row, row, row your boat
by Kate Harney
Tired of your old workout routine? Want to try a new activity that incorporates low-impact strength training, as well as a full body workout? Rowing, either with a crew or singly, has grown rapidly in local boat clubs over the past few years. It has all the benefits of both aerobic and anaerobic exercise and can improve flexibility and strength in anybody, regardless of gender or age.
To the naked eye rowing is seen as an upper body workout. On the contrary, it is a primarily leg-driven exercise that incorporates other main muscle groups. While working the legs and buttocks, rowing also strengthens the abdominals and lower back as it tones arms and shoulders. Rowing is a perfect three-season compliment to crosscountry skiing, which gives similar full body benefits.
An attractive aspect of rowing is that it can be done by anyone, almost anytime. Teens can start off by rowing for a local high school club in Brighton, Fairport, or Pittsford. Pittsford offers a learn-to-row program every summer for highschoolers interested in the sport, and you do not have to live in the town to row for most of these teams. At the collegiate level, the University of Rochester, RIT, SUNY Geneseo, and Nazareth all have rowing teams. Genesee Waterways Center, a non-profit organization that promotes water sports, is a great resource for adult rowing from age twenty to eighty (and beyond). They provide several basic programs:- a program for youth and adults learning to row for the first time
- a recreational program for those with previous rowing experience
- a competitive program for those who want to compete at regattas.
Many people in their forties and fifties flock to rowing because it provides a fun and exciting change of pace from a stressful, daily regimen. Senior citizens may also find healthy benefits in sculling (using two oars instead of one) in a one or two-man boat where they can row at their own pace.
While running can put unnecessary stress on some people’s joints, rowing is a non-load-bearing sport—the fluid motion of each stroke puts very minimal stress on the knees, making it the perfect sport for those with chronic knee problems. Because it also strengthens the core muscle groups, many people with back problems find rowing is a good way to bolster these muscles. Rowing truly is the “ultimate team sport,” requiring all eight oarsmen to work together in order to produce that fluid, steady motion achieved as the 60-foot shell gracefully glides through the water. Socially, rowing is a great sport; while meeting new people you also learn the value and necessity of working as a unified entity.
For men, women, young and old, rowing is the perfect sport to improve cardiovascular health or to enjoy the serene, psychological relaxation of a boat slipping through calm waters at sunrise. So grab an oar, call an area club, and get on the water to enjoy all the benefits rowing can add to a healthy lifestyle!
ROCHESTER RESOURCE:www.geneseewaterways.org (149 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 585-328-3960)
www.pittsfordcrew.org
www.fairportcrew.org
www.brightoncrew.org
www.sa.rochester.edu/urcrew/
www.ritathletics.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate Harney is an avid high school rower on the Varsity Girls’ crew team at Pittsford. She has been recruited to row for Dartmouth College and plans to attend there this fall.