Do rowing machines burn upper body fat

rowingmachine

I am thinking of buying a rowing machine tomorrow to use for about 60-90 minutes a day to lose weight. However I am curious as to whether rowing machines burn upper body fat to any great extent? I am also wary of getting one because I am not sure whether it makes your upper body bulkier or thinner. I am trying to lose weight and not gain any muscle mass, so is the rowing machine a good option for getting thinner everywhere (the upper body in particular)?

El Horseboxo

You can burn over 300 calories in 30 minutes with a rowing machine. So yes exercising on a rowing machine will burn fat. There is no such thing as burning fat from a specific area. Referred to a "spot fat reduction". You just burn fat in general.

I'm not a big fan of the rowing machine and i'd much more prefer running or a cross trainer for a direct cardio workout. But rather than spend money on machines there are a lot of exercises you can do at home in 15-20 mins that can probably burn more calories. You'd need a good diet also if you want to achieve weight loss.

rowingmachine

El Horseboxo wrote: »

You can burn over 300 calories in 30 minutes with a rowing machine. So yes exercising on a rowing machine will burn fat. There is no such thing as burning fat from a specific area. Referred to a "spot fat reduction". You just burn fat in general.

I'm not a big fan of the rowing machine and i'd much more prefer running or a cross trainer for a direct cardio workout. But rather than spend money on machines there are a lot of exercises you can do at home in 15-20 mins that can probably burn more calories. You'd need a good diet also if you want to achieve weight loss.

I didn't know that, so are you saying it doesn't matter what piece of exercise equipment you use to lose weight? I have an exercise bike - is that just as effective as a rowing machine for burning fat all over the body?

here to be trained

buying & assembling a rower sounds like hassle to me. have you considered walking? its free. Also resistance training is supposed to be the best for loosing body fat and reshaping your body.

El Horseboxo

rowingmachine wrote: »

I didn't know that, so are you saying it doesn't matter what piece of exercise equipment you use to lose weight? I have an exercise bike - is that just as effective as a rowing machine for burning fat all over the body?

The only real difference in calories lost between exercise equipment will be the intensity you put into it. 300 calories burned on a bike, treadmill, rowing machine, cross trainer, even aerobics = the same result. I could burn 300 on a bike in 15 minutes or i could burn it in 30 minutes. Just depends on my pace and intensity. But diet is very important. You need to create an overall daily calorie deficit to lose weight. No point in burning weight through exercise and then putting it back on and more through the wrong food. You won't see any results.

Lantus

Your query - "can I lose weight in location A" is fairly typical and a great reason why so many duff machines (primarily ab buster, ab stretchers, ab-omiser) etc get sold in the thousands every year.

You cannot spot lose body fat from one location. There is no exercise or routine or way of explaining to the body that tummy/bum/thigh fat is unwelcome. Your body stores fat there through 1000's of years of evolution because it's efficient and it knows what it's doing.

Doing thousands of crunches wont give you abs. (when was the last time you saw a fat person with a six pack??)

The good news is that any cardio routine in conjunction with a good diet while creating a slight calorie deficit will burn fat. Find one that suits you that you can enjoy at a reasonable level of intensity.

If you want to maintain muscle mass (the stuff that makes you look toned, firm and fit) then add a resistance routine into your workout. 3 times a week for 30mins should suffice.

60-90mins is quite a lot for any cardio. Little and often is a better approach at least to begin with. rowers can be quite taxing and if your not used to it you wont be doing anywhere near 60 mins let alone 90. To be fair if you have to do more than 60mins of cardio a day to lose weight there is a problem somewhere else. Also, you may not need to that to lose weight, some people wll find that 30mins every other day is fine, you need to find what works for you.

Steady fat loss runs at about 1 -2 pounds a week initially and then slowing over time so its a slow steady process.

SanoVitae

rowingmachine wrote: »

I am trying to lose weight and not gain any muscle mass

Unless you need to stay your current weight for sporting reasons, you should be doing everything you can to gain muscle. It's important to understand that muscle is lean and stringy, while it's fat that's big and bulky. When you gain muscle and reduce your level of bodyfat, your body will become smaller and leaner.

As Lantus said, fat loss of 1-2 pounds a week is easily possible once you consume less calories and use more calories with increased activity (cardio & weight training)

Together with good eating habits, muscle is your best friend.

senordingdong

here to be trained wrote: »

buying & assembling a rower sounds like hassle to me. have you considered walking? its free. Also resistance training is supposed to be the best for loosing body fat and reshaping your body.

In fairness, wouldn't it take alot longer to achieve the same results by just walking?

The Guvnor

Rowing is excellent.
To set up a concept 2 is very easy - two parts they lock together - model d/e easier to fit together than model c.

The concept 2 is not an easy machine, much harder than any cross trainer, better than the bike because the upper body is being activated and if one is overweight better than the treadmill as your bodyweight is supported.

Despite all the above is it the right machine - no as it is too hard and imo 99% of people will hate the machine within a week so a bike or cross trainer is a much better idea as the chance of sticking to the routine are far better.

Mellor

The Guvnor wrote: »

Despite all the above is it the right machine - no as it is too hard and imo 99% of people will hate the machine within a week so a bike or cross trainer is a much better idea as the chance of sticking to the routine are far better.

I agree.
Is a rower the best, yes.
It's it one of the hardest (when you push yourself), yes. I did 3x500m yesterday 1.52, 1.48, 1.47 and I was jelly afterwards, heartrate sored.
Why did I do it, to push myself.

If you want something to prod away on nice and easy, get a bike.

The Guvnor

I think you should do the 1m47 first and then see how bad it gets!:D