Hi, Have anyone ever tried indoor rowing? I have been thinking about the Concept 2 machine, but it's quite pricey, so I am a bit hesitant. I have an issue with public gyms, and I won't be able to try it before the purchase. I have troubles with the spinal discs, and I think that maybe this could help me with building a strong muscle corset. Not to mention that bigger shoulder would be good too lol. Would you share your tips or experiences? Thank you
I have a Kettler Favorit rowing machine and really like it Used to have a NordicTrack (I work out at home), but when that died earlier this year, I did some research and found that rowing machines give you a better workout. Did some research and the KF got very good reviews while also being reasonably priced. It also comes with a lifetime warranty across the board IIRC which was a big selling point since my research turned up that lots of machines have issues with parts breaking or wearing out. Only downsides I've encountered after using it over most of 2013: A) it has literally 50 different resistance settings that are set by screwing/unscrewing a wheel on each rowing arm. This is so many settings that it can be hard to hit the exact level you want or sync up both arms to the same setting. B) the instruction manual is written using what seems to be every EU language in a style that can make it somewhat tedious to read thru or locate a specific piece of info. Rather than having the entire book replicated in each language, the replicate each topic or page in each language, making for big gaps between each topic. C) the machine arrives in a disassembled state with quite a few bits that need to be hooked together and the aforementioned instructions in multiple languages. My partner is very mechanically minded and was able to get it together in a couple hours or so and using his toolkit. If you are only looking to plug a few parts together and be done, you may want some help. D) the electronic display (includes a pulse monitor that I don't use) is in metric and tries to give a hospital monitor competition. I've pretty much just identified the parts I'm concerned with and ignore the rest, but that's just me. I already work with metric more than most Americans so that was no biggy. All that said, I really like the machine and highly recommend it I do about 45min a session on it 2-3 days a week and have gotten some good results. Hope this helps, Todd
Hi Todd and thank you! I know that people say that using a rowing machine, all your muscles must do their job, but do you feel like some parts of your body work more than the rest? What are the good results you mentioned? I have problems with my lower back, but I just read that someone got a herniated disc because of using the machine, so I am a bit reluctant to risk it... They said that it was probably because of exercising in the morning (which is said to not be good for a spine)
My pleasure When I first started using it, I had the resistance set pretty low, because I'm mainly looking for an aerobic workout from it (I have a bowflex for resistance). When it was set low, pretty much all the muscles felt like they were getting some workout, with maybe a bit more effort for my upper body. I have very strong legs and my thigh muscles will really bulk up if I let them, so I was Ok with not doing much leg resistance. Since I started, I've been increasing the resistance and now have it cranked pretty high. Some mornings, especially when it's cold, I can really feel the pull in my arms, particularly my forearms, as I'm getting the machine going. Feels like my upper body is getting a much increased workout, while my legs are about the same (which is fine for me). If you're mainly looking for an all-over workout and aerobic fitness, I'd keep the resistance level low to moderate an focus on longer sessions and/or faster rowing speeds to burn calories. I do have occasional twinges in my lower back/tailbone but I don't know if that's from the machine per se or from sitting at a desk all day at work. We got new office chairs about the same time I got the machine IIRC, so could be either. I also get the sense I'm doing a rather long workout at 45min of non-stop rowing, but could be wrong on that. I've actually got a standing desk unit I bought for work that I'm going to get back into using more for the New Year so that may help as well. Also, you'll want some sort of throw rug or floormat for the machine to rest on if you have a non-carpeted floor. We have hardwood floors and the machine had a tendency to 'walk' when I got going with it before I put down a mat for it. Todd
Thank you very much. I was taken aback by the number of links when I googled "rowing lower back problems." It seems that I will have to do a lot of reading, because the sellers only say that rowing is great for the back... The truth will probably be somewhere in the middle... But if I take is easy, will it still be a work out? Hmm
I've got one - I think it is a pretty decent quality (nothing too fancy) but even at the very highest resistance it isn't very hard. Make sure you try it before you buy it to make sure it is right for you and will allow you to progress up difficulty. They are great for cardio, but if you are looking to develop muscle then you'll get far more from doing regular resistance exercise - i.e. weights.
Thank you. I have found this article: Managing and Avoiding Lower Back Injury - Part 1: Posture | Rowperfect And from so far brief reading it seems that a person should first have strong muscles and then think about rowing. Which is kind of opposite to what I planned... Maybe I should try planks or something first... Hmm
