Treadmill vs Rowing Machine: Which is the Best Workout?

Differences | Pros & Cons | Best For: Beginners | Weight Loss | Strength | Low Impact | Variety | Overall Fitness | Workouts

Looking to improve your cardio fitness, and not sure which type of cardio you want to do? In this blog, we look at the key differences between two gym cardio machines: the treadmill, and the rowing machine.

Read on to learn the benefits of these machines, and which one you should choose, the rowing machine or treadmill.

The treadmill and rowing machine are both excellent forms of cardio that can burn plenty of calories, but that’s where their similarities lie. These two machines have a very different movement pattern and benefits to each other.

Treadmill

The treadmill uses a moving belt to simulate walking and running. Most commercial treadmills have the option to change both the speed and the incline and often have programmes such as 5k or hill runs that you can follow.

Rowing Machine

The rowing machine mimics the action of rowing a boat using a handle (the oar) and a sliding seat. To use the rowing machine, you must pull the handle back towards your chest while pushing through the legs. The resistance can be changed to make the exercise harder, but the speed is controlled by how fast you row. Learn more about the rowing machine here.

Treadmill

The treadmill is predominantly a lower body workout, with the hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes doing the bulk of the work. The core and upper body are lightly engaged when running.

Rowing Machine

The rowing machine is a full body workout, working the muscles in the lower body as well as the back, shoulders, chest, arms, and core.

We’ll delve into more detail on which cardio machine is best for which goal shortly, but first let’s look at the pros and cons of each:

Pros

• Easy to adjust intensity
• Lots of variety
• Builds lower body strength and can improve bone density and joint health
• Suitable for all levels

Cons

• High impact
• Limited upper body engagement

Pros

• Full body workout
• Low impact on joints
• Builds strength

Cons

• Limited variety
• Can be challenging to perfect form

Both the rowing machine and the treadmill are commonly available in our gyms, which means you can choose based on the benefits of rowing machine vs treadmill if you prefer.

While the rowing machine is technically suitable for all levels, the treadmill is more intuitive to use which makes it more accessible for beginners. There is less chance of having poor form on a treadmill, and there are more options for adjusting the intensity that make it a great choice for those beginning their fitness journey.

Both rowing and running are great for assisting weight loss, but does a rowing machine burn more calories than treadmill? Overall, yes - because the rowing machine engages multiple large muscle groups throughout the body, it can burn more calories. However, calories burned depends on the intensity of the workout and some people may find it easier to run at high intensity than to row, which can mean running comes out top.

Both are a great option when it comes to assisting with weight loss. If your main goal is to burn fat, we'd recommend prioritising a calorie deficit and choosing whichever cardio you can stay consist with, whether that's running, rowing, or both.

Wondering if the treadmill or rowing machine can help with strength? No cardio works as well as dedicated strength training, but rowing comes in top here. Running engages the lower body and can build strength to some extent, but wouldn’t be classed as a strength building exercise.

On the other hand, using the rowing machine can help to engage and strengthen almost every muscle group in the body, particularly if you row at a high resistance. While we’d recommend strength training separately, a quick rowing workout can do wonders if you don’t have time to do both strength and cardio.

Running on the treadmill is a high impact exercise and can put stress on the knees, ankles, and hips, while rowing is considered a low impact exercise. If you have issues with your lower body joints and prefer to avoid running, rowing can be a great way to build strength and endurance.  

If you have healthy joints and good form and running shoes, it's worth knowing that running can strengthen the lower body bones, tendons, and muscles, leading to stronger and more resilient joints overall, and doesn't need to be feared. You can read more about treadmill running and knee health here.

If you're someone who gets bored doing the same workouts each week, the treadmill may be a better fit as you can vary workouts more easily. The treadmill can be used for walking, running, treadmill HIIT workouts, and all of these on varying levels of incline. Rowing is more limited, with the choice of either steady state or HIIT at either high or low resistance.

Rowing machines are better than treadmills when it comes to overall fitness as they work more muscle groups and are better at building strength and endurance while still improving cardio. If you want the most efficient way to improve your fitness, the rowing machine is one of the best machines available, but treadmills are a good option for cardio health.

Unless you really dislike treadmill or rowing workouts, a great option is to include both in your weekly training. Try adding 10-15 minutes of cardio on either machine at the end of your usual workouts, or give one of these a go:

Warm up

• Leg swings - 30 seconds per side
• Arm swings - 30 seconds
• Moderate walking - 4 minutes

Treadmill

• 40 second sprint
• 20 second rest
• Repeat 10 times

Rowing

• 2000m as fast as possible

Cool down

• 2 minutes moderate rowing

• Stretching

Warm up

• Moderate walking - 5 minutes
• Leg swings - 30 seconds per side
• Shoulder dislocates - 30 seconds

Strength

• Squats - 3 x 8-12 reps
• Deadlifts - 3 x 8-10 reps
• Bench press - 3 x 8-12 reps
• Lat pull downs - 3 x 10-12 reps

Rowing

• 15 minutes rowing on high resistance at 70% effort

Cool down

• 2-3 minutes moderate rowing
• Stretching

Check out our blog on the treadmill vs cross trainer for more cardio machine comparisons, and get more fitness tips and advice on our fitness blog here.

Ready to get started? Find your nearest gym here.