or a little bit lighter as you row. Typically, the best number is between about 3 and 5. This simulates the water the most. If it’s way up at 10, it’s going to be very, very heavy. If it’s between 3 and 5, that will probably the closet feeling to actually being on the water. The third part when you’re setting up the machine is to make sure that the handle, which is always stored up at the cage, is now down in the rest, right there. So you’ve got your drag set at between 3 and 5; you’ve got your feet set so the strap is just above the ball of your foot, and you’ve got the handle ready to pick up. Stay with us. In the next clip, we’re going to learn how to row. "