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A consistent exercise routine is incredibly important with age, and working out offers several benefits, such as boosting longevity to protect against age-related disease, keeping your body strong and agile and maintaining a sharp mind.

However, your body naturally becomes more fragile as you get older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and thus more susceptible to falls and other types injuries as a result.

The rowing machine is a great piece of equipment to train with as you age because it's a low-impact way to boost your heart health, strengthen your muscles and support an active lifestyle to improve longevity. (More on rowing's benefits for older adults below!)

Here's a 20-minute row machine for seniors, created by Rachel Perlman, CPT, certified personal trainer and performance coach for the training app Future. When rowing, you'll want to pay attention to your strokes per minute (SPM) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE), which is how hard a workout might feel on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being very easy to 10 being maxed out.

‌‌Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here— we’ve got something for everyone.‌

It helps to divide the rowing motion into four parts: catch, drive, finish and recovery:

You can watch Perlman demonstrate in the video below:

Upper-body pulling muscles, such as those in your biceps, need strength for everyday movements, like holding weighted items or picking up and carrying a basket of laundry up the stairs.

Avoid swinging your arms by engaging your core and keeping a soft bend in your knees. "Imagine there are magnets on the insides of your elbows keeping them attached to the sides of your body, as this will help isolate the biceps so they can do all of the work," Perlman says.

Upper-body pushing muscles, including your shoulders, chest and triceps, are important to strengthen because building these muscles will make it easier to push or lift objects overhead, improving functional fitness and good posture. An example of how this pertains to real life is when you're putting away household items in an overhead cupboard.

Avoid arching your back by bracing your core. Imagine sewing your ribcage closed, and keep a soft bend in your knees, Perlman says.

Dead bugs are an excellent core exercise that focuses on unilateral (single-sided) movement and anti-rotational core strength. This movement is incredibly helpful for assisting the stabilizer muscles in your trunk in order to improve balance and prevent falls.

Don't rush. Move slowly and purposefully, maintaining a tabletop position with your knees over your hips to activate your lower abs, according to Perlman.

Press into your supporting hand and knee that's on the ground, as this helps activate your obliques and anti-rotational core stabilizers to assist with balance as the opposite sides lift and perform the movement, Perlman says.

There are many reasons to add rowing to your workout routine — in general and as you age.

"Regularly rowing helps strengthen the heart, improve blood circulation and lower the risk of heart disease," says Lalitha Bhowani-McSorley, MScPT, lead physical therapist and owner of Brentwood Physiotherapy Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A small February 2023 study published in the ‌International Journal of Environ Research and Public Health‌ found rowing workouts to enhance cardiovascular health and endurance levels in older women, as well as reduce risk factors for heart-related health issues issues.

Rowing also effectively boosts aerobic capacity, or VO2 max. "VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen our body can utilize during aerobic activity and how well our heart and veins can push blood to our muscles and the rest of the body," Perlman says.

Rowing is a full-body, low-impact workout, meaning it's great for joint and bone health. "Rowing hits the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, core, chest, arms, shoulders and back," Perlman says.

Strengthening these muscles supports daily functions, such as walking, standing, picking something up off the ground and grabbing something from a high place.

Rowing is performed seated, so there isn't as much impact on your knee joints, either, which tend to be prone to wear and tear and more sensitivity in seniors, Perlman notes.

Sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass) naturally happens with age, but rowing helps enhance bone density and prevent sarcopenia from worsening.

A December 2018 review in the ‌BioMed Research International‌ found rowing supports bone health by boosting bone mineral density in older adults.

"Decreased bone density increases risk of falling, physical disability and injury, which can prevent people over 50 from living their highest quality of life," Perlman says.

Rowing benefits may even extend to mental health and cognitive function. An August 2020 research article published in ‌Perceptual and Motor Skills‌ found rowing to be associated with preserved and enhanced cognitive function in seniors, which may indirectly reduce risk of depression and boost wellbeing, too.

‌Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here— we’ve got something for everyone.‌Catch:‌Drive:‌‌Finish:‌‌Recovery:‌