Rowing Physique

[Ombrax]

No need to worry. This fine young woman is a top rowing recruit at USC. She has remarkably dainty arms and legs for a top rower!

I've been wondering if the rowing connection to the admissions scandal would come up.

[mitchel674]

No need to worry. This fine young woman is a top rowing recruit at USC. She has remarkably dainty arms and legs for a top rower!

I've been wondering if the rowing connection to the admissions scandal would come up.

I couldn't resist.

The court documents indicate that she had her picture taken in front of a rowing machine to bolster her application along with a $500,000 check/bribe. Sad that she likely took the spot of a legitimate, hard working, female rower.

[dan90210]

So I am about to buy an erg. One little stupid thing that I am worried about it getting big arms. I am fine with muscles, but I don't want big beefy arms. I imagine rowing is not going to do that. But I have heard some comments that female rowers have big manly arms. I don't know whether to believe this or not.
So if you are female, and row regularly, could you please tell me your thoughts on this.

Without testosterone shots a Woman will not grow too big anywhere. Lets please quash this myth!

[Ombrax]

Thanks everybody for the feedback on my concerns! I went ahead and got the erg and it arrived today! I was actually at the gym, paying to use the rowing machine, when it was delivered 3 days early unbeknownst to me

So it's been a month - how are things going with the new erg?

[Ollie Russell]

So I am about to buy an erg. One little stupid thing that I am worried about it getting big arms. I am fine with muscles, but I don't want big beefy arms. I imagine rowing is not going to do that. But I have heard some comments that female rowers have big manly arms. I don't know whether to believe this or not.
So if you are female, and row regularly, could you please tell me your thoughts on this.

Without testosterone shots a Woman will not grow too big anywhere. Lets please quash this myth!

Think you are spot on. Its definately a thing that i often hear women say. Truthfully, the women that actually try to build muscle; natural bodybuilders, fitness models and so on...even they struggle, and thats their chosen discipline. To build muscle consistently requires many boxes to be ticked, and need to be ticked day after day, week after week for years. Going to the gym in the way 95% of women do, by which i mean doing 30min of cardio and 30min of resistance training...is not likely to give any noticeable results...in terms of building muscle.

Im not sure if its the defined look that they actually fear, rather than the muscle mass. Truth be told, training will give a woman a shapely/athletic figure. Just above 15% bf and abs will JUST ABOUT be showing, slight definition of the calves and outter quads etc...perfect look in my opinion and nothing manly about it. I dont know why they worry so much. My girlfriend refused to walk on a treadmill incline incase she got manly legs, over time she realised it wasnt like that. Im pretty sure its the defined low BF they actually find repulsive...which i kind of agree with to a point. But to get to around 10%bf takes some serious willpower...even that isnt likely to happen with a typical training routine/diet.

[sarequads]

So I am about to buy an erg. One little stupid thing that I am worried about it getting big arms. I am fine with muscles, but I don't want big beefy arms. I imagine rowing is not going to do that. But I have heard some comments that female rowers have big manly arms. I don't know whether to believe this or not.
So if you are female, and row regularly, could you please tell me your thoughts on this.

Honestly for a female to get "big arms" that doesnt already have them genetically youd need to take steroids and rowing still wouldnt do it, arms are 10% of the movement. You may have larger arms after a session as there is extra bloodflow and if youre very unfit/sedentary then there would be some initial hypertrophy. These women you see will have lower levels of bodyfat which gives the illusion of size. But, in the longrun no, rowing will not cause you to have massive arms.