Home rowing machines anyone?

[wcd]

Looking to add a rowing machine to my workout. From what i can tell there are some that use magnetic resistance, hydraulic cylinders, fans, and water. I am looking for a budget friendly model. I have asked in other forums and have been given such great input as just go to a gym and use one, to oh most people wont use it after a week and its a waste of money.

Anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks

 

[hoosierdoc]

We have one. I don’t use it since stopping crossfit. Concept 2. I used water rowers at orange theory and prefer the fan

 

[gregkl]

There is only one to consider: Concept 2. Don't bother looking elsewhere, just look for the best deal you can find.

Then join some of the online competitions.

 

[natdscott]

Concept 2, or just stay on the treadmill. I’m probably just under a million meters on them. 720k on this one.

Water rowers are cool in theory, but the way the water sloshes and spins means that the resistance actually decreases as you pull harder.

WATCH the coaching videos. Which ones, you say? All of them.

Every day, sit down and row 1,000 real easy like, with your feet not strapped in. Start just arms, then back and arms, then about 1/2 leg bend, then a gentle full row.

Training for FORM with your back lean: leave your feet unstrapped. Go easy, because you are gonna figure out how MUCH too far you were leaning backwards by flying off the back of the machine.

It’s good to do warmups and a little weekly training without the straps.

From the moment of the catch, keep your arms locked out straight until 95% of the leg drive is complete, and your shoulder heave is half done, or you are battling your biceps against much larger muscle groups. I think you can tell what that does, and yet it is SO common.

Do not wrap your thumb underneath until you are well trained. The tendency is to roll the bar downward like a forearm curl, which pits your bitty little forearm muscles and tendons against that quad. Relatively serious injury, and if not that, then at least misery will result.

Keep the wrists straight.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking rowing is about your arms. It ain’t. I think of the arm pull as a way to use the last 10% of leg-generated momentum and the heave of back/shoulder strength to use the biceps and move the bar backwards through as great a range of motion as possible. But it’s just a quick snatch at the end, not one of the major parts of the power stroke.

Keep your arms DOWN. You aren’t chicken winging and trying to pull to your face. You pull to the solar plexus or a little below.

When you reach full extension, to start the next stroke, reverse the previous on: arms out FIRST, all the way past your knees.

Try to control your recovery so the chain is never slack, and isn’t slapping the sides of the frame as you let it run in. And don’t get in a hurry with it...22-26 solid strokes per minute, that you can sustain for 5-10k, is a helluva lot more indicative of a high level of training than is the bro who hops on and slops through a few 500s at 35 spm every few weeks when Crossfit tells him to.

-Nate

 

[natdscott]

Oh yeah.

The “E” doesn’t hurt so bad when you flop off of it onto the floor.

True story.

 

[natdscott]

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