I restarted the Couch to 5k program once again with the hope of finishing it this year and not get thrown off schedule. The days I don’t run, I usually walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes or until I burn 300 calories and then head on over to the elliptical machine and glide of another 40 minutes or burn 300 calories.
However, I had to stop that routine because my right knee hurt. At first, I thought it was the running that was aggravating it, but I was uncomfortable before I started that routine. I commented about it in thread on Facebook and a friend (a real one from college) commented that working out on the elliptical hurt her knees as well. I stopped to see if that was the issue and sure enough my knee stopped hurting.
The question was what other machine to use for my other 40-45 minutes of cross training? I don’t like the stationary bicycles because they’re boring. For some time, I’ve been eyeing the rowing machine and I was finally motivated to try it after an article in Shape that praised this piece of equipment.
For those obsessed with calories, rowing vigorously burns about 125 calories in 15 minutes. Hard to believe, but it’s true. I rowed for less than 15 minutes and according to my heart rate monitor, I had burned about 114 calories. Row for an hour and you’ll have burned about 500 calories.
I’m not much of a weight training fan, but I know I need to do it too maintain and build my bone mass and increase muscle to burn calories. Rowing helps by working the legs, the buttocks and hips with each stroke. Upper body muscles in the arms, shoulders and back are strengthened, and your torso and core are also engaged in the routine. To build muscle, just increase the resistance.
Once I figured out how to increase the tension and played around with the monitor, I got into the zen of rowing and I discovered that when I got into this space I was able to enjoy the rowing movement with its accompanying whoosh-whoosh sound.
Its certainly no rowing “gently down the stream” but I at least am getting a good workout.
