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86%.

That's roughly how much of your body's muscle a single rowing stroke recruits — legs, glutes, back, core, shoulders and arms — in one smooth, continuous movement.

Here's why that matters in winter. When it's cold and time is short, you don't want to bolt three machines together to train your whole body. Rowing does it in one: a proper cardio session and a full-body strength stimulus at the same time, with almost no impact on your knees, hips or back.

That last part is the underrated bit. Running pounds your joints; rowing loads them gently through a full range while your legs do most of the work. It's why physios put people on rowers to rebuild, and why it suits everyone from first-timers to lifelong athletes.

The catch is technique. It's legs → back → arms on the drive, then arms → back → legs on the recovery — not a frantic arm-yank. Get that sequence right and 20 minutes will do more than an hour of half-hearted anything.

One movement. Most of your muscles. Kind to your joints.

→ graysfitness.com.au