The Benefits of Rowing

     Readers of this column know we've long extolled the virtues of the Concept 2 Rower, the greatest total body workout machine, in my opinion.
     The rower is low impact, and is "push/pull," meaning you are using muscles from both the front and back of your body - a perfect synchronicity of agony, really.
      The "push" is from your quadriceps, which thrust you backwards with every pull. The "pull," of course, is the upper body, most notably your back, biceps, shoulders, and "core."
        Rather than the classic pull to you chest, I end each stroke with the handle hitting my abdomen. I do ab exercises all day long with clients and on my own, yet the rower never fails to make my abs sore!
       It is extremely time efficient. While I've gone as long as 10,000 meters (averaging about 42 minutes), you can blast out five, 500-meter bursts (about two minutes duration, each) and have a gut-wrenching workout. With a five minute warm-up and warm-down, and two minute (or less) rest in-between, you'd still be done in 30 minutes!
     Another great benefit is it's relevancy to running. I can run an all out 1600-meters in about 6:30 these days, and when I go all out for 1600-meters on the rower, I'm hitting about 6:20-6:25. Rather than a day at the high school track, substitute a session on the rower, and shoot for the same times you would running!
       The Concept 2 is very popular at Mountain Fitness, because we are constantly extolling it's virtues. At most clubs, it sits forlorn and lonely, and that's a shame - it truly is the best workout you can do!
       A recent article by Stephanie Kanowitz in the Washington Post made many of these same points. It also correctly pointed out that rowing is low-impact, and thus is easier on your knees and lower back than running.
      Rowing classes are becoming more popular at larger clubs now, and the popularity of rowing has increased with it's visibility in the popular Cross Fit games.
      I did the New Jersey State Indoor Rowing Championships about 15 years ago with other members of the club, competing in the 40-49 division at the time. The winning time in the lightweight division was 7:45 for 2000-meters the previous year, a number I felt confident about attaining. At the start, a friend whispered to me that someone who had done a 7:15 had entered. My obsessive, competitive nature took over, and I banged out 1500 meters at a 1:45 per stroke clip, way faster than I ever had done previously. My quads totally cramped up at that point, and I saw my stroke average rising with every futile pull. I finished in 7:28, and I honestly don't remember if I got first or second
in the event. I do know it was the hardest thing I've ever endured!
     If your a hard-core fitness enthusiast, or someone who wants to get in shape fast, give the Concept 2 Rower a spin!