Dickie wrote:
I think the relevant point above it that you may be no more likely to do further injury. But why take that chance? I have been a weightlifter most of my life, I have a strong and injury free back. But as I age and after 23,000,000 meters, my back is starting to feel the strain. I own a model C and train on an 'E' at the gym, but I am thinking it's time to consider a dynamic.
Fred Dickie
And so you think the difference in terms of back strain is particularly pronounced -- static versus dynamic? Or are they both dodgy? I mean, I guess the more general question is, is all rowing inherently a risk for one's back, and in which case is there a better (inside) general purpose exercise, especially given that a key criterion for the overweight person is to avoid joint pounding?
Thing is, my current feeling is that one thing I can do to help my back is to work it. For example, I've found that whenever I do weight training, especially dead-lift (not big weights by any standard), I actually feel it helps my back. I suspect it's building the muscles around my desiccated discs, thereby helping minimize things shifting around and impinging on nerves etc. (Or, alternatively, it's just that dead-lifting makes me sore all over, to the extent that it "drowns out" my back-specific pain

) Of course rowing involves a much longer duration of back movement, and perhaps with less control exerted on that movement, so maybe that makes it more risky? Shrug.