ROWING WORKOUT HELP

NEW YEAR 'S EVE early morning resolution 5K. Taken by PKSenagore December 31, 2017. All rights reserved.

KNOW, KNOW, KNOW THE ROW in order to expertly cross-train with a rowing machine on non-running days. Jaclyn Emerick helps readers “decode” the dashboard on a rowing machine in her article for SHAPE.com, “How to Use a Rowing Machine for a Better Cardio Workout”.   By learning what the numbers mean, especially the time and distance buttons, a goal workout can be programmed.  Rather than jumping on and randomly rowing, she indicates, better to have a strategy that will lead to specific fitness results.
 
Her article links to a total body rowing workout you might wish to try, from her expert source at CityRow, a New York City studio. However, this workout doesn’t seem to incorporate the actual rowing activity. Instead it demonstrates how to perform non-rowing exercises using the machine.
 
I found another workout from Lauren Mazzo, also for SHAPE.com, which breaks a rowing workout session into warm-up, upper body, lower body, and core circuits.  A distance (meters)-defined rowing component is alternated with each bodyweight exercises. It looks awesome!
 
This information will definitely be useful to me because I mostly row on a whim, not intending to perform a rowing workout. I happen to see someone on the machine and get the idea to round out my gym visit by rowing for a certain number of minutes.  

I hadn’t ever considered using it with other bodyweight exercises, as done in the Lazzo routine. A speed rowing machine segment was incorporated into each of the two Orange Theory Titness classes I attended last year.  Despite that exposure, I did not recognize the potential of the machine in the design of a personal routine before seeing Lazzo’s piece.
 
It’s possible that others have been relatively clueless, like me, when it comes to modern rowing machine workouts.   Perhaps not; everyone else is smarter.  Regardless, look these over; one or both might be useful during the cold weeks of winter when aerobic activity is most likely to be taken inside, by those with access to a fitness center. If you don’t, it might be possible to substitute jumping jacks (traditional or modified) for rowing in the Lazzo workout. Just a thought.
 
One more thought: gym policies may not allow you to tie up a machine for an entire personal workout, getting on and off to complete each floor exercise after rowing.  Or there may not be sufficient space on which to perform the bodyweight exercises.   Be prepared to experience logistical difficulties. It might help to ask staff for advice on times the machine is likely to be available or for help moving a machine. Courtesy is a must.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/how-use-rowing-machine
 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/full-body-rowing-workout-burn-crapload-calories
 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/low-impact-hiit-rowing-machine-workout
 
http://www.cityrow.com
 
https://www.orangetheoryfitness.com
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