Rowing Machines at Planet Fitness: Everything You Need to Know

Quick Answer

This is completely separate from the seated row machine, a selectorized strength machine that also lives in the free-weight and machine area and works similar muscles in a different way. Both are covered below.

Rowing Machine vs Seated Row Machine: Know the Difference

A lot of confusion around “the rowing machine” at Planet Fitness actually comes from two different pieces of equipment sharing a similar name:

Both are useful, but they belong to completely different parts of your workout — the erg is where you’d go for a cardio session, while the seated row machine fits into your strength-training routine alongside the rest of the back machines at Planet Fitness.

How to Turn On the Rowing Machine (Erg)

This is genuinely one of the most common first-time questions, and it trips people up because there’s nothing to press. Most cardio rowers Planet Fitness uses are self-powered: the flywheel spinning as you pull generates enough signal for the monitor to detect motion and light up on its own.

1. Sit on the seat and slide your feet into the straps on the footplate, securing them snugly but not painfully tight.
2. Grab the handle with both hands and slide forward so your knees are bent and shins are close to vertical.
3. Take your first pull. There’s no button to find — the monitor wakes up automatically the moment the flywheel starts moving.
4. Give it two or three strokes before worrying about the display; it typically needs a moment of consistent movement before all the readouts populate properly.

Proper Rowing Form: The Leg-Body-Arm Sequence

Good rowing technique follows a specific order on the way out (the “drive”) and reverses it on the way back (the “recovery”). A simple way to remember it: legs, body, arms — arms, body, legs.

• The drive: push through your legs first, then lean your torso back slightly, and finish by pulling the handle in to your lower ribs with your arms.
• The recovery: extend your arms back out first, lean your torso forward from the hips, then bend your knees to slide back to the starting position.
• Keep your back mostly straight throughout rather than rounding it, and let your legs do most of the work rather than yanking with your arms.

If you want to see the movement rather than just read about it, this short walkthrough breaks the motion down visually: watch the rowing form video.

Understanding the Monitor: What the Numbers Mean

The rowing monitor can look like it’s speaking another language the first time you see it, but you really only need to understand a couple of numbers to get value out of it:

• Stroke rate (SPM): strokes per minute — this is the number most worth tracking as a beginner, since it reflects your pace and rhythm rather than raw effort.
• Split time / pace: an estimate of how fast you’d cover a set distance (often 500 meters) at your current effort — more relevant once you’re comparing workouts over time.
• Distance and time: straightforward totals for the session so far.
• Calories: an estimate based on your effort, useful as a rough guide rather than an exact figure.

How to Adjust the Rowing Machine: Resistance & Footrests

Most rowers have a small resistance dial near the front of the machine, usually numbered 1 to 10, which controls how much air or water resistance the flywheel creates — it does not control how “hard” the machine feels stroke to stroke the way a weight stack would. A moderate setting, often somewhere in the 3 to 5 range, tends to feel closer to the resistance of rowing on actual water than maxing the dial out.

• Footrest height: adjust the strap position so it sits across the ball of your foot, not your toes, and make sure both feet are secured evenly.
• Resistance dial: start lower rather than higher — a high number increases the workload per stroke and can make your form break down faster, especially as a beginner.
• Monitor settings: some monitors let you cycle through different display modes (distance, time, calories) using a button near the screen, separate from the resistance dial itself.

How to Use the Seated Row Machine

Once you’re done on the cardio rower, the seated row machine is a good next stop for targeted back and bicep work, and it’s set up very differently:

1. Set the seat and chest pad so your chest rests comfortably against the pad while your arms can fully extend forward to reach the handles.
2. Select your weight on the stack using the pin, starting lighter than you think you need until you’re used to the movement.
3. Plant your feet on the platforms provided and sit tall with a neutral spine.
4. Pull the handles toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement rather than just bending your elbows.
5. Return slowly to a full arm extension, keeping tension on the muscle rather than letting the weight stack drop.

For a full rundown of every other machine that targets your back, see the dedicated guide to Planet Fitness back machines.

Common Beginner Mistakes

• Pulling with your arms first: the drive should start from your legs, not your arms — leading with your arms wastes your biggest muscles and tires you out faster.
• Rounding your back at the catch (the forward position) instead of hinging from the hips with a straight spine.
• Maxing out the resistance dial, assuming higher numbers mean a better workout — a moderate setting with good form burns more calories over time than a high setting with sloppy technique.
• Confusing the seated row machine with the cardio rower when asking staff for help, since they serve different purposes despite the similar name.
• Giving up on reading the monitor entirely — you don’t need to understand every number, just your stroke rate, to get useful feedback session to session.

Why Members End Up Loving (or Hating) It

Member opinions on the rowing machine tend to split into two camps. People who are new to rowing often say it becomes a fast favorite once the form clicks, since it works the legs, back, and arms in one continuous movement and feels less repetitive than a treadmill. On the other hand, some members with a competitive rowing background find gym-brand ergs frustrating to compare against a Concept2, the machine most rowing communities treat as the standard reference point.

If you’re rowing purely for a good workout rather than training for a specific rowing goal, that comparison mostly doesn’t matter — consistency, stroke rate, and gradually increasing your session length will get you real results regardless of which brand your local club has installed. If low-impact cardio without the technique learning curve appeals to you more, the elliptical machine is worth comparing as an alternative.

Frequently Asked Questions