Beat up runner asks: Can rowing replace running?

[Gammmmo]

Well for starters you have to be honest, it is really boring. The music and the numbers last for so long but then you need something to keep your brain going during the row so you need something interactive like RowPro.

I always scratch my head when i see this erg is boring mentioned by people. I really must be in the minority of people who actually find every rowing session interesting. I don't even need music on most of the time! Happy enough just flowing along to the sound of the fan whoosh. I don't even use RowPro either.

Like Henry said, if you're a numbers guy then you should enjoy it.

From my experience, it knocks spots off running, thats for sure.

I think we all felt like that to start with. See if you feel the same in another six months. Eventually the numbers stop getting lower and you start to realise you're just pulling on a chain lol

says the man who has been erging barely a year! lol. no one said it was going to be easy!! the fact is pretty much everyone doesn't get that close to their true potential...if you're not improving you have to change something.

[aussieluke]

I started running a couple of years ago after many years of strength training and kettlebell training etc. I thought I was fit until I realised I couldn't even run for more than a minute at a time.

A year or so on I was running 10ks several times a week at a decent pace and feeling great and lots a good bit of weight. Then the hot Australian weather got me looking for an indoor alternative and I knew I liked rowing so I bought one.

Gradually the running decreased as I spent more time rowing until late last year I was doing no running at all but a lot of steady state rowing.

In January a ParkRun started up 2km from me so I decided to use that to get back into running again.

My 5k time had dropped 6 minutes from an ok 24 to 30

Now three months on my current best is 26.something and I'm just able to run 10k again in an hour.

I honestly thought lots of long rowing would keep my fitness the same but I am a bit surprised how much not running has set me back.

Due to work and kids not sleeping well I'm back to almost no rowing (noisy) and several long runs a week and a fairly hard 5k on Saturday mornings. Feeling a lot fitter again and am at the point where I look at the rower and always think - nah - I'd much rather be out running along the coast. I'll save the erg for when it's pouring, cold and dark outside.

We were designed to run and I just don't think anything else comes close. We certainly weren't designed to sit bent over on a machine for long periods of time. We spend enough time doing that in cars and behind desks as it is.

Don't get me wrong I DO like rowing and will get back into it more again. But I just don't think it is the same as running.

[Gammmmo]

what I like about rowing is it doesnt encourage one to be as light as possible. i think as we age it's important to incorporate more strength work and this doesnt penalise performance on the erg quite so much. when i did bike racing and running i was quick but felt fragile.

[aussieluke]

what I like about rowing is it doesnt encourage one to be as light as possible. i think as we age it's important to incorporate more strength work and this doesnt penalise performance on the erg quite so much. when i did bike racing and running i was quick but felt fragile.

I totally get that. I'm never going to be a 60kg marathon runner and always do some sort of strength work too. But I also think the impact that everyone so wants to avoid from running is actually quite important too.

[Anth_F]

Well for starters you have to be honest, it is really boring. The music and the numbers last for so long but then you need something to keep your brain going during the row so you need something interactive like RowPro.

I always scratch my head when i see this erg is boring mentioned by people. I really must be in the minority of people who actually find every rowing session interesting. I don't even need music on most of the time! Happy enough just flowing along to the sound of the fan whoosh. I don't even use RowPro either.

Like Henry said, if you're a numbers guy then you should enjoy it.

From my experience, it knocks spots off running, thats for sure.

I think we all felt like that to start with. See if you feel the same in another six months. Eventually the numbers stop getting lower and you start to realise you're just pulling on a chain lol

Don't care if the numbers do stop getting lower. I bought the erg as a means of getting a workout and shifting excess body fat. So for me, a good workout is all i am concerned about generally. Btw... gotta love yanking on that chain

[bend3333]

I'm 39 and have a big background of cycling and running. Running has always been my favorite. I live in a city that I consider not very safe for cycling so I've ran for many years.

Typically, I have ran 30'ish miles a week throughout my 30's. I started having nagging pain and injuries and decided I felt old as shit in the morning walking to the shitter! My achilles hurt and I hobbled around for awhile whenever getting out of bed.

Started the erg about 1.5yrs ago. I now mix it up. Typically, I'll do 3 or 4 slow 6'ish mile runs (8:30'ish pace for me) a week and then do two harder workouts on the erg. Usually a tempo type workout and then some sort of speed workout. Doing no faster running has allowed me to stay healthy and the hard erg workouts give me a outlet to let it rip and hurt a little.

The results.....

Well, my body feels awesome. I am much more muscular and don't feel like a weakling. However, I"m not good at rowing or running!!! I'm just kinda okay at both. No surprise there I suppose.

I don't race so I guess I'm okay with what I'm doing. I don't think I could consistently be on the erg for 45 minutes to a hour 6 days a week. It's boring. The hard workouts are killers and the time doesn't stand still though.

Good luck.

Chris

[Tomx]

Wow! Thanks for all the great replies! I thought my wife would be a tough sell on a rower, but she needed no convincing. I will report back soon!

[Anth_F]

My achilles hurt and I hobbled around for awhile whenever getting out of bed.

Good luck.

Chris

I used to suffer so badly with that problem too. First thing getting out of bed on a morning i could not hardly walk because of the pain in my achilles and front area of the feet, then walking down the stairs was a killer. Now since rowing i have no pains at all!!

[kini62]

Was mostly a runner though I've had my erg for almost 20 years (late 90s Model C) I only used sporadically. I really like running, especially my longer weekend runs 0f 13-20 miles. I enjoyed running on warmer sunny days. Typically would average 30-40 mpw.

Stepped in a hole while playing soccer with the kids, poked a hole in the cartilage/lining of the bone that the knee cap covers. Can't run much anymore. Was cycling for quite a while until I decided it's too dangerous on the roads here, and riding the bike on a trainer was too time consuming.

Jumped back on the rower in earnest last June and haven't looked back. It's more efficient than cycling and running, time wise. My main goal is overall fitness, no competition. So far with rowing between 50-60K/week my fitness is very good. I hardly lift yet my quads, core, upper back and arms are in much better shape than what I was when running.

I can still run a little, mostly a few days on the TM at 10-12% incline. Without having run on the road for the last 6 months I could still go out and break 24 minutes in a 5K just off of the fitness the rower gives me. I would pay for it with a sore knee for a couple of weeks though.

I listen to music, rarely row for more than a 10k at any one time. So I'm not sitting there for hours.

You won't regret buying a C2. IMO it's the single best exercise you can do.

In nearly 20 years of owning my C2 I've spent less than $150 in maintenance. $120 just recently to replace the fan cage and damper assembly, both of which rusted through. I keep my rower outdoors on a covered deck. It will last a lifetime.

[Carl Watts]

Well for starters you have to be honest, it is really boring. The music and the numbers last for so long but then you need something to keep your brain going during the row so you need something interactive like RowPro.

I always scratch my head when i see this erg is boring mentioned by people. I really must be in the minority of people who actually find every rowing session interesting. I don't even need music on most of the time! Happy enough just flowing along to the sound of the fan whoosh. I don't even use RowPro either.

Like Henry said, if you're a numbers guy then you should enjoy it.

From my experience, it knocks spots off running, thats for sure.

I think we all felt like that to start with. See if you feel the same in another six months. Eventually the numbers stop getting lower and you start to realise you're just pulling on a chain lol

Exactly, wait until you have been pulling that chain for 10 years, not less that a year.

Its all great for about 2 years and then your rower turns into the worlds most expensive clothes line for drying out your underwear.

It wasn't until a few years later I tried E-Row again one day and then found out that it had been replaced by RowPro that my problem was solved.

Must have bought my model C in about 2000 and 17 years later I'm still using it.

[Ombrax]

My solution is cycling when the weather and time permit, and rowing when they don't.

I find that rowing indoors (I'm not an OTW rower) is much less mind-numbing than riding trainers or rollers inside. It may be because I associate bicycles with outdoor fun, not indoor boredom.

Rowing machines aren't super expensive and hold their value well over time, so even if you buy one new and decide 12 months later that erging isn't for you, you'll be able to recover a significant percentage of the original purchase price.

[Cyclist2]

My solution is cycling when the weather and time permit, and rowing when they don't.I find that rowing indoors (I'm not an OTW rower) is much less mind-numbing than riding trainers or rollers inside. It may be because I associate bicycles with outdoor fun, not indoor boredom.

Bingo! I have both rollers and a trainer and when I was racing bikes, I used them a lot. Now THEY are the clothesline, and if I want an indoor workout I get on the erg, or do a weight lifting routine.

I ran a lot when I was in my 20s. My best marathon was 3:11, my best race ever was a 10 mile run in 1:10, just missed the 6 minute mile. Then my knees started complaining and I found OTW rowing. I'd still be doing that if it weren't so inconvenient to where I now live, so I row on slides, close my eyes and dream of being on the water. And ride my bike when the weather is nice.

I got my first model A in 1986 and never looked back. I manage to get around 900,000 meters in a routine year, this year (training in earnest) I have about 1.5 million. Not a lot by some standards but the erg is "entertaining" enough that I don't just put it aside in the summer. I try to get at least 2 or 3 rows a month just so my logbook is continuous and I keep a little rowing fitness until the fall rolls around.

So, to give my opinion to the OP, rowing can replace running, but can't substitute for the muscle specificity. You may be in the best cardiovascular condition of your life due to the erg, but running will still be brutal. I'd suggest low impact sports. You know, like rowing or cycling.

[Anth_F]

Its all great for about 2 years and then your rower turns into the worlds most expensive clothes line for drying out your underwear.

You used to say 6 months... now it's 2 years? umm okay lol.

[Gammmmo]

You may be in the best cardiovascular condition of your life due to the erg, but running will still be brutal.

One thing to also bear in mind is if you're coming over from running/cycling to the erg, and DON'T crosstrain at all, you're cardio condition may actually worsen because some people, including me, simply can't do the same sort of volume on the erg due to boredom or little injuries setting in etc. You can compensate to some degree by upping the intensity but with all these endurance sports the long and slow(er) sessions definitely do have their place. It all becomes a balancing act working out what is sustainable for YOU.

[aussieluke]

You may be in the best cardiovascular condition of your life due to the erg, but running will still be brutal.

One thing to also bear in mind is if you're coming over from running/cycling to the erg, and DON'T crosstrain at all, you're cardio condition may actually worsen because some people, including me, simply can't do the same sort of volume on the erg due to boredom or little injuries setting in etc. You can compensate to some degree by upping the intensity but with all these endurance sports the long and slow(er) sessions definitely do have their place. It all becomes a balancing act working out what is sustainable for YOU.

Yes. I've seen a lot lately saying rowers are pretty much THE fittest athletes in terms of cardiac health. BUT, by rowers this means those who do hours and hours of steady state work either on the erg or on the water. PLUS some hard training. PLUS strength training. AND may also include cross training such as long distance cycling or indoor cycling.

It is relatively easy to get maybe 3-5 hours a week of easy running or cycling in but IMO not so easy to stare st the screen on the erg for that amount of time ...without some other form of distraction.