Think about when you last performed some aerobic exercises in the gym. Well, whenever it was and whatever your purpose- a long and slow session to work on your endurance or a high-intensity workout to burn some body fat- the odds are that you used a treadmill. And if you found that they were all being used, which is often the case with treadmills, then you probably headed over to the nearest stationary bike.

Why is it, though, that bikes and treadmills are the ones that the majority of gym-goers flock to?

It isn’t as though you can’t simply put on a t-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms and go for a run outside rather than head for the treadmill. Similarly, you could buy an inexpensive bike and take it out on the road rather than pedal aimlessly while watching your favourite music videos in the gym.

Whole body workout

It’s next to impossible, however, to recreate the feeling of being on a rowing machine when outdoors. That is unless you happen to own your own boat, of course. In addition, the multiple physique and performance benefits that a rower offers (it’s the one cardio machine that truly gives your upper body muscles a workout) means that it’s very definitely one machine that shouldn’t be ignored.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the rower is easy. It isn’t. Unlike other cardio machines, you can’t simply turn down the speed or resistance and go through the motions. It really is an all-or-nothing option. By putting everything into it, however, you have the opportunity to make some significant improvements to your aerobic fitness, as well as your body composition, by burning fat and building muscle.

The benefits of a rowing machine

The very best way to improve your health and fitness is to address your weaknesses. For the majority of people, this means correcting form and then spending more time on the rowing machine.

There are some wonderful cross-over benefits with other activities. For example, to improve at lifting weights, you need good triple extension of the hip, knee, and ankle joints, which you’ll work with each stroke of the rowing machine. Further, it can vastly improve your cardio fitness to help with endurance, as well as your anaerobic fitness for increased speed. And due to the fact that 85 per cent of your muscles are being worked when on the rower, you can build power, strength, and size.

Perhaps the number one benefit of the rower, however, is the continual performance feedback that comes with every stroke. The display details on the machine show all the information needed to ensure that you’re staying on track in your session, so you know that you’re continually edging closer to your fitness goals. In Part two of this article, we’ll be looking at how to use the rower with correct form, as well as some of the best rowing sessions that can help you reach your fitness goals.

The River Thames has enjoyed a special bond with rowing for over 300 years. It was in 1715 when a group of “waterman” (or oarsmen who took passengers along the river) met below London Bridge for what would be the inaugural rowing race to take place in Britain.

Close to two centuries later, spectators gathered to watch the 1908 London Summer Olympic Games on the banks of Henley-on-Thames as scullers from Britain raced against crews representing seven competing countries, including the Netherlands, Hungary, and Canada. England won gold medals for each of the four matches, as well as three silver medals and one bronze. The Times of London reported that the race was a win for oarsmanship in England.

The Thames was a proud place during the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 27, 2012 when the Olympic torch was transported on a floating stage that made its way down the waterway. As the International Olympic Committee conceded that the river’s varying currents would make for an advantage to the degree that it would be deemed unfair, they decided to hold the rowing competition alongside the river, in a waterway called Dorney Lake.

Famous Etonians

Eton, the 600-year-old with graduates including ex-PM David Cameron, Prince Willian, and James Bond author Ian Fleming, is known for being strongly committed to rowing. Over 50 per cent of the 1,300 students who attend Eton enjoy recreational rowing. There are also 140 who are in a “high-performance, competitive group”, as termed by Ivor Lloyd, the managing director of Dorney Lake.

A large number of rowers from Eton have gone as far as competing at the Olympics, such as Matthew Pinsent, who has won four gold medals at the event. Generations of Eton’s crew members have practised and taken part in competitions on the River Thames. By the 1990’s, however, rowing there came to be regarded as dangerous due to recreational boat traffic.

Dorney Lake, which is also called the Eton College Rowing Center, was finished in 2006. The lake, which stretches some 2,200 metres, has a depth of 3.5 metres. That’s the minimum requirement to prevent drag on the sculls. The 2006 World Rowing Championships took place at Dorney. Lloyd referred to it as being a test run for Olympic competition.

Olympic programme

Dorney’s new grandstands are capable of holding up to 2,000 people. Olympic rowing competitions took place over seven days in a row. The programme has grown over the year to feature four rowing categories: lightweight men, lightweight women, all-weight men, and women. There are also different categories for 2,000-metre races: for single, double, and quadruple sculls, pairs, and eights. Then there were six additional days of kayak and canoe races, including a 2,000-metre canoe sprint, with the sprint featuring at the Olympics for the first time.

Lloyd himself rowed across the English Channel in literally record time (3 hours and 35 minutes). He also nurtured Olympic gold medallists at Dorney, as well as at Henley-on-Thames’ Leader Club. Lloyd was excited over the Olympics being held on his home turf after seven years waiting until the announcement was finally made in 2005.

Rowing was first designed as a means of transport, going back to ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. Rowing as a sport, as we know it to be today, began in the 17th century when races were organised on London’s Thames River between professional “watermen”.

It wasn’t until boat clubs were created at such esteemed universities like Cambridge and Oxford in the 1800s, however, that the competition really started to grow. The rivalry between these two particular universities was very real. In 143, America joined in on the act when Yale University established the first American college rowing club.

As the sport had proven to be popular enough, the World Rowing Federation was founded on June 25, 1892. FISA was actually the first worldwide sports federation to be involved in the Olympics and has been a part of the Olympics since Athens 1896. Although, it’s worth noting that rowing events were cancelled in1896 due to high winds.

Rowing on land

As rowing grew in popularity across the globe, there was much demand for a training tool. While the history books say that an Athenian admiral by the game of Chabrias gave the world the very first rowing machine in the 4th Century B.C., as a tool for inexperienced rowers to learn timing and technique, we didn’t see rowing machines until 1872 after W.B. Curtis shared a hydraulic-based damper design.

From 1900 to the mid-21st century, another machine emerged in Rhode Island in the form of the Narragansett hydraulic rower. By the mid-1900’s, changes were made to indoor rowers to enhance power measurement. They soon became a significant training tool for colleges during the off-season.

Today, there are a number of manufacturers who make numerous rowing machines, both for the home and for commercial use (most people today use magnetic, air or water resistance). The majority of CrossFitters are likely more familiar with the Concept2 (“erg” or “ergometer”) designed by Dick and Peter Dreissigacker.

The Concept2

It was in 1975 when the brothers originally started producing carbon fibre oars while in training for what ultimately became an unsuccessful Montreal Olympic trial. Just four years later, the Concept2 oars were tested by college crews who found that they helped them to increase their speed. The Dreissigackers, on the back of their success, were keen to design a winter training rowing device.

In 1981, the two men decided to nail an old bicycle to the floor and pull the chain’s free end. From that decision, we saw the creation of the Concept2 model (A). The Concept2 rower we know today is five models down the line. It can also be transported easily and measure performance. Undoubtedly, this machine has resulted in big changes to athletic training on every level.

Rowing and CrossFit

Rowing is one of the fundamental tools in CrossFit’s varied and dynamic programming. Of the more than 4.176 WODs on CrossFit.com, at least one in every 11 workouts incorporates rowing. No longer just a sport for the elite, rowing is now a great way to get fit for everyone.