Can rowing be my only serious exercise?
June 25, 2019 9:45 PM Subscribe
I am getting back into rowing (just on the erg, not in real boats), and I want to know if rowing can be my only serious workout mode. I would also work in some stretching/yoga, and I typically walk about an hour a day, in 10-30 minute blocks (not specifically for exercise, just as a part of my normal day). If that's sufficient, great, I'm glad to hear it. If not, I would appreciate advice on complementary exercises; more info below. Thanks for any advice you have!
There are several reasons I want rowing to be my primary activity -- I enjoy rowing, I already have my own C2 at home, it's a full body workout, and it's very low impact.
Main goal: general fitness and weight loss. Fear not, this is all paired with gradual healthy adjustments to my diet. I am well aware abs are made in the kitchen. (I don't particularly care about abs, but I do suspect my weight is exacerbating some joint issues in my feet and knees.)
To start, I am just doing relatively light rowing to rebuild stamina. I will work up to doing a variety of erg workouts. I was never a competitive rower and have no intention of becoming one, but I do have a good deal of experience and pretty good form. However, I am concerned that doing just rowing for exercise may lead to weird muscle imbalances that cause me joint issues or other problems. I want to avoid that.
My internet searches on this mostly lead to lists of exercises that will make you a faster/stronger rower. I don't mind this as a side effect, but my goal is simply to stay injury-free and out of pain so that I feel good and can make steady progress. Are there exercises you would recommend doing along with the rowing to maintain good balance? Anything specific to watch out for if my only hard workouts are rowing?
Difficulty level: for multiple medical reasons, a number of things are not possible for me. These issues are well-managed with appropriate doctors, but I have limitations, at least for now. In short, high impact activities are out of the question, as are any that require quick "elevation" changes, such as jumping or burpees. For now, lifting heavy weights, especially overhead, is also a no-go. In addition, my typical work schedule makes going to a gym regularly rather difficult, so additional exercises should generally be doable at home or outdoors.
There are several reasons I want rowing to be my primary activity -- I enjoy rowing, I already have my own C2 at home, it's a full body workout, and it's very low impact.
Main goal: general fitness and weight loss. Fear not, this is all paired with gradual healthy adjustments to my diet. I am well aware abs are made in the kitchen. (I don't particularly care about abs, but I do suspect my weight is exacerbating some joint issues in my feet and knees.)
To start, I am just doing relatively light rowing to rebuild stamina. I will work up to doing a variety of erg workouts. I was never a competitive rower and have no intention of becoming one, but I do have a good deal of experience and pretty good form. However, I am concerned that doing just rowing for exercise may lead to weird muscle imbalances that cause me joint issues or other problems. I want to avoid that.
My internet searches on this mostly lead to lists of exercises that will make you a faster/stronger rower. I don't mind this as a side effect, but my goal is simply to stay injury-free and out of pain so that I feel good and can make steady progress. Are there exercises you would recommend doing along with the rowing to maintain good balance? Anything specific to watch out for if my only hard workouts are rowing?
Difficulty level: for multiple medical reasons, a number of things are not possible for me. These issues are well-managed with appropriate doctors, but I have limitations, at least for now. In short, high impact activities are out of the question, as are any that require quick "elevation" changes, such as jumping or burpees. For now, lifting heavy weights, especially overhead, is also a no-go. In addition, my typical work schedule makes going to a gym regularly rather difficult, so additional exercises should generally be doable at home or outdoors.
Best answer: I think you're fine - typically muscle imbalance worries seem to be about people going crazy on their chest and neglecting their backs, which are already weak from desk-centric jobs; you're doing the opposite. Maybe a progressive program of push-ups would work as a mild push exercise to counterbalance all the pull you're doing with the rowing? But I wouldn't sweat it too much.
posted by ominous_paws at 12:42 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ominous_paws at 12:42 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: A friend who was a personal trainer for a while once told me that "the best exercise program for you is the one that you actually do, and keep doing." It sounds like rowing is something you really like, so there's a good chance you'll keep doing it - and so, yes, it's the one for you.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:05 AM on June 26, 2019 [11 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:05 AM on June 26, 2019 [11 favorites]
My late father-in-law was a rower. He had heart failure in his later years, and the doctors and nurses told him that the rowing had helped extend his life and heart health quite a bit.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:07 AM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 4:07 AM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
As long as you aware of form. The C2 is optimized for 6’3” 210 lb 19 year olds pulling 5Ks and can be murder on poor-form-having non big teen jocks.
posted by MattD at 4:40 AM on June 26, 2019
posted by MattD at 4:40 AM on June 26, 2019
I was a single-activity guy for a long time, except for me it was cycling. I don't do it for exercise, exactly; I do it because I love to go fast. I'm getting the exercise "for free" here.
HOWEVER doing only a single exercise like cycling or rowing definitely DOES have some downsides. You'll get generally fitter, and it will help you with weight loss (though let me join the chorus of folks who are likely going to remind you that you can't JUST exercise and expect to lose weight; you'll also probably have to adjust how, or how much, you eat). But adding other things to the mix on a semiregular basis can be super helpful.
For me, tha turned out to be lifting. I don't lift heavy; it's more about high reps. It started because my cycling coach wanted me to do it, but now I enjoy it. It makes me faster. But doing something like this produces more stress on your bones is good for you, because it makes your body literally strengthen your skeleton., assuming you're medically cleared for it.
Food for thought.
But also let me echo Empress:
HOWEVER doing only a single exercise like cycling or rowing definitely DOES have some downsides. You'll get generally fitter, and it will help you with weight loss (though let me join the chorus of folks who are likely going to remind you that you can't JUST exercise and expect to lose weight; you'll also probably have to adjust how, or how much, you eat). But adding other things to the mix on a semiregular basis can be super helpful.
For me, tha turned out to be lifting. I don't lift heavy; it's more about high reps. It started because my cycling coach wanted me to do it, but now I enjoy it. It makes me faster. But doing something like this produces more stress on your bones is good for you, because it makes your body literally strengthen your skeleton., assuming you're medically cleared for it.
Food for thought.
But also let me echo Empress:
friend who was a personal trainer for a while once told me that "the best exercise program for you is the one that you actually do, and keep doing." It sounds like rowing is something you really like, so there's a good chance you'll keep doing it - and so, yes, it's the one for you.posted by uberchet at 4:59 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: As others have said, variety is best. But if you're only going to do one thing, rowing is probably the best thing because of the total-body aspect and the mix of resistance and cardio. Even if you don't do other "exercise", though, I'd still suggest leading a more active lifestyle, so that you can get benefits from that. Things like 10,000 steps, taking the stairs, regular standing breaks, etc. As long as you're doing that, and you're not going crazy on the erg (like hours at a time), I don't see a problem.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:55 AM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 5:55 AM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
I was a single exerciser (rowing on a C2) for years. To get the same workout effect, I'd have to keep extending the time. Eventually I was up to 1 hour 45 minutes a day. Variety is much more healthy and less of time sink - develop your own - hiking, walking, running, cycling, free weights, pushup / situp, and rowing - schedule and stick to it.
posted by mfoight at 7:41 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mfoight at 7:41 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
N'thing EmpressCallipygos and uberchet. Enjoy your rowing!
posted by nobeagle at 8:03 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by nobeagle at 8:03 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Ominous paws says what I was coming in to say -- throwing in some pushups, or whatever pushup-equivalent works for your current fitness level, couldn't hurt, given that rowing is all pulling and no pushing. But mostly, just rowing is about as good a single exercise as there is.
posted by LizardBreath at 8:43 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by LizardBreath at 8:43 AM on June 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I rowed competitively in high school and college. I did sustain a back injury (bulging disc) from rowing, which was likely secondary to tight hamstrings. This was with careful attention to form and cross-training, including running, yoga, and weight training. With this in mind, I would recommend:
1. Turn the drag, the little handle to the right of the flywheel on a C2, down as low as you can. This requires you row at a higher stroke rate to maintain the same pace, but lessens the force on your back. Over time this will reduce your chance of injury.
2. Stretch your posterior chain, including calves, hamstrings, glutes, back, and lats, religiously.
3. Consider adding body weight exercises that will complement erging, such as side planks and sit ups.
Have fun!
posted by MrBobinski at 5:42 PM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
1. Turn the drag, the little handle to the right of the flywheel on a C2, down as low as you can. This requires you row at a higher stroke rate to maintain the same pace, but lessens the force on your back. Over time this will reduce your chance of injury.
2. Stretch your posterior chain, including calves, hamstrings, glutes, back, and lats, religiously.
3. Consider adding body weight exercises that will complement erging, such as side planks and sit ups.
Have fun!
posted by MrBobinski at 5:42 PM on June 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'm going to give my take on your question re: imbalances and then throw in some rowing specific advice. First, on imbalances. Trainers like Dan John talk about working out in terms of five basic movements: squats, hinges, pushing, pulling, and loaded carries. Some people add transverse (rotation/counter-rotation) to that list. With rowing you are getting the squat, hinge, and pulling movement patterns. What you aren't getting from rowing is pushing (as several other posters have noted above), loaded carry, or anything transverse. If I was ranking them in importance, I would probably say transverse > pushing > loaded carry. Just because people rarely do anything transverse. I'm an avid crossfitter and it just doesn't come up, everything is sagittal plane or frontal plane. Having said all of that, you are going to only have this problem if you do a lot of rowing (which is a good problem to have), so I would just work on getting the rowing habit grooved for now and maybe think about adding in accessory stuff in 2020.
On to rowing specific advice. I've had a C2 for 20ish years. First, you mentioned form. There are a lot of form drills that you can do as part of your warm up to groove good habits. They also make the workouts more interesting; you might end up rowing 1000 m to 2000m just doing various warm-up drills before getting to your workout. Google for rowing drills, look for names like strapless, reverse pick, cut the cake.
There are a couple of e-coaching services specifically for rowing on an erg like a C2 that will also integrate a lot of technique drills into the workouts. One I'm familiar with and did for a while is Dark Horse Rowing. While this is aimed at crossfitters who want some cross training, I mention it because those folks are also inexperienced rowers. A lot of internet programs are geared towards high school or college rowers who have the benefit of some dedicated coaching and are rowing competitively.
One of the knock on benefits of using an e-coaching service is that they program workouts for you which (I believe) increases compliance and consistency. Concept 2 also puts on a number of virtual events every year usually structured around rowing X many meters in Y many days (e.g. one for mud season, one for the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas). Participating in those also provides structure and makes compliance easier. There is a list at https://log.concept2.com/challenges
You can also work on a specific goals. A couple of years ago my goal was to row 1,000,000 meters in a calendar year (this is a common one in the C2 world). It was pretty rewarding and I was glad I did it. It also got me onto the rower most days during the year. It ended up being a total elapsed time on the rower of something like 85 hours, so spread over 365 days it wasn't anything too crazy.
Finally, I use my time on the erg to listen to podcasts. You can listen to a lot of podcasts in 85 hours of rowing!
posted by kovacs at 5:56 PM on June 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
On to rowing specific advice. I've had a C2 for 20ish years. First, you mentioned form. There are a lot of form drills that you can do as part of your warm up to groove good habits. They also make the workouts more interesting; you might end up rowing 1000 m to 2000m just doing various warm-up drills before getting to your workout. Google for rowing drills, look for names like strapless, reverse pick, cut the cake.
There are a couple of e-coaching services specifically for rowing on an erg like a C2 that will also integrate a lot of technique drills into the workouts. One I'm familiar with and did for a while is Dark Horse Rowing. While this is aimed at crossfitters who want some cross training, I mention it because those folks are also inexperienced rowers. A lot of internet programs are geared towards high school or college rowers who have the benefit of some dedicated coaching and are rowing competitively.
One of the knock on benefits of using an e-coaching service is that they program workouts for you which (I believe) increases compliance and consistency. Concept 2 also puts on a number of virtual events every year usually structured around rowing X many meters in Y many days (e.g. one for mud season, one for the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas). Participating in those also provides structure and makes compliance easier. There is a list at https://log.concept2.com/challenges
You can also work on a specific goals. A couple of years ago my goal was to row 1,000,000 meters in a calendar year (this is a common one in the C2 world). It was pretty rewarding and I was glad I did it. It also got me onto the rower most days during the year. It ended up being a total elapsed time on the rower of something like 85 hours, so spread over 365 days it wasn't anything too crazy.
Finally, I use my time on the erg to listen to podcasts. You can listen to a lot of podcasts in 85 hours of rowing!
posted by kovacs at 5:56 PM on June 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks all; I appreciate all the answers and reassurance. I was actually introduced to rowing through crossfit. (Being the type of person who reads the manuals for everything, I did a lot of reading and video watching and then got personal feedback from actual rowers when I started.) I'm totally over crossfit, but still love the rowing. I'll work in different things when I can (e.g. swimming, going on a hike with friends), but mostly I need to have a nice default exercise plan that requires no real decision making in the moment, so that it is easy for me to stick with it.
My life is indeed already very active in a low intensity way -- I'm on my feet a lot, I have and use both a regular desk and a standing desk, I take many trips down the hall or to different buildings throughout the day, I commute by bike when my foot isn't acting up, etc.
I'll make sure to mix up my rowing with intervals, endurance work, and drills, and I'll definitely be mindful of form and I'll religiously stretch and foam roll. The push-ups and planks sound like excellent additions, and I'll add those into my plan. I do really like lifting weights, but neuro complications (specifically dizziness and risk of grey outs) make that unsafe for now, but hopefully one day it will be feasible again.
posted by ktkt at 7:35 PM on June 26, 2019
My life is indeed already very active in a low intensity way -- I'm on my feet a lot, I have and use both a regular desk and a standing desk, I take many trips down the hall or to different buildings throughout the day, I commute by bike when my foot isn't acting up, etc.
I'll make sure to mix up my rowing with intervals, endurance work, and drills, and I'll definitely be mindful of form and I'll religiously stretch and foam roll. The push-ups and planks sound like excellent additions, and I'll add those into my plan. I do really like lifting weights, but neuro complications (specifically dizziness and risk of grey outs) make that unsafe for now, but hopefully one day it will be feasible again.
posted by ktkt at 7:35 PM on June 26, 2019
« Older Two factor authentication for shared accounts? | Hiding incognito mode in Firefox settings Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Just really take care of the form!
I found that just listening to my body and potentially taking a few extra days of break if the is any joint pain after an exercise really helps me not develop chronically painful spots). The rest ist just repetition. Think about switching regularly between intervals (500 m sprint + 1-2 min of rest) vs. longer distances..
(And you can always add body weight exercises at home - there’s not just burpees but tons of stuff at different strength/mobility levels. “You are your own gym” is a classic there - the book and the app by the same author.)
posted by mathiu at 10:16 PM on June 25, 2019 [2 favorites]