Source
r/Rowing•
fnot

Buying a rowing machine but...

I'm on the fence about getting a rowing machine. I have rowed before when I had a gym membership and really liked it, but I only used the machine for warmup about 10 minutes each time. Now I want to buy one to use at home and have the money saved up for a Concept 2 but the only thing stopping me is my fear of pulling a back or neck muscle (trapezoid or rhomboids which I have a history of pain with). Has anybody any experience in this regard with a rowing machine? If you use proper form, how much strain do you put on these muscles?

Posted Feb 6, 2012, 9:31 PM UTC

612
dylsav•

A concept 2 is a little pricey for just a warm-up machine, but if money isn't an issue then I would go for it. Make sure you have some proper coaching on it on using correct form, otherwise you very well could hurt your back. Keeping your back straight and not arched is key on preventing injuries.

I'm not a medical professional, but I have rowed for quite some time. If you can erg for 30+ minutes without feeling any pain, I think you'll be fine.

3
[deleted]•

If you have a history of back problems, my suggestion would be to have someone teach you proper usage. There is a tendency for novice rowers to overuse the back and arms. If done correctly it's a very low impact and risk-free workout.

2
[deleted]•

Rowing is highly unlikely to give you a problem with your rhomboids or traps even with poor technique.

With that said, injury to the knees/lower back can occur on a static erg even with good technique. Contrary to what some people have said on this thread, rowing on a static erg (your standard concept2) will put a lot of stress on your lower back, because unlike on the water rowing or rowing on a dynamic erg (offered by rowperfect and C2) your lower back is entirely responsible for generating the change of direction at the finish.

Stress on the lower back is especially a concern when:

  • rowing longer pieces (40'+)
  • at high drag factors (140+)
  • at lower ratings (<20 spm)
  • at high intensities

In addition, on a static erg it's common to see people overextend by bringing their shin angle at the catch to >90 degrees. This puts major stress on the knees and in time is likely to cause injury. If you can't get an experienced rower/coach to watch you for this, try to video yourself, or just focus on pushing horizontally off the balls of your feet rather than from over your toes. This is also far less of a concern on dynamic ergs because unlike on a static, your knees don't bear all the impact of decelerating your body weight before beginning the drive.

Conclusion: best bang for your buck is probably the concept 2 dynamic erg, if money is no object get a rowperfect it's a dream!

1
fnotOP•

Thanks for the info. I've never heard of the Rowperfect though, but probably because they are so damn expensive! I have felt pain in my lower back before when rowing on theC2, especially in the beginning when I was untrained. The pain went away after a few weeks and I think mainly because I developed stronger core muscles (by doing other excercises in the gym), especially stronger abs seems to help offload the lower back at the finish. But regarding the knees, you gave me something to think about, I might rethink the whole thing...

1