New to rowing.

[Ron Prior]

Hi, I am new to rowing. [Indoor] I have a Stamina Conversion-2 , it is a combination rower / recumbent bike. By my limited experience it seems to be a decent unit.

My purpose for buying & getting started is. General fitness, [hopefully] some weight loss/control, and low impact activity / exercise for combating arthritis.

I have a question ? My [natural] SPM seems to be around 30-32 . Much of what I have read indicates that , that is too fast ? @ this time I am rowing only for 4-5 minutes @ that rate. #5 on the resistance setting. Hope to build from there. Which is more desirable to aim for ? More time on / more resistance / or more SPM ?

Thanks, Ron

 

[Walter]

Definitely aim for more time on the rower. 4 minutes is way too low to have any impact. Rowing is an endurance sports.

 

[Jakeinsouthcarolina]

Definitely aim for more time on the rower. 4 minutes is way too low to have any impact. Rowing is an endurance sports.

Also new to rowing and have the following question:

Used my rower 5 times now. Each time going 4K in about 18-19 minutes. But that's about as much as my lower back will take - clearly muscles I haven't used in decades (I'm 50 plus).

How long should I expect for those muscles to start strengthening where I can start pushing over 30 or 40 min. ?

Appreciate any insight on this

 

[rz3300]

Well everyone is different when it comes to how the body reacts and time table for strengthening, so for that I would say just listen to your body as much as you can. It sounds like it has been some time for you, so certainly you should allow a good amount of time in there to get back into form, but the good news is that rowing is a tremendous exercise that works a lot of muscle groups. I wish you luck, and hope you enjoy the rowing.