Well, it’s a small gym and this would be the only piece of “equipment” excepting of course the heavybag that I can’t use for not-my-fault reasons.
Chiropracter told me that I need to get some lower back strength. I also figured that I’d want to get some cardio in as well as a) I hate running and b) I can’t make it to the dojo for about four days in the middle of the week. So, to combine the two, he recommended a rowing machine.
I’m wondering how good a workout it will actually give me. It appears that they’re primarily sold as “starter” devices to people who will use them until they need something “better” like machine or cable pulls. I can’t think of any athletes that actively use one, so I wonder if I’m not better off building my own Roman chair or just sucking it up and doing fishes/supermen (which never seem to work for me) and good mornings.
Will a) the rower really give me the miraculous strength gains that appear on the box and b) will it be a decent cardio workout for when I’m watching Smackdown! and can’t be bothered to do more pushups?
In lieu of a) I’d settle for helping out my poor lower back.
Using a rowing machine to gain strength and using one for aerobic excercise is gonna require two different machines. The ones that you’ll be able to seriously use for aerobic excercise (that will fluidly mimic the whole-body motions of real rowing) are going to be the ones that rowers use to train; IIRC the only rowing machine that’s seriously used for such training is the Concept/Concept 2 rower. As far as quality indoor excercise equipment goes, they’re pretty cheap.
A rowing machine built for strength training is going to be quite a bit different; my WAG is that it’d offer significantly more resistance, that the resistance would be even over the entire pull, and that fewer muscles would be involved in using it (a real rowing stroke will use pretty much your whole body–it’s a great sport for fitness).
There may be “hybrids” or consumer-oriented equipment that can do both (or at least claims to). I’d avoid it.
I know we have a couple people involved with the sport here on the boards, perhaps they’ll spot this thread and comment. They’d be in a way better position to know then I would.
If by rowing machine you mean a Concept 2 ergometer, then that’s not going to build your lower back strength. It’s an aerobic exercise machine. I’d go so far as to say that if your chiropractor says you need more lower back strength, this machine is really wrong for you since you could wind up injuring your back if you don’t have the lower back strength to maintain proper form throughout your workout. Although, I suppose if you keep the resistance fairly light at the start and gradually increase it over the weeks it could help.
If you do it correctly, the Concept 2 ergometer will be the only piece of cardio equipment you’ll need. It’s a very tough workout that will work your whole body, especially as you increase the resistance.
If you have room for a rower then I’d suggest getting an eliptical trainer instead. Forgo the ones with the moving arm things as they do nothing. Get the ones which have an automatically adjusting incline so it’s kind of a cross between a stationary bike and stair climber. You’ll be surprised how stong your back gets with regular 30 - 45 min daily workout routines at higher resistance levels.
Rowing machines put more stress on the lower back and knees. Not something you want.
Finally, to strengthen your back, you need to strengthen your core. To do that you’ve got to strenthen your abs. To do that, get yourself one of those big balls and start doing the exercises that are recommended in various fitness mags that target the core using the ball. That is how you will stengthen your back - Not with a rowing machine.
Your doc is not a physiology / sport medicine expert, is he? :dubious:
Good Ergs do have the ability to adjust the resistance (5 1/2 on a Concept 2 is “boat pressure”, i.e. realistic for rowers) for strength you can rack it up, cardio you can rack it down.
If you have a good technique and use an Erg the way a rower uses it you WILL NOT damage your back or knees, and you will strengthen your core. The problem is that most people don’t use the Erg properly. Do it right and it’s a whole body workout, do it wrong and you’ll injure yourself.
The correct technique is as follows.
Fasten feet into holds, adjust resistance to suit, take hold of handle as if steering a bicyle.
Push back so your legs are straight (DO NOT hyperextend your knees) and you are sitting upright, with a straight back. Your hands should be at nipple height (under the brests for ladies) and touching your chest, with your elbows bent.You are now at the bottom of the slide.
To start the stroke push your hands down to your waist and away from your body, allowing your shoulders to follow. DO NOT bend your back or legs yet.
Slowly bend so that your back follows your shoulders, and allow you knees to bend so that you come forward. The front edge of your seat should almost touch your heels.
At the top of the slide your hands should be over your toes, legs bent, head up and body centred.
To get back to the start, push back HARD with your legs, drawing with your arms ONLY when you have to, and drawing from your upper back and abdomen NOT your shoulders, you should return to the starting position.
People hurt themselves by pulling with their arms before pushing with their legs when going down the slide, sliding with their legs before moving their arms when going up it, twisting their body, hyperextending the knees or pulling with the upper arms, neck and shoulders instead of the upper back and core.
It uses a tub of water with spinning paddles to create a resistance as close to the real thing as possible. It doesn’t have a resistance adjustment- if you want to pull harder, just do - the water reacts with increasing resistance. It really feels like a rowboat.
We had one in my old office. I used it while watching the news at lunch. I loved that thing. It was also very pretty - solid wood construction and very nice accesories. It also stored up on its end and was moved around easilly on the wheels.
The biggest problem with the thing is its price tag: starting at around $1000 with shipping.
I’ve used that. It is indeed very good. I remember when they started doing a lot of demos for it at the erg sprints in the area. I’m not sure I liked it as much as the Concept 2, though. But it could be just a matter of what I was used to vs. something new.
The model I was thinking of in particular was a Schwinn Windrigger. Any experience with this one? It seems to be the Caddy of rowers (as nice as any non- or moderately knowledgable useer will use, but not necessarily the best or best value).
I know this one has “variable resistance” I wonder if that’s vastly inferior to beign able to set the resistance yourself.
No experience with it, but I’ll tell you right now that it’s a waste of your money. Save yourself a few hundred and go with the Concept 2. That’s a Model D there, which is their newest. But if you want to save even more money, try to pick up a Model C. It’s pretty much just as good and you can probably get one for $500 - 600.
In fact, that’s your best value right there, a Concept 2 Model C. Everything else is just adding bells and whistles you don’t need.
Let me ask this, if I could get a Windrigger for significantly less than the $500 you’re suggesting for the Model C (or the waterrower), would it still be a waste of money? I’m not inclined to spend $500 on anything (if that were my only option, I’d head down to the hardware store and pick up some lumber to make my Roman chair).
Chairman Pow-the best thing you could do is to try a few out at some local gyms and see what you like/want/need.
I have no experience of anything other than Concept 2 rowers, because they’re the only ones my boat crew would use.
If you could get it for significantly less than $500, then I’d give it a shot. But if you look around, you could probably find some Model Cs for less than $500, too. Back in 2001 my college’s crew picked up a few Model Cs for about $400 apiece after the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints, and this was still when Model Cs were the cream of the ergometer crop.
I second irishgirl’s suggestion of trying out a few different models. My suspicion is that you’ll get the best value out of a Model C if you look around for the right price. If you have any colleges or high schools around with rowing crews, you may want to give them a call and see if they are selling any of their old ergs. They probably have Model Cs.