WHAT IS IT ABOUT ROWING?

According to Dr. Cameron Nichol - a doctor and former international rower himself - it’s the unique way rowing uses virtually every muscle in the body that makes it so effective as an exercise.

Dr. Nichol recently conducted an experiment to compare the effects of running on a treadmill versus rowing on a rowing machine. Asking athletes of similar fitness levels to perform 20 minutes of each exercise, Dr. Nichol was able to measure ‘muscle activation’ or “how hard and fast the muscles are working” using electrodes attached to the athletes. The results showed rowing activated many more muscles than running.

It is a common misconception that rowing is primarily an upper body exercise. In fact, Dr. Nichol says rowing uses 85 percent of the body’s total muscle mass - far more than either running or cycling.

The rowing stroke begins at the ‘catch’ with an explosive drive of the legs, utilising the quads, calves and glutes to extend the knees and hips. Once those major muscle groups have fired, the back, obliques and abdomen engage around the core to stabilise the trunk before the traps, lats and arm muscles complete the movement, drawing the handle in to the body at the ‘finish.’

This entire sequence, using nine major muscle groups, is repeated 20-30 times per minute at normal rowing pace, burning calories at two to three times the rate of cycling.

划船：水上的力量与和谐

划船