Rowing vice swimming?

[Beans]

Ah - I got you on the swimming in the Schuylkill issue. I learned to row single on the Arlington River in Jax and fell in regularly until my coach told me one day that the previous day's rain had put a lot of sewage in the river. That fixed it.

And the UT rowers - or at least those UT rowers... That photo is disgusting on so many levels.

And rowing/swimming ratio: If you're looking for fitness, then the issue is not distance, just time at your desired HR.

 

[DanMa1156]

Beans, you're absolutely right. Boathouse row is one of the neater things to see in Philly. And for rowing, the Schuylkill is fantastic. Swimming not so much. Maybe that's why it's so good for rowing--there is A LOT of incentive to keep the boat upright.

HAHAHA Yes... like dead bodies, crazy animals, or who knows what else! I've head crazy stories of coxswains running into dead bodies and logs all over the place. I fortunately, I was able to avoid such incidents...

 

[usmarinemike]

.........and I actually enjoy the erg........

1) You must be doing it wrong.

2) If you're doing it right, you should kill yourself.

and I hope the picture of the UT women is just a learn to row clinic or something. I'm not going to embellish except to say that they're heinous.

 

[sonicboom]

Haha, oh man. The closest lake is a loooong drive away from this Philly suburb. And the only reasonable river, the Schuylkill, is, well, the Schuylkill. You're likely to become a hypodermic needle pincushion or an acid-dissolved skeleton after a dip in there.

Not true. I rowed on the Schuykill and got pushed in my some friends (some friends) and I survived!...though, arguably I woulnt want to repeat it.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Below in GoggleFu for you

So which ones are supposedly hot again?

Holy cow I know the 2nd one behind the coxswain. Yeah she's fat.

In fact, we call her a "manatee-in-training"

 

[invertedflyer]

I'm gonna go ahead and say that I think swimming is better. Why? Its a very good cardio-respiratory workout... it teaches you how to breathe... which will directly improve your running performance. I only swim once per week... but I do 1250m with minimal breaks... that way I keep my water confidence and technique up. Combine that with running and crossfit and it doesn't get much better. Just my 2c, I'm sure rowing has its benefits as well... we're just talking preference here.

 

[Beans]

Proper rowing technique has a breathing cadence built in to it as well, but as you said, it's all preference. I think one would have an easier time getting their heart rate up w/ rowing because it emphasizes the legs, while swimming is more of an upper-body workout.

 

[invertedflyer]

^^ negative friend... if your technique is correct you should work out your legs just as much as your arms while doing freestyle. However, I'm sure rowing is an outstanding full body workout too. The pool however has the added benefit of keeping you comfortable in the water, and probably IMO is a little easier on your joints.

I had no problem keeping my target heart rate between 140 and 180 for 30-45 minutes during my last swim class. but again, preference

 

[Beans]

Depending on whether you're swimming for long or short distances, the proportions are different. Since we're talking about aerobic workouts here, I'm going with the long distance way. I'm not going to argue with you. Watch the 50m and the 1500m in a few weeks.

 

[schwarti]

Strange question, but somewhat related - does anyone here get shinsplints while rowing? It's happened to me in my left leg only, just the past two times I've done it. I'm not consciously changing my form or anything from what I've done in the past, so I'm at sort of a loss as to why that'd be happening now. I have been increasing distance, but it started hurting fairly early on both times. Any advice welcome.

 

[Beans]

I've never heard of this happening to anyone, but here are some guesses. Is this water-rowing or machine-rowing? If on a machine, you may have the drag set too high. It shouldn't be above a 3-4 for general use. Or, you could be pulling up on your toes on recovery, which would strain the muscles on the top of your calf.

If you're still in Boston, there are plenty of qualified people around to ask.

 

[schwarti]

Machine, and I think it's that I'm pulling up on my toes. (The machine I use goes from 10 - 1, with 10 being the least resistance, and I try to keep it at 7 usually, so I don't think it's the drag.) The straps on this particular machine suck, so that could be contributing. Thanks for pointing it out - for some reason, I just hadn't thought of that.

 

[invertedflyer]

Beans, I typically swim about 1250m, however I'm trying to up that to 1500m, then swim the mile (1600m). I'm sure you could parallel that with rowing and get the same full body workout.

 

[VIZKRIEG]

As a collegiate swimmer (retired) with no rowing experience myself, but I do have friends that rowed in college, I would say that the key difference, as far as aerobic value, is that swimming is inherently anaerobic, as well as aerobic. By requiring you to hold your breath, or take a big drink, your muscles are oxygen-starved just enough to increase the amount of work they have to do anaerobically. Its doesn't make a great deal of difference, just food for thought. Both are excellent workouts.