Rowing is about 60-percent legs, 30-percent core, and 10-percent arms. As long as you maintain strong form, the rowing machine is a great full-body workout that can improve both strength and cardiovascular endurance, so is a super-efficient way to burn calories. Since the rowing machine primarily uses your legs, core, and back, it has loads of postural benefits, and is a great tool to engage the posterior chain (backside) of the body. Working your posterior chain is super important for balancing your muscle strength, reducing injury risk.