rowing as a primary exercize
rowing as a primary exercize
Hey my name is Josh. I am new to the forum and rowing in general. I havent had much success with gyms so I decided to save up some money and I received my model D yesterday. I was never interested in being huge or how much I could bench but I would like to loose a little bit of weight and look fit. I do eat extremely healthy. The only real exercize/ workout I plan to do now that I'm beginning law school would be daily on the rower and abs exercizes with no weight training. A six pack would be ideal but just a long shot dream. Anyways my question is, what type of improvements have people seen in their physique when rowing is basically their only workout? Any other advice on rowing for muscle building or rowing in general would be very helpful and extremely appreciated because I have only been doing it for 2 days. Thanks. Josh
Hey Josh- welcome to the sport! 
My physique leaned up considerably when I started rowing (relative, of course, to what it was beforehand- I still love chocolate way too much to actually be considered lean). Some advice for your workouts:
Start slow and easy, and build your time, distance, and intensity on the rower up slow as well. Most runners have a rule of thumb of adding only 10% more distance a week, which seems to me to be a decent guideline for rowing as well.
As your body adapts to the new motion and fitness, be sure to vary your workouts. By this I mean do different distances at different speeds and stroke ratings. For example, starting with a warm-up, then tieing into a 5k, then finishing with a cool-down is a decent workout (especially when you're pressed for time), but you'll also need to add in workouts with longer distances (eg, 10k, an hour, etc). After a few weeks or a month or so, add in some interval workouts (eg, 500 meters hard, 2-4 minutes rest, x6). There are lots of long distance workouts and interval workouts to mix things up a bit (there's a "workout of the day" feature on the C2 website that's good for ideas, too!). The different workouts will challenge your muscels and cardiovascular systems in different ways, and also engage you mentally and keep things interesting. (Side note- interval workouts are best started after a while of building an aerobic base- the better your aerobic base, the more impact the interval training will have on your fitness and speed).
When you do your ab work, be sure to do some work on your back as well to keep things balanced. As goofy as it sounds, a good, basic yoga routine can be really good for a rower, both in terms of helping maintain flexibility and developing/maintaining core strength. (Secret confession: I have a yoga video that I pop into the DVD player and run through a couple of times a week- I actually made my husband promise not to laugh or he had to join me).
Finally, have some fun! The fish game you can download off the C2 website is fun and goofy, and good for the occasional "down in the dumps need a lift" warm-up. Like all good exercises, it'll take some time and consistency to see results - but you will see them.
Good luck and happy erging!
KateB
My physique leaned up considerably when I started rowing (relative, of course, to what it was beforehand- I still love chocolate way too much to actually be considered lean). Some advice for your workouts:
Start slow and easy, and build your time, distance, and intensity on the rower up slow as well. Most runners have a rule of thumb of adding only 10% more distance a week, which seems to me to be a decent guideline for rowing as well.
As your body adapts to the new motion and fitness, be sure to vary your workouts. By this I mean do different distances at different speeds and stroke ratings. For example, starting with a warm-up, then tieing into a 5k, then finishing with a cool-down is a decent workout (especially when you're pressed for time), but you'll also need to add in workouts with longer distances (eg, 10k, an hour, etc). After a few weeks or a month or so, add in some interval workouts (eg, 500 meters hard, 2-4 minutes rest, x6). There are lots of long distance workouts and interval workouts to mix things up a bit (there's a "workout of the day" feature on the C2 website that's good for ideas, too!). The different workouts will challenge your muscels and cardiovascular systems in different ways, and also engage you mentally and keep things interesting. (Side note- interval workouts are best started after a while of building an aerobic base- the better your aerobic base, the more impact the interval training will have on your fitness and speed).
When you do your ab work, be sure to do some work on your back as well to keep things balanced. As goofy as it sounds, a good, basic yoga routine can be really good for a rower, both in terms of helping maintain flexibility and developing/maintaining core strength. (Secret confession: I have a yoga video that I pop into the DVD player and run through a couple of times a week- I actually made my husband promise not to laugh or he had to join me).
Finally, have some fun! The fish game you can download off the C2 website is fun and goofy, and good for the occasional "down in the dumps need a lift" warm-up. Like all good exercises, it'll take some time and consistency to see results - but you will see them.
Good luck and happy erging!
KateB
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richking1953
- Paddler
- Posts: 5
- Joined: December 23rd, 2006, 12:45 pm
- Location: Morgan Hill, CA, USA
balance
Hi Josh, sorry for the late reply. I just joined the forum. My only concern is your program possibly leading to muscle imbalance. You're already supplementing the rowing with ab exercises, which is good, I'd also recommend adding at least bench press or pushups as an opposite exercise to rowing. rich
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vineethonkan
- Paddler
- Posts: 11
- Joined: December 1st, 2006, 12:30 am
The right idea
Jdgberg-
What exactly is your goal? What do you hope to accomplish by going on the rower weekly?
What exactly is your goal? What do you hope to accomplish by going on the rower weekly?
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Raymond Botha
- Paddler
- Posts: 8
- Joined: April 10th, 2006, 4:51 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Hi,
My exercise "carreer" has gone from cycling to gym and now exclusively to erging as my main source of exercise. I have always done chin-ups since I was a kid and continue with them as well as dips (I love those body weight exercises). I'm not manic about them but find they make me feel good.
Having said that I choose the erg for its balance of body part exercises. From your neck > traps > shoulders > biceps > forearms > back (upper / lower) > abs > quads > hams > even calves get a workout > lets not forget the cardio too ...
I just want to warn you this can lead to other interests on the water. I've just recently taken up canoeing (I believe its a Kayak in the States) as the technique used on the erg demands a comittment that gives you confidence for similar sports.
If weights is not your thing stay away. I believe they do more damage to the average person than good anyway and I am sure erging and similar 'sports' will take over soon once people realise they have alternatives to "gym".
Enjoy the erg, its gonna win sometimes, others you'll be on top. I've had mine for 2 years now and enjoy it more and more.
Go at your own pace and welcome to a life long activity.
Ray
My exercise "carreer" has gone from cycling to gym and now exclusively to erging as my main source of exercise. I have always done chin-ups since I was a kid and continue with them as well as dips (I love those body weight exercises). I'm not manic about them but find they make me feel good.
Having said that I choose the erg for its balance of body part exercises. From your neck > traps > shoulders > biceps > forearms > back (upper / lower) > abs > quads > hams > even calves get a workout > lets not forget the cardio too ...
I just want to warn you this can lead to other interests on the water. I've just recently taken up canoeing (I believe its a Kayak in the States) as the technique used on the erg demands a comittment that gives you confidence for similar sports.
If weights is not your thing stay away. I believe they do more damage to the average person than good anyway and I am sure erging and similar 'sports' will take over soon once people realise they have alternatives to "gym".
Enjoy the erg, its gonna win sometimes, others you'll be on top. I've had mine for 2 years now and enjoy it more and more.
Go at your own pace and welcome to a life long activity.
Ray