Row Plus Exercise Bike, Stepper, and Sit Ups

[marvy1]

Hello,

I have re-started an exercise workout after a pause of a few months. This is my exercise routine each morning:

1 - 5 minutes (300 steps) on a stepper

2 - then about 10 minutes (3 miles) on an exercise bike.

3 - then about 10 minutes on a model D (1200 meters)

4- finishing up with 20-25 situps.

I realize this workout is kinda 'lame', but I am building up my stamina. Is there some good benefit to what i am doing?

Thanks! Marvin

[Bob S.]

Hello,

I have re-started an exercise workout after a pause of a few months. This is my exercise routine each morning:

1 - 5 minutes (300 steps) on a stepper

2 - then about 10 minutes (3 miles) on an exercise bike.

3 - then about 10 minutes on a model D (1200 meters)

4- finishing up with 20-25 situps.

I realize this workout is kinda 'lame', but I am building up my stamina. Is there some good benefit to what i am doing?

Thanks! Marvin

Sounds reasonable enough for a maintenance program. What are your goals?

Bob S.

[marvy1]

Hi Bob,

My goals are reducing my weight, loosing some fat around the waist, and just feeling good.

And I feel the 'endorphins' kicking in when I exercise!

Marvin

[brianh]

I'd suggest throwing in some pushups as well. Your current set works pretty much everything except for chest/shoulders, and might lead to imbalances that promote bad posture etc. As far as 'lame'? No, not really. You have to start somewhere. Eventually situps will be too easy and you'll have to develop a harder ab routine, but when the cardio starts getting too easy you can just increase the intensity. Anyone at any fitness level could manage to turn 20 minutes of cardio into an amazingly taxing workout.

[marvy1]

I'd suggest throwing in some pushups as well. Your current set works pretty much everything except for chest/shoulders, and might lead to imbalances that promote bad posture etc.

Brian - doesn't the rowing action work the chest/shoulders? Especially the pectoral muscles?

Marvin

[Citroen]

Brian - doesn't the rowing action work the chest/shoulders? Especially the pectoral muscles?

The rowing action (done correctly) do the square root of sweet FA for your pecs. Lots for lats and traps, but zero for pecs.

[Bob S.]

I'd suggest throwing in some pushups as well. Your current set works pretty much everything except for chest/shoulders, and might lead to imbalances that promote bad posture etc.

Brian - doesn't the rowing action work the chest/shoulders? Especially the pectoral muscles?

Marvin

Here's what the people at C2 say about it:

http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... scles-used

As you can see - as Citroen said - rowing does zilch for the pectorals. It doesn't really work the triceps and hamstrings very much either, so both those and the pectorals would benefit from alternative exercises. Push-ups do well for pectorals and triceps. I regularly do 3 sets a week of 60 reps. The great thing about push-ups is that no equipment is needed, just a flat floor space. I am lying just a tad there. After developing degenerative arthritis in my thumb, I had to resort to using a pair of hand gripes to avoid the pain. I use a pair of plastic grips with foam handles, made by Nautilus - fairly cheap, so no big deal.

The hamstrings are another matter. I am not really sure what the best exercise is for them other than special machines. I do a fair amount of walking and just hope that it does the trick.

Bob S.

[masherbrum]

The hamstrings are another matter. I am not really sure what the best exercise is for them other than special machines. I do a fair amount of walking and just hope that it does the trick.

Deadlifts would be a sensible choice in case you have access to a barbell.
Otherwise dumbbell swings & lunges wouldn't be shabby either.

[hjs]

Re hamstrings, my hamstrings work very hard... The last bit of stroke is very hamstring depending, legs are straight, the hamstrings pull the back for the last bit.

Chest, triceps and shoulders is an other matter, those are not used and looking at rowers that shows. No chest, no arms, strong back and legs. So for a more overal developement, the pushing muscle should be trained elsewhere.

[Bob S.]

Re hamstrings, my hamstrings work very hard... The last bit of stroke is very hamstring depending, legs are straight, the hamstrings pull the back for the last bit.

I can't really tell on myself whether or not they are involved but that C2 site shows light involvement in the catch and middle of the drive, none at the finish, and heavy only on the recovery. The glutes seem to be doing the major work for the upper back of the legs. Unless I am screwed up as to just where the hamstrings are supposed to be.

Bob S.

[hjs]

Re hamstrings, my hamstrings work very hard... The last bit of stroke is very hamstring depending, legs are straight, the hamstrings pull the back for the last bit.

I can't really tell on myself whether or not they are involved but that C2 site shows light involvement in the catch and middle of the drive, none at the finish, and heavy only on the recovery. The glutes seem to be doing the major work for the upper back of the legs. Unless I am screwed up as to just where the hamstrings are supposed to be.

Bob S.

I talk about my personal experience. Intensity of effort plays a big role, certainly at relative low rates and fast pace my hamstrings work hard. They even are the limiting factor and almost injure if I don,t watch out.
During the recovery and st the catch they pull a bit, bit that is nothing major, the end of the stroke minics a stifflegged deadlift, which is the number one hamstring excercise.
If we erg slowly at higher rates non of the muscle work much, but that goes ofcourse for every for of exercise.

[Bob S.]

I talk about my personal experience. Intensity of effort plays a big role, certainly at relative low rates and fast pace my hamstrings work hard. They even are the limiting factor and almost injure if I don,t watch out.
During the recovery and st the catch they pull a bit, bit that is nothing major, the end of the stroke minics a stifflegged deadlift, which is the number one hamstring excercise.
If we erg slowly at higher rates non of the muscle work much, but that goes ofcourse for every for of exercise.

In that case it must be an isometric thing. The job of the hamstrings is to bend the knee and there is no such movement in the rowing drive or a stifflegged deadlift. There is no work done in the physical sense, i.e. force times distance, since the distance is zero, but I agree that work is somehow done in the physiological sense. I remember that from my early rowing days in a heavy skiff, with a fixed seat. There was no change in the angles of my knees, but I could tell that my quads were getting a workout just keeping my heels braced against the boat ribs. I have never understood why isometrics work, but I believe that it was the technique used the old system that I used see advertised a great deal back in the 30s by the famous Charles Atlas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Atlas It was called "Dynamic Tension" in those days.

Bob S.

[hjs]

There sure is, the hip rotates, this get done done by the shortening hamstring.
You are tight though that a lot of isometric work is done also.

I talk about my personal experience. Intensity of effort plays a big role, certainly at relative low rates and fast pace my hamstrings work hard. They even are the limiting factor and almost injure if I don,t watch out.
During the recovery and st the catch they pull a bit, bit that is nothing major, the end of the stroke minics a stifflegged deadlift, which is the number one hamstring excercise.
If we erg slowly at higher rates non of the muscle work much, but that goes ofcourse for every for of exercise.

In that case it must be an isometric thing. The job of the hamstrings is to bend the knee and there is no such movement in the rowing drive or a stifflegged deadlift. There is no work done in the physical sense, i.e. force times distance, since the distance is zero, but I agree that work is somehow done in the physiological sense. I remember that from my early rowing days in a heavy skiff, with a fixed seat. There was no change in the angles of my knees, but I could tell that my quads were getting a workout just keeping my heels braced against the boat ribs. I have never understood why isometrics work, but I believe that it was the technique used the old system that I used see advertised a great deal back in the 30s by the famous Charles Atlas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Atlas It was called "Dynamic Tension" in those days.

Bob S.

[marvy1]

Hello,

I have re-started an exercise workout after a pause of a few months. This is my exercise routine each morning:

1 - 5 minutes (300 steps) on a stepper

2 - then about 10 minutes (3 miles) on an exercise bike.

3 - then about 10 minutes on a model D (1200 meters)

4- finishing up with 20-25 situps.

I realize this workout is kinda 'lame', but I am building up my stamina. Is there some good benefit to what i am doing?

Thanks! Marvin

Hi Folks - this thread became a discussion on hamstrings. Are there any additional repsonses to my question above? Thanks! Marvin

[Bob S.]

Hi Folks - this thread became a discussion on hamstrings. Are there any additional repsonses to my question above? Thanks! Marvin

Sorry about the hijacking. It was not intentional, just a disagreement between responders. Don't be offended. Digressions like this pop up all too often on these forums, but they are inevitable.

Bob S.