What I Talk About When I Talk About Rowing

A Harlem River Regatta

I know I mentioned a few posts ago that I would talk about rowing--well now I'm making good on that threat. I've recently started to incorporate rowing into my training, not as a substitute but as a supplement and now I’m a big proponent of the benefits of running and rowing.

I don’t think every runner needs cross-training—I have gone large periods of time without doing any exercise other than running—but if you can find time to work it into your schedule, I think it can definitely aid your running. [Note: I AM NOT a healthcare professional or a certified anything so I offer this all as my opinion—take from it what you will].

Let’s talk about why rowing is great (I’m speaking about an indoor rower, but I assume this is all true for real rowing too):

1. It’s non-impact. If you use proper rowing technique, you can get a great cardio workout while giving your joints a chance to recover. That means, generally, you can row without compromising your recovery during a busy training week.

2. It can improve your posture. A lot of runners have terrible posture—I am definitely no exception. Rowing helps strengthen your core and back leading to better posture and better running form!

3. It works your whole body. Rowing works your legs, back, core, and your arms all at the same time. As someone who doesn’t like (and ergo rarely does) weight-lifting, rowing lets me get in a little upper body work.

4. It improves your flexibility. Running tends to leave your muscles pretty tight (especially if, like me, you frequently “forget” to stretch). The large range of motion in rowing actually improves the flexibility in the hamstrings and calves.

How do I incorporate rowing? I add it in as a recovery workout 2 to 3 nights a week. I typically row 5000m but I’ve been doing this for long enough to have worked up to that point. Rowing is tough stuff started out so I would recommend starting by setting a time goal for yourself and selecting a lower resistance like a 3 or 4.

Below the jump is an excerpt from an Active.com article detailing proper technique.

To lift or not to lift?

Today was another early morning MLR. This time I ended up with 11.5 miles in Central Park. I had planned to do the same 11 miler I did last week via the East Side, but at the last minute decided I would rather skip the traffic lights and stay in the park. The best part about running in the park so often is that I can always make a pretty accurate guess of how long a run is so on days like today where I change my mind, I can still make sure I meet my distance goal.

Okay--now I want to talk about something other than running: I want to talk about lifting. I hate doing weights. I don't know why, but I do. Nevertheless, we often hear that running alone isn't enough. Every "serious" runner does some form of strength training too. I go through cycles where I'm good about doing strength training on a regular basis (2 to 3 times a week) and then I go through cycles where I won't touch a weight for a month.

Lately, I've been rowing a lot for cross-training (I'll address this in a post down the road) but the past week I've hit the weights a couple times too. I'm curious how many of you (haha! he think's he has readers!) incorporate strength training into your running focused training. Do you lift on a regular basis? Do you think it helps your running? Let me know in the comments.