Ever since my hip injuries, and subsequent surgeries to repair torn labrums and impingements, I’ve been forced to significantly modify my workouts.
What that really meant was cutting back on running and focusing more on cross training and core strengthening, while still staying aerobically fit.
Not an easy task for someone who essentially adopted the U.S. Postal Service creed for her daily running regimen. (Neither rain, no snow, nor heat … You get the point!)
But I have since added, rather successfully and happily, spinning and cycling, along with yoga, Pilates and more weight training to my workout repertoire, while still managing to run around three times a week. And most important, remain healthy and injury-free.
Recently I added another activity to the mix: indoor rowing. (That’s me in the picture, in the last row, wearing a gray T shirt and ponytail.)
Wait, aren’t rowers the dusty old machines you’d find tucked away in the cardio section of your gym, behind the treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipiticals and steppers?
For years I ignored them. Too boring, I always thought. But I decided to give them a try when the cycling studio near my home decided to add rowing instructions, alongside its spinning, Pilates and yoga classes. The first class was free — and nowhere near any body of water.
I was surprised by the intensity of the workout, but quite pleased with the relatively low impact it had on my joints. Rowing, I would soon learn, is also a calorie-burning behemoth and a great way to work the core. The abdominal muscles are engaged throughout the entire rowing motion, in addition to the shoulders, back, arms, glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps — that is, provided you are rowing in the proper position.
The American College of Sports Medicine puts out an excellent brochure that provides some detailed instructions on the proper technique.
One more thing: If you recently had a hip scope or are still struggling with hip impingement or other hip issues, it’s probably best to contact your doctor or physical therapist before starting to row, or embarking on any new activity, for that matter.
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