Rowing is awesome!

glyphhen wrote: »

+1 to everything @AnnPT77 said, and a note on resistance: a resistance between 3 and 4 most closely simulates what you'll feel on the water, so it's the resistance most people discussing rowing workouts (pyramids, wolverines, etc) will be using, if you decide to go looking for workouts to do on an erg other than just a time or distance piece.

I'd concur with 3-4 for women, generally, but would recommend just a little higher for young/strong men - probably 4-5. (Actual water resistance increases the stronger you are . . . but not to the point where you need the 10 for routine workouts.)

This is good info for figuring it out, from the experts: http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/tips-and-general-info/damper-setting-101

I love my rower, bought it 2 months ago, clocking up the meters already. I set my damper at 5 and am happy there. I started indoor rowing at 56 and found it great as low impact. I am now training for a competition in London in December. Save up for the C2, it is worth it. Hope this helps?

bcalvanese wrote: »

I prefer kayaking to rowing because in every stroke it works the pulling muscles on one side while working the pushing muscles on the other side, and engages the core alternately as well, but does nothing for the legs. So, I walk and bike for the leg part.

Rowing is great mainly for the pulling muscles in the upper body and pushing muscles in the legs. If I went to a gym I would definitely use the rowing machine, but I like to get outside and walk, bike, and kayak. It's just more fun to me.

Personally, I haven't met a human powered watercraft that I don't enjoy: I row the most, but also canoe & kayak. (But for those pedal-powered boats, I need an umbrella drink onboard in order to be truly happy ;-) ).

I agree with what you're saying about the body mechanics generally, but would add that there is substantial core/glute work in rowing as well (during the layback part of the stroke and its recovery), and I find it much easier to get aerobic (or anaerobic-threshold/anaerobic) cardio workouts in a rowing shell or on a rowing machine. (This is not to dis kayaking: I love it!)

Sculling (two oars per person) has less work for the obliques than sweep rowing (one oar per person) since in the latter you rotate your body under load as part of the stroke. The standard rowing machine is more like sculling, though there are sweep machines.

Hands down, anything on the water (or outdoors generally) is more fun than any indoor machine. Heck, more broadly, to me any real functional activity is more fun than exercise machines.

Have you ever seen/used a Concept 2 rowing machine with the canoe/kayak modification (like http://www.vermontpaddling.com/2012/05/indoor-canoe-and-sup-trainer.html)?

Have had my Concept2 for about a year now. I love it!

AnnPT77 wrote: »

bcalvanese wrote: »

I prefer kayaking to rowing because in every stroke it works the pulling muscles on one side while working the pushing muscles on the other side, and engages the core alternately as well, but does nothing for the legs. So, I walk and bike for the leg part.

Rowing is great mainly for the pulling muscles in the upper body and pushing muscles in the legs. If I went to a gym I would definitely use the rowing machine, but I like to get outside and walk, bike, and kayak. It's just more fun to me.

Personally, I haven't met a human powered watercraft that I don't enjoy: I row the most, but also canoe & kayak. (But for those pedal-powered boats, I need an umbrella drink onboard in order to be truly happy ;-) ).

I agree with what you're saying about the body mechanics generally, but would add that there is substantial core/glute work in rowing as well (during the layback part of the stroke and its recovery), and I find it much easier to get aerobic (or anaerobic-threshold/anaerobic) cardio workouts in a rowing shell or on a rowing machine. (This is not to dis kayaking: I love it!)

Sculling (two oars per person) has less work for the obliques than sweep rowing (one oar per person) since in the latter you rotate your body under load as part of the stroke. The standard rowing machine is more like sculling, though there are sweep machines.

Hands down, anything on the water (or outdoors generally) is more fun than any indoor machine. Heck, more broadly, to me any real functional activity is more fun than exercise machines.

Have you ever seen/used a Concept 2 rowing machine with the canoe/kayak modification (like http://www.vermontpaddling.com/2012/05/indoor-canoe-and-sup-trainer.html)?

Looks like a nice machine. I'm not really big on machines as they take all the fun out of the exercise (for me anyway). I went and got a $600.00 elliptical, and every minute on that thing seemed like an hour.