ROW YOUR WAY TO A LONGER LIFE
The lean muscle mass of an Olympic rower
A brisk walk around the block is far better than a slow walk or no walk at all, but if you want to improve your life expectancy and improve the quality of those extra years at the same time your goal cannot be to just get "fitter" you must also commit to getting stronger and that means which exercises you choose will have a dramatic impact on your results. We don't mean to imply that there is only one "best" exercise, but we are saying that if you could only choose one this is the one we recommend you choose... Fitness enthusiasts have been raving about the benefits of a rowing machine workout for years now, making the indoor rower a required piece of equipment in both home gyms and health clubs around the world. The rowing machine offers a number of benefits to the user but, before we address them here is an important fact we think you ought to know...
Our research indicates many experts consider elite male rowers to be extraordinary physiological specimens. Their heart is capable of pumping 40 litres of blood a minute. Rowers have the highest absolute maximum oxygen uptakes of any athletes in the world and the highest intakes of air, up to 300 litres per minute. World class rowers will almost always weigh far more than you think they do because their body fat is 10%. Female rowers are incredible physical specimens too...they are amazing Athletes and they look like it as well. You don't have to want to look like an Olympic athlete to receive the benefits of rowing. Body Shaping is just a nice side benefit of an exercise that can take you to any level of fitness you want to achieve.
You can train on the same machine olympic
athletes use at home or your local health club
In our opinion one of the most important benefits of "indoor rowing" is it delivers a superior opportunity to lose or maintain your weight because it uses so many muscle groups you can easily burn up to 600 Calories per hour, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. The rhythmic movement is also great at reducing stress levels and blood pressure and as I mentioned it offers shaping and toning at the same time. It builds full body strength and lean muscle mass at the same time it is burning all those calories, which is amazing for something you can do sitting down. It is easy to learn to do and once you grasp the basic timing you can push yourself further than you ever thought possible with very little risk of injury.
Training on an indoor rowing machine prepares you, with a few minor adjustments, to take your new "Sport" outdoors too and then you'll thank us over and over again for recommending it to you. The scenery can be breathtaking and there are even some very classy clubs you can join too. Don't worry, you can begin at your own pace and progress as fast as you want. Your level of fitness today and your age should have nothing to do with your decision to get started, the important thing is to begin...
Strength Is Important Too
One final note on the Strength benefits...far too many people think only of their heart and forget about the health advantages of increasing or maintaining their strength. You have to be strong to do enough exercise to do you any good and your body has more parts than just your legs. Rowing delivers huge strength benefits to every muscle group in your body at the same time it conditions your heart...and a healthy heart combined with a strong body makes an extended life worth living. Tom LeDuc
