What da think of rowing machines ?

_Jimlad_

_Jimlad_

_Jimlad_

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How do people rate these machines? At my local gym the cross trainers, bikes and rowing machines have calorie counters on them, I notice the rowing machines does not for what ever reason, just wondering what people in the know think of them?

I’m trying to build up my upper body as I have tree trunk legs from years of hardcore running and biking. I also want to work my arms up, I do weights but quite like the rowing machine, so any view on them? Good for cardio and mussel build on the arms?
 
your doing it wrong then lol as the legs are bigger muscles they provide most the power the arms/back just finish off the stroke
 
Breamy said:
your doing it wrong then lol as the legs are bigger muscles they provide most the power the arms/back just finish off the stroke
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what?? Rowing machines will build your upper body as much if not more than your legs. When you stroke, you use your upper body and arm strength. Your legs also take some of the strain, but you dont use a full range of motion with them.
 
Breamy said:
erm maybe not its mainly a legs exercise if your doing it right
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the oar is in the water, where most of the resistance is, which is connected to your arm. If it was mainly a leg exercise, you would be using your legs to move the oars. Think about it....or better yet, go rowing.
 
i tend to do 20min on the cross trainer then 10 mins bikes and 10mins rowing before weights, i just find them all hard to stay on for a long time... duno what i would not do without my ipod... its the boardom that gets me in the end ...

cheers guys
 
panthro said:
the oar is in the water, where most of the resistance is, which is connected to your arm. If it was mainly a leg exercise, you would be using your legs to move the oars. Think about it....or better yet, go rowing.
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You'd get further rowing legs only than arms only! Even if you isolated the upper body movement it would work the back more than the arms.

As for building muscle mass, cardio machines are not the way to do it. Read Gordy's sticky for help in that area.
 
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panthro said:
the oar is in the water, where most of the resistance is, which is connected to your arm. If it was mainly a leg exercise, you would be using your legs to move the oars. Think about it....or better yet, go rowing.
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i do go rowing 10 times a week think i know more about rowing than you being 3 times national indoor rowing champion, junior national single sculling champion and currently at the second to last trail for the gb rowing team. so think i know more about rowing than you :P
 
Your legs should be doing most of the work- it makes sense really- use the strongest muscles possible for the push.

Having been a physicist at some point in the dark and distant past, I have thought about what makes the most efficient rowing movement. I should say right now that I am NOT a rower, I never have rowed competitively, never will and have no desire to whatsoever :)

Anyway (and any competitive rowers feel free to correct any part of this) to maximise efficiency when rowing you need a strong driving force with the oars moving parallel (or as close as dammit) to the direction of movement, with the oars located as close to the centre of gravity along this parallel track of the body in motion (in this case the rower and oars).

Therefore the majority of the work should be done by the legs parallel to the direction of motion, then the arms (or more specifically, the deltoids and triceps), with muscle groups like abdominals, obliques, hip tensors, shoulders and biceps providing opposing/ orthogonal stabilising forces where required.

If I had a scanner handy I'd scan pictures with force diagrams :)
 
I love the rowing machine at the gym, I always go on it before lifting a weight, gets the blood pumping. I always set it to 10 and try and do 1000 or 2000m as fast as I can.

I will go on it 3 times every gym visit. Hardly anybody in the gym goes on it.
 
M0KUJ1N said:
Your legs should be doing most of the work- it makes sense really- use the strongest muscles possible for the push.

Having been a physicist at some point in the dark and distant past, I have thought about what makes the most efficient rowing movement. I should say right now that I am NOT a rower, I never have rowed competitively, never will and have no desire to whatsoever :)

Anyway (and any competitive rowers feel free to correct any part of this) to maximise efficiency when rowing you need a strong driving force with the oars moving parallel (or as close as dammit) to the direction of movement, with the oars located as close to the centre of gravity along this parallel track of the body in motion (in this case the rower and oars).

Therefore the majority of the work should be done by the legs parallel to the direction of motion, then the arms (or more specifically, the deltoids and triceps), with muscle groups like abdominals, obliques, hip tensors, shoulders and biceps providing opposing/ orthogonal stabilising forces where required.

If I had a scanner handy I'd scan pictures with force diagrams :)
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completely true!!
 
apart from the legs, rowing movements utilise your back and biceps, thats why i do barbell/dumbell/cable rows on back/bicep day :D
 
Breamy said:
i do go rowing 10 times a week think i know more about rowing than you being 3 times national indoor rowing champion, junior national single sculling champion and currently at the second to last trail for the gb rowing team. so think i know more about rowing than you :P
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I stand corrected then :p

This is a good site, it shows you which muscles get used, and from reading, it seems to be a good overall workout. http://www.concept2.com/05/rower/musclesused.asp

EDIT: just realised that thats a pretty big willy wave! Whats your name?
 
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