US Rowing News
Xeno Muller, Costa Mesa, Orange County, California.
Indoor rowing will leave spinning in its wake.
From 1994 until 2002, I made an income racing at major international regattas and finishing among the top three single scullers. Since 1996, my family has steadily growing to five strong and my responsibility grew exponentially. I realized that I needed to reinvent my professional career. With our daily household activities and expenses, the thought of making a living through international rowing became too risky and stressful. Living in California and competing in Europe in the men’s single scull came to a sudden halt.
What was I going to do, now that I was not racing up and down a 2000 meter race course? This led me to think long and hard about my talents and what I was capable of. I came to a three part conclusion: For one, I enjoy working out. Secondly, I was taught a lot about rowing, and I found coaching rowing to be an activity that interests me quite a bit. Finally, I am convinced that indoor rowing will be the next long term fitness trend in the U.S.
Armed with my three part conclusion, my wife and I started the Iron Oarsman, an indoor rowing studio in Southern California. The I.O. has been open for two and a half years. Fourteen rowing machines are lined up in front of a wall of mirrors. This configuration enables the rowing group to have a full peripheral view. The workout leader sits in the middle and is capable of seeing and coaching each rower. The room is decorated with personal rowing paraphernalia, which I have accumulated over the years. Two televisions on either side display rowing footage and other visual entertainment. Lately we added a cozy sitting area and a wireless network for friends and prospective rowers who wish to observe the workouts in comfort. At the I.O., 80% of the rowers are women. They enjoy a steep learning curve and quickly notice an increase of power during their row and everyday activities. Their enthusiasm for indoor rowing is contagious, and motivates me to keep pushing ahead. As one of the main workout leaders, I have been logging roughly five million meters a year…maybe Beijing, one never knows.
The membership at the Iron Oarsman is increasing and very diverse. Some freshly baked indoor rowers had run out of exercising options due to stress fractures resulting from high impact sports, such as running, or tennis. There are high school athletes, who are working on different angles to be admitted to universities of their choice. They are banking on a good ergo score in order to be noticed by U.S. university crew coaches, who care a lot about raw horse power. Unanimously, the opinion at the Iron Oarsman is that indoor rowing is a great solution for exercising the body, relaxing the mind, building mitochondria and capillaries in the muscle tissue, while preserving and strengthening muscles around knees, ankles, hips, back, and shoulders.
We are working hard publicizing the health virtues of indoor rowing. Informing the larger public is gaining momentum in Orange County. Last November, the Sunday Los Angeles Times featured the Iron Oarsman as a feature article in its health section. Institutions, such as the Orange County Fire Department, is planning to provide each fire station with a rowing machine. Similar to Great Britain, which has become a hub for indoor rowing clubs and spectator friendly relay races, the United States is the perfect stage to make indoor rowing a global sport.
Due to a national worry about obesity in the United States many wellness programs have emerged in larger corporations which self insure their workforce. The Orange County Register reported two major reasons for such a trend of keeping employees fit and healthy. A fitter workforce will spend less time at the doctor’s office for major health problems. Secondly a more active workforce is likely to be happier and more productive.
Here in the United States, we are at the dawn of a major shift of interest in indoor rowing. It is exciting to see rowing move to the forefront American fitness, stay tuned.
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
