<p>I just had a look at the Rowing Machine Exercises for Beginners at Livestrong.com and the form that the instructor uses is the same as what I was taught many years ago. It’s pretty obvious that the instructor is using her back in the stroke.</p>
<p>[Rowing</a> Machine Exercises For Beginners | LIVESTRONG.COM](<a href=“http://www.livestrong.com/video/114-rowing-machine-exercises-beginners/]Rowing”>How to Turn on a Gold's Gym Treadmill - SportsRec)</p>
<p>You are supposed to use your back, it’s just easy to do it the wrong way. If you were taught it, I’m sure you’re fine, I’ve just seen many people at the gym who weren’t, and erging isn’t quite as intuitive as a treadmill. Sorry to just jump in like this, but as someone who has been involved with rowing for years, I’ve seen people get injured from erging wrong. Idad, you do have the right idea about the legs and core; the legs should take most of the force and the back is secondary.</p>
<p>I don’t know. She looks pretty solid and stable in the core. I don’t see her rounding her back forward. I can imagine the people get on these machines and hunch forward with rounded shoulders, like bending over to pick something up using the back instead of the legs, like leaning foward during a squat lift instead being back on the heels with a solid arch in the back.</p>
<p>Idad, that is exactly what I mean. Hunched shoulders, pulling all out with the back and arms. When I said the back is used, I mean when it swings back after the legs are flat. I don’t know if that makes sense. We don’t need to get all into the semantics of rowing :), I’m just trying to make the point that guessing is usually going to do more harm than good on a rowing machine.</p>
<p>Well, it’s a whole motion. If you watch the video and listen to the sound of the turbine, you can see and hear that the motion starts out slow and accelerates. You have the arms, legs and back working together near the end of the stroke.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen anyone with hunched shoulders on the machines and, in general, pulling all out will get you tired in a real hurry. At my office, we have a full-time fitness professional and she is available to provide instruction on the equipment. Same thing at the YMCA. Teens have to go through a training session to use the cardio and weight rooms.</p>
<p>I don’t think that treadmills are all that intuitive. I’d guess that there are far more injuries on treadmills than there are on rowing machines.</p>
<p>We also have a machine in the weightroom to do rows. The motion is exactly the same as on a concept 2. The diagrams on the machine basically show you how to do it. At any rate, it appears that there’s quite a bit of instructional material out there on rowing for beginners.</p>
<p>It was so humid this morning it was almost unbearable. I struggled through 6.5 miles. Now I am in Denver and it was cool and wonderful. Now it’s raining. Won’t last long, though. Moving WildChild into his new apartment tomorrow after a short run. Saturday I am going to try at least an 8 mile run- maybe a little more. The 2nd shot hasn’t fully kicked in, but hamstring/butt bone feels pretty darn good.</p>
<p>I picked up two more tech running shirts at Sports Authority today. I’ve decided that I’m going to wash them by hand. That way I can get by quite well with only three of them. I might even be able to get by with just one shirt but I’d have to be good about cleaning it everyday. I’m going to stick with cotton shorts as the solutions for running shorts are expensive and the dry-time is quite a bit longer than for shirts. I’ll need to figure out what to do with my cotton shirts with this scheme.</p>
<p>Have been lurking lately as there’s really not much to report compared to what some of you have been doing.</p>
<p>Did get back on the scale today for the first time since the 4th of July weekend, and I am now officially back to pre-4th weekend weight. Also had a routine dentist appointment on Tuesday and he noted how much healthier my gums look. I told him how I’d made some lifestyle changes and what they were, and he said it is not uncommon for a person’s gums to reflect better health choices, too. Nice feedback.</p>
<p>Had a good session with the trainer today - I showed up peeved about something to no end (work-related issue with a co-worker) and he really used it to channel my energy. </p>
<p>Regarding the balance issue… I started to complain that I wasn’t making the kind of progress on the balance board and balance beam that I wanted to see, so he suggested I isolate leg muscle strengthening. So now, I stand on the beam with one foot, let the other sort of hang there (or hold it out front a bit, but no real bend in the knee), hold a medicine ball with both hands straight out in front of me, chest high, then do raises up and down on the leg that’s on the beam, supporting all the weight. Do it till you feel the burn, then switch sides. He was actually pretty impressed with how long I was able to go at it, the first time I tried, saying most people feel the burn much sooner than I did and have to switch. But the key is to isolate each leg for exercises so that the stronger one is not compensating for the weaker one. </p>
<p>While I was at the dentist, and we were talking health and exercise/personal trainers, etc. (his wife teaches Pilates), the conversation kept coming back to muscle confusion and how important it is (if you wish to gain lean muscle) to not do the same routine over and over again. I can’t tell you how many people I see at the gym who do nothing but spend 45-60 minutes on the elliptical and nothing else. Of course, that used to be me, but I know better now.</p>
<p>Well, 45 to 60 minutes on the elliptical is better than the same amount of time on the couch. I’m trying to give people the benefit of the doubt – if they’re just beginning to move, anything they do is better than what they used to do. But Yes, variety is better than sameness.</p>
<p>^I agree, but my dh is very into routines. Don’t get me started on his breakfast habits. They’ve evolved, but they are always very rigid. </p>
<p>I should probably change up more, I mostly do the same set of weights and elliptical with some walking (but the heat wave has made the walks pretty unappealing.)</p>
<p>Ah, rigid breakfast habits.</p>
<p>It takes some of the fun out of going out to breakfast with a spouse who orders dry whole wheat toast and oatmeal - and to really go wild - with brown sugar and raisins.</p>
<p>Ran five today and that’s 23.5 for the week beating the goal of 20 miles per week. I might run tomorrow too but am more likely to do weights. Also met my summer goal today so the next goal is to lose ten before the end of the year. Plenty of time to recover from setbacks.</p>
<p>BC - wow, you are on a roll! Please take a day off from running. DH was just as enthusiastic about running without any breaks (against the advice of our very experienced marathoner friend to have a few non-running days), and ended up with a knee injury that required a surgical fix.</p>
<p>I finished up my third and final iPod workout of the week. These things are really starting to pay some dividends in core strength. Lunge walks with dumbbell shoulder presses and squats with dumbell curl and press. I’m doing both with two 14 pound dumbbells now. </p>
<p>Did this week’s intervals at the end. 40 seconds at Cardinal Fang pace (75 rpms) alternating with 80 seconds of rest. Total burning thighs on the final ten seconds of each interval.</p>
<p>Now, off to carve up the garlic/rosemary chicken that’s been roasting on the Weber grill!</p>
<p>Tomorrow’s workout is going to a standing room only concert. We’ll see how this new fitness thing works out with four hours on my feet. I’m thinking I’ll even have enough in the tank to hold a BIC lighter up at the end… except for the fact that I don’t have any BIC lighters anymore!</p>
<p>Went to the gym late today and then our neighbor came over to pick up her dog. (We swap dog-sitting for each other.) So I was still in my gym clothes. She gave me lots of compliments on my fitness, which I will replay in my mind over and over for the next few days. </p>
<p>I’m pleased when I get compliments, but then I tell people I’ve been doing this for five years, and I think it gives them some perspective. Rome wasn’t built in a day.</p>
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<p>Don’t you know that at concerts now, people hold up their cell phones with the display lit up? :eek:</p>
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<p>I’ve only run four days this week with tennis on three days with one to go. Tennis is generally a lot more strenuous for me and involves a lot of different kinds of movement which strengthens a broader set of muscles, joints and bones.</p>
<p>I’ve had injuries before and generally know the signs.</p>
<p>Running can be quite addicting and I can understand running to the point of failure.</p>
<p>Many of you here seem to work with trainers. Can I ask what the cost is? My doctor would like me to work with his running coach, because apparently my gait is what causes my knee pain. I’ve been assessed by the coach, and was given an overview of the problem and how it is causing the pain. It was really interesting, as I had no idea I walked and ran like that! The program would consist of strengthening, flexibility, and changing my gait. I really would like to do this, but it seems a bit expensive. How hard is it to change your gait on your own, just by being aware of it?</p>
<p>Blankmind:</p>
<p>I think you should stop and consider just how committed you are to running as your chosen form of exercise. Clearly, your doctor and his running coach are looking at you as an Olympic runner who must be gotten back on the track no matter what. I would be concerned about the objectivity of a doctor who was trying to sell me the services of his “running coach”. Maybe you are determined runner who wants the “get 'em back on the field” approach of a sports doctor and trainers. Maybe not. I don’t know about a doctor who is focused treating a knee injury with a goal of running a 5k in September, when the patient’s level of running is just starting a Couch to 5k Program.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, running is probably the most high-impact form of exercise you can find and a very high percentage of older runners deal with injuries. That fact cannot be ignored when deciding on the fitness program you choose and the pace with which you increase the intensity of workouts. I’ve lost 49 pounds since February by working out 5 or 6 days a week for six months. I am just now at the level of fitness where I would even consider running. I’m sure it would have been a great workout, but the pounding my body would have taken from running with that weight and overall fitness (leg strength, etc.) would have been a poor strategy. At age 56, I’m not at all convinced that starting to run as a form of regular exercise is a smart play for me. I wouldn’t even think about it with a knee injury.</p>
<p>Do proper footwear and technique help lessen the injuries from running? Yes, I’m sure they do. Heck, I got fitted for a good pair of running shoes and arch supports just for walking. Do they eliminate the injuries? No. Repetitive stress injuries, particularly to joints, are a fact of life for runners as a group.</p>
<p>I have been away for a few weeks. A 2 1/2 week holiday that included 3 large meals a day plus tea time at 4:30. I was scared to get on the scale but I am actually down one pound from pre-vacation weight. Now I need to restart my exercise program and go back to my healthy eating regimen. Coming home with severe fatique and a semi unsettled stomach don’t give me much energy to get back into my routine. I am hoping that the scale will motivate me to get back into the swing of things.
One thing I did notice was my hip pain was low on my trip. It flared up some evenings if I had hiked that day but was gone by morning. Had several long legs of flying in coach which usually totally screws up my hip but did not have a problem. Having been home 3 days the hip is back acting up. I am beginning to think driving is a major cause of the pain. Not sure what to do about that. I see my chiropractor on Monday so will ask her what she thinks.</p>