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Rowing machines or "Ergs" as they are commonly known, are a cornerstone of the modern health and fitness world. Originally invented to help rowers maintain fitness off water, they have now been adopted by almost every sport to be used in conditioning. You will not find many strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, physios who are against the use of the rower and it's place in health and fitness. From NRG's perspective, we believe that the rower has a number of benefits:
- Low Impact: Unlike treadmills, rowing machines are low impact. This mean there is less repetitive strain on joints of the lower body, which means the likeliness of impact injury reduces. Perfect for athletes who run, like rugby players, footballers, crickets, who are susceptible to stress fractures.
- Upper Body Component: Unlike runners and bikes, the rowing machine combines upper body motion into the movement pattern. This is perfect for athletes such as footballers who often carry weary legs in between fixtures, this helps de-load the legs and allows them to focus on their upper body whilst maintaining conditioning.
- Promotes Hip Extension: Again, unlike runners and bikes, the end position on the rowing machine promotes extension of the hip flexors. It is widely known that hip flexor weakness/tightness can cause problems such as back pain, poor posture and poor motor control. However strengthening the hip extension will help prevent these issues.
As you can see, at NRG we are big fans. But before starting any of these workouts, check out this video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlWUPkXrq24
Follow this video for the correct technique for using a rowing machine - and believe us, there is a correct technique!
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Workout 1: Rolling Sprints
200m Sprint followed by 100m recovery row x 6 intervals
This is a big heart raiser, perfect for applying sprint work without complete rest. The 200m sprint should be completed at near full intensity, whilst the 100m recovery row can be as slow as you like, this is your recovery time. As long as the engine is whirling, it is fine.
Advanced: 200m average - 34seconds
Intermediate: 200m average - 40seconds
Beginner: 200m average - 45seconds
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Workout 2: Countdown Intervals
As quick as possible complete:
1000m followed by 20 reps of chosen exercise
900m followed by 18 reps
.....
200m followed by 4 reps
100m followed by 2 reps
This is a gut buster, lung burning, conditioning heavy rowing workout. This is 40 minutes of real graft. No excuses, no big rest period, just jump on that rower and go to work! This isn't sprint work, this is about finding a work capacity and sticking to. Don't fluctuate with regards speed and tempo, try to keep consistent throughout!
With regards the second exercise we suggest using an exercise which won't fatigue your grip, back or legs. We recommend, press ups, kettle bell swings, overhead pressing or if you are feeling hard core.... burpees.
Advanced: Start from 1000m/20 reps and work down
Intermediate: 700m/14 reps
Beginner: 500m/10 reps
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Workout 3: 12 minute Row
Simple workout, find your pace and give it your best for 12 minutes. Try to maintain the pace for the whole set and don't leave yourself chasing your tail in the last 2 minutes. This is about pacing and not jumping the gun either. You may feel slightly slow at the start but keep in mind this is a 12 minute pace, not a 5 minute pace, fatigue will catch up on you.
Advanced: 12 min target of 3000m and over
Intermediate: 2500m
Beginner: 2000m
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Workout 4: 500m on/1 minute complete rest for rounds
This is probably the toughest workout on the menu, and the toughest one to stick to. This is about being mentally strong, keeping the lactic acid away and recovering well. This will hurt and is not easy but the feeling following completion will be worth it. Simply give it 90% on the 500m and then do your best to control your breathing, control your facials and drop your heart rate during the one minute rest.
Advanced: 1:45/500m pace for 8/10 reps
Intermediate: 1:55/500m pace for 6/8 reps
Beginner: 2:05/500m pace for 4/6 reps
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And that concludes our four top rowing workouts for metabolic conditioning! We hope you give them a go and push yourself. Give us feedback, let us know what you think. Are they too easy? Are they too difficult? Are the targets too hard? Whatever feedback you have then please let us know!
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