Rowing is a total body workout. Rowing only looks like an upper body sport. Although upper body strength is important, the strength of the rowing stroke comes from the legs. Rowing is one of the few athletic activities that involves all of the body’s major muscle groups. It is a great aerobic workout, in the same vein as cross-country skiing, and is a low-impact sport on the joints.
Rowers are probably the world’s best athletes. Rowing looks graceful, elegant and sometimes effortless when it is done well. Don’t be fooled. Rowers haven’t been called the world’s most physically fit athletes for nothing. The sport demands endurance, strength, balance, mental discipline, and an ability to continue on when your body is demanding that you stop.
There are two basic types of rowing: sweep rowing and sculling. In sweep rowing, athletes hold one oar with both hands. In sculling, the athletes have two oars, one in each hand.
Rowing is the ultimate walk-on sport. BeninRowing is a membership organization that serves rowers of every age and ability from the beginner to the experienced rower to the national team. So, there’s definitely a place for you.

Rowing is a sport for life. Some rowers start in high school or learn-to-row programs at clubs, while others are introduced to the sport in university or at a later age.

In general rowers participate in sweep rowing or sculling: A rower has one oar in sweep rowing, an oar in each hand in sculling. Boats have one, two, four or eight rowers. The eights have a cox, who steers the boat and directs the crew, but, in all other boats, one rower steers by controlling a small rudder with a foot pedal.

Masters rowing refers to mature rowers who compete in Masters categories (27 years and older).
Many people find that rowing is a great leisure activity and participate in tours.

Competitive Rowing: This refers to a wide range of rowers that compete in regattas at the local, national or international level. See our National Team sections for information on qualification standards for elite categories of competition.

Olympic Rowing: Rowing has been part of the Olympic Games since 1896, with a women's rowing competition in 1976, and women now compete in six of the 14 medal events. The races are divided into sculling and sweep oar, with heavyweight and lightweight divisions.
Men and women each compete in single, double and quadruple sculls, lightweight double scull, the eight and coxless pair. Men also race in coxless four and lightweight coxless four.
Just as in most international competitive regattas, such as the World Championships, boats race in heats, with the top finishers advancing directly into the semi-finals or the six-boat final. The other boats get a second chance, with the top boats again qualifying. The progression system - and any semi-finals - depends on the number of boats in each event.