Daily rowing same as daily running?

bikecheryl

Okay.... I'll admit it.... I'm smitten with rowing.
Yep... the romance is blooming and I'm a goner.
I find it's a great total workout that I can do without stressing out my knees.
I used to run a lot but osteoarthritis and an upcoming knee replacement put a kibosh to that - rowing
gives me the same zen feeling running did.
My question, because the romance is still in it's early stages....
is it wrong/bad/dangerous to row 5 or 6 days a week?
.
I am starting to incorporate resistance band work outs so it's not just rowing.
.
I'm halfway to my 120lb weight loss goal and am starting to feel like I'm getting some conditioning back.
But I don't want the endorphin wave to blind my judgement.

DX2JX2

Lack of impact would make me think that you don't need as gradual a build towards rowing as you do towards running. The advice for runners to take it easy is because the repetitive high impact nature of the sport generally leads to injury if new runners try to do too much too quickly.

I would say that you could ramp up to rowing as you would any other low impact cardio program.

cwolfman13

You might want to find something to cross train for a couple of days to avoid repetitive motion injuries...tennis elbow comes to mind with rowing.

BrianSharpe

There's no reason no to row every day if you wish but as DX2JX2 suggested building up the times gradually would be a sensible approach (I'll almost guarantee uncomfortable blisters on your hands if you try to do too much too soon) I'd also suggest that, at least initially, your focus should be on developing good form, while rowing is a zero impact activity you can still injure yourself.

In terms of building fitness consider alternating between steady state easy days, intervals and steady state (shorter distance) higher pace. If you've got a Concept2 machine you can join their on-line log book to track workouts (they give away fun freebies as you hit certain milestones.....next stop for me is 10,000,000 metres, I think that's a pair of shorts) They also have different workouts built into the machines and on their website and run a variety of challenges throughout the year (I truly believe that if the treadmill makers took a cue from Concept2 there would be a lot fewer expensive towel racks in peoples basements).

Have fun!

steveko89

I really love my concept2 as well. I don't believe there to be negative effects from rowing on consecutive days like there can be with running; I've not encountered any, though I only row for appreciable distances on non-lifting days and use a few hundred meters as part of my warmup for my MWF lifting schedule.

A quick googling fleshed out a 20% distance tax rowing vs. running is pretty well accepted (400m running = 500m rowing) so you can use that as a gauge to make comparisons to running distances since that's something with which you're more familiar.

sgt1372

Rowing is less stressful on your body than running and there should be no problem rowing every day, as long as you are NOT doing an exhausting HIIT routine each day.

Of course, you can overdo anything but if you are just rowing at a moderate rate of 600 cal/hr for 15-30mins a day, interpersed w/a couple of short 1-3 min intervals at 800+ cal/hr every other day or so, I don't think that would be a problem.

Just pay attn to how you feel and if you feel exhausted doing whatever it is you're doing, just rest and cut back until you find the routine that provides you with a challenge but doesn't leave you totally exhausted and then work your way up to more difficult routines from there.

GiddyupTim

My wife recently switched over from running five days a week to rowing about 4-5 days a week.
Are you on a team? Are you thinking about joining a team? Because you can get a lot of great instruction and camaraderie on a team.
She switched because she felt like she had repetitive injuries that she could not get better. Switching seems to have helped. But she has had her own rowing injuries. After all, while there is no impact in rowing, if you do it seriously, it is pretty strenuous.

scorpio516

I used to work with a guy who went to the world championships this summer on an 8 boat. He rows 7 days a week.

Work up to it. Take breaks as your body asks for. It is something you can do a lot.

bikecheryl

I'm not on a team - doing it on my own. I live an hour out of the city and haven't found an indoor rowing club - I refuse to pay Orange Theory prices.

But I have contacted our provincial rowing association and the coach has been super supportive. I'm going to send him some video so he can correct any glaring technical mistakes and he has invited me to come to a few of their weekend erg workouts once the boats come out of the water. I think my enthusiasm surprised and intrigued him

If all goes well with training and getting to my weight loss goal I'm going to see about signing up and getting out in an actual skull on the water next year!