Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Did You Know Rowing Works 86 Percent of Your Muscles in 30 Minutes?

In today’s fast-paced, frenetic world, one of the most common excuses you’ll hear from people who don’t exercise regularly is “I don’t have time to work out.” Now, there’s no doubt that many people are busy, but in the 24 hours we all have at our disposal each day, is carving out 30 minutes from the 1,440 available really, truthfully impossible? For most of us, the answer is “no.”
If we can first commit to at least 30 minutes of exercise four or five times a week (of course this is assuming you’re too busy to go surf, snowboard, ski hike or otherwise, get outside), the next question is how to spend this time. Health magazines and websites are chock full of get-fit-quick articles, but many feature gimmicky exercises that are at best a waste of your precious time, and at worst might even prove harmful.
So where to turn? For most people, it’s advisable to play your sport/s of choice and to supplement these by exercising at different intensities in ways that incorporate the major movement archetypes (e.g. squat, lunge, overhead, hang, press and front rack). There are no “do everything” workouts, but there is one go-to exercise that’s a favorite of elite athletes and coaches alike: rowing.
Studies have shown that rowing recruits 86 percent of the muscles in your body, including those in all major muscle groups. As Stella Lucia Volpe, an exercise physiologist and professor of nutrition sciences at Drexel University puts it, “With each stroke, pretty much every part of the body is used.” Getting out on the water introduces other helpful elements, including balance and the added stimulation of being in nature, but even the good ol’ rowing machine (aka the erg) provides a highly efficient workout in minutes. You can also tailor rowing to work different energy systems by varying the duration/volume, intensity and density of each rowing workout.
Want to improve power and explosiveness in your riding, regardless of outdoor endeavor? Then look no further than short, fast intervals varying from one to three minutes. Fried from shredding pow the day before? Then go for a low stroke rate, slower 5K. Can’t face that run in the frigid cold? Opt for several mid-paced 1,000 to 3,000 meter pieces on the erg, instead. And if you’re looking to lose weight, the rowing machine can help you vaporize 500 calories per hour (depending on your bodyweight and the nature of the rowing session). Then there’s the longest lasting caloric burn that comes from developing more muscle.
Here are a few sample rowing workouts that can help you get started. Be sure to watch some videos that demonstrate correct form and do your best to get an experienced rower to check your positioning until you’ve got the basics down. Before sessions, row slowly for five to 10 minutes and then perform some dynamic mobility exercises that open up your hips and shoulders. Cool down with another five to 10 minutes of slowing and mobility exercises that target the quads, hamstrings, hips and shoulders.

500 Meter Repeats
Row 500 meters (check the computer on the erg at the gym) at a pace that makes it hard to talk (e.g. 8 or 9 out of 10 in perceived effort, with 1 being walking-level exertion and 10 being an all-out, cough-inducing sprint). Rest for the same amount of time as it took you to get to 500 meters, then repeat until form or speed deteriorates. If that’s not enough recovery time, then row 500 meters slowly between each interval. You can vary the workout by trying the Little Method of doing 8 to 12 60 second sprints with 75 seconds rest, or the lung-busting Tabata method, which requires 8 rounds of 20 seconds of all-out effort with 10 seconds slow rowing.
5 Minute Intervals
After your warmup, row at a medium pace for five minutes. This should be a 6 or 7 out of 10 in terms of effort. Then row slowly for 3 to 4 minutes and repeat. Do as many intervals as you can while maintaining effort and form.
5 K
Okay, there’s nothing new with this one, but it’s still worthwhile. Row 5,000 meters at a pace that allows you to complete the distance goal but leaves you feeling like you’ve put in some work. To mix things up, you can up the distance to 6K (another common training piece for competitive rowers) or try to beat your previous best time.

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Monday, June 20, 2016

One Giant Step For Better Heart Research?

 By AVERY JOHNSON
Researchers in the midst of a several years' study of how astronauts' hearts react during long space voyages reported initial findings that they say could help improve cardiac care on Earth.
They found that astronauts benefitted from certain types of exercise, something that could help patients with heart failure or abnormal heartbeats, or those who are bedridden after surgery, a stroke, or during pregnancy, whose hearts atrophy much like an astronaut's in space.
Heart muscles don't have to work as hard to circulate blood in space because gravity doesn't exert the same force. Astronauts returning from missions frequently feel lightheaded and sometimes pass out. After weeks or months in space, the heart appears to shrink, cardiologists say, blood volumes decrease, and the astronaut can experience hypotension, or abnormally low blood pressure.
A study is looking at astronauts' hearts.ENLARGE
A study is looking at astronauts' hearts. NASA

WHAT'S LOST IN SPACE

Studying how astronauts' bodies change in space may help patients on Earth.
  • Heart mass decreases up to 25%
  • Blood volume decreases up to 20%
  • Bone density decreases about 3%
  • Blood pressure stays relatively the same. (Back on Earth, blood pressure can decrease by 20% to 25% or even more.)
Source: Benjamin Levine; Michael Bungo
The research is in its early stages, but some of it offers fresh interventions for heart patients. Benjamin Levine, one of the leaders of the NASA project, is studying astronauts exercising in space to help patients with what he calls "Grinch Syndrome," characterized by low blood pressure and the inability to stand up without losing consciousness. (The name refers to how it causes the heart to be two sizes too small like that of the Dr. Seuss character.) Dr. Levine found that seated exercise, such as using a rowing machine, can aid those patients.
The cardiologists presented the research from the NASA-funded project last week at a symposium held every other year called "Humans in Space," and earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
"Cardiovascular research in space gives us the unique opportunity to study the effect of gravity on the heart and has led to novel understandings and therapies," said Dr. Levine, a cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Twelve astronauts are expected to undergo detailed ultrasounds while in space and MRIs before and after flight for half a year. The project has been collecting data for two years and so far five astronauts have completed the testing. In addition to changes in blood volumes and heart size, researchers are also investigating reports of heart palpitations, known as arrhythmias, in space.
About 25% to 30% of astronauts may have trouble maintaining their blood pressure when they return from trips lasting less than 30 days, while 80% have low blood pressure and experience symptoms like tunnel vision and cold sweats after six-month missions, said Steven H. Platts, head of the cardiovascular laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
One of the goals of the NASA study is to help astronauts to someday travel longer and farther, perhaps even on a more than two-year mission to Mars. "The big question for even longer missions is, do the heart problems plateau or get worse?" Dr. Platts said.
Major construction of the International Space Station was completed last year, giving the scientists a new lab. "Medical research didn't have a very permanent role [in the space program] until recently," said Michael Bungo, professor of cardiology at the University of Texas Medical School who is co-investigator on the NASA project along with Dr. Levine.
Data from the first four astronauts confirms that they do in fact lose heart mass in space, but that exercise may counteract the problem. The amount of blood the heart pumps in space determines how much heart mass the astronauts lost, according to research presented last week.
Jeff Williams, an astronaut who participated in the study while on the International Space Station, said: "On all my flights, short and long, my perceived level of fitness was impacted and we don't really understand why."
On the space station, astronauts are supposed to work out for about two hours each day, mostly on a treadmill or bicycle onto which they are strapped.
Dr. Levine is studying how rowing on a stationary machine called an ergometer could cut down on the time astronauts have to spend working out to get the same effect. Dr. Levine presented research last week indicating that as little as 30 minutes a day of rowing could be as effective as 90 minutes of cycling.
He applied the research to patients with Grinch Syndrome or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, which results mostly after prolonged bed rest.
One of Dr. Levine's Grinch Syndrome patients, Elisabeth Rybak, 47 years old, of New Brunswick, Canada, said at first she had to "crawl onto the rowing machine," and "you're ruined" after the tough workouts. She now credits them, plus a salt-heavy diet Dr. Levine prescribed, with a near complete recovery.
Another result of the NASA study was detailed models of how the heart reacts in space. The models could be used by cardiologists on Earth to predict how a heart might respond to other stresses and could help patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease, said James Thomas, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who presented the study at this month's American Heart Association meeting.
His team also showed that older ultrasound machines, such as the 10-year-old machine used on the International Space Station, can be used to measure strain within the heart.
Previously, cardiologists thought that new machines were needed to track strain—the change in the length of a muscle and an early indicator of problems. This could accelerate how often cardiologists track strain and lead to improvements, for instance, in monitoring heart function of chemotherapty patients, Dr. Thomas said.
Additionally, astronauts on the space station are being trained in how to give ultrasounds to their peers while being guided by an expert on Earth, said NASA's Dr. Platts. Remote use of ultrasound machines could accelerate their use and improve diagnoses if replicated in rural areas or hard-to-reach areas, he said.
Write to Avery Johnson at avery.johnson@WSJ.com
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THIS IS GOING TO BE 2016'S BIGGEST FITNESS TREND—AND WE TRIED IT

SPINNING, BARRE AND BOOT CAMP HAVE COMPETITION.

Article originally Appeared on Oprah.com
By Emma Haak
Photo: Photo by Jay Sullivan, courtesy of CityRow
What exercise craze is poised to be the new "it" workout? Rowing. Nearly twice as many rowing classes were held nationwide in the first two months of this year compared with 2015, according to data from Classpass.

My first thought: Someone must be looking around a gym, pointing at fitness equipment one piece at a time, saying, "Make a class with that." (We already have stationary-bike, treadmill and climbing-machine classes).

So rowing it is: When I get to New York's CityRow on a Monday morning for my 50-minute class, I have no idea what to expect. Do I need special shoes? Am I going to be surrounded by women who might as well be models? Is this another fitness trend that feels kind of, well, cult-y?

The machines are neatly lined up in the studio, with yoga mats next to each. There's just enough space to do a pushup on the mat without your elbows hitting the machines on either side. Every machine faces the instructor's rower; these probably aren't the kind of rowers you've seen before—they're sleek, with big, clear drums of water at the front. A Google search after class suggests that the water, which is creating the resistance you pull against, is supposed to provide a smoother feel than non-water rowers. Plus, there should be some water involved in a rowing class, right?

Top 40 music plays as people file in. Everyone's in pretty good shape, there are more men than you usually find in a boutique class, and the age range is wide—I'm on the younger end (I'm 28), and the oldest is a man in his 70s who seems like an experienced rower. About half of the crowd looks like they've been here before, walking right to their go-to machine, but the rest seem to be like me—people who want to try the hot new workout and aren't exactly sure what's about to happen. But we're all wearing sneakers, so at least I didn't miss the memo on special shoes.

As instructor and CityRow program director Annie Mulgrew leads us through the class (intervals on the rowers, plus exercises like planks, lunges, wall sits and so many pushups), I get my answer to that cult question: And it's a no. The vibe is fun and motivational, but there are no calls to connect with your inner goddess or row in unison. Annie doles out encouragement and form tips (plus jokes) throughout the class, but nothing that veers toward preachy or overwrought. It's my kind of class.

By the end, I'm exhausted, and with good reason. Rowing works around 85 percent of the muscles in your body, says Michele Olson, PhD, professor of exercise science at Auburn University, in Montgomery, Alabama, making it a more effective full-body workout than cardio or Spinning alone. "You're using everything between your shoulders and your feet—legs, glutes, arms and your whole torso," she explains. If you'd assumed (as I did) that most of the work had to be done by your arms, back and shoulders to pull the handles toward you during the rowing motion, the soreness in your abs and butt the next day will let you know you were very wrong.

Another tip: The thing most likely to trip you up is getting off the machine. Mulgrew once had a man in class who forgot to unstrap his feet before moving down onto the mat to stretch. "When he rolled off, the machine rolled with him and turned on top of him. His body was fine; his ego was bruised," she says. Getting my shoes out was the trickiest part for me too, and I saw a few other people in my class struggling to free themselves. But the actual rowing movement was simple. Just don't lean back farther than 10 o'clock as you're pulling the handlebar toward your chest, or further forward than 1 o'clock when you're in the starting position, says Olson, both of which could strain your lower back.

Because there's no pounding on knees or ankles, rowing is perfect for people who need a low-impact workout but are sick to death of Spin class and the same old neighborhood walking loops, says Olson, or those with injuries. The combination of hard work without wear and tear was energizing—I left the class wondering when I could fit another one into my schedule.

Luckily, most gyms have rowing machines, so if the trend hasn't spread to your city yet (or the classes, which range from about $25 to $32 per session across the country, are out of your budget), you can still take part. Mulgrew's advice for using rowers on your own: Do short, high-intensity intervals instead of one longer, moderately paced session. "Most people can't stay on the machine for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a stretch because their form starts to break down," says Mulgrew, who recommends starting with 30-second intervals. Between each interval, get off the machine and do 10 reps of a body-weight move like squats or pushups or 30 seconds of wall sits or planks. Then hop back on the machine and repeat 9 more times. Work toward building the intervals to 1 minute each.
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THE BEST TOTAL-BODY WORKOUT THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT DOING

MARCH 21, 2016 BY DOMINIQUE ASTORINO

9.1K Shares   
This article originally appeared on Popsugar.com
The rowing machine is getting more and more use lately, as many fitness enthusiasts are discovering the power of this surprisingly simple (but crazy effective!) workout. CrossFit boxes love incorporating rowing into their programs, and boutique rowing studios are starting to pop up in major cities, but for some reason, we're still seeing empty rowing machines at the gym.
To find out a little bit more about what makes rowing so amazing, we talked with a couple experts — Kevin O'Connell, coach at Reebok CrossFit ONE, and Dino Adelfio, instructor at Row Club rowing studio in San Francisco — and we took a class ourselves. Holy. Cow. That class was hard, but incredible! We were definitely feeling the burn the next day (hello, quads!).
Here are four reasons you should try rowing now:
It's a Total-Body Workout: Did you know that rowing uses 86 percent of the muscles in your body? That's pretty hard to beat. Plus, rowing is a cardio workout, which burns major calories and leads to a healthier heart.
It's efficient: Adelfio told us that NASA astronauts train with rowing, because it's so efficient. Thirty minutes of rowing can have the same physical impact as 90 minutes of cycling, so if you're short on time, skip Spin and head to the gym for a quick session.
It's versatile: The moves you do in rowing "carry over to the mechanics of other movements" outside the gym, explains O'Connell. CrossFit founder Greg Glassman defines this as "universal recruitment patterns," a characteristic of Functional Movements. When we took our first rowing class, we experienced firsthand how the rowing movement breaks down into squat and front row, working many different muscle groups.
It's injury-safe: O'Connell says that with rowing, "there is minimal impact loading, so it is safe for individuals that may have had ankle, knee, or hip injuries." NOTE: make sure to keep the damper — which controls the resistance — set to 5 and no higher!
Ready to get started? Here's how to start using the rowing machine. If you're more familiar with the machine, try our rowing interval workout.
Image Source: Reebok, www.rowclub.com 
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SWEAT SF: ROWCLUB PROMISES A "BULLETPROOF" BODY

BY ERICA MCGUIRE ON AUGUST 06, 2015 6:00 AM

This article originally appeared in 7x7.com
Courtesy of RowClub
Find a cox and jump on your erg! RowClub’s high-intensity interval training classes will leave you convinced you missed out on rowing stardom in the Ivy League.
So, what's the appeal of rowing? For starters, a “bulletproof body," according to Johan Quie, cofounder of the first all-rowing studio in San Francisco, tucked away on Belden Place downtown. Turns out, rowing is also among the quickest ways to burn calories—the stroke engages your quads, back and core, all while increasing your aerobic capacity. "If you only have 30 minutes to work out, rowing is for you,” says Quie. "The great thing about our sport is that it's non-impact. Anyone from the weekend warrior to the 65-year-old can row and get the same benefits."
In the past six months, RowClub has tripled its size and expanded class offerings. We recommend starting out with the namesake 45-minute RowClub class. Our instructor, Robbie, began by slowing leading us through the four sequential positions of a single stroke on the ergometer, more commonly known as an “erg.” In no time, Robbie became drill sergeant, commanding “one, two, three, four” in repetition until we had our technique down and the movement felt natural.
During our class, we did six, four-minute intervals on the erg, sometimes focusing on stroke rate (speed) and sometimes focusing on the split (or force). Just when think you've mastered one, a monitor shows that the other has fallen off. But time breezed by thanks to Robbie’s encouraging words and, as my fiancé loves to say, you can do anything for four minutes. (But then, that doesn't take into the account the two-minute ab workout between rowing intervals.) Robbie quickly picked up on the fact that my fiancé and I are competitive, touching into that spirit that drives us both to work harder. We left our workout sweaty and energized, and in agreement that our instructor had played a big role in our intimate class.
“The thing that sets us apart is our instructors," says Quie, bragging on his team of serious pros, two of whom are currently competing for spots on the 2016 Olympic team in not only rowing, but also in track and field. "Our instructors offer a unique competitive edge since we have competed at the highest level,” he says.
While an Olympic bid may not be in our very near future, we did leave class feeling as though we had added an amazing form of exercise to our arsenal that we might love for decades to come. Give it a row, er, go. Your first class is free.
//  RowClub, 47 Belden Place (Union Square); drop-in classes start at $30 with discounted packages and monthly memberships available; rowclub.com. 
GEAR
  • Towels, mats and a filtered water station are provided
  • Comfortable tight fitting clothes recommended for optimal movement 
  • Bring your competitive spirit! 
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