But correct form is vital if they
are to achieve maximum fitness
benefits and avoid niggles, says
Eric Kent, a Level 4 Personal
Trainer and British Rowing
Master Trainer. ‘It’s all about
technique.
‘What I often hear from people
is: “I don’t like the rower as it
makes my back ache”. That
straight away tells me they have
weak abs and they’re slumping
into a C-shape rather than sitting
straight.’
Another common mistake is
to pull too much with the arms,
he adds. It’s important to
understand that rowing is a
leg-driven exercise, with the leg
muscles and gluteals providing
60% of the power, 30% coming
from the body and 10% from the
arms.
14 FM
‘
You control
the intensity
and speed,
making it
perfect for
cross– training
and
rehabilitation.
Kent advises folding the
monitor away when introducing
a client to the rowing machine.
This avoids the distraction of the
numbers and allows them to
focus more on what they are
doing with their body. ‘When I
bring the monitor in, I keep it
www.exerciseregister.org
simple and just tell them to row
at 20 strokes a minute – one
second out and two seconds on
the recovery. It’s about power,
not speed.
‘I then put the monitor on the
watts setting and talk in terms of
light bulbs. Rowing at 60 watts is
going to be quite a dim light so I
get them to push a little harder
using the legs and glutes to aim
for the target of 100 watts.’
The force curve function,
available on some rowing
machine monitors, provides
useful feedback, he adds. ‘If your
curve looks like the dome of St
Paul’s Cathedral, that indicates
you’re rowing well.’
With technology, distance
challenges and competitions,
there’s plenty to keep the indoor
rower motivated and