Posted on 05/29/2017 1:55:05 PM PDT by RoosterRedux
With their sleek aesthetics, club-inspired music, and cult-like followings, cycling studios have been on top of the trendy boutique fitness totem pole for the better part of the last decade, led by grapefruit-smelling, feel-good-mantra-spouting SoulCycle (which people seem to either love or hate).
Competitors such as Flywheel and Peloton have tried to knock Soul off its throne, but there's a whole new game-changer beginning to take over the world of sweaty, sexy group workouts: indoor rowing.
That's right, the machine that everyone ignores at the gym, the same old one collecting dust in your grandpa's basement, is poised to be the new boutique fitness go-to. And in some cities, it's already happening. Here's why. Rowing is an excellent full-body workout
Though it used to be no more than an excuse for douchey bros to scream "STROKE!" at each other in between Ivy League frat parties, rowing's actually an intense workout. If you've never tried it before, you should, if for no other reason than that one of the keys to maintaining a successful fitness routine is to mix up your workouts. It seems inevitable, then, that a population obsessed with cycling and treadmill workouts would eventually turn to a new form of exercise to satisfy their lust for fitness diversity.
Rowing demands the use of your arms and legs, unlike cycling, which focuses primarily on your lower body (aside from those dinky 2lb dumbbells you use for like five minutes in SoulCycle). If you nail down the proper form, it can help you build power and strength. Plus, it's a killer cardio workout, and a low-impact option for people with joint pain. When done at even a moderate pace, rowing can really increase your heart rate -- 30 minutes of rowing can burn around 200-300 calories.
As one of the best cardio machines at the gym, it's no wonder the rower has become the focus of entire 45-minute classes and specialized studios.
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5 days ago, I moved my rowing up from 5K to 12K a day...and my BP dropped like a rock.
Might call the doc tomorrow and see if I should discontinue the lisinopril for a while.
I have always found that there is something magical about a 1 hour cardio per day.
Back when I used to run for an hour a day, I had the blood pressure of a little girl.;-) And that was a good thing.
Working out near attractive women has always put a little extra spring in my step.
I was on Lisinopril and Amlodopine.
Have dropped them both.
If you went from 5K to 12K in one jump that is truly impressive.
i love rowing. used to do 45 minutes. for me i either meditate or review class prep. even with dealing with spinal stenosis in the neck and a torn meniscus and no exercise for 6 weeks i am back to 30 min. no speed records now but i feel energized afterwards and any aches are worth it.
3 minutes to eat one little stinkin' piece of chocolate cake? I can only dream of making it last that long!!!!
3 minutes to eat one little stinkin' piece of chocolate cake? I can only dream of making it last that long!!!!
I rowed.
But it hurt the shoulder, and had to stop and sell it.
As a customer service rep at Concept 2 told me, your legs should do most of the work.
I also must admit that we have a miracle working chiropractor in my town who can handle all such problems.
BTW, I sometimes break my rowing up into pieces. 2K's in the morning once an hour and then the rest in the afternoon all at once.
I did a 12K today all at once (taking a sip of water every 1K) and was light headed when it was over.
I was on a high...but was still light headed.
Will do another 12K tomorrow....either all at once or broken into manageable pieces.
I do a lot of stretching during the time-outs.
And in my recovery phase, I make sure that my legs are not pulling but are drifting naturally to the "catch" position.
I got to 33 miles before that fateful autumn (2015) when I fractured 3 vertebrae. Haven’t rowed since and I miss it so much. Maybe one day. Sniff.
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