Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Feb, 2004 by Eileen Hansen
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iT's THE DARK HOUR OF 6 A.M. AND I'm at a strip mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., seated alongside a dozen other hardy souls, sweating, smiling and moving in unison to the pulsing sounds of techno-pop. An instructor urges us on, his voice fighting to stay above the music and a background whir of flywheels.
An early morning Spinning class? No. I'm not climbing imaginary hills or racing over fantasy terrain. Instead, I'm moving up and down the slides of an indoor rowing machine (known as an ergometer), engaged in an indoor workout that's unlike any other I've ever encountered.
In fact, you can usually find me rowing at this time of day--only not indoors, but out where I watch the sunrise from my single scull in relative silence. I'd never contemplated taking an indoor class until Alison, a friend and fellow rower, promised that the Iron Oarsman class would not only be great exercise, but would also help me improve my outdoor rowing. "And the class is run by Xeno Muller, an Olympic gold medalist," she said, adding the clincher. "Say no more," I told her. "Save me a spot."
THE INDOOR DIFFERENCE
So here I am, puffing through what Muller calls his "rowing cocktail," an entertaining 50-minute medley that pushes the body's limits with a mix of drills and sprints. The routine is lively and Muller keeps his students, who range in age from their early twenties to late forties, on their toes. "OK, now I want you to travel only a quarter of the way up the slide for 10 strokes, then a half slide for 10, and full slide for 10," he says. "And Eileen, don't break your arms so soon. Get the power from your legs, from your hips."
I take Muller's advice and the numbers on the ergometer's performance monitor leap to action. Suddenly, I'm sprinting faster and rowing farther and, rather than feeling more difficult, it feels easier. I keep it up, trying to emulate Muller's technique, using the ergometer's monitor to guide me. Alison had told me that she drives an hour and half to take Muller's class before going to her job as a marketing manager because nothing else gives her the same kind of feedback. In one of those "aha!" moments, I begin to understand why.
Muller's teaching is all about the application of power. In other words, it's not just how strong or fit you are, it's how efficiently you use your body to apply power. Nice as the view may be on the water, I have to admit that it's hard to tell how well you're actually doing when you're out there rowing all by yourself. The ergometer display, on the other hand, especially combined with a heart rate monitor, gives you a pretty good measure of your fitness, strength and economy of motion--and that's something you can't get on a Spinning bike. "Besides," says Muller, making the case for the class, "rowing, even on an erg, uses the entire body. It's great cardiovascular exercise that engages every major muscle group and burns maximum calories for the effort. Plus, it's non-impact and promotes flexibility."
MULTIPLE BENEFITS
The fact that the class can benefit anyone--rower, cyclist, swimmer, runner, your average fitness seeker--seems borne out by the attendees. After class, I ask a few fellow "ergers" what their sports are. There's a competitive body surfer, a cyclist, a runner and a sprinkling of rowers. They all say they've become more fit and that their sprint times on the erg have dropped. To prove it, they show me a log book where Muller notes each student's times. He keeps it, he says, not to show who's fastest, but to help individuals chart their progress, relate it to power application and apply it to their other sports.
I think back to Spinning classes I've attended. While I worked up a good sweat, they lacked this sense of athleticism, this idea that we can learn how to engage our bodies to become not just fitter, but also better at what we love. The next day, I put this theory to the test. As I row in my racing shell, I flash back to Muller's words. As the boat glides beneath me and my oars engage, I think about my legs as pistons, my hips as the source. Pressing against the footstretchers, I apply the power, and the boat shoots forward toward the rising sun.
RELATED ARTICLE: INDOOR ROWING COMPETITIONS
Indoor rowing competitions offer a great way to beat the wintertime training blues. Competitions are held across the country, and the granddaddy of events, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Indoor World Rowing Championships, takes place in Boston in February. Anyone, from beginners to Olympic athletes, can enter. The races are typically 2,000 meters. For more information visit www.crash-b.org or go to www.concept2.com and look under "Indoor Racing" for a list of events around the country.
RELATED ARTICLE: ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT
GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR STATIONARY WORKOUT
Working out on a stationary rower, or erg, is a great way to build all-over strength and fitness. As with any new exercise, take a gradual approach to increasing intensity. Keep your stroke rate low--around 20 to 26 strokes per minute, says Xeno Muller, and build from there. Here, his "rowing cocktail" for beginning ergers.
TOTAL WORKOUT TIME: 30 MINUTES
FOR 5 MINUTES: WARM UP
* For the first 2 minutes, row easily at full slide (all the way up and back, knees bending as you go), keeping your stroke rate at a pace that just helps you break a sweat. Then, row for 1 minute keeping your legs straight and using your arms only. Follow with 2 minutes at full slide, using both arms and legs. Count your strokes to keep your focus.
FOR 6 MINUTES: GET INTO THE GROOVE
* Row half slide for 1 minute, then full slide for 1 minute. Continue this way for 6 minutes.
FOR 7 MINUTES: BUILD YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS
* Bump up your stroke rate by about two beats every minute, so if you're rowing at 22 strokes per minute, take it up to 24, and so on. Let your fitness level be your guide. Row at this pace arms-only for 1 minute, and then add your middle body by hinging at the hips. Do this for 1 minute. Then bend your knees slightly and row at a quarter slide for 1 minute, come up slightly farther on the slide and row a half slide for 1 minute, a three-quarters slide for 1 minute, then stretch it out to a full slide for 2 minutes.
FOR 4 MINUTES: IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER
* This segment will help you build coordination and focus on the application of power by isolating each leg. Unstrap one foot from the footstretcher and place it to the side of the slide, your foot on the floor and your knee kept at a right angle at all times. Row 20 seconds, change legs and repeat. Continue this pattern for 4 minutes. Keep a steady push throughout the 4 minutes.
THE FINAL 4: COLL DOWN
* Place both feet back in the footstretchers and row at a relaxed pace for 4 minutes.
XENO'S TOP TECHNIQUE TIPS
1. Set the resistance level between 3 and 5 on the erg before you begin. "Most first-timers set the level too high and end up hurting their backs," says Muller.
2. As you begin to row, angle your body by tilting forward at the hip as you bend your knees. This will place the load on the legs and hips, rather than on the lower back.
3. Go slowly as you slide forward; keep it controlled. "There is a difference in tempo between the slide, also known as the recovery, and the drive when you push with your legs," says Muller. "Time-wise, it's a 2-to-1 ratio."
4. Make sure your hands have passed over your knees before raising them, and make sure your legs are finished with the drive before you engage your arms. "Good technique means using the largest muscles first. You need to put the legs to work and keep the arms relatively straight during the drive to get the most from your power."
5. Legs, legs, legs. "Most people tend to lean back, or open their back too early in the drive," says Muller. "It should feel almost like you're hanging off the oar handles during the drive. Your arms and back only come into play when the legs are done. When it's done right, it takes less effort. Just look at the monitor, and you'll see the results."
FINDING AN ERG NEAR YOU
* If you can't make it to the Iron Oarsman (www.xenomuller.com) in Costa Mesa, Calif., chances are you can still find an erg near you. Concept 2, the company that makes most of the ergs found in gyms across the country, has an "erg finder" feature on its website. Simply go to www.concept2.com and look under "Resources" on the home page. The site also has sample workouts and an animated section on proper erg technique (look under "Learning to Row").
COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
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