Calories Burned Rowing Machine : 0 Kcal
Overview
Burning calories on a rowing machine seems to be a fun idea! The universal key to weight loss is keeping the calorie intake low and burning calories through work out. Rowing can be an effective calorie burn aid exercise, but one has to be wary of all the titbits. The article below is an attempt to reveal the ways through which calorie burn can be accelerated through a rowing machine.
Misconceptions about the rowing machine calories
There are several misconceptions associated with the meters vs calories debate. Whether or not rowing a longer distance will burn more calories? The answer is quite simple though. Let’s find it out in the next section.
Some of the most common misconceptions are:
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- The damper needs to be set to a 10 if you want a calorie burn
- Each pulling row requires one calorie
- One needs to pull harder and rate lower because calories are measured differently than meters
However, calories are constantly being burnt even when you have stopped rowing. The meters continue to show distance covered, with the calorie numbers being constant. This does not mean that there is no calorie burn. It just indicates that the calorie burn rate with each pull is so less than an accumulated calorie burn is a better picture to look and analyze.
These misconceptions also arise because people are incapable of calculating their calorie burn per minute or hour. They can only estimate the distance they can travel or the time it will take.
These issues normally crop up when people forget resetting the monitor to 0 each time they begin. This is one of the major reasons why restarting on the rower often shows a calorie count which matches the one just burned previously. Calories on this machine are usually measured per hour, which is the power output measured in the unit ‘Watts.”
Also, changing the settings on the monitor shouldn’t mean you have to change your way of rowing. No setting change can outpace your form of rowing. It is more important to improve on your rowing style and movement patterns before you go on with changing the settings.
3 ways to calculate your calories on a rowing machine
To calculate the number of calories one can burn in an hour, some methods can be used.
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- Watts
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The monitor measures calorie burn per hour, which is power output in watts.
Watts is simply calculated by dividing 2.8 by your pace^3. Your pace is calculated by multiplying the time (in seconds) divided by the distance (in meters).
For example, covering 125 seconds and 500-meters would lead to a pace of 0.25. Watts can be measured as 2.80/0.25^3. This will give us a 179.2 watt. Hence, the higher your pace is, the quicker will be the calorie burn rate.
Hence, watt and calorie increase at an increasing rate which means an increase in watt will result in a greater increase in calories burnt.
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- METs
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MET refers to the ratio of the functional metabolism rate and your dormant metabolism rate. One MET is equal to the consumption of 3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute.
MET value of rowing machine and Calories burned in 30 minutes by a 165-pound person.
| METs | Calories Burned Per Minute | Calories Burned 30 Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowing, stationary, general, moderate effort | 4.8 | 6 | 189 |
| Rowing, stationary ergometer, general, vigorous effort | 6.0 | 8 | 236 |
| rowing, stationary, 100 watts, moderate effort | 7.0 | 9 | 275 |
| rowing, stationary, 150 watts, vigorous effort | 8.5 | 11 | 334 |
| rowing, stationary, 200 watts, very vigorous effort | 12.0 | 16 | 472 |
When our muscles use more oxygen, they tend to burn more calories. Hence, the formula is:
METs x 3.5 x (your body weight in kilograms) / 200 = calories burned per minute
A general activity with moderate effort and a MET of 4.8 can help you burn 344 calories. However, promoting this to a more vigorous effort and a stationary ergometer will help you burn 430 calories.
Similarly. a stationary activity with moderate effort involving 100 watts with a MET score of 7 will help you burn 501 calories.
A MET score of 1 usually indicated a person sitting in his room with improper digestion.
Example:
For an average person who weighs 180 pounds and performs a moderate intensity rowing (MET score-7) for almost an hour, the watt involved is 100 in this particular task. Therefore, calories burnt are (7×81kg×3.5)/200=10
Hence, 10 calories are burnt in one minute of this session.
Therefore, for this person, the total calories burnt in an hour are around 600 calories at a moderate-intensity rowing.
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- Heart rate
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One can measure their calorie Burn by calculating their heart rate during the entire duration of the workout.
Quick note: This can be extremely accurate if you can limit your heart rate between 90-150 beats per minute. It is important to consider your weight, gender, and age before trying to restrict your heart rate to the aforesaid numbers.
The formula for measuring calorie burn using heart rate is:
{(age×0.074)+( heart rate×0.4472)-( weight×0.05741)-20.4022}×time/4.184
So, if you are currently 32 years of age and your weight is 143 pounds and your heart rate during rowing was 127 BPM, then calorie burn in 33 minutes will be :
{(32×0.074)+(127×0.4472)-(143×0.05741 )-20.4022}×33/4.184= 241 calories.
Hence, this woman can burn close to 241 calories for 33 minutes of rowing.
However, the pattern of rowing shouldn’t change with the method used for measuring the calorie expenditure. Irrespective of whether you consider calorie or meters, your movements should be the same.
Calories burned rowing machine 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes and 30 minutes
Calorie burned on a rowing machine for a specific duration can not be uniform at all levels. It tends to differ according to a person’s age, weight, intensity, and duration.
For instance, a person of 185 pounds is going to burn more calories than a 140-pound person. Similarly, calories per hour will be more than calories per minute. So, if you row for an hour, your calorie burn will be more than someone who rows only for 25 minutes.
Indulging with more intensity is also likely to help you burn more calories than just pushing through the workout session for the sake of it.
A person of 140 pounds with moderate efforts can lose around 320 calories per hour, which means 160 calories will be burned every half an hour. 80 calories can be burned in 15 minutes and 53.3 kcal every 10 minutes. Hence, in 5 minutes, one can expect to lose around 26.6 calories. Calories Burned Per minute is around 5 calories.
Putting more energy and intensity can further help in burning more calories. The person weighing 140-pound putting vigorous efforts of around 150 Watt, can burn around 566 calories per hour. Every half an hour, he can lose 283 calories. A 15-minute rowing session can further burn calories anywhere around 142 kcal.
Calories burned rowing 1000 meters, 2000 meters, or 3000 meters
A person with a weight of 185 pounds is likely to burn more calories than a 140-pound person. This is because the former will need much more energy to cover 1000 meters rowing than a 140-pound person.
A 185-pound person can burn around 422 calories in an hour at a moderate pace.
1000 meters can be covered in around 5 minutes at a moderate pace. This means that a person of 185 pounds can burn around 7 calories in a minute. So, 1000 meters will burn around 35.00 calories (7×5).
However, keeping the rowing pattern the same will get harder, and hence covering 2000 meters can take around 12 minutes. 2000 meters of rowing can help you burn 84 calories. Rowing for 3000 meters at a moderate pace can help you burn 126 calories.
If you want a faster calorie burn while covering the same distance in meters, it is important to increase the pace. The faster you row, the faster will be your calorie burn. You can also make rowing more challenging by incorporating different movements.
Calories burnt on rowing machine VS Jumping Rope, treadmill, jumping Jacks, elliptical,exercise bike, cross trainer
Most of the other exercises like running, walking and cross trainer need the person to perform these exercises quite intensely.
Gradually, these need to be upgraded so that the calorie burn can be increased.
Also, it is difficult to safely perform outdoor exercises like running and jogging in the middle of the current pandemic.
To help you understand the amount of calories burnt in 30 minutes of rowing, in comparison to other activities, here is a helpful chart (based on 150-pound) –
Calories burned in 30 minutes of rowing machine = 171 calories(moderate intensity)
Calories burned in 30 minutes of rowing machine = 303 calories(intensity:150 watts, vigorous effort)
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- 30 minutes of Jumping Ropes = 421 kcal
- 30 minutes of running on treadmill 6mph = 328 kcal
- 30 minutes of jumping jacks = 285 kcal
- 30 minutes of exercising on Stationary Bike = 250 kcal
- 30 minutes of exercising on elliptical = 178 kcal
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Some of these exercises will also range, if they can be made more adaptive by using them in between HIIT sessions or weight training.
However, this also requires a lot more energy and effort, pushing your heart rate to the edge. Rowing machines provide significant leverage to take proper rest in between.
Running and jogging mostly target your lower body, with a focus on glutes and calves. Rowing exercises usually target both the upper and lower body.
It is also easier to make periodic up-gradation in terms of duration. You can expect to improve your posture and timing daily.
Two rowing workouts on a rowing machine
Initially, it is important to focus on the form and posture while rowing. Eventually, you can head to a more challenging rowing session by making it more intense.
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- High-intensity interval training
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Two intervals of rowing need to be included.
During the first interval, you need to row at a medium pace for about a minute and then shift to power pulls instantly.
Perform 5 of these and then, shift to power pulls and repeat these 10 times. After you are done with power pulls, go to isolation bars and use them for arm isolation 10 times.
Alternate between 10 power pulls and 10 arm isolations. Finally, perform sprints for 30 seconds and rest for a minute. Continue this for five minutes straight. You can make this more challenging by reducing the resting time to only 30 seconds.
Head to the second interval wherein you need to indulge in walkouts to plank. Make sure to perform all these exercises for only 30 seconds focusing on body sculpting.
Perform push-ups and then, one side plank with a crunch. You can alternate between push up walks and plank and rotate.
Adding weight to plank and rotation will further help in burning even more calories and sculpting your body. Now, take medium size weights and use them to perform bent-over row.
Finally, conclude this interval with tricep dips. These should be performed at the corner of your rowing machine. Stray away from taking a break during these sessions.
You can take a break of 30 seconds, in the end, to charge up for the next interval.
The third interval will challenge your rowing skills and enhance your body too.
Start by rowing for 100 meters and perform push-ups for 45 seconds. Then row for 200 meters again and perform a plank for 45 seconds. Now, row for 300 meters and perform tricep dips. Row for 200 meters again and perform the plank hold. Row for 100 meters and conclude this session with push-ups.
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- Low-intensity steady-state exercise
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Low-intensity steady-state exercise is an exact opposite of HIIT workouts and helps in calorie burn and weight loss.
This exercise is more inclusive and perfect for beginners as it puts less stress on the body.
This workout type also gives significant time to stretch and warm up in between. As such, your energy level will allow you to keep the workout going for a longer duration.
Start by warming up for five minutes straight. Perform a few stretches ensuring that you don’t hurt your back or muscles. Avoid sudden jerks or try to go slow if you are a beginner.
Now an interval will include 20 minutes of workout and a break of 2 minutes. Perform this interval at least thrice or you can also perform it for more than 3 times if you are in the intermediate stage.
Conclude this session with a warm-up.
In LISS workouts, a short break tends to recharge the person quickly. Hence, you can perform a lot of sets to increase calorie burn. Ensure safety first by performing comparatively easier stretches. A heart rate meter can help you measure the burn rate more effectively for this workout.
Calories per hour need to be assessed to ensure that the burn rate is increasing with each session. Rowing as a means of calorie burn can be extremely effective if proper changes are made on time. You can learn the correct form and posture by visiting a gym or hiring a professional trainer.
Conclusion
Working out with a rowing machine can be great fun! It is a great way to stimulate different parts of your body and can help you build strength as well as achieve cardio-vascular exercise.
