Quote:
mck414 wrote:
Replying in line with a general rowing question. I honestly haven't touch a rowing machine for probably 3 decades. Back then I was 10' tall and bullet proof. Today I have the lower back of a 100 year old. How much stress does rowing put on the back? I'm genuinely interested in picking up rowing as my running days seem to in my rear view mirror after this latest SI joint flare up.
Sorry, I missed this question first time around.
I honestly don't know how to answer that. I probably don't have the best form or approach to the discipline (I currently use a hydraulic rower with the back end elevated to put more stress on the legs) and I don't use it consistently week to week, but I haven't had any back flareups, and my lumbar area used to be a train wreck, always one sneeze away from bed rest.
Most of the back engagement I feel is upper back, scapular, rhomboids, traps, posterior delts, etc. I do feel some muscle tightness in the lumbar and paraspinals after a workout but nothing resembling pain or anything that doesn't improve with stretching.
Coming back to this question with a year's experience as a regular (2-3x/wk) rower on the Peloton Row.
Having dialed in my form fairly well, I think I'm hitting that 60-40 lower-to-upper body engagement ratio.I never row more than 20 minutes at a stretch unless I'm doing a 30 or 40 minute bootcamp that mixes strength and rowing, and I never feel like I've done a leg workout coming off the seat. Tired, but not leg pump tired. Well rounded exhaustion, on the harder workouts. I don't get the upper body muscle soreness or tightness I had initially, so either I'm more conditioned for it or my form has improved such that I'm not straining those muscles as much now.
A huge difference since starting rowing is glute and leg strength gains. It doesn't feel like a lower body workout when I row, but it absolutely is. My jeans fit differently, thighs are more muscular, everything feels more balanced and strong. Secondary effect is that the added strength makes leg strength workouts more enjoyable and so less likely to skip.
My wife and I both use it routinely. We love our Bike+ and Row equally; it's hard to imagine having just one or the other given how they complement each other and work seamlessly together.
The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W