Will Rowing Give Me Abs?

Rowing works your core hard, but whether you can see your abs depends mainly on how much body fat sits over them. It makes no promises about results, which vary between people.

How rowing uses the core

Your core is the set of muscles around the trunk: the rectus abdominis (the “six-pack” muscle), the obliques, the deep transversus abdominis, the muscles of the lower back and the hip muscles that connect to the pelvis. In the rowing stroke they do mostly stabilising work.

• At the catch, the core holds your trunk set while you hinge forward from the hips.
• During the drive, it links the leg push to the handle. If the trunk is soft, power leaks. A firm core transfers force from your legs to the handle.
• At the finish, it supports the slight layback and then the swing forward.
• On the recovery, it controls the body as you come forward.

This is more like a plank than a sit-up: the muscles hold position under load rather than repeatedly curling. That builds endurance and control well, and it is a useful kind of core fitness. See how to build a stronger core for rowing.

Why abs may not show

Everyone has abdominal muscles, but they are visible only when body fat is low enough. How much fat you need to lose before abs show varies with sex, genetics and where your body stores fat. For some people it is a moderate amount; for others it may require a level of leanness that is difficult or not advisable to maintain.

You cannot choose where fat comes from. Working your abs does not burn fat from the stomach in particular, and neither does rowing. See rowing to lose belly fat and rowing for weight loss. Fat reduction depends on your overall food intake and activity over time, plus sleep, stress and genetics.

What can help

If your aim is a firmer midsection, these are the usual ingredients:

1. Regular rowing, such as three sessions a week of 20 to 45 minutes, to contribute to your energy use and fitness. See rowing for cardio: how to improve quick.
2. Core strength work, two or three times a week. For example:

Exercise	Sets and reps or time	Note
Plank	3 x 30 to 60 seconds	Straight line from head to heels
Side plank	2 x 20 to 40 seconds each side	Hips lifted
Dead bug	3 x 8 to 10 each side	Lower back stays flat
Bird dog	3 x 8 each side	Slow, steady
Hanging knee raise	3 x 6 to 10	Only if comfortable on a bar
Farmer’s carry	3 x 20 to 30 metres	Brace and walk tall

3. Strength training, including squats, deadlifts and rows, which load the trunk heavily.
4. A sensible eating pattern, with enough protein and whole foods and no crash dieting. See nutrition.
5. Sleep and recovery.

Crunches and sit-ups are not essential. If you do them, keep the neck relaxed and the range comfortable, especially if you have back pain.

Use your core properly on the erg

• Sit tall at the catch, with a firm trunk and a hinge from the hips.
• Keep the trunk braced as the legs drive. Do not let the back open early.
• Lean back only slightly at the finish. Over-leaning shifts the work to the lower back.
• Swing from the hips on the recovery, with the core controlling the movement.
• Breathe steadily, since holding your breath raises pressure and tires you. See proper breathing when using a rowing machine.

A drill: row 10 strokes with a pause at the finish, holding the position for a second without slumping. This teaches you to control the finish with your trunk.

Keeping it healthy

Back pain, previous abdominal surgery, pregnancy, diastasis recti or a hernia all need professional advice before you load your core. See rowing with lower back pain and can you row while pregnant. If food, weight or appearance is taking up too much of your thinking, speak to a GP.

For a plan, see first month on the erg, or browse the training hub.