I am no longer a member of a rowing club, unfortunately. We moved and there are no rowing clubs near me. We did a thorough warm up at my old rowing club, it wasn't always running, we also used cycling and other exercises to warm up.
Thanks for replying Shaun! It's a shame there aren't any rowing clubs in your area. I'm lucky to have one within walking distance, although it's not the one I've been considering joining. Perhaps the local club might be a better choice than a university club as it would be easier to get to training. Anyhow it's good to hear that you weren't made to run every session and instead got to use a variety of cardio exercises. I love cycling and would be happy with that option too.
Maybe I'm being a bit brainless but why would you use an exercise that focuses on your lower body when rowing is an upper body thing? I mean yeah, my legs do get tensed whenever I go canoeing but for the most part my arms are the ones who are doing most of the work. Wouldn't it make more sense to do some push-ups or something to warm up?
It's great that you a rowing club near your house, I am not that lucky. As far as I am aware, you need to warm up quite a bit before you start a training session. Most trainers would ask you to run hard for at least 10-15 minutes or do some equivalent exercise. Cycling is a great alternative to running and I am sure most trainers would be OK with that option.