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Rowing Machines

I'm giving up swimming for a few months. Trotting down to the pool when I don't absolutely have to doesn't make sense to me as I've a gym 50 yards from the house. I'll start again in Jan or Feb next year, with maybe the odd swim before then just to keep my hand in.



However, I've been meaning to give the rowing machine a go as part of my all round training.



Intuitively it makes sense as it works both arms & legs in a meaningful enough way, and also is a good CV workout. I might do 30 mins before my Saturday morning spinning class and once or twice during the week.



It'll hardly be of harm, but does anyone know if the rowing machine uses similar muscles as a swim?

Comments

  • I don't know that they specifically strengthen swiming muscles but I would have thought that they do and also some muscles you probably don't use while swimming as well...which is a good thing because in order to make a muscle stronger the muscles around it also need to be made stronger.



    I am over the next few months (til the new year) pretty much only going to be doing weights,rowing and the thread mill..though I will be continuing with the club swims to make sure my swimming doesn't go shoddy

  • BFCBFC Posts: 10
    Rowing is a pushing sport, all in the legs. If done properly nearly all the power you generate should be on the legs, then only small amounts from the back and arms. It will increase your leg strength and core stability, but not really a great subsitute for swimming, although its pretty good for the back and shoulders.



    Make sure you get someone who knows what there doing, either a rower or good fitness instructor to show you the correct technique otherwise you end up not reaping the rewards.



    Lots of rowers use road bikes to train on as is uses similar muscles, so inversely rowing should be good for the bike leg.



    Hope this helps.



    BFC
  • PC67PC67 Posts: 101
    Thanks, good info.
  • I rowed for about 13 years and got to paly with rowing machines alot, in fact so much I hate the damn things because they remind me of copious amountsof pain when doing tests on them.



    however, if you want to use to supplement swimming specifically all thats been said before is spot on. But you could do an exercise which is done in the boats called a slide build.

    1) start off arms only rowing with straight back no body movement

    2) arms and body, focus on rocking over with no leg movement

    3) add quarter slide

    4) half slide

    5) 3/4 slide

    6) full slide



    This is a warm up but if you spend about ten minutes doing just arms and back quite hard would be really beneficial for developing triceps, lats, rhomboids(I think), trapezius and others which I think are all used to a large degree in swimming. hope this is useful.



    Ed
  • PC67PC67 Posts: 101
    Thanks Ed
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