Rowing provides workout for whole body

by Amy Bertrand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on 15 Jun 2006 Observing a rowing crew in action is a study in contrasts. At the same time the boat is gliding effortlessly through the water, a look at the rowers tells a different story: Grimaces as they pull the oars back. Heavy breathing as they push off with their legs. Sweat mixing with the soft spray of the water.

It's obvious these people are getting a tough workout.

'Oh, it's tough,' says Darlene Hopkins, 43, a master rower. 'It's tougher than you think, but it's so much fun.'

For the most part, rowing is a team sport.

'It's the ultimate team sport,' says Hopkins, a nurse who started rowing three years ago. 'You can't do it unless you all work together.'Of course, there is a type of rowing that involves just one person, but most people who row do it for the camaraderie and row in eights -- boats for eight people.

There are two types of rowing:


Sweep, in which each rower uses just one oar. Sweep boats come in pairs, fours and eights.


Sculling, in which each rower uses two oars. Sculling boats come in singles, doubles and quads.

Tim Franck, head coach of the St. Louis Rowing Club, rowed for three years in high school and four in college, and has spent the past six years coaching. He says the biggest misconception he hears is, 'Oh, you're a rower, you must have big arms,' That's not the case. It's all in the legs.'Rowing is a total body workout. Though it looks as though the arms are getting most of the workout, it's actually the legs that drive your movements as the seat slides back in the boat.

'And it's great for firming the butt,' says Linda Greensfelder with a laugh. Greensfelder, 57, has been rowing for seven years after spending most of her life as a runner. 'But your upper body, particularly your lats and back, are working, too. So it can be more intense than running, which mostly works your legs.'

Dr. Steve Giddings, a physiologist and director of research with the John Cochran VA Hospital in St. Louis, says rowing uses 60 to 70 percent of the major muscle groups.

'The only other sports that use muscles at the same level are rock climbing and cross-country skiing,' he says. 'To a degree, cycling and swimming are close.'

The difference with rowing, Giddings says, is that all of your major muscle groups contract and relax at the same time and you are using resistance.Giddings says rowing is unique in that the heart not only enlarges by dilating so it can pump more blood per contraction, but the heart muscle also gets thicker, because of the load it has to pump against during the contraction phase of rowing.

In addition, rowing is a nonimpact sport.

'The injury levels are low,' says Giddings, 'mostly overuse injuries ... on the back.' He says even those can be prevented with proper technique.

One of the biggest areas rowing works is your core, meaning lower back and abdominals.

In fact, says Giddings, national teams have moved away from weightlifting and now focus on Pilates and stability ball exercises. One look around the boathouse, and you'll find a dozen or so of those balls.'That's where you get your stability from,' he says. 'You have to hold yourself upright and erect in a boat that's already unstable. That's what you're hanging everything on.'