Rowing machine/Cardio/Burning fat

[Dragon_Dave]

Hey guys!

I was wondering if there is a relationship between the rowing machine and cardio/fat burning. I was once told in here that it's not going to work out any special muscle group but it's a good cardio exercise. And cardio burn fat i supose?

So my question is if I can use it for cardio and burning some extra fat that can eventually start to accumulate.

If so, how would you recomend using it, as for sets/reps and how frequently?

Thank's for reading!

[Dragon_Dave]

Hmm.. anyone?

[chrisaus]

Many people are confused as to the correct utilization of cardio when burning fat. It's a common misconception that when one wants to start losing fat, they walk into the gym, get on the treadmill and start running for hours.

Your DIET will dictate whether your weight sheds off or packs on.

Have a read of this article:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_...ining_wars.htm

When I want to lose fat, all I do is cut my diet back to below maintenance cals and continue on the same training regime for as long as I can (before the calorie deficit begins to take its toll). I will incorporate cardio on off days just to get my total net calorie balance below maintenance (if I try to eat below maintenance I will starve, since I eat so much on a bulk). There are other positive outcomes of doing cardio which you shouldn't ignore though. It will improve cardio-vascular health and help you in your weight training as well. Both forms of training will also boost your metabolic rate after workouts, enabling you to burn more calories in general even when you're outside of the gym.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

[fuzzy123]

Rowing machines are great for cardio! You use a lot of muscles rowing and it burns calories fast. Check out concept 2 rowers. I just ordered one yesterday and cant wait to get it!

[Dragon_Dave]

Hey, thank's for the hints and the article!

I have some questions tough... what use should I do with the rowing machine? Should I do like x minutes or count the reps just as weight exercises?

I work out twice a week (monday: arms, shoulders, back, legs; friday: abs and chest) and I was thinking about using the rowing machine on wednsdays. I did 50 reps the other day but I'm sure there's a better way to use it.

Any hints?
Thank's in advance!

[-Ironside-]

I go by meters x time x resistance.
For instance I usually set my resistances near max because it's kind of weak anyways. Than I'll set my goal for 3000-5000 meters and see how long I can do it in.
Just keep working on lowering your time.
I usually use the concept 2 with other exercises.
Example:
Treadmill 1.5 mile
Elliptical 1.5 mile
Bicycle 5 miles
Rower 3500 Meters
That's just the cardio part where I try to push myself, afterwards I would hit the bicycle and watch a movie and go at a nice slow pace to target fat burning.

[Dragon_Dave]

Yeah I get what you mean, but I'm afraid my rowing machine is an old one, so it doesn't count the meters.

Is there any other way to plan a work out with it?

[-Ironside-]

Well you can go by reps but that's kind of a pain in the ass to count so I would go by time.
Try 15 minutes with HIIT

[Dragon_Dave]

Thank's mate...

Hmm, this might sound like a stupid question, but what does HIIT mean?

Thank's

[-Ironside-]

High intensity interval training. Read about it, awesome way to do allot of work in just a small amount of Time

[n1k0l1]

When ever I do cardio I go by my heart rate and the time. If your counting reps when doing cardio you will be counting a VERY long time...

as with any cardio, get your heart rate to where you want it to be and keep it there to meet your goals. IE HIIT, Long low hart rate, quick high heart rate, or my fav long high heart rate.

[flomogopher]

I love the rowing machine as a form of cardio, a good mix-up from the usual treamill/bike. For me, I don't really pay attention to the distance so much as I do to the time and level of output. I could easily sit and reach a certain amount of meters, but the level of effort is what gets you the best results. For example, after a solid workout I'll already be pretty exhausted so I will spend only about 10-15 minutes on the rowing machine. However, I approach it with the HIT viewpoint.

This is a sample of one of the HIT ways I use this machine :
15-20 seconds of high speed/max effort immediately followed by 40-45 seconds of a slower and relaxed speed.

I do that one minute HIT interval for the set number of minutes I need until I'm done. Also, I don't know what type of row machine you use, but on most, the resistance can be pretty high. Especially since you are only going hard for 15-20 seconds, the remaining 40 seconds or so don't feel difficult on a high level, compared to trying that level of resistance for a constant pace at like twenty or thirty minutes.