The Complete Guide to Rowing

Chapter 1: What Is Rowing and Why People Love It

Let's start with the honest truth: rowing looks like magic, but it's actually a very specific, very learnable set of repetitive motions performed on a boat that wants, at all times, to tip over. When you see a crew gliding across a lake at sunrise, boats moving as one, leaving thin white trails behind them, it looks effortless. It looks graceful. And then you get in a boat yourself, and for the first twenty minutes, you're convinced the whole thing is a practical joke and everyone else is secretly attached to cables that keep them upright.

That's normal. That's part of the experience. And if you can laugh at yourself while you're flailing, you're probably going to love this sport.

So what does rowing actually involve, day to day? Let's pretend you're starting out. You've signed up for an adult learn-to-row class at a local club, or you've found a gym with a good rowing machine and you're wondering if the real thing is worth the effort. Either way, here's the shape of it: you're sitting on a sliding seat, facing backwards relative to where you're going, and you're pushing with your legs, swinging your torso, and pulling handles into your chest in a specific sequence. Step one: legs press down, which slides the seat backwards and moves the boat one oar-length forward. Step two: you lean your body back slightly from the hips. Step three: you bend your arms