Running and rowing?

mkculs wrote: »

First, will rowing put a strain on my quads and/or knees?

Rowing certainly works your legs but I wouldn't say it will strain them. Being lower-impact than jogging, it would ultimately be less wear and tear on your knees.

mkculs wrote: »

Second, I have a very cheap mechanical rowing machine I picked up at a garage sale...

It depends on what kind/brand you're talking about. Concept 2 rowers are quasi-legendary for lasting forever if properly maintained and pretty much considered the gold standard of rowing machines. If you've found yourself an older model C2, or something similar with fan-based resistance that's a decent find and that will at least get you started. I'd be leery of anything piston-based, especially if it's been idle collecting dust at someone else's home.

I joined a gym for ALL the equipment they have. Rowers, elipticals, treadmills, stair climbers, squat rack, bench press, dumbbells from 5# to 150#, assisted pull ups, et.al. My gym costs me $22 +/- a month. I priced out ellipticals, and a "good" one costs in excess of $1500 or 68 months at the gym. The gym is a bargain, not to mention that each month I go 12 times my health insurance company pays me $20.00.

mkculs wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure I was clear in my original post--I want to add rowing to running (alternate days); I'm not planning to ditch the running. Would that change any responses?

Not mine.

If you are a die hard runner, you probably always will be. Rowing will be a fine supplement for days that you can't or don't want to run but, if you find that you enjoy rowing, you will probably want to upgrade your equipment and may even choose to reduce the amount you run in lieu of rowing, because it is so much easier to achieve comparable fitness benefits rowing than running with far less stress on your body.

Personally, I always hated running and never enjoyed spin biking much. Tredmills are insanely boring and walking/hiking outdoors (which I enjoy but inly do occasionally) are too time consuming for too little benefit

All I do now for cardio is row. 10k meters a day in an hr a day that I do in four 12-13 min intervals all at one time or spread out over the day. Easy to do in the convenience of my home at any time 24/7. Works for me.

I was a runner for around 3/4 years. Enough time to do trail races up to around 7 miles or so (some quite challenging). I loved running and especially outdoors. Running didn't love me. Developed a chronic case of runners knee and did everything you can imagine and couldn't get rid of it. Started doing the Stationary Bike and the Concept2 at the gym and haven't looked back. I do mostly rowing now. I'm a bit "stocky" and muscular -- not a true runner's build at all. But I found that rowing is very, very easy on the joints.

What others have said about machines -- Concept 2 is my first choice by far and then a distant second would be a WaterRower. WaterRowers look nice but the C2 is the Gold standard. I wouldn't do anything but those two. Most LA Fitnesses have C2 machines. A few other large chains do as well. Planet Fitness, I know, doesn't have rowers. They have a weight machine they call a "rower" but it's not a true cardio rower.

I would absolutely love outdoor rowing but don't have the time. Maybe in retirement. Perhaps that would compare to my trail running days, which I miss.

A lot of people don't realize that Meb Keflezighi used a road elliptical to train part of a year when he was injured. I think anything (for a runner) that doesn't add stress to their joints but still builds cardio (and muscle in the case of the rower) is great cross training. I've read articled on Runner's World where running coaches strongly recommend rowing as a great complimentary way to train.

Here's the article I was thinking of. All good points in it.

https://www.active.com/running/articles/why-runners-should-be-rowers

If you live on the US east coast, you might be able to find a single hull for a reasonable price. Here in MA, I see people out rowing on all kinds of water!

You could also look at kayaking. It is easy to slack off on one though!

Calling @AnnPT77.
I hope you don't mind, but I thought your input and experience would be invaluable in this thread.

Sorry, I just use the concept 2 at the gym as my alternate cardio and warm up for lifting in the winter, so not much help.

Cheers, h.

mkculs wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

mkculs wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure I was clear in my original post--I want to add rowing to running (alternate days); I'm not planning to ditch the running. Would that change any responses?

Not mine.

If you are a die hard runner, you probably always will be. Rowing will be a fine supplement for days that you can't or don't want to run but, if you find that you enjoy rowing, you will probably want to upgrade your equipment and may even choose to reduce the amount you run in lieu of rowing, because it is so much easier to achieve comparable fitness benefits rowing than running with far less stress on your body.

Personally, I always hated running and never enjoyed spin biking much. Tredmills are insanely boring and walking/hiking outdoors (which I enjoy but inly do occasionally) are too time consuming for too little benefit

All I do now for cardio is row. 10k meters a day in an hr a day that I do in four 12-13 min intervals all at one time or spread out over the day. Easy to do in the convenience of my home at any time 24/7. Works for me.

I'm one of those who would feel blessed to drop dead while running--an easy way to go, doing something I love

Hoping that doesn't happen anytime soon, and maybe someday I'll feel that way about rowing. I need the outdoors, though, and can't imagine I'll find rowing as rewarding for my overall health as I do running. But who knows, right?

Thanks again.

Others have given you good advice: Rowing uses a lot of quads, but lacks running's impact. The stresses are very different. Rowing machines that are Concept 2 style (single handle, sliding seat, some form of drag like fan or water tank, etc.), used with correct form, will work your legs, using some of the same muscles as running, but in a somewhat different way. They will also work your core (abs/lower back) and some parts of your arms and back. Be aware that it's unbalanced: All straight-line upper body pull and lower body push. For best fitness results, you want something going that uses some of the opposing muscle groups more, too; and you want some twisting and lateral work as well.

It's summer, so I'm currently rowing on water 4 days a week (M-W-F-Sa) and spinning 2 days (Tu-Th), all of which is fairly quad-heavy, but it's workable (and I'm pretty old, 62, so possibly more vulnerable to overuse problems). I do rowing machine workouts in Winter when the river gets crunchy here, but lower volume, as it just isn't as much fun as boats. (I'm very fun-motivated. ) I don't run because of bad knees.

If you hope to transition some day to on-water rowing, Concept 2 style rowers can teach you some transferable skills, if you make it a point to learn correct form. Mike has suggested some good resources for technique. It's a technical sport. Most people using rowing machines are using them incorrectly (for fitness purposes, let alone with respect to skills that could transfer to on-water), and many trainers don't teach rowing machines correctly. There are things that will make you faster on a rowing machine that will send you swimming from a rowing shell. Using a machine long-term with poor technique can make it harder to learn on-water rowing correctly, because of need to un-learn and reprogram muscle memory. (I've actually worked with such people.)

Frankly, without adequate (not necessarily perfect) technique, it's tough to get a decent workout from a rowing machine. It's different from other machines, in that user effort creates most of the workout intensity, rather than the machine resistance increasing the intensity. We've had threads here from folks struggling to get a decent workout from a rowing machine because of this.

I don't want to make rowing sound too difficult, because it isn't. Any average person can easily learn it. But learning about it, and spending time at the start to get the basics right, is a good time investment. Just hopping on a machine and banging away at it isn't generally the most effective strategy, if you want it to be a long-term valued, effective part of your fitness routine.

A couple of things to know about on-water rowing, since it sounds like you may be tempted by that: It, too, is quite technical, and I'm not as sanguine as Mike about the ease of transferring machine rowing skills directly into on water rowing: Bladework is important, technical, and not a thing at all on machines. Machines don't require much in the way of balance: If you can sit on a stool, you can sit on a rowing machine. A single rowing shell (of the type most experienced rowers use) is around 12" wide at the waterline, so balance is very much an issue. (People tend to find canoes and kayaks tippy feeling. Rowing shells - even the relatively broader ones - are tippier than most canoes or kayaks.) The best way to start on-water rowing is with lessons. Happily, most clubs offer a class or coached instruction (and usually won't let you row until you take instruction, or demonstrate skill, because liability). Most clubs also own boats, i.e., at those clubs, you needn't own your own boat, you can use the club's. Another way to learn on-water rowing is a camp that accepts beginners, such as Craftsbury here in the US (Vermont). (Camp, BTW, means dorms or cabins and a dining room, not primitive conditions. It's sort of an all-inclusive, room and board with coached rowing.) Skills from on-water rowing translate pretty directly to machine rowing, because machine rowing is mostly (not entirely) a simpler case of the same general movements.

I think rowing could be a useful complement to your running, and could blossom into an interesting activity in its own right. Despite remarks above, I think both the real Concept 2 machines, and the Water Rowers, are quality fitness machines. Concept 2 is a better choice for someone interested in competition (machine racing is a thing), or in on-water rowing, as it tends to be what most on-water rowers use for adjunct training, and has a robust online community that includes such people, plus there's an international schedule of in-person machine races. Water Rowers are quieter, and much more furniture-looking, so may be a better choice for some people.

IF the cheap used machine you bought is a similar style, then using it a bit (after checking out technique info) may be a way to try it out. The only concern I'd have is that such a machine might make there be body stresses or other downsides that you wouldn't encounter with a higher-quality machine. One caution: Even at gyms, some high-quality machines may be poorly maintained to the point of being a problem. Before you join a gym, try out their rowing machine(s). The chain or cable should run smoothly with a sort of well-oiled feeling, not grabby, clunky, or vibrational (think of how smoothly the chain on a decent bicycle feels vs. one that's poorly maintained, not properly oiled, has dirt in it, etc.). The (mild) resistance to a pull should be mostly even through a whole stroke, not jumpy or suddenly harder/easier at various points in the pull. The rail - the part the sliding seat rides on - should be smooth, clean and rust-free, and the seat-wheels smooth, so that the seat moves very freely without bumpiness, slippage or gritty feelings. Those are just a few things you should be able to see/feel, without having a bunch of technical knowledge about the machines.

If you have more questions, please ask. Best wishes, and have fun!