Opinions on rowing

[yocan]

Ive seen vertical rowing with weights good for strength in your back

I've seen seated rowing


then I"ve seen the rowing machines, which are cardio under moderate load. I would think for a cardio exercise they would be very beneficial. as someone that all I care about are legs/hips/back/tops of shoulders for carrying a pack/flak up a mountain that for a bit of cardio at the end of a workout a rowing machine would be ideal. In the past when I've done shorter lifting routines I've done 10 minutes of very light bag work (kept an eye on my heart rate kept it 140-160 same as rowing) then 10 minutes of rowing. When I'm trying to slay myself it did a good job of totally kicking my ass.

Opinions? I joined the powerhouse gym in Detroit an dthey don't have a rowing machine so I need a replacement exercise. (if this idea is retarded tell me why if not give me suggestions to mantain the idea) Kettle bells I imagine are better but I can't keep using a kettle bell for 10 minutes and any kettle bell exercise my heart rate is going over 160. Basically some days I do speed work in the gym not maxing out and these days I end up with bagwork/rowing machine.

 

[lilevil93]

i used to row until my knees got fucked up. erging is such a great exercise. it's total body, both cardio and muscular endurance. but u need to learn proper technique or else you can fuck up your back bad. my brother rowed for years, ending up having 4 bulging disks. aside from that, one of the best workouts imo

 

[flak]

TS, if you're looking for an exercise that most closely approximates the movements of a rowing machine, then do this -- see if the gym has a multi-exercise cable machine with an adjustable pulley that can be moved down close to ground level. If so, you might be able to sit on the floor, brace your feet against the machine and do rows.

But if you're just looking for a cardio exercise that involves upper and lower body, there are plenty of other options. Among others, you could do barbell thrusters, overhead squats, burpees, snatches, and, if they have 'em, one of those elliptical trainers that has handles you pull and push as you go. You can also put together a barbell complex with a half-dozen exercises that flow together (example -- power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press, set barbell down, repeat).

 

[deckingdutchman]

I don't really think you can recreate erging in any way.

I do believe your answer is burpees though.

 

[yocan]

I do a lot, and I mean a lot of burpees, but its not conditioning under load for your back. Which is really all I care about. they are good but not really what I'm asking about in this thread.

the complexes, thats what I do before I rowed on the same day.

Good call on learning technique will do some research.

 

[ls1Nate]

Sumo-deadlift high pulls are essentially the exact same thing. Youtube em up if you like, the crossfiters do them in "Fight Gone Bad", the workout designed for BJ Penn.