When using a rowing machine, it’s important to practice good form if you want to get the most out of the workout. It helps to have a rowing instructor or trainer who is familiar with the machine to teach you how to row properly.

Catch, Drive, Fix: It is important to learn the four basic steps of rowing. This is catch, drive, finish and recover. Peloton rowing instructor Alex Karwoski says your starting position should look like this: “Start from a fully compressed position — your arms should be extended, body pivot forward at a slight angle, and knees close to your chest.” From here you want to push with the legs to move the chair and grab from the screen. Karwoski explains, “for the first third to half of the drive, our legs do most of the work while our arms and body are braced and take the pressure off.” Then, as the shins reach about 45 degrees to the floor, the body swing begins. He says the key to the body swing is thinking about “adding momentum” to the handle. The legs begin to move the internal flywheel, and this is where the legs and body can work together to accelerate the flywheel. “At the end, our arms are involved at the end of the stroke and we pull the handle up to the chest,” he said. When that’s all done, you start the recovery phase of the stroke, which is the opposite and the arms move away from the body first, followed by the body pivoting forward, and the legs compressing to return to get it.

Do not misuse the drag factor: The drag factor is often shown as a dampener handle in a traditional rower. In more modern browsers, such as some of the ones mentioned in this list, it is included within the software. “Most people believe that moving it from, for example, three to 10 will make the engine harder, but the truth is just increasing the speed of the flywheel will slow down and thus cause the stroke to feel more heavy because now it’s like you’re paddling through molasses instead of water,” Karwoski explained. In other words, avoid mistaking “drag factor” for “speed level” or “intensity.”

Find out what the main measure is: The primary unit of measurement in your array is the output. Karwoski explains that when you row, each stroke takes a certain amount of time so the work measured is the force used to move the flywheel. He says, “from the output, we can get the split, given the terms needed to row 500 meters at your given output and distance.” Another metric to look at is stroke rate, which is the number of strokes you make, if you maintain your current rhythm, in one minute. “I encourage people to focus on the output because that’s the big number that’s usually in the middle of the screen,” Karwoski said. Remember that different rowing machines have different metrics that are emphasized, but in the end it’s about how much force you can use through the drive to move the flywheel.

Paddling precautions: As with any type of exercise, it is important to get clearance from your doctor if you have health problems or are pregnant. “When you come back from an injury – and that injury does not prohibit you from sitting on a rowing machine – rowing motion can be a gentle way to restart your cardiovascular fitness,” says Peloton rowing instructor that is Katie Wang. This is a great way to get the benefits of a cardio workout while taking care of your joints and knees.