An indoor rower, or rowing machine, is a machine used to simulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise or training for rowing. Concept2 is a Manufacturer of rowing equipment They are probably most well known for their indoor rowing machine, which can be found in most Gyms With regard to Watercraft, rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of Oars in the water GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 Indoor Rowing has become established as a sport in its own right. The term also refers to a participant in this sport.
Modern indoor rowers are also sometimes known as ergometers (colloquially erg or ergo), an ergometer being a device which measures the amount of work performed. In Physics, mechanical work is the amount of Energy transferred by a Force. The indoor rower is calibrated to measure the amount of energy the rower is generating. Ergometer comes from the Greek word's ergon, meaning work, and metron, meaning measure. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly "Ergometer", therefore, literally means "work measurer".
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History
Machines using linear pneumatic resistance were commonplace around 1900, but they did not simulate actual rowing very accurately. In the 1950s and 1960s, rowing coaches in many countries began using specially made rowing machines for training and power measurement. In Physics, power (symbol P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transmitted or the amount of energy required or expended for The normal design was a large, heavy, solid iron wheel with a mechanical brake on it. A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a Machine or Vehicle, or alternatively a device to restrain it from starting to move again They were considered something of a torture device, and were extremely unpopular among rowers of the time. [1]
Around 1980, air resistance rowing machines were introduced, and, in 1988, a hydraulic flywheel rowing machine design was released. In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a Many modern rowing-machine designs are a hybrid of these earlier designs. Common variations of the rowing machine include kayak trainers, and sculling trainers.
Layout of the machine
The most common rowing-machine design consists of a flywheel connected to a chain and handle. A flywheel is a mechanical device with significant Moment of inertia used as a storage device for Rotational energy. The rower pushes his body backwards with the legs, then pivots his back, and pulls on the handle, causing the flywheel to spin. The flywheel has a braking mechanism applied (using either pneumatic, hydraulic or magnetic damping) that is intended to simulate the feel of an oar moving through water. Depending on the machine the rower either moves back and forth as part of the rowing action, or the rower remains stationary and the flywheel mechanism moves.
Some machines calculate the user's power by measuring the speed of the flywheel during the stroke and then recording the rate at which it decelerates during the recovery. Using this and the known moment of inertia of the flywheel the computer calculates everything else.
Exercise
Indoor rowing primarily works the cardiovasular systems with typical workouts consisting of steady pieces of 20-40 minutes. Like other forms of cardio focused exercise, interval training is also commonly used in indoor rowing. While cardio focused, rowing also stresses many muscle groups throughout the body anaerobically, thus rowing is often referred to as a strength-endurance sport.
Unlike high impact exercises, which can damage knees and the connective tissues of the lower body, rowing's most common injury site is the lower back. Proper technique is a necessity for staying injury free, with a focus on both mechanics and breathing, as correct rhythm, exhaling on the drive and inhaling on the recovery, is a stabilizing force for the upper body. Non-rowers commonly overemphasize the muscles of the upper body, while correct technique uses the large muscle of the thighs to drive much of the stroke. Also, good technique requires that the angle of the upper body is never too far forward, nor too far back, both of which jeopardize the lower back and compression injuries on the knees and hip flexor muscles.
In addition to the high levels of fitness attained, rowing is an intense calorie-burning exercise. Although rowers with less ability and training will burn fewer calories, the ergometer is an excellent tool for use in a weight-loss program.
The standard measurement of speed on an ergometer is generally known as the "split," or the amount of time in minutes and seconds required to travel 500 meters at the current pace. For example, a 2:00 split would correspond to a 2:00 time for a 500 meter race, or an 8:00 time for a 2 kilometer race. The split does not necessarily correspond to how many strokes the rower takes (the "rating") since strokes can vary in power.
Ergometer Testing
Ergometer tests are used by rowing coaches to evaluate rowers and is part of athlete selection for many senior and junior national rowing teams. During a test, rowers will row a set distance and try to clock the fastest time possible. The most common distances for erg tests are 2000, 5000 or 6000 meters. Results of these tests are an objective measure of an athlete's fitness; however, technique and team coordination also impact performance in boat, thus assembling a crew based purely on ergo scores is not an optimal strategy.
Weight adjusting of ergo scores is sometimes employed since additional weight in a boat increases the drag resistance that the crew must overcome. A typical formula to account for the rower's weight is:
weight factor adjustment = (bodyweight in pounds / 270)0. 222
Competitions
Concept2 organizes a large number of indoor rowing competitions all over the world, including the world championships (also known as CRASH-B Sprints) held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in February and the British Indoor Rowing Championships held in Birmingham, England in November. Concept2 is a Manufacturer of rowing equipment They are probably most well known for their indoor rowing machine, which can be found in most Gyms The CRASH-B Sprints is the world championship for Indoor rowing raced over a distance of 2000 m on Concept2 indoor rowers The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The British Indoor Rowing Championships ( BIRC) is an Indoor rowing event organised by Concept2. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The core event for most competitions is the individual 2,000m; less common are the mile (eg. , Evesham), the 2500m (eg. , Basingstoke - also the original distance of the CRASH-B Sprints). Many competitions also include a sprint event (100m-500m) and sometimes team relay events. The machines used are consistent although the resistance may be adjusted. The resistance adjustment does not effect the energy measurement so a result on one machine can be fairly compared with results on other machines regardless of resistance level.
Most competitions are organized into categories based on sex, age, and weight class. While the fastest times are generally achieved by rowers between 20 and 40 years old, teenagers and rowers over 90 are common at competitions. There is a nexus between performance on-water and performance on the ergometer, with open events at the World Championships often being dominated by elite on-water rowers. Former men's Olympic single scull champions Pertti Karppinen and Rob Waddell and five-time Gold Medalist Sir Stephen Redgrave have all won world championships or set world records in indoor rowing. Pertti Johannes Karppinen (born February 17, 1953 in Vehmaa) is a Finnish rower who is legendary for his three consecutive Robert ("Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, (born January 7, 1975 in Te Kuiti) is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave CBE (born on 23 March, 1962, in Marlow) is a British Rower who won gold medals at five
The world records for 2,000 meters are currently (as of October 2007) 5:36. The Rowing World Records are the fastest times set over the international rowing distance of usually 2000 m October 2007 is the tenth month of that year It began on a Monday and 31 days later ended on a Wednesday. 6 for men and 6:28. 4 for women. Full Records For All Distances, Weight, and Age Classes
In addition to live venue competitions, many erg racers compete by internet, either offline by posting scores to challenges, or live online races facilitated by computer connection.
See also
References
External links
- Crash-B Sprints - Internationally recognized competition
- US Rowing - Official US Rowing organization
- Article of the effects of weight on ergo times
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