Rowing machine for cardio?
 

Is this at all possible? The fiance has just e-bay'd herself a new rowing machine, and I was wondering if I could use it to add some cardio training to my usual weekly routine. If so, please let me know what settings I can use on the machine, and how to best go about it. Thanks.

what are your goals? if your looking to lose weight do a search on google for HIIT.

btw what type of rowing machine? the one with the fan on the front?

Which machine?

Some friends of mine swear by the Concept2. I've used it in a gym, and it seems pretty nice.

Goals... Good question. I have a rather busy work/training schedule that precludes me joining a gym. I'm not sure of the model of machine, but I am looking to burn a few extra pounds of fat off prior to my wedding. My waist is a 34 right now, and I'm convinced that I can get it back down to a 32. I also weigh in the neighborhood of 160-165. I'd like to get back down to 145-150. I'll have time either in the mornings, right after waking up, or on Tuesday/Thursday nights before dinner and on weekends occasionally. I've heard mornings are bad for exercise, however. I'm 5'8" and have a slight/medium build. I figured 20-30 minutes a go would have me in a good position by September.

I used to be a pretty keen rower; we spent up to 6 hours sat on a Concept II per week - they're pretty good if used properly and can give you a great workout legs/backside/back and even arms (though you really shouldn't be pulling too hard).

There are loads of good workouts; from the slightly boring 40-80 minute steady state (heart rate 140-160 to burn plenty of calories) to more interesting intervals like my favourite ever:

1' on
1' off
2' on
2' off
3' on
2' off x6

"on" means quite hard (usually max 2000m pace plus about 5-10 seconds, ie if you do 6:00 2000m, going 1:35-1:40)
"off" means still quite hard

But I'd just get on it and row! Try to keep your stroke rate down rather than up (aim 20-26) - and maximise your speed (usually given as a 'time for 500m' like 1:40 or 2:00). It's great to set up a TV or something at the end so you can row during your favourite programmes, though the fan might cause trouble here.

Enjoy!

Rowing machines "calories burned" seems inline with other cardio equipment for the same amount of effort.

And friends of mine have used it as their main source of cardio.

Excellent news. Thanks everyone.

*Bump*
I didn't want to start a new thread for this question because it was a two parter...part one was answered here but part two.....
I'm thinking about getting myself a rowing machine, but was curious about what muscles will benefit the most from using it.

I thought carido in the morning was the best as it upped your metabolism for the rest of the day. I would ike to be corrected if I am wrong.

I did crew for 4+ years in college and the ergometer (rowing machine) is still one of my favorites for cardio. Most people are surprised to hear that the major muscles worked are NOT the arms, but the legs (esp. the quads) and back. Rowing is great for working all of the major muscle groups (more than any other cardio that I can think of, unless you count swimming), but MAKE SURE YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT. I can't emphasize this enough, as I saw many excellent athletes injure themselves, especially their backs, from improper form on the erg. Your form is very, very important... get a professional trainer to show you the right way to row, so that you reduce the chances of hurting yourself and can focus on the cardio itself. Rowing takes a while to build up muscle memory, so don't overdo it the first few weeks while you learn the form!

Just out of curiosity, you're a guy, right? Unless you're 5'4", 34 inch waist and 165 lbs is not a bad weight; in fact, I'd say you don't really want to go much lower than that. I'm currently 150 lbs with a 32" waist and am gaining rather than losing (intentionally, I mean) and I get accused of being skinny all the time.

But so far as cardio is anything that gets your heart rate up, a rowing machine will work. Just heed abaya's advice; any sort of exercise is dangerous if done improperly and rowing is doubly so because it doesn't come as naturally as running or biking. Be absolutely sure you've got proper form on the thing or you may very well do yourself more harm than good.

EDIT - sorry, I missed where you said your height. Ultimately it's your body and you'll do what makes you happy with it, but according to my napkin math, you're pretty much at the ideal weight for your height as it is. The slightly higher side of ideal, granted, but even so I don't know that I'd want to go down too much.

The rest of the day begins from the point yuo begin. Sounds silly, but think about it. It's more about doing cardio on a regular basis and not the time of day. However, 3 hours before bed is a pretty good limit.

On the rowing machine, I think it's great. In fact, anything that gets your heart rate up is good. The absolute best way - and I've mentioned this several times in health and fitness - is to use a heart monitor. Calories burned is meaningless if those are all from sugar and not from fat. Train smarter, not harder. PM me and I'll point you in the right direction with some links ar just look around at other cardio threads.

dude rowing is excellent for cardio , your Vo2 max probably the highest while rowing,& the concept 2 rower is 'the' shit ,they don't come any better than that.