13 Jan 2011 - Cliff
I’ve had a Concept II rowing machine for a number of years, and I have found it is a great full body workout. If you are just cruising along, you can burn about 450 calories an hour, if you push it hard you can burn more than 700, according to one of my favorite fitness sites, Livestrong. Since you have to burn 3,500 calories to burn a pound of fat, rowing is not a bad way to go.
Rowing works your upper body, and lower body, as well as your abs, all at once. It is also a low impact exercise, so it is easier on the joints than say running or jogging. The stroke has been carefully analyzed, and broken down into four phases.
Step 1, The Catch – you’re curled up, knees bent, and just drop the oar blade (if you’re actually on the water instead of your living room) into the water.
Step 2, Drive – you extend your legs- at this point the upper body isn’t doing too much other than holding your position with your core muscles. As the legs extend completely, you lean back slightly and curl your arms, fully engaging both the abdominals and arms.
Step 3, Finish – Oars up out the water, and turned to horizontal.
Step 4, Recovery – extend the hands, and bend the knees, ready to start the next catch.
Of course being technical, I also had to find out what else I can do as far as tracking and analysis goes. To begin with the rower tracks time and calories burned. It also has a simple game where you row in order to catch fish. You control the game by rowing faster or slower, and the more you get into the game, the less your workout feels like, well, work. However, where the Concept II really shines is its ability to connect to a computer via USB.
With a program called Row Pro from Digital Rowing, you can track your progress; view a computer animation of a rower timed to your strokes, and even real time graphs of your heart rate and strokes in your splints. In addition, you can connect to the internet and race with other rowers- not only in your city, but also anywhere in the world.
What is particularly interesting is you can race against people with similar abilities, whether you are an Olympic rower or a 70-year-old great grandfather. There is also a helpful community of rowing enthusiasts, who provide support, and even online challenges with prizes. Rowing is a pleasant way to knock of the kilometers and fat without leaving the comfort of your living room.