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Health, October 2003

Rowing Machines Offer Total-Body Workout

by Dina Mishev

One of the least-used gym machines = may be=20 just what you need for toned arms, shoulders, and = thighs.

Indoor rowing machines are easy to ignore. I did it = myself,=20 preferring to stare down the person who had gone 10 minutes = over the=20 time limit on the StairMaster rather than try out a = curious-looking=20 contraption shoved into a corner of the cardio room. But = then I=20 bought a backless dress for a wedding. I wanted shapelier = arms and=20 shoulders to go with it, so the upper-body-intensive indoor = rower=20 caught my attention.

You might want to take note, too, because these machines = aren't=20 just good for avoiding traffic jams in the gym. Treadmills = are=20 nearly five times as popular as rowing machines, and = elliptical=20 trainers are twice as popular. But rowers can give you a = great=20 workout without the pounding that accompanies walking and=20 running.

Despite a shaky first try, the machine wasn't nearly as = hard to=20 handle as I'd thought it would be. And I got the results I = wanted.=20 Within weeks, tank tops became my uniform. Not only that, = rowing=20 also helped my lower body. My quads, which I thought were = already in=20 pretty good shape, got even more defined. My waist and = calves began=20 to shrink and tighten.

Research confirms what I saw in the mirror. "I don't know = of many=20 muscles you don't use while indoor rowing=97everything in = the arms and=20 legs and even the core. It certainly uses more than any = other=20 machine at the gym," says Fritz Hagerman, PhD, a professor = of=20 biomedical science at Ohio University. Despite that, rowing = machines=20 don't burn quite as many calories as other gym machines. A=20 University of South Carolina study led by Richard Cotton, a=20 spokesman for the American Council on Exercise and chief = exercise=20 physiologist for MyExercisePlan.com, showed that a = 130-pound woman=20 exercising moderately for 30 minutes would burn 217 calories = on a=20 rower and a stationary bike, 279 on a StairMaster, and 310 = on a=20 treadmill.

But that's no reason to write off the rowing machine. = Adding a=20 few sessions to your weekly routine is a great way to avoid = a=20 weight-loss or fitness plateau and balance cardio workouts = that=20 focus on the lower body. Rowing isn't a weight-bearing = exercise, so=20 it's easy on your joints. In fact, almost anyone can take it = up, but=20 people who have lower-back problems should check with their = doctors=20 first.

Don't be scared off by the technique, says Liz O'Leary, = head=20 coach of Harvard's women's crew team and a two-time Olympic = rower.=20 "It's not nearly as complicated as people think. And once = you get=20 going, you'll see it actually feels natural."

Some tips to get you started:

Stretch.
"Flexibility and=20 range of motion may be more important with rowing than with = any=20 other cardio machine," O'Leary says. Your legs and hips need = to be=20 limber enough to bend and give you the power to push = backward during=20 the drive.

Start = slowly.
Go for 5 or=20 10 minutes your first time on a rower, and shoot for 20 = strokes per=20 minute.

Relax the = resistance.
You=20 might feel like pushing yourself, but O'Leary recommends = keeping the=20 resistance setting between 3 and 4 to help prevent = lower-back=20 strain.

Push, don't = pull.
To take=20 full advantage of your lower-body strength, push with your = legs,=20 then pull with your arms. To see good technique in action, = visit WaterRower's=20 site for an animated demo, or call Concept2=20 (800-245-5676) for a free instructional video.

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