Rowing machine for burning cals ?

redout

Hi,

I recently bought a rowing machine as I have heard and researched that they are an excellent excercise tool as it gives you a near complete workout only really surpassed by swimming. I read that they are suppose to be good for burning calories although this is were I get confused.

I have an excercise bike which I use daily for either 15 or 30 mins depending and usually calculates about 250 cals for 15mins and 500 for 30mins averaging a speed of just over 40 km/h. Now I know that these figures most likely cant be taken for gospel but I presume their in the ball park ! I am also aware that the excercise bike and rowing machine are not working in the same manner.

The thing is after a 15min jaunt on the rowing machine its telling me I burned about 36 cals after about 470 repititions. Now maybe I am wrong but that figure seems awfully low but as I said open to correction here. Anyone shed some light otherwise it looks like I am going to be breaking my b#ll*x trying to get somewhere.

Pacifico

The figures for the bike sound very high tbh

Can you input your weight on either machine?

redout

Pacifico wrote: »

The figures for the bike sound very high tbh

Can you input your weight on either machine?

I dont know but thats the figures the machine tells me. I start off on zero and by the end thats what it reads. As I said averaging about 40km/h so roughly 24mph which I wouldnt call slow although I aint an expert on these things. As for the weight neither machine allows you to enter it.

--amadeus--

Are you 100% sure that the exercise bike speed is correctly calibrated? 24mph sounds bloody quick to be maintaining for 30 mins. The resistance that you have teh bike set to will also have a huge bearing on calories burned (as will teh obvious personal stuff, like weight and just how hard you are having to work). If you were cycling outside and facing things like wind resistence then you'd burn 588 Kcals cycling at 20 mph for 30 mins. The same website though says that you'd need "very vigorous effort" and an output of 250 watts to get 460 kcals on an excercise bike. Long story short I would check your bike figures...

Figures for rowing are around 500 kcals an hour of "moderate" effort.

I would suggest you stop depending on the (very vague) estimates of the machines as calories burned depends on more than just the effort, it is very closely tied to your weight so get the power output and then do the calorie count conversions online.

redout

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Are you 100% sure that the exercise bike speed is correctly calibrated? 24mph sounds bloody quick to be maintaining for 30 mins. The resistance that you have teh bike set to will also have a huge bearing on calories burned (as will teh obvious personal stuff, like weight and just how hard you are having to work). If you were cycling outside and facing things like wind resistence then you'd burn 588 Kcals cycling at 20 mph for 30 mins. The same website though says that you'd need "very vigorous effort" and an output of 250 watts to get 460 kcals on an excercise bike. Long story short I would check your bike figures...

Figures for rowing are around 500 kcals an hour of "moderate" effort.

I would suggest you stop depending on the (very vague) estimates of the machines as calories burned depends on more than just the effort, it is very closely tied to your weight so get the power output and then do the calorie count conversions online.

The resistance is set on a lower level to what I use to use and the speed is correct as far as I know. I use to cycle on a higher resistance with a lower speed and lower calorie burn so I am presuming its correct. Anyway back to the rowing machine. I followed your link and got these figures for Rowing 257.25 (Kcals) in 30 minutes for a person weighing 70 kg. Now my machine as I said was giving about 36 cals for 15mins with about 470 repititions which is about 31 reps per/min which is quite fast so does anyone else reckon the computer is wrong ?

Parsley

There is no way that 24mph on a bike is accurate, unless you're a pro cyclist or some ****. Assuming you have a decent quality rowing machine (ie a Concept 2 model D or above) you'll get a much better workout/burn more cals per hour on the rower.

Bear in mind though that rowing machine requires much more awareness with regards technique/form than a cycling machine, but with any basic notion of the rowing stroke you'll still be better off with the rowing machine.

estariol

the bike figures must be way off! you probably need more resistance. Unless you are an expert cyclist you should be aiming around 20-25 kph.

As regards rowing machines, they are one of the most misused pieces of gym equipment, most people have poor stroke form and don't get much benefit from their workout out, again you should youtube for form and I would be very suprised if you could mamage 20 spm with good form and appropriate resistance

Bottom line is that if you let the machine do the work you get little or no benefit.

MagicMarker

Forget what the machines are telling you, how do you FEEL after the workout?

rubadub

Those calorie calculators are guides, they are often not taking into account age, sex, weight, height etc. i.e. a 20stone man running 1 mile uses up far more calories than a 10stone man doing the same. There are some online calculators that do take into account weight etc and give general guides to what you are burning.

The gym equipment manufacturers have a vested interest to overestimate their calorie burning readouts. So you go "oh, that brand of rowing machine is great, I burn wayyy more calories on it than the other brand, but I feel the same after."

It is the opposite of car manufacturers boasting about low mile per gallons, when in reality they can be higher, it is very easy to skew results to favour one thing or another. They are all estimates, use them as scores like a computer game, try and beat your high score next time.

**Timbuk2**

Try guessing your heart rate while doing the rowing machine to see if you're working hard enough.

Take your pulse (using two fingers at your wrist or your throat) for 6 seconds. Add a zero onto this - this is your BPM.

Other variations include taking pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying by four, or for 30 seconds and multiplying by 2. The higher the time you take your pulse for, the more accurate the figure is but remember than you will probably need to slow down or stop in order to take your heart rate and therefore it will drop so the 6 second method or the 15 second method is probably your best bet.

Alternatively, you could invest in a heart rate monitor, but that usually isn't necessary to get a heart rate figure.

Jokesetal

MagicMarker wrote: »

Forget what the machines are telling you, how do you FEEL after the workout?

Technique is key to rowing. SPM of 26 - 30, achieving sub 2min/500m is the first target for the 2K standard. Then this is pushed down by 5 second per 500m until you reach 1:45/500m. There are plenty of YouTube videos.
IMO when you've done a "good" 2K sprint, you will not be able to do anything else useful in your gym session (this is unlikely with the bike as the upper body hasn't been even warmed up:o).

Kite Runner

Hi,
just to add to this, my background sport was rowing and I am a level 2 qualified IARU coach and i still dont claim to know anymore than anyone else here, so its just an opinion:D I agree with the earlier poster who said that rowing machines are one of the most misused pieces of gym equipment and the 277 Kcals sounds a realistic figure for what you said you did. However you dont mention what machine you are using.
you quoted a stroke rate of 31/32, while fast a racing pace over 2000metres would be 36/37 with sprint racing over 500mtr of 38/39. Thats because the first and last 500 mtrs are mainly anerobic, with the middle 1000 drawing on aerobic capacity. another piece is the resistance level that is set on the machine, on a concept II 5/6 mimics that of being on the water, only in the same way a 1% gradient is on a treadmill.
rather than concentrating on the cals you are burning, look more closely at the watt output, and 500mtrs split times, and select some of the interval programmes (im assuming a concept II machine), try and maintain the 36-38 stroke during the intervals, moving back to 28-30 on the rest phases,
As a general aside, most people get fed up with rowing machines due to poor stroke technique and a lack of understanding of the potential of the ergometers and how rowing works. (good article in muscle and fitness this month on cardioon ergs). in that they tend to set the highest resistance and pull like %^&. if they were on the water they would capsize:rolleyes:
http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/technique.php
in my naivete to share my experience of rowing with a lovely lady in the gym who was putting in loads of energy on the erg next to me, without a lot of benefit being gained, I made two suggestions which would improve her efficiency. I was promptly told to $$%^& off as she told me i obviously underestimated how strong she was:D, classic

Parsley

Kite, about what you suggested with regards stroke rates there- I think a novice with no rowing training they'd be better off concentrating on technique and pulling effort before worrying about stroke rates. Even rowers with years of experience can revert to ****e technique at very high rates, and this novice would probably benefit more from lower rates (24-30spm) while making sure they were using good technique.

As for the resisitance, the slider on the side of the erg isn't a great indicator. It can vary from machine to machine and vary wildly depending on how well the machine has been maintained. The best way to set resistance is to go into settings and set the drag factor to 120-130ish.

And as far as non-rowers on ergs in gyms go, it can be fairly painful to watch sometimes! I've never bothered trying to help out because i'd probably come across as an arrogant prick and be met with the same response that you got.

Kite Runner

Hi I would agree with everything you say.
I was just trying to make the point that efficient technique can increase stroke rate, with good drive and recovery on the stroke, and that for individuals who have never been on the water, I was just giving examples of racing type paces and that ergs are great for interval training.
I hadnt considered suggesting inputing drag adjustments, (must get out the old manuals:D, its been a while).
As for the gym experience, my other half said i should have minded my own business and kept my opinion to myself. and i was very humble

karltimber

Hi,
just reading this great thread on rowing and possibly how wrong I am using mine.

I have this Tunturi rowing machine, which has a dig read out with time, spm, cal and total strokes. It has a dial with 4 settings but can be put at 3.5 if needed, not just 1,2,3,4.

I try to complete 10 minutes at 40 spm = 400 strokes at setting 3.
If the machine does not have a distance setting - how do I transfer my settings to a -seems to be a standard - of 2k metres over 5mins.
By reading this thread my spm of 40 is way too high ie by my technique not being correct (trying to correct) or I am pushing too hard and could not do 2k at this rate.

any other advice would be great.
I do a 5 minute skip before I row - 3 times a week. Cycle twice a week.
39 years -75kg -5'9"

thanks
k

after looking at a few vids espcially this one, I am probably doing my strokes all wrong.