I love rowing. It's been my go-to cardio workout for about the past year. Two or three times a week, I'll do a long distance rowing workout or a shorter, high-intensity interval session. My favorite is the thirty-thirty. Thirty seconds of rowing as fast as you can, then thirty seconds of rest. I'll do this for ten to fifteen rounds. If I'm feeling extra motivated, I'll go for twenty.
Before this year, the rowing machine was something I walked right by in the gym. I knew what it was--most of us do--and I occasionally I saw people use the machine. But I preferred the stair climber or stationary bike. It wasn't until I was until I tried a CrossFit class that I had my first experience with the rowing machine. After that, I was hooked.
Rowing is excellent for your body. Not only does it give you a great upper body workout (hello burning arms, back, and chest), but it also works your core and lower body muscles. When you row, you primarily use your quads and thighs, as well as your abdominals, and of course your lats and shoulders. It truly is a full body workout. If you don't believe me, I dare you to spend twenty minutes with the machine this weekend. See what muscles are burning the next day (spoiler: it will be most of them).
I also love rowing because it's low impact and, as I get older, low impact exercises help me care for my body and avoid potential injury. While I do still enjoy high impact workouts now and then, I don't want to be doing them every day. With rowing, I can still break a sweat without putting too much weight on my joints.
Finally, rowing is FUN. I'll be honest - I can't stand the stair climber or treadmill anymore. I love rowing because the movements are fun and the interval training plays into my competitive nature. I especially enjoy rowing alongside a friend and competing for speed and distance.
If you haven't tried rowing yet, switch it into your cardio rotation in the coming weeks. Let us know what you think about it on Facebook and Instagram! And if you have any rowing workouts you love, please share them! You can also check out a few of our favorites in this blog post.
