anyone have any suggestions on what brand or type of rower to buy? thanks
Concept 2. They’re pricey but the rule.
Pretty much the only cardio-machine I’ll use anymore.
I have a water rower at home, they’re really good.
http://www.waterrower.com/?gclid=CLjlreXKkZQCFQ7ilAodVG3Itg
LR
[quote]thejonsdj wrote:
Concept 2. They’re pricey but the rule.
Pretty much the only cardio-machine I’ll use anymore.[/quote]
Yeah, Concept 2 is pretty much the gold standard. If you have access to the water an actual boat is much better.
Can somebody explain to me why to use rowing for cardio? It does not make sense to me
[quote]eremesu wrote:
can somebody explain to me why to use rowing for cardio? it does not make sense to me[/quote]
Have you ever done REAL rowing? Its brutally hard, I haven’t done any machine but real rowing is pretty tough. Look at most olympic rowers they are pretty built for how lean they are.
i actualy dont know if i have ever done any real rowing. i probably should remember something like that. this is really confusing now. so rowing is heavy, and you do alot of it. that sounds kind of bad. and if it is not bad then it must be really good. so why dont we all do it? if a person rowed in water would they get stronger at first and then after a while they just build muscle endurance? since you cant make the water thicker to row through, just increase the time you do it
[quote]eremesu wrote:
i actualy dont know if i have ever done any real rowing. i probably should remember something like that. this is really confusing now. so rowing is heavy, and you do alot of it. that sounds kind of bad. and if it is not bad then it must be really good. so why dont we all do it? if a person rowed in water would they get stronger at first and then after a while they just build muscle endurance? since you cant make the water thicker to row through, just increase the time you do it[/quote]
did that make sense when you typed it?
Rowing for cardio and rowing (like bent over barbell rows or dumbell rows) are two different things Eremesu. Cardio Rowing is done on a machine (or boat). Its like rowing a boat.
Throwing in another recommendation for Concept 2 ergs. Also, make sure you know what you’re doing with form. It’s not that hard, but I’ve actually never seen anyone outside of a rowing team doing it correctly.
[quote]eremesu wrote:
i actualy dont know if i have ever done any real rowing. i probably should remember something like that. this is really confusing now. so rowing is heavy, and you do alot of it. that sounds kind of bad.
And if it is not bad then it must be really good. so why dont we all do it? if a person rowed in water would they get stronger at first and then after a while they just build muscle endurance? since you cant make the water thicker to row through, just increase the time you do it[/quote]
You can’t increase the resistance of an actual boat, but it will vary depending on the current, other rowers, and how well the boat is balanced. Also you can vary stroke rate, and since (ideally) you wouldn’t change the amount of time you spend recovering from each stroke, that means moving the oar through the water faster.
You can do anything from light endurance training to intense sprinting in a boat. Also, most ergs these days have dampers on them which allow you to change the resistance.
Most rowing machines have different settings of resistance, so yes you can make it more difficult. Rowing machines are great for cardio and muscle endurance but you will obviously want to leave enough space between rowing and your pulling/back/upper workout.
[quote]chitown34 wrote:
Most rowing machines have different settings of resistance, so yes you can make it more difficult. Rowing machines are great for cardio and muscle endurance but you will obviously want to leave enough space between rowing and your pulling/back/upper workout.[/quote]
If you’re rowing properly, most of the drive comes from your legs. So the above hold true, but with the addition of any leg, but especially quad workout.
iam a rower an believe me the boat is alot tougher than the ergometer aka rowing machine. the ergometer is great for fat loss but u’ll have to cut down the training volume for the upperback trap area , hams and biceps or u’ll overtrain.
As to brand of rowing machine: Concept 2: Model “B” and above will work nicely.
About the actual workout - dyskee? are you sure you’re a rower?
I have never heard a rower ever say that water workouts are “harder” than erg workouts. You’ve obviously never been through winter training. Rowers LOVE being on the water. Rowers DREAD the ergometer.
Erg workouts are much harder than on-the-water - you can hide in the boat - but you can’t hide on an erg. The erg exposes all your conditioning weaknesses.
Anyway - back to topic. Concept 2 - and it is a perfect complement to your weight workouts - however, I wouldn’t schedule an interval session for the erg when you do legs in the gym.
oarsman i meant for his purpose of fat loss he will obviously be doing some low impact work for 30 mins which is nothing compared to a nice 10km in the boat:D.
i personally hate the ergometer , 500m and 1000m are bitches i puke everytime i get my ass on those ergos. even the 20 mins fucks me badly.
k thanks everyone! good info…
[quote]London Runner wrote:
I have a water rower at home, they’re really good.
http://www.waterrower.com/?gclid=CLjlreXKkZQCFQ7ilAodVG3Itg
LR[/quote]
You lucky son of a gun…
I tried crew for a semester in high school, and even though it was a normal gym class, not at the varsity level, it kicked my ass. Strength training saved me, cause without a few years of working out I would have been screwed.
Rowing is a great source of cardio, works everything, and a lot of fun to do after a heavy back workout (I was sore for the next three days).
I still throw in ten minutes on an erg every now and then, and with a high resistance and fast enough cadence, it’s a tough workout. My family just bought a Concept 2 from a lawn sale, because my two younger sisters continue to row.
Hey guys, I’m considering buying an indoor rower for my home gym. I always used to enjoy doing my cardio on one of these things.
Does anyone have any advice on what to look for in a lower end rower? It seems like the Concept2 and water rower are gold standard. But I can’t justify spending close to £1k on a rower.
I’m looking to spend at the most £250, surely thats enough to get something reasonable?
Any thoughts?
Thanks